What Classes Do Pre-Nursing Students Have to Take?

Fortunately, as varied and complicated admissions to nursing programs can be, they are pretty consistent on the required courses that need to be completed prior to entering and most times prior to applying to a nursing program.

As a counselor who has worked with hundreds of pre-nursing students, I always advise that students get the basic courses (English and math) completed first as they will help in future science courses.

Students should keep in mind that the grades in all of these classes may impact how competitive of an applicant a student will be. Students who struggled in math and English while in high school, should consider taking support courses in order to ensure the highest grade possible. Special attention should be taken to research instructors for all of these classes, as the reviews provided by other students may help a pre-nursing student find an instructor compatible with their learning style.

Prerequisites and General Education

The goal is for students to complete all of their general education (GE) courses in order to earn an Associate's degree prior to applying to nursing programs. With this in mind, it is important for pre-nursing students to work with a counselor to ensure that the required prerequisite and GE courses are planned in a certain order. Preparing for applying to a nursing program takes away a lot of choice students have in GE subject areas, as most of them are dictated by the prerequisites for the program.

I am creating this list based on our San Jose City College Associate's degree General Education requirements. Our AA requirements mirror that of the California State University system, so students who complete the AA GE requirements have also met those for a CSU program.

In the module that lists all of the nursing programs, I have included by school, the prerequisite courses each school requires.

Area A: ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMMUNICATION AND CRITICAL THINKING

A1: Oral Communication
- COMS 20 - Oral Communication This course should be taken, especially for those who want to apply to both CSUs and community college programs. While some schools list several options, completing COMS 20 makes you eligible for nearly all nursing programs.)
  - COMS 10 - Interpersonal Communication
A2: Written Communication
- ENGL 1A - English Composition This is mandatory for a degree and entrance into a nursing program. Some programs weight this grade heavily in admissions. Students who find writing essays challenging should take ENGL 120 with the course for additional support.
A3: Critical Thinking
- ENGL 1C - Critical Thinking/Composition Most students should take this course, although schools do not specify which of our four classes they prefer (COMS 40, ENGL 1C, PHIL 60 or READ 10). However, a second semester English composition course is required for transfer to a CSU, and to cut down on the number of classes, ENGL 1C is the best choice.

AREA B: SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY AND QUANTITATIVE REASONING

B1: Physical Science
- CHEM 32A - Introduction to General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry This course is designed for health science students. It also is required for other programs such as Radiology Technology, Dental Hygiene and Respiratory Therapy. This course will provide students with the most options for nursing programs. This course or CHEM 15 are prerequisites for Physiology and Microbiology and should be taken in semester two or three.
- CHEM 15 - Fundamentals of Chemistry Some programs will accept this course. However, it could mean students will have to take a second chemistry course in order to apply to many other programs.
B2: Life Science
- BIOL 20 - Human Biology or BIOL 21 - General Biology Either of these courses work to meet the prerequisite for Anatomy. I generally recommend this course second semester after English 1A has been passed.
- BIOL 71 - Human Anatomy One of the core science prereqs. Biology 20 or 21 is a prerequisite. This course requires 20-30 hours a week for just this class. Students should not try to take anatomy and three other courses since the grade is so important and some schools will not allow repeats of certain grades and/or classes.
- BIOL 72 - Human Physiology The second of the core sciences required for admission. Anatomy and chemistry are prereq courses for this class. This course also requires 20-30 hours per week. Students should work hard to earn A's or B's in these three courses.
- BIOL 74 - General Microbiology This final core biology course also requires 20-30. hours per week. Anatomy and chemistry are prereqs. It can be taken directly after anatomy, but most students recommend taking it after both anatomy and physiology have been completed.
B4: Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning
- MATH 63 - Elementary Statistics This course is required for transfer and some community college programs either require the course or give extra points for having it complete by application. Students who struggled in math in high school or who didn't take Intermediate Algebra (Algebra 2 or Math 3) should take a support course (MATH 63X) with it and take it after ENGL 1A..

AREA C: ARTS AND HUMANITIES

C1: Arts This is one area that nursing prerequisites don't dictate what a student should take. There are many options to choose from and students should use the course descriptions to find the classes that they would most enjoy taking. This is a good class to pair with Anatomy, Physiology or Microbiology, or to take during a summer or intersession.
C2: Humanities
- This requirement is not dictated by nursing prerequisites. Students can choose to take any class in this area. However, one way to reduce the number of semesters and courses for the AA degree would be to take two classes in this general education area. The two classes listed below can double count as another requirement for the AA degree (U.S. History, Constitution and American Ideals).
- ETH 37A & ETH 37B - Mexican American History I & II
C3: Additional course from C1 or C2
- Students who do not take ETH 37A & 37B will need to select one additional course from either C1 - Arts or C2 - Humanities.

AREA D: SOCIAL SCIENCES

PSYCH 10 - General Psychology This course is required by the majority of nursing programs. Many schools list it as a co-requisite; some will include the grade in the class for admission purposes, or provide students with bonus points for having the class complete.

PSYCH 92 - Developmental Psychology The majority of programs also require this psychology course as it is required by the Board of Registered Nursing. While some schools require it prior to admission, others will either check that it is completed and/or aFward bonus points.

SOC 10 - Introduction to Sociology or ANTHRO 63 - Cultural Anthropology Typically this course can be completed after applications have been submitted, but there are some schools that require it in order to apply. I generally recommend to students that they complete it prior to or during the semester they submit their applications. Some schools will now take other courses such as ETH 027 - Introduction to Race & Ethnicity or COMS 35 - Cross-Cultural Communication.

AREA E: LIFELONG LEARNING AND SELF-DEVELOPMENT

FCS 19 - Nutrition While not generally listed as a prereq and calculated for GPA, this class meets a general education requirement and should be completed prior to or during the semester applications are submitted. Some schools may look for this on the application, and generally, points for a degree will only be earned at the time of application. There are a couple of schools that will not accept our nutrition class, so students should always check the specific websites of the schools to which they are applying.

KINPE/DANCE/Athletics Students can select any course in this area to complete in order to earn the AA degree. Some schools, both community colleges and CSUs require two semesters of PE. It can be a great course for students to add to the semesters when they are taking one of the core sciences (BIOL 71, 72 or 74) to reach either 6, 9 or 12 units.

AREA F: ETHNIC STUDIES

Students can select any of the Ethnic Studies courses that are listed in this area. It is not required for nursing programs, though students who are applying to community college programs should have their degree complete and posted to their transcript by the time they submit their applications.

U.S. HISTORY, CONSTITUTION AND AMERICAN IDEALS

Students can select any of the options listed in this Area. As mentioned in Area C: Arts and Humanities, one option (ETH 37A & 37B) will double count for pre-nursing students.