Students interested in the highly competitive nursing program must complete the pre-health major in nursing requirements prior to application. A total minimum of 26 credits is required for application to the traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program. A minimum cumulative GPA is also required. Applicants who are international or non-native English speakers without a degree from a U.S. high school, college or university must submit TOEFL or IELTS test scores. For more information about these requirements, visit the School of Nursing’s website.
Because admission to the B.S. in Nursing program is highly competitive, it is imperative that all pre-health students who intend to pursue a major in nursing work in tandem with their UAA pre-health major academic adviser to consider parallel majors that satisfy similar career outcomes. Completion of the pre-health major in nursing does not guarantee admission to the traditional program for the B.S. in Nursing nor does it result in a college degree.
Requirements for the pre-health major in nursing
Students applying to the traditional B.S. in Nursing degree program must complete biological concepts with laboratory, human anatomy (lab included) with a minimum grade of B, and principles of nutrition. The non-science prerequisites for the pre-health major in nursing are: UNIV 111 and UNIV 112, introduction to psychology and general sociology. Although math is not required for admission to the School of Nursing, students admitted into the nursing program complete a statistics class. Therefore, it is recommended that students who place into college algebra complete a math class during the first year.
While not a requirement of the pre-health major in nursing, students who have space in their schedules to accommodate additional classes are encouraged to begin working on the collateral requirements of the baccalaureate degree. These courses include: BIOL 209 and BIOZ 209, both with minimum grades of B; PHIL 201; PHIS 206 and PHIZ 206, both with minimum grades of B; PSYC 304; STAT 208 or higher; and UNIV 200.
Changing to the pre-health major in nursing from another major
Current VCU students who wish to change their major to the pre-health major in nursing must meet the following criteria to be considered for the major:
- Minimum GPA of 3.0
- No more than 75 credits completed
Students who do not meet these requirements may see a pre-health adviser, but they will not be assigned to a pre-health adviser in Navigate.
Progression policy
Students interested in pursuing the B.S. in Nursing are admitted initially into the pre-health major in nursing, which is not a degree-granting major. In order to remain in the pre-nursing program, students must meet the following criteria.
- Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 VCU cumulative GPA.
- If a student's VCU cumulative GPA drops below 3.0, they will be placed on pre-health probation and allowed one semester to raise their cumulative GPA to 3.0 — provided it is mathematically possible to do so. If it is not mathematically possible to do so, or if the student fails to raise their minimum cumulative GPA to 3.0 during their probationary semester, they will be removed from the pre-nursing major and transitioned into their secondary major. If no secondary major exists, students will be moved into the Discovery program (undeclared major) where they will receive assistance with selecting another major.
- Pre-health probation students: Students must meet with their pre-health adviser prior to the add/drop deadline of the pursuant semester in order to adjust their class schedule and to create an action plan.
- By the time a student has attempted1 45 credits, if they have not successfully matriculated into the traditional B.S. in Nursing program, they must declare a secondary major related to their parallel plan.
- By the time a student has attempted 60 credits, they must have completed BIOL 205 (or its equivalent) with a minimum grade of B.
- If a student exceeds 75 attempted1 credits and has not successfully matriculated into the traditional B.S. in Nursing program, they will be removed from the pre-nursing major and their secondary major will become their primary major.
Details of requirements for admission to the traditional nursing program can be found on the program admission tab of the traditional program concentration page of this Bulletin.
Transfer students who are admitted to the pre-health major in nursing must apply to the traditional program option of the B.S. in Nursing following the minimum number of semesters needed to complete the prerequisite courses required for admission. Transfer students must adhere to the same guidelines outlined above (re: declaring secondary majors, developing action plans, etc.). Transfer students who have exceptionally high credits are strongly encouraged to consider applying to the accelerated program, which is a post-baccalaureate B.S. degree option.
Students may appeal the removal from the pre-health major in nursing via the associate director of pre-health advising in University Academic Advising. Students must initiate the appeal with their assigned academic adviser. The associate director may, at their discretion, extend the time period needed to meet the requirements, generally by only one semester. A student who wishes to appeal must submit their appeal at least one week prior to the start of the next semester in which they register for classes.
Attempted hours include credit hours from courses in which a W, an F or any other grade has been assigned. This is reported in the transcript as “overall attempted hours.”
Prerequisites for the traditional nursing program
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| VCU courses | ||
| Select one of the following biology sequences (Note the three-credit lecture component satisfies general education BOK for natural sciences and AOI for scientific and logical reasoning.): | 4 | |
| Biological Concepts and Biological Concepts Laboratory | ||
| Introduction to Biological Sciences I and Introduction to Biological Science Laboratory I | ||
| BIOL 205 | Basic Human Anatomy | 4 |
| BIOL 217 | Principles of Nutrition | 3 |
PSYC 101  Play course video for Introduction to Psychology | Introduction to Psychology (satisfies general education BOK for social/behavioral sciences and AOI for diversities in the human experience) | 4 |
| SOCY 101 Play course video for Introduction to Sociology | Introduction to Sociology (satisfies general education BOK for social/behavioral sciences and AOI for diversities in the human experience) | 3 |
| UNIV 111 Play course video for Focused Inquiry I | Focused Inquiry I (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) | 3 |
| UNIV 112 Play course video for Focused Inquiry II | Focused Inquiry II (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) | 3 |
| General education course | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 27 | |
Sample curriculum outline
| Freshman year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall semester | Hours | |
| Select one of the following biology sequences: 1 | 4 | |
| BIOL 101 & BIOZ 101 | Biological Concepts and Biological Concepts Laboratory | - |
| BIOL 151 & BIOZ 151 | Introduction to Biological Sciences I and Introduction to Biological Science Laboratory I | - |
| PSYC 101 Play course video for Introduction to Psychology | Introduction to Psychology (satisfies general education BOK for social/behavioral sciences and AOI for diversities in the human experience) | 4 |
| UNIV 111 Play course video for Focused Inquiry I | Focused Inquiry I (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) | 3 |
| UNIV 191 | Student Success Special Topics (recommended) | 1 |
| General education course | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| BIOL 205 | Basic Human Anatomy | 4 |
| BIOL 217 | Principles of Nutrition | 3 |
| SOCY 101 Play course video for Introduction to Sociology | Introduction to Sociology (satisfies general education AOI for diversities in the human experience) | 3 |
| UNIV 112 Play course video for Focused Inquiry II | Focused Inquiry II (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) | 3 |
| Term Hours: | 13 | |
| Total Hours: | 28 | |
The three-credit lecture component satisfies general education BOK for natural sciences and AOI for scientific and logical reasoning.
The total minimum requirement (for admission to the traditional nursing program) is 26 credits.