Pre-Nursing Studies (PRE) Programs
A Pre-Nursing program is an associate degree which fulfills the Bachelor Degree in Nursing prerequisites. Program length is two years and tuition costs vary by state from $1,500 to $8,000 per year. Pre-Nursing programs do not train students in patient care nor do they prepare students to take a licensing exam.
Pre-Nursing Studies are generally offered at community colleges and junior colleges. Larger four year universities may require that students complete Pre-Nursing Studies prior to enrolling into their School of Nursing. Students will transfer credits into a BSN program at the same school or other school of their choosing. Students graduating from a Pre-Nursing program are generally seeking to become a Registered Nurse.
If your local community college does not offer a Pre-Nursing Associate Degree, you still might be able to customize a generic degree to meet your needs. This can help you save on the cost of tuition, for example. This can also help if you are unable to gain acceptance into the nursing school of your choice due to below average grades. It's common for larger schools within a state university system to accept transfer credit from courses taken at smaller community colleges.
In our list of nursing schools we identify Pre-Nursing Studies
programs by the acronym PRE.
Other common names used by schools include but are not limited to: Pre-Nursing Associate in Science, Pre-Nursing Associate in Arts, Pre-Nursing Certificate, Pre-Nursing Diploma, Pre-Nursing Coursework, PreNursing Program, and Pathway Program.
Nursing schools currently do not use the acronym PRE to identify such programs.
The common goal between all these programs is to transfer students into a Bachelor Degree in Nursing upon completion.
Pre-Nursing Studies Overview:
- Take prerequisite courses for a BSN program.
- Does not train students in patient care.
- Does not prepare students to take a licensing exam.
- Program length is two years.
- Tuition costs vary by state from $1,500 to $8,000 per year.
What does Pre-Nursing mean?
Pre-Nursing is a title generally given to associate degree programs which fulfill prerequisites for a Bachelor Degree in Nursing. These two year degrees are often referred to as pathway programs, and are a formal way to transfer students into another school upon completion.
Larger four year colleges and universities may use the name Pre-Nursing to indicate that students have not yet been accepted into the nursing major. In that case, Pre-Nursing means that you are taking college level courses, earning credit, but may not receive an associate degree upon completion.
Pre means before
, which given the level of education, generally means before you enter the Registered Nursing program.
Is Pre-Nursing an Associate Degree?
If you enroll into a Pre-Nursing program at a community college or junior college it is most likely an associate degree. Those two year associate degree programs are often referred to as pathway programs. Larger four year colleges may use the name Pre-Nursing to indicate that students have not yet been accepted into the nursing major. In such cases you may not be awarded an associate degree upon completion, because you are working towards a bachelor degree.
How long does a Pre-Nursing Degree take?
A Pre-Nursing Associate Degree at a community college or junior college typically takes 2 years to complete.
What classes do you take for Pre-Nursing?
At the community college level you will take two years of general education and science classes. That's four semesters with five classes each semester for a total of twenty classes. Microbiology, Chemistry, Anatomy, and related science classes might require additional lab time. General Elective classes will allow you to change some of the items in our list below.
Below is a sample of classes you take during a Pre-Nursing Associate Degree program:
- Anatomy
- Biology I
- Biology II
- Chemistry
- Communication
- Economics
- English Composition
- English Literature
- Nutrition
- Mathematics
- Microbiology
- Nursing Survey
- Philosophy
- Physiology
- Psychology
- Spanish I
- Spanish II
- Sociology
- Statistics
- World History
Find the BSN program prerequisites listed at a nearby nursing school. Compare the prerequisite class list to what is available at your local community college, for example. Speak with an academic advisor and show them the prerequisite list if needed to clarify course titles and transferability.
What can you do with a Pre-Nursing degree?
Students generally earn a Pre-Nursing degree with the intention of transferring those credits into a Bachelor Degree in Nursing. Pre-Nursing degree programs do not train students to work in patient care nor do they prepare students to take a licensing exam.
If you can not continue your studies upon completion, consider training and working as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and begin your nursing career that way. The Pre-Nursing coursework should help your resume stand out when you apply for jobs as a CNA or LPN.
Can you earn a Pre-Nursing degree online?
Some pre-nursing classes and lectures might be offered online but usually not all. This is called a blended or hybrid delivery format. The trend in education is towards self-study and online classes including in the field of nursing. If you chose to take pre-nursing classes online ensure that credits are transferable into a BSN program before you enroll.
Last updated: March 2, 2024
References:
- Pre-Nursing School Course Requirements. University of California, Berkeley, CA. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- Pre-Requisite Courses For Nursing BSN. Miami Dade College, Miami, FL. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- What is Pre-Nursing?. University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- Pre-Nursing Curriculum. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- Pre-nursing Frequently Asked Questions. Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. Retrieved March 2, 2024.