Nursing is more than a career—it’s a calling to care, advocate, and heal. As a professional discipline, nursing is centered on understanding and supporting human responses to health challenges. Current research in the field explores how people navigate both acute and chronic conditions, ways to promote and maintain health, and the effectiveness of nursing interventions.
Nursing School Prerequisites
The list below includes general prerequisite courses that many accelerated BSN programs require for admission. Keep in mind that specific requirements can vary by school. Some additional courses, while not required, are highly recommended to strengthen your application.
Students are responsible for ensuring their UCSB (and other) courses meet each professional schools admission requirements.
PSTAT 5A or 5LS or PSY 10B
- Options for a student with credit for the AP Statistics exam
- Take PSTAT 5A or 5LS for study list credit
- Take a CC course in statistics, or higher level statistics at UCSB (PSTAT 120, etc)
CHEM 1A (4 units): General Chemistry
CHEM 1B (3 units): General Chemistry
CHEM 1C (3 units): General Chemistry
CHEM 2AL (2.5 units): General Chemistry Lab
CHEM 2BL (2.5 units): General Chemistry Lab
Organic Chemistry is not typically required for most accelerated BSN or direct entry masters programs, but may be for DNP programs.
CHEM 109A (4 units): Organic Chemistry
CHEM 109B (4 units): Organic Chemistry
CHEM 6AL (3 units): Organic Chemistry Lab, Prerequisites: Chemistry 109A with a minimum grade of a C-; Chemistry 109B (may be taken concurrently)
MCDB 1A (4 units): Intro to Biology I
MCDB 1B (3 units): Intro to Biology II--Physiology
MCDB 1LL (1.5 units): Intro to Biology I Lab
EEMB 2 (3 units): Intro to Biology II—Ecology and Evolution
EEMB 3 (3 units): Intro to Biology III
EEMB 2LL (1.5 units): Intro to Biology Lab II
Most students will take MCDB 1LL in winter quarter and EEMB 2LL in spring quarter. Although taken over two quarters rather than three, these will count as a full year of introductory biology labs.
Biochemistry is not typically required for most accelerated BSN or direct entry masters programs, but may be for DNP programs.
MCDB 108A (4 units): General Biochemistry
- Prerequisites: MCDB 1A, and EEMB 2 and MCDB 1B; and Chemistry 1A-B-C; and Chemistry 109A-B-C. Completion of all listed prerequisites require a grade of C or better.
- Chem 109C may be taken concurrently.
MCDB 110 (4 units): Principles of Biochemistry
- MCDB and Non-MCDB majors may choose to take MCDB 110
- Prerequisites: Chem 1A-B-C and 109A-B, with grades of C or better.
MCDB 131 (4 units): General Microbiology
and
MCDB 131L (2 units): Laboratory in General Microbiology
Alternatively, students can take Microbiology at SBCC (BMS 157)
Many (but not all) schools require a microbiology lab. At UCSB, MCDB 131L can be difficult for non-Microbiology majors to access, so students often complete the lecture and lab at a community college instead. If you plan to enroll at SBCC while also taking UCSB courses during fall, winter, or spring, we recommend meeting with a Letters & Science advisor before the SBCC term begins to discuss your options.
Courses are not offered at UCSB so students may complete the courses at a community college instead.
SBCC offers BMS 107 (Human Anatomy) and BMS 108 Human Physiology. If you plan to enroll at SBCC while also taking UCSB courses during fall, winter, or spring, we recommend meeting with a Letters & Science advisor before the SBCC term begins to discuss your options.
Typically any combination of three UCSB courses taken in the Writing, English and possibly the Comparative Literature departments should fulfill the full year of English requirement for most nursing schools.
PSY 1: Introduction to Psychology (5 units)
and
Some programs may require additional psychology courses such as Human Growth and Development (Lifespan) and Adnormal Psychology.
Students planning to apply to Nursing Schools should:
- Visit each school’s website for admission requirements.
- Make sure your courses meet each school’s prerequisites.
- Contact schools directly if you're unsure about a course.
- Double-check that your UCSB (and other) courses meet specific program requirements.
- Work with our Pre-health advising team throughout the process.
Academic Requirements & Admissions Considerations
GPA
All required coursework should be completed with a grade of “C” (2.00) or better to fulfill the requirement. A “C-minus” or lower is not acceptable. Some programs only allow applicants to retake a science course 1 time in order to earn a better grade, so it is especially important to utilize resources such as instructor's office hours, CLAS, and advising services as soon as you begin to feel that you are struggling academically.
Transcript Review & Grade Trends
Admission committees consider more than final grades, including course load per quarter, P/NP grading, repeated courses, and withdrawals (W). Applicants are encouraged to review the AAMC's Anatomy of an Applicant Guide for more insights on transcript evaluation.
Clinical Experience
If you intend to apply to a nursing program, you should pursue clinical work or volunteer experience. This will help you demonstrate your commitment to nursing and allow you to see firsthand if the profession fits your needs and aptitudes. In addition to clinical experience, general community service can strengthen your nursing school application.
Pathways to a Nursing Career
There are many levels of education and career paths within nursing:
Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) – entry-level license for providing basic nursing care.
Registered Nurse (RN) – most often obtained through a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), though some earn it through associate programs.
Entry-Level Master of Science in Nursing (ELMSN) – designed for students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree who want to enter nursing at the master’s level.
Advanced Nursing Degrees – nurses can pursue a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctoral degree in Nursing (DNP or PhD) for leadership, research, or advanced practice roles.
Nursing Specializations
At the graduate level, nurses can specialize in areas such as:
-
Nurse anesthesia
-
Community health nursing
-
Gerontological nursing
-
Medical-surgical nursing
-
Psychiatric mental health nursing
-
Nurse midwifery
Some programs prepare generalist nurses, while others allow specialization by age group (e.g., pediatric or adult nursing) or functional area (e.g., teaching or administration).
From Gaucho to Nurse: Pathways After Your Four-Year Degree.
- Two-year program
- Slower pace, more flexibility to work
- After completion of program:
- Receive a BNS degree
- Take the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination)
- Earn RN (Registered Nurse) Licensure
- 11-18 month commitment
- Fast-paced, full time
- Expedited entry to NR licensure
- After completion of program:
- Receive a BNS degree
- Take NCLEX Exams
- Earn RN (Registered Nurse) Licensure
- Both accelerated and non-accelerated options (2-4 years)
- Direct entry into MSN
- Completion of MSN can open opportunities for management, nurse education, etc.
- After completion of MSN:
- Take NCLEX Exams
- Earn RN (Registered Nurse) Licensure
- Both accelerated and non-accelerated options (2-4 years)
- Direct entry into MSN
- After completion of MSN degree:
- Take NCLEX Exams
- Earn RN (Registered Nurse) Licensure
- Gain experience in the field (usually at least 1 year)
- Complete APRN certification program (generally 1 year) to earn one of the following:
- CNP: Certified Nurse Practitioner
- CNS: Clinical Nurse Specialist
- CNM: Certified Nurse Midwife
- CRNA: Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (Doctorate-DNP is required to complete specialty)
What you should know about the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
Structure & Sections of the GRE
There are two forms of the GRE:
- Computer-delivered GRE
- Paper-delivered
There are three sections:
- Verbal Reasoning
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Analytical Writing
Some students view the GRE’s structure and content to be similar to the ACT and SAT.
Application Fees
- GRE fee is $205
- Other fees may apply for rescheduling or canceling testing appointments.
- Limited number of Fee Reduction Certificates. Must meet eligibility requirements.
Testing Limits
- The test can be taken once every 21 days
- It may be taken up to five times within any continuous rolling 12-month period (365 days). This applies even if you canceled your scores on a test taken previously.
- You may take the paper-delivered test as often as it is offered.
Total Exam Time
Total test time is approximately 3 hours, 45 minutes.
Study Time & Tips
Study Time Commitment: Expect to dedicate about 150 hours of test preparation after completing prerequisite coursework.
Reasoning Skills are Key: Questions require test takers to utilize reasoning skills to determine the BEST answer. This means that your first answer choice may technically be correct, the
may be an answer choice that is BETTER.
Reading Comprehension: The ability to read, analyze and understand text is crucial, so devote time to read a lot on your own.
Practice Tests: Take as many full-length practice tests as possible under simulated test-day conditions to ensure effective preparation.
The Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) Exam
The TEAS is an examination that some BSN programs require applicants take. As with the GRE, check with the programs you hope to apply to in order to determine their specific requirements for admission. Click the button below for additional details.
The TEAS exam evaluates proficiency in four key areas:
- Reading
- Math
- Science
- English and Language Usage
Created by Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI), the exam consists of approximately 170 questions, with 20 pretest questions that do not count toward the final score.