RN to BSN Transfer & Prerequisite Courses
You do not have to figure it out all on your own! Contact our program for a personalized unofficial review of your transcripts and receive specific feedback about what courses you need to complete for RN/BSN admissions. With this information you are able to make the best decision for you about where, when and how you complete your required prerequisite courses.*
RN to BSN Prerequisites
Prior to admission, the following general education and cognate courses must be completed. *The prerequisite courses can be taken at ECU, a community college, or a regionally accredited college or university.
- English Composition (two semesters)
- College Algebra
- Chemistry (a total of two courses – in general, organic and/or biochemistry)
- Anatomy and Physiology (with labs, two semesters)
- Microbiology (with a lab)
- Health (Students will receive placement credit for HLTH 1000 when they present a valid, unrestricted license to practice as a RN.)
- Physical Activity and Fitness (Students will receive placement credit for KINE 1000 when they present a valid, unrestricted license to practice as a RN.)
- Introduction to Sociology
- Introductory Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Nutrition (A nursing course taken in the Associate Degree of Nursing (ADN) program will meet the Nutrition requirement)
- Statistics (mathematics or psychology)
- Humanities and Fine Arts Electives (nine semester hours and must include ethics): at least one course from the humanities area and one course from the fine arts area. Humanities include ethics, literature, philosophy and religion. Fine arts courses include art, dance, music, speech and theater.
Academic credits from other regionally accredited institutions are typically accepted by ECU if a grade of C- or higher is earned. There is no time limit for acceptance of academic credits. Advanced placement, credit by examination and the College-Level Examination Program are other ways to meet these requirements. For North Carolina community college courses, please refer to the Community College Transfer Course List (PDF) or Transfer Course Equivalency List to determine how or if a course may transfer and to identify specific courses (especially humanities and fine arts courses).
An additional option to fulfill prerequisite courses for students that began nursing school in fall 2015 or after is the Uniform Nursing Articulation Agreement.
The Uniform Articulation Agreement promotes educational advancement opportunities for registered nurses moving between North Carolina community colleges and the constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina in order to complete Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees.
You may not combine courses from these two lists, instead you must select and complete all of the courses in one of the two listed provided. For additional information please Email us.
Additional Resources
Download the list of approved NC Community College Courses for Transfer Credit (PDF).
Transfer Course Equivalency This page contains a searchable database by institution and course title of how courses you have taken or plan to complete will transfer to ECU.
The North Carolina Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) is a statewide agreement governing the transfer of credits between NC community colleges and NC public universities and has as its objective the smooth transfer of students.