Prerequisite Courses

There are 9 prerequisite courses for the Master of Nursing program:

• General Chemistry*
• Microbiology*
• Human Anatomy*
• Human Physiology*
• Human Pathology*
• Lifespan Growth & Development
• Abnormal Psychology
• Human Nutrition
• Inferential Statistics

You must have five of the prerequisites complete (with a grade) by the January 15 application deadline. If you did not have a strong science background in your previous degree, it is important to complete at least 3 of the 5 starred courses as part of the 5 required to apply to demonstrate ability to excel in science coursework; this evidence is necessary in order to be competitive during the application process. You may take the courses in either an online or classroom format. All prerequisite courses must be taken for a grade and you must earn a C- or better to fulfill the requirement. Please note that meeting the minimum number of prerequisites needed to apply (five), or meeting the minimum grade requirement of a C- does not guarantee admission into the program.

Prerequisite coursework will be accepted if it was taken at a regionally accredited college/university; transfers to the University of Minnesota; meets the minimum credit requirements; has the same or similar course title; and meets the timeline requirements. We do not accept CLEP exams as a substitution for fulfilling a prerequisite requirement.

For prerequisite courses taken at one of Minnesota's community/technical colleges, please refer to this transfer guide to determine which courses we accept from each of these institutions.

General Chemistry (minimum 3 credits)
Courses designed to prepare students for college-level chemistry courses are not adequate. Biochemistry or organic/inorganic chemistry courses are not appropriate either. Choose a course that is a college-level general chemistry course. A lab is not required.
Appropriate courses at the UM-Twin Cities: CHEM 1015, CHEM 1021

Human Anatomy (minimum 3 credits)
Covering all aspects of human anatomy; a lab is not required but may be helpful. Some schools combine anatomy and physiology and offer a 2-course series (e.g. Anatomy & Physiology I & II). At these schools you must take both courses to fulfill the anatomy and physiology requirements. Comparative anatomy courses do not fulfill the prerequisite.
Appropriate courses at the UM-Twin Cities: ANAT 3001, ANAT 3301, ANAT 3601, ANAT 3611, KIN 3027

Human Physiology (minimum 3 credits)
Covering all aspects of human physiology; a lab is not required. The course cannot be older than 10 years at the time of entry into the program. Some schools combine anatomy and physiology and offer a 2-course series (e.g. Anatomy & Physiology I & II). At these schools you must take both courses to fulfill the anatomy and physiology requirements. Comparative physiology courses do not fulfill the prerequisite.
Appropriate courses at the UM-Twin Cities: PHSL 3050, PHSL 3051, PHSL 3061, KIN 3385, PHAR 3601

Microbiology (minimum 3 credits)
Covers principles of microbiology; a lab is preferred but not required. Course cannot be older than 10 years at the time of entry into the program. An appropriate course will include all or most of the following: bacterial metabolism, growth, and genetics; biology of viruses and fungi; control of microorganisms; host-microbe interactions; microorganisms and disease; applied microbiology. Molecular/cellular biology or immunology courses are not appropriate.
Appropriate courses at the UM-Twin Cities: FSCN 2021, VBS 2022, VBS 2032 (preferred course), MICB 3301, MICB 3303

Lifespan, Growth & Development (minimum 3 credits)
This is a developmental psychology course and must cover the entire human lifespan (infancy through older adult).
Appropriate courses at the UM-Twin Cities: NURS 2001; NURS 3690 + NURS 3691

Human Nutrition (minimum 2 credits, 3 preferred)
A nutrition course that addresses topics such as essential nutrients needed from the diet; major functions of nutrients and physiological changes with deficiency or excess; digestion, absorption, and metabolism of nutrients; scientific method and nutrition; food safety issues. Courses that only discuss topics such as diet fads are not appropriate.
Appropriate courses at the UM-Twin Cities: FSCN 1112, PubH 5905

Human Pathology (minimum 3 credits)
A course covering general and organ system pathology. It is sometimes called pathophysiology. The course cannot be older than 10 years at the time of entry into the program. An upper-division course is recommended.
Appropriate courses at the UM-Twin Cities: LAMP 4177, PubH 6355

Abnormal Psychology (minimum 3 credits)
Overview of a wide range of mental disorders as well as descriptive information including prevalence rates, ages of onset, and cultural differences. General psychology does not fulfill this requirement, but is often a prerequisite needed to enter an Abnormal Psychology course.
Appropriate course at the UM-Twin Cities: PSY 3604

Inferential Statistics (minimum 3 credits)
This course is a specific prerequisite for the graduate-level research course taken during the MN program. The appropriate course must include methods of statistical estimation and inference (hypothesis testing). It may also include some or all of the following: sampling methods, experimental design, data exploration (e.g., using graphical and numerical summaries), data modeling and simulation, normal distributions, sampling distributions, correlation, and simple linear regression. Additional topics may include measures of center and spread and experimental design. It is strongly recommended that the course be taken at the upper-division or graduate level.
Appropriate courses at the UM-Twin Cities: EPSY 5261, EPSY 3264, STAT 3011, PSY 3801 (formerly PSY 2801)