Pre-Nursing - A.S.

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For more information on this program, contact the Math and Science division at 615-230-3261 or at mathscience@volstate.edu.

The Associate of Science (Pre-Nursing) is designed to provide students continuing study to complete the bachelor’s degree in Nursing at most institutions within Tennessee or neighboring states. Some flexibility is provided in the area of emphasis courses allowing the student and advisor to customize the program of study tailored to the curriculum at the institution of interest.
It is important that students identify their intended transfer nursing program early in their college career, preferably the first or second semester. Students are strongly advised to carefully research transfer institution requirements and work closely with their advisor in planning the program of study, preparing for graduation, and making application to the institution and school of nursing. Students who plan to apply for a two-year Nursing A.A.S. degree program should work with an advisor on a course of study designed to meet the specific Nursing A.A.S. entrance requirements.
Students who plan to apply for Volunteer State’s Nursing A.A.S. program should follow the first two semesters specified by that program.

Transfer Options

This program of study has been created to permit some flexibility in the curriculum to meet the requirement of most nursing programs. Because nursing school entrance requirements can change without notice, students are strongly advised to contact the senior institution for specific program of study requirements for admission to the nursing program. All nursing programs are extremely competitive and students are directed to consult their advisor each semester before registering for classes and in planning for graduation. Completion of all pre-requisite courses and the A.S. degree do not guarantee admission as each school of nursing has its own admissions requirements, standards, and criteria for selection. Some schools of nursing require that their introductory nursing course or other courses not specified by this program of study be taken prior to admission.

All students graduating with a degree from VSCC are required to take the Educational Testing Service Proficiency Profile (ETSP) to meet graduation requirements. More information can be found at https://www.volstate.edu/testing.

General Education Requirements - Credits (41)

Students are STRONGLY advised to carefully research transfer institution requirements and work closely with their advisor BEFORE enrolling in the following general education courses. Closely review the footnotes for each requirement.

Humanities and/or Fine Arts (Must include at least one Literature Course) Credits: (9)²

BIOL 2010 - ^Human Anatomy and Physiology I Credits: (4) ^{1, 3, 8}
BIOL 2020 - ^Human Anatomy and Physiology II Credits: (4) ^{1, 3}
ENGL 1010 - ^English Composition I Credits: (3) ¹
ENGL 1020 - ^English Composition II Credits: (3)
PSYC 1030 - ^Introduction to Psychology Credits: (3) ^{1, 4}
SOCI 1010 - ^Introduction to Sociology Credits: (3) ⁴
History Requirement: Select a sequential pair from the following options. (6) ⁵
HIST 2310 - ^Early World History Credits: (3)
AND HIST 2320 - ^Modern World History Credits: (3)
OR
HIST 2010 - ^Early United States History Credits: (3)
AND HIST 2020 - ^Modern United States History Credits: (3)
Math Requirement: In addition to consulting an advisor, review footnotes 1 & 6 to select the appropriate course from the following list. (3)
MATH 1530 - ^Introductory Statistics Credits: (3)
OR MATH 1130 - ^College Algebra Credits: (3)
OR MATH 1710 - ^Precalculus Algebra Credits: (3)
OR MATH 1730 - ^Precalculus Credits: (5)
COMM 2045 - ^Public Speaking Credits: (3)
OR COMM 2025 - ^Fundamentals of Communication Credits: (3)

Area of Emphasis Requirements - Credits (19-20)

Students are STRONGLY advised to carefully research transfer institution requirements and work closely with their advisor BEFORE enrolling in the following courses or selecting electives from the approved list. Closely review the footnotes for each requirement.

BIOL 2230 - Microbiology Credits: (4) ^{1, 7}
CHEM 1030 - ^Fundamentals of Chemistry Credits: (4)
OR CHEM 1110 - ^General Chemistry I Credits: (4) ⁸ OR Advisor Approved Elective for transfer to institutions not requiring chemistry Credits: (3-4)

Electives

Choose twelve credits from the following:

AHC 115 - *Medical Terminology Credits: (3) ¹⁰
HED 220 - Principles of Nutrition Credits: (3) ⁹
INFS 1010 - Computer Applications Credits: (3) ¹⁰
MATH 1130 - ^College Algebra Credits: (3) ⁶
MATH 1530 - ^Introductory Statistics Credits: (3) ⁶
MATH 1710 - ^Precalculus Algebra Credits: (3) ⁶
MATH 1730 - ^Precalculus Credits: (5) ⁶
PHED (Physical Education Activity) Credits: (1-2)
PHIL 260 - Introduction to Biblical Studies Credits: (3) ¹⁰
PHIL 1040 - ^Introduction to Ethics Credits: (3)
PSYC 243 - Psychology of Death and Dying Credits: (3) ⁴
PSYC 244 - Alcohol and Drug Abuse Credits: (3) ⁴
PSYC 2110 - Psychology of Adjustment Credits: (3) ⁴
PSYC 2120 - ^Social Psychology Credits: (3) ⁴
PSYC 2130 - ^Lifespan Development Psychology Credits: (3) ^{4, 9}
SOCI 1040 - ^Social Problems Credits: (3) ⁴
OR Advisor approved elective

Total Degree Requirements - Credits (60-61)

Career and Salary Information

The following is a list of some of the career choices that may be obtained upon completion of this program. Please visit the following website http://www.onetonline.org or speak to an advisor for additional career opportunities, salary information and education requirements. Salaries are not guaranteed.

Career	Beginning Salary with Bachelor Degree	Experienced Salary with Bachelor Degree
Registered Nurse	$42,660	$59,080
Critical Care Nurse	$42,660	$59,080
Nursing Instructor Post-Secondary	$48,550	$61,910

Recommended Schedule

This is a recommended schedule. Learning Support, pre-requisites and other academic factors may impact this schedule. See your advisor to create a degree plan.

DegreeWorks, along with the correct catalog, should be utilized by students for all of their educational planning. Students can monitor their progress toward a degree or certificate and view missing requirements with the DegreeWorks audit, which is accessible through My Volstate.

First Year - Fall Semester - Credits (16)

Elective (Choose from list above) Credits: (3)

CHEM 1030 - ^Fundamentals of Chemistry Credits: (4)
OR CHEM 1110 - ^General Chemistry I Credits: (4)
ENGL 1010 - ^English Composition I Credits: (3)
MATH 1130 - ^College Algebra Credits: (3)
OR MATH 1530 - ^Introductory Statistics Credits: (3)
PSYC 1030 - ^Introduction to Psychology Credits: (3)

First Year - Spring Semester - Credits (16)

Elective (Choose from list above) Credits: (3)
Humanities and/or Fine Arts (See General Education Requirements in Catalog) Credits: (3)

BIOL 2010 - ^Human Anatomy and Physiology I Credits: (4)
ENGL 1020 - ^English Composition II Credits: (3)
COMM 2045 - ^Public Speaking Credits: (3)
OR COMM 2025 - ^Fundamentals of Communication Credits: (3)

Second Year - Fall Semester - Credits (16)

Elective (Choose from list above) Credits: (3)
History (Choose from options above) Credits: (3)
Humanities and/or Fine Arts (See General Education Requirements in Catalog) Credits: (3)

BIOL 2020 - ^Human Anatomy and Physiology II Credits: (4)
SOCI 1010 - ^Introduction to Sociology Credits: (3)

Second Year - Spring Semester - Credits (13)

Elective (Choose from list above) Credits: (3)
History (Choose from options above) Credits: (3)
Humanities and/or Fine Arts (Literature - See General Education Requirements in Catalog) Credits: (3)

BIOL 2230 - Microbiology Credits: (4)

Footnotes:

¹ The VSCC Nursing A.A.S. program requires credit or enrollment in courses indicated by this footnote prior to application to the Nursing A.A.S. program. The Humanities/Fine Arts requirement is 3 credits and MATH 1530 is the math course required in the A.A.S. program. Review the Nursing A.A.S. program guide for the 3 credit Guided Elective options.

² Some senior institutions have specific humanities/fine arts requirements.

³ Many senior institutions require credit to be earned in the 5 years prior to admission. Some do not accept for credit BIOL 2010/2020 taken online.

⁴ Some senior institutions have requirements other than or in addition to PSYC 1030 and SOCI 1010.

⁵ Some senior institutions require World History; some require US History; some will accept either.

⁶ Some senior institutions require Statistics; some require College Algebra or higher; some require both.

⁷ Some senior institutions require or will accept BIOL 2100.

⁸ The VSCC Anatomy and Physiology faculty strongly recommend completing a chemistry course as preparation for BIOL 2010. Some senior institutions require a chemistry course.

⁹ Recommended. Required by most schools of nursing.

¹⁰ Required by a few schools of nursing.