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Pre-Nursing Advising

A nursing career involves helping others with their health in a large variety of settings. To work as a nurse, a Registered Nursing (RN) licensure is required. The RN can be obtained while earning a two-year associates degree (LPN), a baccalaureate's degree (BSN), or a master's degree (MS).

William & Mary does not have a nursing undergraduate program. If you wish to go into nursing after graduation from W&M, you have several options:

  • go to a university or community colleges to earn a License Practical Nursing (LPN) degree that includes the RN.
  • complete a second bachelor's degree in nursing for the BSN and RN. There are some accelerated BSN-RN programs.
  • complete a master's degree with the RN.

If you have questions please contact the William & Mary Pre-Nursing advisor [[aeeverhardt, Prof. Ashleigh Queen]].

The Accelerated BSN-RN

With an undergraduate degree in an area other than nursing it is possible to get a second BS degree with an RN licensure in 1 to 2 years. These programs expect their applicants to have completed certain prerequisite courses before admission.

Accelerated BSN-RN Prerequisite courses
Accelerated BSN-RN Prerequisite courses
  • Human Anatomy - KINE 303: Human Anatomy and KINE 314 or 315: Human Anatomy Laboratory
  • Human Physiology - KINE 304: Human Physiology and KINE 305: Human Physiology Laboratory
  • Microbiology - BIOL 306: Microbiology or KINE 310/311: Microbes in Human Disease if approved by the individual institution
  • Developmental Psychology - PSYC 310: Developmental Psychology
  • Statistics - KINE 394: Statistics and Evaluation, or
    PSYC 301 and 302: Elementary Statistics and Experimental Methods, or
    MATH 106: Elementary Probability and Statistics

Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology must be completed with a minimum grade of "B."

Some universities have slight variations in these courses so be sure to look at each schools list of courses.
Virginia Universities with accelerated BSN-RN programs
Virginia universities with accelerated BSN-RN programs:
  • George Mason University
  • Jefferson College of Health Sciences
  • Liberty University
  • Lynchburg College
  • Marymont University
  • Norfolk State University
  • Old Dominion University
  • Shenandoah University
  • Virginia Commonwealth University
Master's Degree: Clinical Nurse Leader Program

The University of Virginia has a master's degree program designed for students with an undergraduate degree in a non-nursing program. This program takes two years of full time study (including summers), and graduates are eligible for the NCLEX and clinical nurse leader (CNL) certification exam. Applicants can be of any major, but are expected to have taken specific courses.

CNL Prerequisite Courses
CNL Prerequisite Courses
  • Human Anatomy - KINE 303: Human Anatomy (lab not required)
  • Human Physiology - KINE 304: Human Physiology (lab not required)
  • Microbiology - BIOL 306: Microbiology OR KINE 310/311: Microbes in Human Disease
  • Life span development
  • Statistics - KINE 394: Statistics and Evaluation, or
    PSYC 301 and 302: Elementary Statistics and Experimental Methods, or
    MATH 106: Elementary Probability and Statistics
Other Resources
Selected Nursing Schools in Virginia