Prerequisite Information

High School Prerequisites (collegiate course work can be used to complete high school deficiencies):

  • 4 years of High School English
  • 1 year of Biology
  • 1 year of Chemistry
  • 1 year of Physics
  • 4 years (fourth level proficiency) of the same world language or two years (second level proficiency) in two different world languages, or two years of the same world language plus additional required coursework
  • Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry
  • 3 years of Social Studies

College Prerequisites (all require a grade of "C" or higher):

1. Natural Science Prerequisites  To be considered for Standard Admission, a student must have completed the following courses at the time of application: Chemistry I, Chemistry II, Biology, and an additional course in Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, or Nutrition. (All must be complete before starting the nursing major, and all must be complete within 10 years of starting the nursing major.)

  • CHEM:1070 - General Chemistry I
  • CHEM:1080 - General Chemistry II
  • BIOL:1141 - Human Biology: Health Professions
  • ACB:3110 - Principles of Human Anatomy
  • HHP:1300 - Fundamentals of Human Physiology
  • MICR:3164 - Microbiology for Human Health
  • HHP:2310 - Nutrition & Health
  • Physics (if not completed in high school)

2. Social Science Prerequisites To be considered for Standard Admission, a student must have at least one of these courses complete at the time of application. (All must be complete before starting the nursing major.)

  • PSY:1001 - Elementary Psychology
  • NURS:1030 - Human Development & Behavior
  • SOC:1010 – Sociology or SOC:1030 Contemporary Social Problems

3. General Education Prerequisites (All must be completed before starting the nursing major.)

  • Literary, Visual and Performing Arts (3 s.h.)
  • International and Global Issue (3 s.h.)
  • Values & Society or Understanding Cultural Perspectives* (3 s.h.)
    *Understanding Cultural Perspectives courses are only available at the University of Iowa

4. Additional Prerequisites (All must be completed before starting the nursing major.)

  • RHET:1030 - Rhetoric
  • STAT:1020 - Elementary Statistics and Inference* (3 s.h.)
  • NURS:3111 - Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for Health Professions

5. World Language Two years of the same world language plus one additional 3 s.h. course in one of the following General Education categories: Values & Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, International & Global Issues, or World Language & Cultural Exploration.

  • 4 years (fourth level proficiency) of the same world language or
  • Two years (second level proficiency) in two different world languages or
  • Two or three years of the same world language plus one additional course (3 s.h.) from one of these general education categories: Values & Culture (VC), Diversity & Inclusion (DI), International & Global Issues (IGI), or World Language and Cultural Exploration (WLCE)

Transfer Courses:
If you choose to take courses at another institution, please access our transfer equivalency database at the following website: http://myui.uiowa.edu and select "Courses", then select "Transfer Courses" on the right side of the screen.