Pre-Nursing

Nurses today have become the primary caregivers in many health care settings. A nurse is generally responsible for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of a patient’s health plan. Within the profession, a choice of career opportunities exists, including: nurse clinician, nurse educator, nurse researcher, community health nurse, visiting nurse, psychiatric nurse, and nurse practitioner. Nurses also find employment in settings outside the hospital or physician’s office, including: hospice care, occupational health, industrial medicine, public health, quality assurance, and risk management. The pre-nursing area of concentration usually involves two years of study at UMBC. The Office for Academic and Pre-Professional Advising can assist students interested in pursuing the pre-nursing curriculum..

Nursing Requirements and UMBC Equivalent Courses

English (6)

ENGL 100 - Composition (3.00)
one literature course* (3.00)

Biology (19)

BIOL 101 - Concepts Of Biology (3.00)
BIOL 233 - Nutrition and Health (3.00)
BIOL 251 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I (3.00)
BIOL 251L - Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory (1.00)
BIOL 252 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II (3.00)
BIOL 252L - Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory. (1.00)
BIOL 275 - Microbiology (3.00)
BIOL 275L - Microbiology Laboratory (2.00)

Chemistry (9)

Social Sciences Elective (3)

Choose among Psychology, Sociology, Geography, Political Science, Economics, Anthropology, Social Work, History

Arts and Humanities Electives (9)

Choose among Literature, Foreign Language, Art, History, Music, Mathematics, Philosophy, Speech**

Total: 63 Credits

Note:

*See advisor for acceptable courses.

**Courses must be completed in two different academic areas.

To become eligible for a professional program in nursing, students must complete a minimum of 63 credits in specific coursework. Taking this into consideration, an increasing number of students are planning to complete a bachelor’s degree at UMBC prior to continuing their professional studies in nursing at another institution. This option entitles students to assemble a more competitive overall portfolio for nursing program admission.

Pre-requisite requirements may vary depending on the nursing program. Students are encouraged to review pre-requisite requirements for each program they are applying to and plan accordingly.

UMBC/UMSON (University of Maryland School of Nursing) Nursing Pathway

For incoming freshmen who are interested in nursing, UMBC offers a collaborative partnership with the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON), a premiere school of Nursing. This partnership focuses on enhanced advising, programming and preparation for nursing school while at UMBC. Students are paired with pre-nursing advisors who will mentor them through their academic career and foster a connection between UMBC and the UMSON. While at UMBC, students also have the added benefit of collective programmatic opportunities, including site visits to UMSON to see classrooms, labs and clinical sites. Eligible students must indicate their intended program of study as Pre-Nursing prior to matriculation at UMBC. As part of this collaboration, each year UMBC secures as many as thirty seats in the UMSON class, offered to those who have met certain academic requirements. For more information on this exclusive partnership, please contact the Office for Academic and Pre-Professional Advising.