Program Overview

Associate in Pre-Nursing, Direct Transfer Agreement/Major Related Program (DTA/MRP)

This pathway offers a broad selection of academic courses which prepare students for upper division coursework leading to an entry-to-practice Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Pre-nursing graduates are prepared to apply to BSN programs at various institutions across Washington State. The Pre-Nursing DTA/MRP is highly transferable to all public Baccalaureate Institutions (BIs) and many private BIs in Washington State; those specifically party to the agreement are University of Washington, Washington State University, Pacific Lutheran University, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle University, and Walla Walla University.

Program Description

Pre-Nursing DTA/MRP students should contact their potential transfer institutions early in their program regarding:

• The specific course choices in each area of the agreement where options are listed (humanities, social sciences, electives)
• Admission requirements, overall minimum college-level GPA, a higher GPA in a selected subset of courses, or a specific minimum grade in one or more courses such as math or English

Pre-Nursing DTA/MRP graduates will:

• use the scientific method to analyze natural phenomena and acquire skills to evaluate authenticity of data/information relative to the natural world
• describe organic compounds and metabolism as they apply to the human body
• perform literature reviews and identify and locate appropriate resources to answer questions about the human body and its pathologies
• apply anatomy and physiology principles to clinical human physiology and pathophysiology
• describe and explain the principle of homeostasis as it applies to the human body
• describe the impact of diet on the body and health
• demonstrate communication, critical thinking, cultural humility, information literacy, and teamwork skills
• meet Humanities, Natural Science, Quantitative Reasoning, Social Science, and Written Communication general education distribution area outcomes

Program Requirements

• Total Program Credits: 95
• The requirements of the Pre-Nursing DTA/MRP are met by the degree plan as listed above.

Recommended Course Sequence

The courses listed below are a suggested sequence; as long as prerequisites are met, courses may be taken in a different order.

• Quarter One
  • HLSC 100 College and Career Success for Health Sciences (3 credits)
  • BIOL& 160 General Biology with Lab (5 credits)
  • CHEM& 121 Introduction to Chemistry (5 credits)
  • Humanities course (5 credits)
• Quarter Two
  • BIOL& 241 Anatomy and Physiology 1 (6 credits)
  • ENGL& 101 English Composition I (5 credits)
  • PSYC& 200 Lifespan Psychology (5 credits)
• Quarter Three
  • BIOL& 242 Anatomy and Physiology 2 (6 credits)
  • ENGL& 102 English Composition II (5 credits)
  • MATH& 146 Introduction to Statistics (5 credits)
• Quarter Four
  • CHEM& 131 Introduction to Organic/Biochemistry (5 credits)
  • NUTR& 101 Nutrition (5 credits)
  • CMST& 220 Introduction to Public Speaking (5 credits)
• Quarter Five
  • BIOL& 260 Microbiology (5 credits)
  • SOC& 101 Introduction to Sociology (5 credits) (or any transferrable POLS&, ECON&, SOC&, ANTH&, HIST&, CJ& course)
  • Elective course (5 credits)
• Quarter Six
  • PSYC& 100 General Psychology (5 credits)
  • Humanities course (5 credits)
  • Elective course (5 credits)

Diversity and Social Justice Requirement

Within the degree requirements, students must complete a 3-5 credit course that meets the college’s Diversity and Social Justice (DSJ) requirement. DSJ courses are designated in the college schedule and are designed to meet other general education or technical requirements simultaneous to meeting the DSJ requirement.

General Education Requirements

• Communication Skills: 10 credits in English Composition
  • Walla Walla University requirement: The second English Composition course must be a research writing course. ENGL& 102, or equivalent, fulfills this requirement.
• Quantitative/Symbolic Reasoning Skills: 5 credits in Statistics
  • Must include descriptive and inferential statistics.
  • Intermediate Algebra proficiency is required. Intermediate Algebra proficiency may be demonstrated by successful completion of a Statistics course for which Intermediate Algebra is a prerequisite.
  • UW Seattle requirement: Requires 5 additional credits in college algebra, pre-calculus, or logic.
  • Seattle University requirement: Requires 5 additional credits in college algebra or pre-calculus.
• Humanities: 15 credits in Humanities
  • 5 credits in Public Speaking (strongly recommended as listed above for LWTech students), Interpersonal Communication, or Intercultural Communication
  • 10 credits in other Humanities courses, with the following exceptions:
    • No more than 10 credits allowed for any one discipline.
    • No more than 5 credits in world language or ASL at the 100 level.
    • No more than 5 credits in performance/skills courses allowed.
  • Washington State University requirement: Requires curriculum that provides students with an understanding of and sensitivity to human diversity. The Humanities distribution area provides an opportunity to meet this requirement.
  • Advising notes:
    • Many BSN programs recommend a public speaking course. Students should contact their transfer institution(s) to find out if a public speaking course is preferred.
    • Students are encouraged to consult with the transfer institution(s) regarding the humanities courses that best prepare them for a BSN and for admission to the institution(s).
    • Students are encouraged to take courses that provide them with an understanding of and sensitivity to human diversity.
• Social Sciences: 15 credits in Social Sciences
  • 5 credits General Psychology (PSYC& 100)
  • 5 credits Lifespan Psychology (PSYC& 200)
  • 5 credits of social science outside of psychology that has diversity as a focus (Introduction to Sociology [SOC& 101] strongly recommended for LWTech students)
  • Washington State University requirement: Requires curriculum that provides students with an understanding of and sensitivity to human diversity. The Social Sciences distribution area provides an opportunity to meet this requirement.
  • Walla Walla University requirement: Requires a course in General Sociology.
• Natural Sciences: 35-40 credits with at least 25 credits lab-based
  • 5 credits General Biology (BIOL& 160; must be a prerequisite to Anatomy and Physiology)
  • 12 credits Anatomy and Physiology with lab (BIOL& 241 and BIOL& 242)
  • 5 credits Inorganic Chemistry with lab (CHEM& 121)
  • 5 credits Organic/Biochemistry with lab (CHEM& 131)
  • 5 credits Microbiology with lab (BIOL& 260)
  • 5 credits Human Nutrition (NUTR& 101)
  • University of Washington requirement: Requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for three Natural Sciences courses or a minimum GPA of 2.8 for four Natural Sciences courses.
  • Advising notes: Introductory survey courses or review courses do not meet the content level expectations for the Natural Sciences distribution area
• Electives: 10 additional credits
  • A maximum of 5 credits may be in college-level courses as defined by the community or technical college.
  • Remainder shall be fully transferable as defined by the receiving institution.
  • Washington State University requirement: Requires curriculum that provides students with an understanding of and sensitivity to human diversity. Elective credits provide an opportunity to meet this requirement.
  • University of Washington requirement: Requires 100 hours of healthcare experience.
  • Elective credits may be used to meet world language requirements for certain institutions.

Additional Advising Notes

• Admissions application deadlines vary; students must meet the deadline for the university or universities to which they plan to apply for admission to transfer.
• Grade point average requirements vary and admission is competitive across the programs in Nursing. Although some nursing programs note minimum GPA requirements for nursing prerequisites and other required courses, meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee nursing admission. It is strongly recommended students check with their transferring institution for GPA requirements.
• Certain schools may have additional “university-specific” requirements that are not pre-requisites to admission to the Nursing major but will need to be completed prior to graduation. Contact with advisors from individual schools for institutional requirements is highly recommended since this DTA may not meet every institution-specific graduation requirement.
• Certain schools may have additional “university-specific” requirements for admission to the institution that are not pre-requisites specifically identified in the DTA requirements.
  • UW Seattle: Requires 10 credits of a world language if the applicant has not completed two years of a single language in high school.
  • PLU: Requires a year of a foreign language at the college level, if two years of high school foreign language has not been completed.