Pre-Nursing Major
Department of Biology
Preparing for the Nursing Program
The Nursing Program at FMU requires applicants to complete at least 59 semester hours of lower division coursework before they apply to the upper division nursing curriculum. During this time, a nursing student is classified as a pre-nursing major. Many of the courses are part of the Biology Department and many pre-nursing students may have a biology faculty member as their advisor during their sophomore year.
A student must earn a grade of C or better and maintain an overall 3.0 grade point average or better on a 4 point scale in all of the lower division courses. The student must also demonstrate strong academic performance in the three core science courses (Human Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology) by maintaining at least a 2.6 grade point average or better on a 4 point scale.
Once a student has completed the pre-nursing requirements, they must then apply to the upper division program in the Department of Nursing. This is a competitive process and acceptance is not guaranteed. Once accepted, the student will continue through the upper division nursing curriculum.
The curriculum for the pre-nursing major is summarized below. Information on this page is subject to change. Check your catalog for the most current information.
General Education Requirements
Communications (9 hours)
- ENGL 101: Analysis & Argument (3)
- ENGL 102: Rhetoric Genre Research (3)
- SPCO 101: Basics of Oral Communication (3)
Social Sciences (9 hours)
- POLI 101: U.S. Government or POLI 103: Introduction to Political Science (3)
- One elective courses in Anthropology (ANTH), Economics (ECON), Geography (GEOG), Political Science (POLI), or Sociology (SOCI). (3)
- Honors (HNRS) courses 250-259 will also fulfill this requirement.
- PSYC 334: Life Span Development (3)
Humanities (12 hours)
- Literature (ENGL) (3)
- History (HIST) (3)
- Fine Art Appreciation (ART 101, MUSI 101, or THEA 101) (3)
- One elective course in Art (ART), Literature (ENGL), History (HIST), Music (MUSI), Theater (THEA), or Philosophy & Religious Studies (PRS) or AAAS 200: Introduction to African American Studies or GNDR 200: Gender Studies (3)
- Honors (HNRS) courses 260-269 will also fulfill this requirement.
Mathematics (6 hours)
- A minimum of 6 hours of mathematics courses MATH 111 or higher.
Natural Sciences (12 hours)
- A minimum of 12 hours of science courses with laboratories.
- Pre-Nursing Majors fulfill this General Education requirement automatically.
- Biology (BIOL) or Environmental Science (ENVR) (4)
- Chemistry (CHEM), Physics (PHYS), or Physical Science (PSCI) (4)
- Astronomy (ASTR), Biology (BIOL), Chemistry (CHEM), Environmental Science (ENVR), Physics (PHYS), Physical Science (PSCI), Psychology (PSYC 206/216) (4)
- Honors (HNRS) courses 280-289 will also fulfill this requirement.
Science Requirements
Introductory Biology (3 hours)
- BIOL 105: Biological Sciences I (3)
- The matching BIOL 115L is not required for a Pre-Nursing Major, but is recommended.
Introductory Chemistry (8 hours)
Biology Core Courses (12 hours)
- BIOL 205: Human Anatomy (4)
- If a person completes Anatomy & Physiology I & II at another institution with a C or better, credit will be given for BIOL 205 and 236 for Pre-Nursing Majors only.
- BIOL 215: Microbiology for Healthcare Professionals (4)
- BIOL 311: Microbiology is also acceptable.
- BIOL 236: Human Physiology for Healthcare Professionals (4)
- BIOL 406: Human Physiology is also acceptable.
- If a person completes Anatomy & Physiology I & II at another institution with a C or better, credit will be given for BIOL 205 and 236 for Pre-Nursing Majors only.
Second Degree Seeking Students
The following is a list of the minimum required courses for a student that has already earned a bachelor’s degree in another discipline and wants to apply to the upper-division BSN program: