Upper Division Transfer BSN Prerequisite Courses
Beginning with the Fall 2024 application cycle, we will no longer accept in-progress prerequisite courses. All prerequisites must be completed by the end of Fall 2023 in order to apply and be considered for Fall 2024 admission.
Applicants must complete all prerequisite requirements prior to starting the Upper Division Transfer BSN pathway. No prerequisite courses may be completed in the spring or summer semester following the application period. Please note that only one (1) repeat is permitted between Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, and Microbiology, if our below grade requirement was not met during the first attempt. There is no repeat rule in regards to the non-science prerequisite courses or the Chemistry course requirement.
Courses should not be taken for Credit/No Credit. If a course has already been taken and passed for Credit, we will assume a grade of “C” for such course(s) in the calculation of the prerequisite GPA. If course credit was earned through AP or IB exams taken in high school, those courses/credits will not be calculated into the prerequisite course GPA. If course credit was earned through CLEP exams, those exams with passing scores will be accepted and will not be calculated into the prerequisite course GPA. We will not accept AP, IB, or CLEP scores for Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, or Microbiology. Due to COVID-19, we will accept a grade of "Credit" or "Pass" for any required prerequisite courses taken in Spring 2020 and Summer 2020. They will not be counted as a 'C' grade. They will not be factored into the prerequisite GPA calculation.
The School of Nursing accepts the first "passing attempt" of the required course to count for completion and the prerequisite GPA calculation. A "passing attempt" is earning a "B-" or higher in the required sciences and a "C" or higher in the required non-sciences. Earned AP/IB Credit will count for the first passed attempt. Chemistry is required but not factored into the prerequisite course GPA.
PREREQUISITE COURSES MUST BE COMPLETE BEFORE STARTING THE PROGRAM.
- Courses do not expire (we do not have a recency requirement).
- All prerequisite courses must be completed with a minimum overall GPA of 3.25.
- You must earn a “B-” or higher in each science prerequisite course.
- You must earn a "C" or higher in each non-science prerequisite course.
- We accept both in-person and online course formats for all prerequisites, including labs.
- Non-science prerequisite courses must be a minimum of three (3) semester units.
- Science prerequisite courses must be a minimum of three (3) semester units lecture and a minimum of one (1) unit of lab.
- Chemistry must be a minimum of three (3) units, with associated lab if the lab was required at the institution where the lecture course was taken.
REQUIRED SCIENCE PREREQUISITE COURSES
You must earn a "B-" or higher in each of these courses.
Human Anatomy + Lab
Course
must be a minimum of three (3) units lecture and one (1) unit lab. If an integrated A&P I course is taken a corresponding A&P II course MUST be taken at the same institution. If the required passing grade of B- or higher is not met in one of the integrated courses, the applicant should repeat the
same course at the same institution
in which they took it the first time. If this is not an option for the applicant, they should email
nursing@fullerton.edu 
to discuss their options with a nursing advisor.
- Example Course Description: Study of the anatomical structure of the human body. Structure and function of the musculoskeletal, nervous and cardiorespiratory systems. Systems approach to the structure and function of the human body.
Human Physiology + Lab
Course
must be a minimum of three (3) units lecture and one (1) unit lab. Mammalian Physiology courses will not be accepted. If an integrated A&P I course is taken a corresponding A&P II course MUST be taken at the same institution. If the required passing grade of B- or higher is not met in one of the integrated courses, the applicant should repeat the
same course at the same institution
in which they took it the first time. If this is not an option for the applicant, they should email
nursing@fullerton.edu
to discuss their options with a nursing advisor.
- Example Course Description : Human physiological systems and their relationship to human function. Study of the cellular to organ system level of muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory and renal systems, and the neural and endocrine control of these systems. Includes functional aspects of each organ system.
Microbiology + Lab
Course must be a minimum of three (3) units lecture and one (1) unit lab. Other acceptable course titles: Medical Microbiology, General Bacteriology, and Biology of Microorganisms.
- Example Course Description : Introduction to structure and function of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses with emphasis on pathogenic agents and how they are controlled by host defenses and human intervention. Laboratory provides practice with basic microbiological skills and investigations with microscopy, culture, physiology and genetics of microbes.
General, Inorganic, Organic, or Integrated Chemistry + Lab (if applicable)
Course must be a minimum of three (3) units lecture, with associated lab if required at the institution where the course was taken.
- Acceptable course types : Course must be CSU transferable. AP Chemistry Exam (if passed with a score of 4 or 5), General chemistry, Inorganic chemistry, Organic chemistry, Integrated chemistry, or Chemistry for Allied Health.
- We will not accept : AP Chemistry Exam (if passed with a score of 1, 2, or 3), IB Chemistry Exam, CLEP Examination for Chemistry, Preparation for General Chemistry, Survey of Chemistry, or Chemistry of/for Life.
REQUIRED NON-SCIENCE PREREQUISITE COURSES
You must earn a "C" or higher in each of these courses.
To check if a course meets CSU GE A.1, A.2, or A.3, please use ASSIST.org or the CSUF TES Database.
Oral Communication
Only approved CSU GE A.1 courses will be accepted. Upper division or topical courses are not accepted for this requirement. This course must be taken from an institution within the United States. Generally, a public speaking course that covers the theory and presentation of speeches will meet this requirement.
Written Composition
Only approved CSU GE A.2 courses will be accepted. Upper division or topical courses are not accepted for this requirement. This course must be taken from an institution within the United States. Generally, a first year college-level, non-topical, writing course will meet the requirement.
Students who receive credit for successful completion of an AP examination must upload their AP score report to their online application.
Critical Thinking
Only approved CSU GE A.3 courses will be accepted. Upper division or topical courses are not accepted for this requirement. This course must be taken from an institution within the United States. Typically, but not all, courses which qualify as an A.3 course include a 2nd semester of college-level English, as part of a 1-year sequence, or a 'Logic' course.
Statistics
Any statistics course that falls into the CSU GE B.4 category is acceptable. Generally, the SON will accept a statistics course as long as it covers these topics: Design surveys and experiments. Graphical and numerical summaries. Correlation, regression and analysis of contingency tables. Confidence intervals and hypothesis testing via simulation and using normal, t, chi-squared distributions. Probability, analysis of variance (ANOVA), factorial designs, and interpreting data.
Students who receive credit for successful completion of an AP examination must upload their AP score report to their online application.
College Level Math
If an applicant has a statistics course, but it does not fulfill the CSU GE B.4 requirement, the applicant must have a college-level CSU GE B.4 course completed as well, per the University Admission Requirements for Transfer Students (The Golden Four).
ADDITIONAL COURSE REQUIREMENTS
You must earn a "C" or higher in each of these courses. These two additional courses must be completed (if not already completed) during the first semester of nursing coursework. Completion of these courses is required for CSUF pre-licensure graduates by the California Board of Registered Nursing to be eligible to test for the CA Registered Nurse (RN) license.
Introduction to Psychology
Students who receive credit for successful completion of an AP examination must upload their AP score report to their online application. We will not accept upper division or topical psychology courses for this requirement.
- Other acceptable course titles: General Psychology, Principles of Psychology, Psychology Fundamentals.
- We will not accept: Life-Span Psychology, Developmental Psychology.
Introduction to Sociology OR Cultural Anthropology
We will not accept upper division or topical sociology or anthropology courses for this requirement.
- Other acceptable course titles: General Sociology, Principles of Sociology, Sociology Fundamentals, Introduction to Socio-cultural Anthropology.
- We will not accept: Biological Anthropology.
If you are unable to determine if your statistics or science prerequisite course will meet our requirement(s) after reviewing this page in full, you may submit a request for your course to be reviewed by clicking the button below.
Review of Prerequisite Courses
To check if a course meets CSU GE A.1, A.2, or A.3, please use ASSIST.org
or the CSUF TES Database
.
