Because of the varying entry points for acceptance/entrance into baccalaureate nursing programs and the different structures of nursing curricula, community college students who wish to transfer to university programs are advised to follow a freshman-year curriculum, as prescribed below, applicable to all university nursing majors.¹ By completing this one-year plan of studies and then transferring before the sophomore year to a university, community college students will be on par with prospective nursing students who began the freshman year at a public university in Tennessee. Community college students who pursue this plan will then be eligible at the earliest opportunity to compete for acceptance to a four-year nursing program leading to the award of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree. 

Please note that the completion of the pre-nursing community college curriculum and the subsequent courses taken at a university do not guarantee acceptance into a baccalaureate nursing program. Nursing is a highly competitive major, and only the most highly qualified students are admitted.² The specific requirements for admission to university nursing programs may be found in the catalogs of the various universities.

Summary of Required Hours  

¹The University of Tennessee, Knoxville does not accept transfer students. Nursing students are admitted in the freshman year at UTK.

²Community college students may also pursue various R.N. to B.S.N. programs as a means of attaining the B.S.N. degree. These programs assume the completion of the Associate of Applied Science degree with a major in Nursing, licensure as a Registered Nurse and fulfillment of other criteria. Information concerning these programs is available in university catalogs.

³Students who seek an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree should take the history sequence required by the senior institution.  For a TBR university, one course in Tennessee History may be substituted for one course in American History.

⁴Students who plan to attend the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga and the University of Tennessee, Martin are strongly encouraged to complete BIOL 2230 - Microbiology  and CHEM 1110 - General Chemistry I  before transferring to these institutions.