Degree Offered
- Associate of Science
Nature of the Program
The associate of arts in pre-BSN Nursing prepares students to apply specifically to the bachelor of nursing (BSN) program offered by West Virginia University’s School of Nursing on the Beckley, Keyser, and Morgantown campuses. The first year of the program provides a foundation in biology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, math and psychology, and includes all the prerequisite courses required for admission into the BSN program. The second year of the program is completed after admission to that program. Students are selectively admitted to the BSN nursing program when all pre-BSN requirements have been satisfactorily completed. Minimum requirements include a 3.00 cumulative G.P.A. and at least a 3.00 in all prerequisite courses.
Students who are not accepted into the BSN program after the first year and/or those who plan to apply to another nursing program should use the pre-nursing (General Studies) associate of arts major.
Career Opportunities
Registered nurses perform diagnostic tests, observe/record patient behavior, consult with physicians, administer medications and treatment and perform many other duties for hospitals, doctor's offices, nursing homes, schools, and many other agencies. In addition, registered nurses may choose to continue their education and enter graduate programs to become nurse practitioners. While both meet the minimum requirements to sit for the registered nursing certification, a BSN degree provides a more thorough nursing curriculum than an Associate Degree of Nursing (ADN) program, and nurses with a BSN earn more than those with an ADN.
Faculty
Chair
- Erin Cunningham - M.S. Biology
Year @ PSC 2007
Advisors
- Sheri Chisholm - Ph.D. Institutional Leadership, M.S. Immunology Biotechnology
Year @ PSC 2009 - Ganesh Ghimire - Ph.D. Organic Chemistry
Year @ PSC 2018 - Roshan Lamichhane - Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction; M.S. Chemistry
Year @ PSC 2020 - Lisa Zyga - M.S. Mathematics
Year @ PSC 2022
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 101 & ENGL 102 | Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research (GEF 1) | 6 |
| MATH 124 | Algebra with Applications (GEF 3) | 3 |
| STAT 211 | Elementary Statistical Inference | 3 |
| PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychology (GEF 4) | 3 |
| PSYC 241 | Introduction to Human Development | 3 |
| BIOL 102 & 102L | General Biology 2 and General Biology 2 Laboratory (GEF 2) | 4 |
| MICB 200 | Medical Microbiology | 3 |
| BIOL 230 | Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 | 4 |
| BIOL 231 | Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 | 4 |
| CHEM 111 & 111L | Survey of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry 1 and Survey of Chemistry 1 Laboratory (GEF 8) | 4 |
| CHEM 112 & 112L | Survey of General Organic Biological Chemistry 2 and Survey of Chemistry 2 Laboratory (GEF 8) | 4 |
| HN&F 171 | Introduction to Human Nutrition | 3 |
| NSG 100 | Introduction to Nursing | 2 |
| NSG 211 | Health Assessment & Communication (Morgantown) | 6 |
| NSG 212 | Foundations of Nursing Practice (Morgantown) | 6 |
| NSG 250 | Clinical Nursing Pharmacology | 3 |
| WVUE 191 | First Year Seminar | 1 |
| Total Hours | 62 | |
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 102 & 102L (GEF 2) | 4 | BIOL 230 | 4 |
| CHEM 111 & 111L (GEF 8) | 4 | ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| MATH 124 (GEF 3) | 3 | CHEM 112 & 112L (GEF 8) | 4 |
| WVUE 191 | 1 | STAT 211 | 3 |
| PSYC 101 (GEF 4) | 3 | NSG 100 | 2 |
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 231 | 4 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| MICB 200 | 3 | NSG 212 | 6 |
| NSG 211 | 6 | NSG 250 | 3 |
| PSYC 241 | 3 | HN&F 171 | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 62 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Nursing
Upon completion of the associates in nursing (pre-BSN) program, students will be able to:
- Describe general biological concepts, including anatomy, physiology and genetics.
- Use mathematical concepts to solve problems.
- Use chemical principles and laboratory techniques to describe chemical structure.
- Describe fundamental concepts in psychology and sociology.
- Apply for admission into the West Virginia University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing BSN program.