Ask a Nurse: Will My Non-Nursing Associate Degree Transfer Toward a BSN?

In our Ask a Nurse series, experienced nurses provide an insider look at the nursing profession by answering your questions about nursing careers, degrees, and resources.

Answer: Absolutely — though how long it will take and the exact pathway you will follow will depend a lot on the degree you’ve already earned and the coursework you’ve taken.

In addition to the nursing coursework, traditional four-year BSN programs require general education courses such as English, history, and math. Depending on the classes that you took for your associate degree, some or all of these credits may transfer to your BSN degree. As a result, you may need to take fewer credits, which can shorten your graduation timeline by a year or two.

It is important to note that most BSN programs have a lengthy list of prerequisites that need to be completed before you can be eligible to take nursing courses. Some prerequisites are listed below:

If your degree did not include any of this coursework, it may be easier (and more cost-effective) to take your prerequisites at your convenience before applying to a nursing program. You can take your courses at your own pace — whether that’s one at a time or in two semesters.

While many programs are on-campus, more online options are becoming available. However, even if you’re enrolled in an online program, you must complete your clinical experiences at an in-person location. Most programs require clinical experiences in general medical/surgical, pediatrics, obstetrics, and psychiatric care, at a minimum. You may also need to spend time at a skilled nursing facility to learn the basics of providing nursing care.

The best and first thing you should do is to contact the nursing programs you are interested in applying to and ask to speak with an advisor. They should be able to point you in the right direction.