Eastern Mennonite University

Nursing Programs Offered

RN to BSN Program Details

To enroll in the nursing baccalaureate program at EMU, the student must have completed a nursing program in a school accredited by AACN, NLN and/or regional college/university accrediting bodies. All applicants must be licensed as a registered nurse through the NCLEX examination.

Diploma graduates, based on their diploma program of study and subsequent licensure, receive 30 SH portfolio credit in the nursing major. Those 30 SH may be applied to the required 60 SH for admission to the RN-BSN and will be applied toward credits in the traditional program. This is based on the rationale that to become licensed as an RN, one has to earn licensure as a registered nurse through an externally consistent measure of nursing knowledge, the NCLEX examination.

Graduates of all nursing programs, including diploma, associate degree, and bachelor’s degree programs write the same examination to verify competency. Consequently, nursing courses from diploma programs will be routinely accepted as portfolio credit when they are transferred from state approved schools. The nursing major at EMU, however, requires additional learning. Baccalaureate learning goes beyond the basic RN level knowledge tested by NCLEX . Nursing credit hours earned through nursing courses in the ADCP and traditional curriculum reflect the additional knowledge of the baccalaureate level.

When associate degree graduates, who were LPNs, have been granted credit for nursing courses in AD programs based on previous education and experience, these credits will be accepted as nursing portfolio credits by EMU. Required general education courses include 12 credits in the following science courses: Anatomy and Physiology, a course that included microbiology content, and any one of the following: Microbiology, chemistry (inorganic), organic chemistry or biochemistry. In addition, at least one psychology and one sociology course is required.

Required courses taken at non-accredited schools may be challenged as described here if the student believes he/she is competent in the course area. If credit is not granted on the initial challenge, the student must take the course. When a challenge is successful, credits are granted on the basis of the number of credits in the course challenged and are entered on the record as a “pass” with no grade allocation.

BSN Program Details

A career in nursing requires preparation, and a student entering EMU’s nursing program should have a well-rounded high school education which includes the study of biology and chemistry. During the first and second years at EMU, nursing students take the following prerequisite courses:

- Matter & Energy (exceptions based on EMU placement exam, honor’s chemistry, or two years of high school chemistry)
- Human Anatomy and Physiology
- Biochemical Investigations
- Microbiology
- Developmental Psychology
- Introduction to Sociology (or other approved sociology course)
- Nutrition Course

The nursing department offers official admission to the nursing program when students have met all admissions requirements:

- C- or higher in all prerequisite courses
- Minimum 2.8 GPA