On this page:
Overview | Degree Requirements | Careers and Graduate School | Costs & Scholarships | Research and Engagement | Faculty
Overview
The pre-nursing program at UMN Morris will guide you through every stage of your undergraduate education in preparing you for a career in the nursing field. The academic rigor and interdisciplinary strength of UMN Morris’s well-rounded liberal arts education will greatly enhance your pre-nursing path. You’ll gain the knowledge, experience, and support you need to be ready for and succeed in nursing school.
As a student following the pre-nursing track at UMN Morris, you will pursue a major of your choosing. While there is no specific major for pre-nursing, many students on the pre-nursing path choose to major in biology, chemistry, or psychology.
A pre-nursing adviser will work directly with you to help with course selection, career information, and nursing school planning. Nursing schools vary in their prerequisites so it is important to research the prerequisites for the nursing schools that you are considering in order to stay on track with your academic planning.
UMN Morris also has an early admission pathway with the UMN Twin Cities master of nursing program.
Degree Requirements
Graduation Requirements
As a UMN Morris student following the pre-nursing track, you will need to complete the degree requirements for your chosen major. Pre-nursing itself is not a major that you can earn as a degree at UMN Morris. Rather, it is an academic program to guide you on your path to nursing school while you pursue your undergraduate degree.
UMN Morris offers several courses across different disciplines that will help prepare you for nursing school.
Suggested Courses
Many of the following courses meet the requirements for most nursing schools.
- CHEM 1101. General Chemistry I
- CHEM 1102. General Chemistry II
- BIOL 1002. Human Nutrition
- BIOL 2102. Human Anatomy
- BIOL 2103. Human Physiology
- BIOL 4111. Microbiology
- PSY 2411. Lifespan Developmental Psychology
- PSY 3401. Child and Adolescent Development
- PSY 3403. Adult Development and Aging
- PSY 3313. Psychopathology
- STAT 1601. Introduction to Statistics
- STAT 2601. Statistical Methods
- Human Pathology (available online through UMN Twin Cities)
General Education Requirements (Morris Core)
The University of Minnesota and its faculty are committed to providing an education that invites you to investigate the world from new perspectives, learn new ways of thinking, and grow as an active citizen and lifelong learner. The University’s general education requirements (Morris Core) are designed to be integrated throughout your four-year undergraduate experience. These courses provide you an opportunity to explore fields outside your major and complement your major curriculum with a multidisciplinary perspective.
Learn more about UMN Morris General Education Requirements (Morris Core)
Transferring Credit
Put your credits to work for you at UMN Morris, where you’ll earn a degree from a highly ranked public liberal arts university.
Careers and Graduate School
Careers
There’s a high demand for registered nurses across all nursing occupations, some of which include:
- Licensed practical nurse
- Nurse practitioner
- Certified nurse assistant
- Nurse anesthetist
- Nurse educator
- Health coach
- Researcher
- Legal nurse consultant
Graduate School
Having a University of Minnesota Morris degree will set you up for success when it's time to take the next steps for graduate or professional school.
Nursing School
Preparing for nursing school requires careful, long-range planning and accurate information in order to meet any application requirements. To apply to most nursing programs in the United States, you will use a centralized application, the Nursing Centralized Application Service. Your transcript is typically viewed as a primary factor in the admissions process. It is important, however, to consider the nursing schools you plan to apply to, as each requires different prerequisite courses and may have specific criteria for letters of recommendation.
Application deadlines vary by institution so be sure to check the specific policies of your chosen institutions. In general, when applying to nursing school you must:
- Complete application essays
- Submit official transcripts and a current resume
- Provide up to three letters of recommendation (at least two from academic sources)
- Participate in a formal interview if/when invited
Unlike medical school, there is no specific exam for applying to nursing school, although a post-baccalaureate or masters in nursing program may require you to complete the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), a standardized, multiple-choice, short answer, and essay examination designed to assess your analytical writing, verbal reasoning, and quantitative reasoning. Note that the University of Minnesota School of Nursing master of nursing program no longer requires a GRE score.
As a UMN Morris graduate, you'll be well-prepared to pursue a nursing degree at any nursing school, but you may wish to take advantage of the early admission pathway between UMN Morris and the UMN Twin Cities nursing program.
UMN Twin Cities Master of Nursing Early Admission Program
As a UMN Morris student, after you’ve completed 61-90 credits by the end of the fall semester of your junior year, you can apply for early admission to the master of nursing program at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities School of Nursing. If accepted, you will be able to begin that program after your undergraduate degree has been successfully conferred.
You must meet the following criteria to be eligible for the early admission pathway:
- Completed five of nine prerequisite courses for the master of nursing program by the end of fall semester of your junior year
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5
- Minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.7
- Completed bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field at UMN Morris by June prior to fall enrollment in the UMN Twin Cities program. All nine prerequisites for the program must be completed prior to the accepted cohort start date. Deferments will not be granted.
If not accepted for early admission, qualified students remain eligible to apply for competitive admission during the final year of their undergraduate program or thereafter.
Explore UMN Twin Cities Master of Nursing Early Admission Program
Costs and Scholarships
Costs at a Glance
The University of Minnesota Morris is a national public liberal arts college committed to making a high-quality education available to students from across the country. Expenses for housing, meals, books and supplies, transportation, loan fees, and personal expenditures can vary.
Use our net price calculator to estimate your cost of attendance
Scholarships
General Scholarship Requirements
All renewable scholarships are awarded on a per-semester basis for fall or spring terms only and require students to maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA and be enrolled for at least 12 credits. The Prairie Scholars Award, Morris Scholars Award, and National Merit Scholar Winner Awards will replace any previous scholarship package award offers. National Merit scholarships cannot be combined with the Prairie or Morris Scholars Award.
Final scholarship packages may consist of academic scholarships and donor-funded scholarship awards. A student's award may be adjusted if institutional and outside awards cause the award to go over tuition and costs.
Research and Engagement
Research
As part of a major research university, UMN Morris provides you with access to digital and technological resources not usually found on residential undergraduate campuses. UMN Morris also offers stipend programs and an annual Undergraduate Research Symposium to support undergraduate research, which gives you a competitive edge.
Engagement
Studying abroad helps prepare you for the international health service trips common in medical professions. Thanks to strong relationships between UMN Morris and local medical providers, you can shadow medical professionals throughout the community.
UMN Morris has more than 60 student clubs and organizations, many of which provide opportunities for you to connect with your peers and develop strong leadership skills.
