Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston focuses solely on preparing students to achieve excellence in nursing education, practice, and scientific discovery.
To earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, students must complete general education courses at another educational institution before enrolling at Cizik School of Nursing. Students may satisfy these prerequisites at a community college or four-year university.
The full prerequisite list includes 60 credit hours; however, an application to our Pacesetter BSN track will be considered for admission if, at the application deadline, at least 48 prerequisite credit hours have been completed, 16 of which are in Anatomy Physiology, Chemistry, and Microbiology. Please note that if admission is offered, all prerequisite courses must be completed prior to the start of class.
There are no time limits on prerequisites.
Transcripts
Applicants must submit official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended by the BSN application deadline. Electronic submission is preferred. Official transcripts may be sent directly from your post-secondary institutions to [email protected]. Transcripts will not be accepted if emailed from the student. Transcripts submitted on paper must be printed within six months of receipt.
Prerequisite Evaluation
Once an application is submitted and all supporting materials have been received, the UTHealth Registrar’s Office will conduct an official course evaluation. A transcript of the evaluation will be sent via postal mail.
Frequently Asked Questions about BSN Prerequisites
Q: Can I request an unofficial prerequisite evaluation?
A: Unfortunately, due to limited staffing and the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide unofficial evaluations. Official evaluations are conducted by the UTHealth Registrar’s Office upon submitting your transcripts when you apply. If you have a question about a specific course after reviewing the information on this page, please email [email protected].
Q: Will the courses I earned for dual credit at my high school count for credit?
A: Yes, to get credit, you will be required to submit an official transcript from the institution who certified the credit.
Q: Are CLEP/IB/AP scores accepted?
A: CLEP/IB/AP scores will be accepted for most courses if they were already evaluated for post-secondary credit and appear on a college transcript. They will not be accepted for science courses.
Q: Do online courses count toward prerequisites?
A: As long as the courses are taken from a regionally accredited institution, most online courses will be accepted. Please contact your school’s registrar to determine if it is regionally accredited.
Q: If I retake a course, how will that be reflected in my overall prerequisite GPA.
A: In most cases, the nursing prerequisite GPA will be calculated using the grade of the most recently taken course. The science GPA will be calculated using ALL SCIENCE courses taken.
Q: I will not have completed 48 credit hours until after the deadline has passed – can I still apply?
A: No, the review process commences shortly after the deadline, so the 48 credits must be earned and reported on a transcript prior to application deadline.
Q: If I’ve taken two Anatomy & Physiology courses, but the combined total is not eight hours, can I still apply or do I have to take another course?
A: The number of credits is what is considered, not the number of courses taken. You must have a minimum of 16 hours of sciences to apply for admission.
