The College of Nursing's BSN Second Career/Degree pathway is designed for students with a bachelor's in another discipline who are looking to pursue a career in nursing. This program combines on-campus teaching from expert faculty, community-focused research in our laboratories and clinical experiences throughout the Detroit area. Our students come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and we welcome the benefits that a diverse student body brings not only to the college but ultimately to the profession of nursing. That's why we use a holistic admission process that looks at each individual applicant as just that an individual.

Holistic admission is a competitive and thorough process that considers not only a critical evaluation of grade point averages and test scores, if applicable, but also includes healthcare related service and a completed essay form submitted by the applicant describing the personal attributes and experiences that they feel would support their admission. This entire package is what the Undergraduate Admission Committee uses to determine which students will best fit the program.

Complete a request for information to immediately receive a link to a pre-recorded information meeting. It is strongly suggested that you view the appropriate information meeting, which covers admission requirements and program curriculum in detail, prior to applying for admission. You are invited to attend a live question and answer session after viewing a pre-recorded session.

Prerequisite courses

Make sure you have reviewed the prerequisite courses that must be completed before you apply.

• BIO 1510/11 Basic Life Mechanisms
• BIO 2270+2271 or BIO 2200  Microbiology
• BIO 2870 Anatomy & Physiology
• CHM 1060 - General, Organic and Biochemistry
• PSY 2410 Health Psychology or PSY 2400 Developmental Psychology*
• NFS 2030 Nutrition and Health
• NUR 2030 Pathophysiology Related to Nursing Practice**  (NUR 2030 can be completed during the Winter semester prior to the start of the program.  For applicants who do not complete this course by the end of the fall semester, this course will not be calculated in the overall prerequisite GPA.)
• Social Inquiry (SI)***
• Cultural Inquiry (CI)***

*Applicants may choose course. However, if a grade below "C" is earned in one course and the applicant takes the other in order to meet the requirement, it will count as a repeat.

**Equivalent transfer courses will only be accepted from 4-year institutions with an accredited nursing program or professional health program (ex. OT, PT, Medical School).

***SI and CI courses can be met by completing or transferring in equivalent courses listed on the Inquiry Course Group Requirements page. SI and CI courses are exempt from the seven-year expiration policy.

Prerequisite Transfer Guide

The College of Nursing evaluates courses from other institutions based on guidelines and requirements established by the College. These evaluations take precedence over evaluations by other departments or the university transfer credit department. Please note: prerequisites taken at another institution must transfer to WSU exactly as the courses listed above.

• College of Nursing Prerequisite Transfer Guide - BSN
• Transfer Credit Evaluation

Steps to Apply to the College of Nursing

• Step 1: Apply to WSU and the College of Nursing 
• Step 2: Submit supplemental materials
• Step 3: Academic requirements
• Step 4: Submit official transcripts
• Additional information and important dates

Step 1: Apply to WSU and the College of Nursing

Applying to the College of Nursing is a two-step process. Students must first apply and gain admission to Wayne State by December 1.

NEW Wayne State students:

• You should apply as a transfer student and select Nursing (Pre-Nursing) as your major for the spring/summer term.
• Following admission to Wayne State, you must then apply directly to the College of Nursing via the online secondary application, which opens in September.

RETURNING Wayne State students:

• Email a request to return to WSU to registration@wayne.edu. Please indicate that you plan to apply to the BSN Second Career/Degree program once admitted. Find more information for returning students.
• Following admission to Wayne State, you must then apply directly to the College of Nursing via the online secondary application, which opens in September.

Step 2: Submit supplemental material

When completing the College of Nursing Secondary Application, you must also include supplemental materials, which you may upload to your AppStatus page. Failure to submit all supplemental materials by the February 15 deadline will result in the application not being reviewed. These materials include:  

• Application fee: A $50 College of Nursing application fee (nonrefundable) must be paid in order for applications to be processed. 
• Essay questions: Applicants must submit answers to the following three questions. Each response is to not exceed 250 words. College of Nursing Application BSN Essay Form to your application.
  1. Describe a leadership experience that you have had (i.e., work, school, team) and/or led an initiative/ campaign to generate change and/or interest and discuss what you learned from this experience. Personal attributes of a leader include inquisitiveness, ambition, empathy and problem-solving abilities. Include a description of the leadership qualities that you possess and how they will assist you with success in the nursing program.
  2. The College of Nursing's mission statement states:
          We create and translate knowledge and educate a diverse student body prepared to excel as clinicians,
          scholars and leaders who improve health in local and global communities.
     How does your passion for nursing align with the mission of the CON?  Describe any experiences that you have had with diverse groups of people (or people who are different from you in some way). What did you learn from this experience?
  3. Courage, resiliency, and an ability to overcome adversity are important characteristics for success in the College of Nursing. Describe a time when you were faced with a difficult situation. How did these traits contribute to successfully achieving your goals?
  4. Describe how your Healthcare Related Service Experience(s) have contributed to your desire to become a nurse.
• Prerequisite Course Verification: Applicants must provide information detailing earned grades, term taken, and additional information if courses are being transferred to WSU. Please upload a completed CD2 Prerequisite Verification Form to your application. See Step 3 below for prerequisite requirement details.
• Healthcare related service experience: You are required to complete a minimum of 10 hours of healthcare related service. Provide a complete Healthcare Related Service Experience Form for each experience and upload to your Nursing Secondary Application. Examples of healthcare-related service include, but are not limited to, volunteering (unpaid) at health fairs; with senior citizens or those in Assisted Care facilities; with support groups or programs for children/adults with special needs; as a non-clerical volunteer in a hospital or community health organizations; soup kitchens and homeless shelters.
  • Service must be completed within one year of the application deadline.
  • Shadowing of a professional nurse is acceptable.
  • Volunteer experiences must be clearly distinct from any paid positions or required school-based internship or work hours.
  • Volunteer experiences may not include caring for a friend/family member.

Step 3: Academic requirements and prerequisite courses 

To be eligible to apply to the BSN Second Career/Degree pathway, you must be entering nursing for the first time and have completed a bachelor's degree by June 1 (if conditionally admitted). You must have a minimum 3.0 GPA (based on prerequisite courses only), and a minimum grade of "C" or higher in all prerequisite courses. Pass/No Pass (P/N) and Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grades are not accepted by the College of Nursing. Prerequisite courses may not be older than 7 years by the application deadline. For 2023 cohort, courses taken prior to January 2016 will not be accepted. SI/CI requirements will not expire. Only one prerequisite course may be repeated within a 7-year period; original courses with a grade of "C" or higher that were repeated for a better grade will not count as a repeat. Preference is given to science prerequisite courses taken at WSU.

CLEP exams taken to replace an existing grade (grade less than C) will count as a repeat. A maximum of one CLEP exam may be used to substitute a prerequisite. Any AP credits or official scores for the ACT/SAT or CLEP exam must be sent to and received by the College of Nursing no later than February 15. AP, ACT/SAT, and CLEP scores older than 7 years at time of application deadline will not be accepted.

If the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is required, the minimum accepted scores for the college are: 101 total score with a minimum of 25 in Listening, 25 in Reading, 25 in Writing and 26 in Speaking.

Step 4: Submit official transcripts

Applicants who are transferring courses from another institution and have not yet had official transcripts sent should request official transcripts be sent to admissions@wayne.edu or have them mailed to:

Wayne State University
Transfer Credit Evaluation
P.O. Box 02759
Detroit, MI 48202-0759

If you are taking courses during the fall semester (August-December) of the application year, all final transcripts with posted grades must be sent directly to the College of Nursing. Transcripts must be received by the College of Nursing by February 15. Official transcripts may be emailed to nursinginfo@wayne.edu or mailed to:

ATTN: Office of Student Affairs
5557 Cass Avenue, Suite 10
Detroit, MI 48202

Additional information and important dates for the 2023 cohort

All updates and communications from the College of Nursing will be sent to the Wayne State University email account. It is important to check this account regularly for updates regarding registration and other information. After applying, applications can be monitored by checking the AppStatus page. Contact us at  nursinginfo@wayne.edu if there are any discrepancies. Prerequisite courses are manually entered on the AppStatus page, however it is the responsibility of the applicant to verify the AppStatus page accurately reflects their academic history.

Important dates