Required General Education

• Becoming a registered nurse requires a minimum of an associate's degree, but some nurses also pursue a bachelor's degree to enter the field. Nursing students typically have to complete general education courses before they can officially enter nursing school and begin taking nursing courses. Nursing schools typically require that students maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5 to 3.0 on all general education coursework. Nursing students can expect to complete many of the same classes that other students at the college or university complete, such as English, speech and communication and psychology.
  
  

Prerequisites

• Nursing school candidates are also required to complete prerequisite coursework prior to entering nursing school. The requirements vary by school, but for the most part nursing schools require students to complete the same types of prerequisites. These are generally courses in areas of science utilized in nursing practice. Students can expect to complete coursework in areas like human physiology and anatomy, nutrition, statistics, lifespan development, chemistry, organic chemistry and microbiology.
  
  

Associate's Degree Education

• According to O*Net Online, most nurses enter the field with an associate's degree. Associate's degree programs in the nursing field typically take two to three years to complete, depending on the school. Once students have been admitted, they can expect to complete courses that introduce them to the basic aspects of nursing practice and different theories of nursing. Typical courses of study include health safety, lifespan care, reproductive health and pharmacology.
  
  

Bachelor's Degree Education

• Although not as common as the associate's degree in nursing, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), is another path to becoming a registered nurse. The advantage to the bachelor's degree is that it provides nurses with more opportunity for advancement to serve in positions of leadership and with greater pay. Students who pursue the bachelor's degree in nursing typically take more general education courses and more advanced courses in specific areas of nursing practice.