Students completing the Liberal Arts/Nursing program will receive two degrees—a Bachelor of Arts or Sciences from Wheaton and the appropriate professional nursing degree from the nursing school (B.S.N.). Three years are spent at Wheaton in the pursuit of general education and basic science courses. The Liberal Arts Nursing majors then apply and if accepted, transfer to a CCNE or NLNAC-accredited baccalaureate nursing program and complete the B.S.N. in an additional two years. Wheaton is affiliated with Emory University (BSN Transfer Option) for students who wish to follow this option. The second possibility is to apply and if accepted, transfer to Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) and complete their Transition to Nursing program. This program is completed in fourteen months. Wheaton currently has a formalized arrangement with IWU that permits students to enroll in this accelerated BSN program. Minimum standards must be maintained to be considered for acceptance. Additional information can be sought from the Director of Health Professions regarding both options.
Many students pursue nursing while studying a different discipline/major at Wheaton. Students will complete their Wheaton degree and then apply to a nursing program intending to enter after graduation. Students are encouraged to consider Accelerated BSN programs and Graduate Entry Master's programs for this option. As pre-requisites for nursing programs vary, students are strongly encouraged to contact the Director of Health Professions early to assist and help plan course selection and understand the options when pursuing a nursing career.
Along with specific requirements for any major, all students in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree programs must meet all general education and graduation requirements under a single catalog.
Requirements for the Major: In addition to general education courses, basic natural and social science courses required by Wheaton (and by most professional nursing programs) include the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| CHEM 231 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 232 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 241 | Principles of Organic Chemistry | 4 |
| AHS 351 & AHS 361 | Human Anatomy and Integrative Human Physiology | 4 |
| or BIOL 321 | Human Physiology | |
| BIOL 241 | Organization of Life: Genetics and Cell Biology | 4 |
| Select at least 4 credits of upper division natural science courses 1 | 4 | |
| PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 268 | Statistics (or other statistics course) | 4 |
| PSYC 317 | Developmental Psychology | 4 |
| SOC 115 | Introduction to Sociology | 4 |
| SCI 494 | Nursing Capstone | 2 |
| 1 | BIOL 364 Microbiology & Immunology is strongly recommended. |
Additional affiliate-specific courses may be required by the nursing schools (BIOL 381 Public Health and Nutrition in Developing Areas, AHS 368 Concepts in Nutrition). A required number of hours at the nursing school are necessary to fulfill and complete the requirements for the LA/N major. Students may obtain the complete list of required pre-requisites for the program(s) they intend to pursue as part of the Liberal Arts-Nursing major from the Director of Health Professions.