Nursing - AS - Advanced Placement

Division of Health Sciences

Spring Semester Start; Licensed Practical Nursing/Certified Paramedic Advanced Placement Students

This program is designed to meet the educational needs of students pursuing a career in nursing who wish to attend college full-time during the day. The core curriculum is a full-time program that is designed to be completed over four semesters.

The Advanced Placement Curriculum enables Licensed Practical Nurses and Certified Paramedics to apply to the Associate Degree in Nursing Program by meeting all the admission requirements. Those qualified applicants may be accepted into the first year, second semester.

The theoretical and clinical components of nursing courses must be taken concurrently and sequentially as outlined in the applicable curriculum sheet.

Graduates are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

The Associate in Science Degree in Nursing is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing.

Upon completion, the Associate in Science in Nursing degree is awarded.

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the Associate Degree Nursing Curriculum program are required to attend a recent information session. Times and dates for these sessions can be located at: Information Session.

Students seeking admission to the Associate Degree Nursing Curriculum Program (ADN) will be individually evaluated on the basis of Grade Point Average (GPA), and performance on the Assessment Technologies Institute, Test of Essential Academic Skills (ATI TEAS) exam.

Licensed Practical Nurses and Certified Paramedics may apply to the ADN program as Advanced Placement (AP) students. Accepted (AP) students must take the non-credit role transition course,  CU 156, to be eligible to enter in the first year, second semester. This course is offered once a year during the Winter Intersession, prior to the start of spring semester.

In order to be considered for admission students must have all the following:

• High school diploma or equivalent, or associate degree or higher
• An overall college GPA of 2.5 or higher
• Students must achieve passing scores on the ATI TEAS. Passing scores are defined as: a minimum composite score of 63% and achievement of the following subtest scores for all categories:
  • Reading: 69 or better
  • Math: 67 or better
  • Science: 50 or better
  • English: 60 or better

Students may repeat the test a total of two times within 12 months of taking the exam. Results are valid for three years.

Applicants must also meet the following additional criteria for acceptance into the nursing program:

• Completion of EN 101  with a grade of C or higher.
• MassBay placement into MA 102  OR MA 104  or completion of MA 98  with a grade of C or completion of any college-level math.
• Completion of BI 215  and BI 217  within a five (5) year time frame with a grade of C+ or higher at the time student records are reviewed for matriculation into the nursing program (Note: students may repeat each science course only once to achieve a C+ within the required 5-year period). Challenge examinations are available for BI 215  and BI 217 if the applicant has completed the coursework, including the associated labs, over the five-year limit. (Note: students may repeat each science course only once to achieve a C+ within the required 5-year period).
• Completion of Chemistry I with a grade of C+ or higher (High School Chemistry or College Chemistry CH 101  within 10 years of acceptance into the nursing program).
• Successful completion of Reading Assessment Test with a score of 246 or better.
• Documentation from a healthcare provider stating that you have a positive Hepatitis B Antibody titer or have completed the Hepatitis B vaccine series and are a “non-responder” to the vaccine.  You must allow a minimum of 6 months to complete this process.

Once students have been admitted to the program the following pre-program requirements must be completed:

Orientation:  Nursing students are required to attend a New Student Orientation and Registration session. Students who do not attend this orientation will be withdrawn from the program and be considered for readmission at a later date.

Required Pre-Entry Documentation: 

After being admitted into a Health Sciences program, students will receive instructions on how to upload required health documentation to an online platform.  Students must submit all documents by the published deadline in order to be eligible to start Health Sciences classes.

• Medical clearance and proof of immunizations as outlined in the Division of Health Sciences handbook and in admission paperwork.
• Proof of CPR certification. The BLS Provider Card (from the American Heart Association), the Professional Rescuer Card (from American Red Cross or National Safety Council), and the equivalent from the Military Training Network are the only types of CPR certification that meet this requirement (Copies of both sides and a valid signature or e-card required).
• The student must complete the CORI /SORI (Criminal/Sex Offender Record Information) to authorize a search of conviction and pending criminal case information under Standard Required Level 1 by DCJIS (Department of Criminal Justice Information Services). The CORI/SORI completion process If there is a finding of criminal convictions or “open cases,” the student will be ineligible to participate in the Health Sciences Program. A National County Criminal Background check will be conducted as part of the student’s completion of the clinical requirements. More information is available on the Division of Health Sciences pages on the MassBay website.