The Traditional Nursing Associate of Science (A.S.) program is a 64 credit, two-year program held on the Brainerd Campus of Central Lakes College. This program prepares students to take the NCLEX-RN Board exam and become Registered Nurses (RNs). This program begins twice per year, admitting 60 students, each Fall and Spring semester.
Program Admittance Requirements
To be admitted into the Traditional Nursing program, CLC requires:
STEP 1. Central Lakes College Application. You must be admitted to CLC prior to submitting a Nursing program application. If you are a current CLC student accepted into the Health Science Broadfield major, you have already completed this step! Do not submit a new application to the college.
STEP 2. Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT). A score of 70% or better is required for admission into the program. Click here to find out more information or to register for the Health Science Reasoning Test.
STEP 3. CLC Nursing A.S. Degree (Traditional) program application. You must submit a Nursing A.S. Degree (Traditional) application for each semester you would like to be considered for the program. Available on the Nursing Admissions webpage.
NOTE: Applicants must be 18 years of age prior to beginning their clinical placement. Clinical placements begin during the second semester of the program.
Find the program planner on the Nursing A.S. Degree (Traditional) webpage. See page 3 of the planner for a semester by semester layout of how student progress through the program once admitted. Students can always work ahead on the general education courses but will take the NURS as listed on the planner.
Additional Program Requirements
Prior to starting the program, CLC requires:
Nursing Assistant education. A Minnesota Department of Health approved nursing assistant course taken within the last five years OR current status on the State of Minnesota Nursing Assistant Registry. NSGA 1110 Nursing Assistant, offered through CLC, will fulfill this requirement.
Placement into ENGL 1410 Composition I. You need to have successfully completed or be ready to take this course, which requires specific course placement prior to registration. More information available on the Course Placement & Testing webpage.
Placement into CHEM 1407 Life Science Chemistry. You need to have successfully completed or be ready to take this course, which requires specific course placement prior to registration. More information available on the Course Placement & Testing webpage.
Recommended Pre-Program Coursework
ENGL 1410 Composition I OR ENGL 1420 Honors Composition, or transfer equivalent
CHEM 1407 Life Science Chemistry, or transfer equivalent
PSYC 2421 General Psychology OR PSYC 2423 Honors Psychology OR PSYC 2431 Human Development, or transfer equivalent
ENGL 1411 Composition II OR Honors Composition II, or transfer equivalent
PHIL 2422 Medical Ethics OR PHIL 2421 Honors Ethics OR PHIL 2422 Medical Ethics, or transfer equivalent
BIOL 2467 Anatomy & Physiology I, or transfer equivalent
BIOL 2468 Human Anatomy & Physiology II, or transfer equivalent
BIOL 2447 Intro to Microbiology OR 2457 Microbiology, or transfer equivalent
Academic Success. General education courses must be completed with a ‘C’ or better AND with an overall cumulative GPA of 2.75 or better. NURS courses must be completed with a ‘B-‘ or better.
Selection Criteria for Admission to the Traditional (RN) Program
Admission priority will be given to students using a rubric and the criteria as listed below:
- Students must have a grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 in their completed Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MNTC) courses. Students who do not have a 2.75 GPA in the completed general education courses will NOT be considered for admission until that requirement is met.
- It will be the responsibility of the student to ensure all non-Minnesota State transcripts are on file by April 1 for the fall semester selection and by November 1 for the spring semester selection for transfer evaluation. For example, University of MN, UND, NDSU, etc.
Health Science Reasoning Test Score
Score of 100% to 90% 3 points awarded
Score of 89% to 80% 2 points awarded
Score of 79% to 70% 1 point awarded
For each completed MN Transfer Curriculum course required for the Traditional Nursing program, a point value will be awarded for each grade as follows:
Grades of A (+/-) 3 points awarded
Grades of B (+/-) 2 points awarded
Grades of C (+) 1 point awarded
Notation of P (Pass) 2 points awarded
Notation of W (Waived) 2 pointed awarded for students who have had ENGL 1410 or 1411 waived due to previous AA or Bachelor’s degree earned.
*Grades of C- are not considering passing for calculation in the rubric. While students earning a grade of C- may be given credit for taking the course, it will not be used to be considered for admission to the Traditional RN program.
Application Window
The fall semester application window will open on January 1 and close on April 1.
The spring semester application window will open on April 1 and close on November 1.
Additional Information for Selection Criteria
- Students may take the Health Science Reasoning Test 4 times during the application process. Students not passing the test within 4 attempts will not be considered for admission into the program. Students not passing on the first and second attempt must wait 6 months from their initial test date before attempting the test a third and fourth time.
- Students who are reapplying for admission following an academic or personal stop out are not guaranteed a seat in the program. They must reapply to the program and go through the competitive application process.
- Tied Rubric Scores: In the event of tied rubric scores, the total adjusted HSRT individual score will determine final selection.
- If the program does not meet capacity during the open application time period, students who are in progress of meeting the selection criteria may be considered for admission at the end of the fall semester for the spring co-hort, and at the end of the spring semester for the fall co-hort. Grades must be posted on the official transcript(s). The same rubric criteria will be used for selection.
- Students who have an active academic or financial hold at CLC or any other campus will not be considered for selection.
- Students who are suspended at another campus or have an unpaid balance hold at the time application will not be considered for selection until the hold has been resolved.