Apply to MEPN

Prerequisite Courses

Applicants must complete all of the prerequisite courses detailed below with a letter grade of C or higher.  All courses must be completed by December 31st preceding the program start date.  For example, those applying in the Fall 2023 cycle (to join the MEPN cohort starting in Fall 2024) must complete all prerequisites by December 31st, 2023.  AP test scores are not accepted for prerequisite course requirements.

Applicants must submit a completed Prerequisite Checklist (filled out according to these instructions) in the Online Application for admission.

Prerequisite Course Details

Applicants can check prerequisite eligibility by comparing publicly posted course descriptions for the courses that they’ve taken and the public course descriptions for sample courses at UC Irvine listed below (course descriptions are available in UC Irvine’s Course Catalogue).  Applicants taking prerequisite courses at California Community Colleges may confirm acceptable prerequisites by utilizing assist.org. 

Acceptable prerequisite courses adhere to the following:

• • Chemistry: A General Chemistry course OR a “combined” chemistry course which includes a combination of inorganic (general), organic and biochemistry (must contain all 3).
    • Sample UCI General Chemistry: CHEM 1A-1B-1C
    • Some schools may expand their Chemistry course into a series of two or more courses.  We prefer that applicants complete the entire course series.  For example, at UC Irvine, this would include CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B, and CHEM 1C.
    • We do not accept introductory/fundamental-level General Chemistry courses for this requirement. “Combined” chemistry courses may be introductory/fundamental-level courses.
    • Course(s) must total a minimum of 5 quarter units or 3 semester units.
  • Microbiology: Course(s) must include a lecture with a lab component.
    • Sample UCI Microbiology w/lab: BIO SCI M122 and BIO SCI M118L
    • Some schools may separate these into two separate courses (as described above in UC Irvine’s course example), while others may combine lecture and lab components into a single course.  Both formats are acceptable.
    • Course(s) must total a minimum of 5 quarter units or 3 semester units.
    • We require that students take this requirement within 5 years of applying.  Students applying in the Fall 2023 term (to join the cohort starting in Fall 2024) must take Microbiology lecture/lab in the Fall 2018 or later.  Courses taken in the Summer 2018 term (or earlier) will not be accepted.
  • Human Physiology: Course(s) must include a lecture with a lab component.
    • Sample UCI Human Physiology w/lab: BIO SCI E109 and BIO SCI E112L
      • Some schools may separate these into two separate courses (as described above in UC Irvine’s course example), while others may combine lecture and lab components into a single course.  Both formats are acceptable.
      • Some schools may offer a combined “Anatomy and Physiology” year-long series.  We accept this format if it include lab components and applicants complete the full year-long series.
    • This must be a human-focused course; plant/animal physiology courses will not be accepted.
    • Course(s) must total a minimum of 5 quarter units or 3 semester units.
    • We require that students take this requirement within 5 years of applying. Students applying in the Fall 2023 term (to join the cohort starting in Fall 2024) must take Microbiology lecture/lab in the Fall 2018 or later.  Courses taken in the Summer 2018 term (or earlier) will not be accepted.
  • Human Anatomy: Course(s) must include a lecture with a lab component.
    • Sample UCI Human Anatomy w/lab: BIO SCI D170
      • Some schools may separate these into two separate courses, while others may combine lecture and lab components into a single course (as described above in UC Irvine’s course example).  Both formats are acceptable.
      • Some schools may offer a combined “Anatomy and Physiology” year-long series.  We accept this format if it include lab components and applicants complete the full year-long series.
    • This must be a human-focused course; plant/animal anatomy courses will not be accepted.
    • Course(s) must total a minimum of 5 quarter units or 3 semester units.
    • We require that students take this requirement within 5 years of applying. Students applying in the Fall 2023 term (to join the cohort starting in Fall 2024) must take Microbiology lecture/lab in the Fall 2018 or later.  Courses taken in the Summer 2018 term (or earlier) will not be accepted.
  • Statistics: Course must containing descriptive and inferential statistics topics.
    • Sample UCI Statistics: STATS 7 or STATS 8
  • Psychology: An Introduction to Psychology or Developmental Psychology course.
    • Sample UCI Psychology: PSYCH 7A or NUR SCI 116
    • Course must either be introductory/fundamental courses that broadly cover the field of psychology or a developmental psychology course.  Courses in other subfields of Psychology will not be accepted.
  • Sociology/Cultural Anthropology: An Introduction to Sociology or Cultural Anthropology course.
    • Sample UC Sociology/Cultural Anthropology: SOCIOL 1 or ANTHRO 2A
    • Course must either be introductory/fundamental courses that broadly cover the field of sociology or a cultural anthropology course.  Courses in other subfields of Sociology, Anthropology, or Archaeology will not be accepted.

Note: Applicants may review the sample courses (including their course descriptions, units, etc.) noted above listed in UC Irvine’s Course Catalogue.

We also recommend that students take a Nutrition course prior to starting the UCI MEPN Program as it will be useful preparation for MEPN coursework.  Nutrition is not a required prerequisite course for admission and taking the course (or not taking the course) before applying to the program will have no impact on admissions review and decisions.

The California BRN requires that your undergraduate degree include at least 6 semester/9 quarter units in communication (must include group, verbal, and written principles). This requirement is typically satisfied by undergraduate writing courses, and occasionally AP or other test credit. However, applicants to the MEPN program do not need to list these courses on their prerequisite checklist.  We recommend that these courses are taken for a letter grade, if possible, of C or better.  Grades in these courses are not factored into our admissions review (other than as part of your cumulative Bachelor’s Degree GPA, when applicable).

Utilizing Assist.org

Applicants who take prerequisites at California Community Colleges may utilize assist.org to determine which courses are acceptable. ASSIST provides course articulation agreements between community colleges in the state of California and public universities in California.  Applicants can use UC Irvine’s “Nursing Science, B.S.” major as a search term to find relevant courses for admission to the MEPN program.

Applicants who cannot determine if a prerequisite is acceptable after comparing course descriptions and utilizing assist.org can email gnsao@hs.uci.edu with all three of the following: (1) the MEPN prerequisite requirement, (2) the course description for the course in question, and (3) a detailed syllabus for the course in question. Note that due to a high volume of emails and inquiries that our office receives, applicants seeking a syllabus review may expect a delayed response.  We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review our MEPN Admissions Frequently Asked Questions page for more information and answers to the most common questions that we receive.

COVID-19 Course Notes 

Although some institutions are allowing Pass/Not Pass grading for certain courses due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are still requiring letter grades as a feature of our admissions requirements. If your institution is mandating Pass/Not Pass grading, or if you have an extenuating circumstance, please make a note on your application prerequisite sheet and we may make an exception.

In addition, some schools may be moving lab courses that have traditionally been taught in-person to an online format.  In general, this is acceptable for our prerequisite requirements.  If you have concerns about a specific course, please email gnsao@hs.uci.edu with specific course information (including institution, course title, course number, and units) to confirm that we will accept it.