Non-nurses
A pre-nursing associate degree does not meet the requirements for UW Tacoma Nursing.
To be eligible for UW Tacoma's BSN program, an applicant must have earned an associate degree in nursing from a community or technical college or have been awarded a diploma in nursing by a hospital-based nursing school. An applicant also must be a currently licensed Registered Nurse in Washington state. Provisional admission may be offered to students in the last year of an associate degree in nursing program or graduates who have not yet taken the NCLEX-RN examination.
Community college RN programs
After graduating from a community college's associate degree in nursing program and passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for Registered Nursing, an applicant then would be considered for admission to UW Tacoma's BSN.
There are many local community and technical college associate degree RN programs, including the following:
- Bellevue Community College
- Bellingham Technical College (LPN to RN)
- Big Bend Community College
- Centralia College
- Clark College
- Clover Park Technical College
- Columbia Basin College
- Everett Community College
- Grays Harbor Community College
- Highline Community College
- Lake Washington Institute of Technology (formerly Lake Washington Technical College)
- Lower Columbia College
- North Seattle Community College
- Olympic College
- Peninsula College
- Pierce College (Puyallup campus)
- Renton Technical College
- Seattle Central Community College
- Shoreline Community College
- Skagit Valley College
- South Puget Sound Community College
- South Seattle Community College (LPN to RN)
- Spokane Community College
- Tacoma Community College
- Walla Walla Community College
- Whatcom Community College
- Wenatchee Valley College
- Yakima Valley Community College
Four-year BSN option
UW Seattle's School of Nursing offers a four-year BSN path that does not require an RN license for admission.
Pre-nursing degree programs
"Pre-nursing" associate degree programs transfer to UW Seattle. Pre-nursing degrees do not transfer to UW Tacoma, which requires an RN license and an associate degree in nursing.
Healthcare Leadership degree
UW Tacoma offers a Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare Leadership , a non-nursing degree for students interested in leadership positions in a multitude of healthcare settings.