Career Ladder, Progression, Concurrent Enrollments, & Graduation

The Muskegon Community College Nursing Program offers a career ladder nursing curriculum consisting of the practical nurse diploma and the Associate Degree in Applied Science – Nursing (AAS) with the opportunity to enroll concurrently with other institutions to become eligible to receive a Bachelor of Science Degree (BSN).  {See additional links below.}

Students who successfully complete the Practical Nurse Diploma will be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) to practice as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).  Students who successfully complete the Associate Degree in Applied Science – Nursing (AAS) degree will be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN).

Effective Fall 2021, Muskegon Community College updated their biology courses to improve the ability to transfer credits to several universities. Credits obtained under the former biology classes for the MCC Nursing Program will be accepted per the 8-year rule.

MCC NURSING PROGRAM CAREER LADDER

• ASSOCIATE IN APPLIED SCIENCE NURSING DEGREE (AAS) – TOTAL 65 CREDITS (Level 2 – 17 NUR / 8 NON-NUR)
  • Semester 6
    • NUR 222A Managing the Care of the Family (5 credits)
    • NUR 211A Care of the Family in Psychological Crisis (4 credits)
  • Semester 5
    • NUR 212B Care of the Family in Physiological Crisis (8 credits)
    • BIOL 207 LEC Microbiology (3 credits)
      • Coreq: BIOL 207A Lab (1 credit)
      • Prereq: BIOL 152 L&L (formerly BIOL 105 L&L) (4 credits)
• PRACTICAL NURSE DIPLOMA – TOTAL 40 CREDITS (Level 1 – 25 NUR / 15 NON-NUR)
  • Semester 4
    • NUR 141B Care of the Maturing Family (8 credits)
    • ^* Meet the chemistry requirement with one of the following:
      • CHEM109 LEC/109A Chemistry for Health Sciences / Lab (5 credits)
      • CHEM 100 LEC/100A Fundamentals of Chemistry / Lab (5 credits)
      • Complete 1 year of chemistry with a minimum of a C (2.0) from an approved high school within the past 8 years.
      • Pass the Toledo Chemistry Competency Examination in the MCC Testing Center with a minimum of a “C” (70%).
  • Semester 3
    • NUR 131B Care of the Childrearing Family (8 credits)
    • ^* BIOL 252 L&L Human Physiology (formerly BIOL 106 L&L) (4 credits)
      • Prereq: BIOL 152 L&L (formerly BIOL 105 L&L)
  • Semester 2
    • NUR 126A Family Health and Nursing Care (7 credits)
    • NUR 121A Basic Pharmacology (1 credit)
    • PSYC 201 General Psychology (4 credits)
  • Semester 1
    • NUR 100 Overview of the Nursing Profession (1 credit)
    • AH 111 Environmental Stressors and Nutrition (1 credit)
    • BIOL 152 L&L Human Anatomy (formerly BIOL 105 L&L) (4 credits)
    • ANTH 103 Cultural Diversity in Contemporary Society (3 credits)
    • ENG 101 English Composition (3 credits)

^* BIOL 252 L&L and chemistry competency are optional for individuals who plan to exit at the completion of Level 1 (PN Diploma) but must be completed prior to Semester 5 if pursuing the AAS Degree.

• Courses in the Nursing Curriculum (NUR or AH) must be completed in sequence with a minimum of “C+” (2.3) to progress in the Nursing Program. Non-nursing courses may be completed with a C (2.0) or above prior to entry into the Nursing Program sequence.
• Students must make an appointment with the MCC Counseling and Advising Center (231-777-0362) to review requirements, to develop a course plan, and to receive a Nursing Program application. See Requirement Checklist for Wait List Requirements.
• If testing/coursework is over eight years old, competency must be validated on established examinations or by repeating the course.
• General education courses must be completed with a “C” (2.0) or above in adherence to the Muskegon Community College Course Repeat Rule, which was developed to provide fair access to classes.  It allows the student to repeat the course once.  Instructor permission is required to take a course more than twice.  To repeat a course, a student must register for and pay all necessary fees.  Each grade received will appear on a student’s record, but only the last grade awarded is used in computing a GPA.  Keep in mind that if you retake a class and receive a lower grade, the last grade is still the one that counts.  When transferring to another college or university, you may be held accountable for all attempts as grades associated with a course taken at Muskegon Community College.

Concurrent Enrollment Opportunities:

Muskegon Community College has concurrent enrollment agreements with Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University. The agreements provide a seamless pathway for MCC nursing students to enroll at either university’s RN to BSN program while they are completing their associate degree at MCC.

For more information on GVSU’s Kirkhof College of Nursing, please contact Kristin Williams, MA at willkris@gvsu.edu or 616-331-5637.

For more information on MSU’s College of Nursing, please contact Jessica Knerr, MSEd, BA at knerrjes@msu.edu or 517-355-8311.

Graduation:

To be eligible for graduation from the Nursing Program, students must meet the following requirements:Complete the nursing curriculum requirements for the diploma/degree desired with a minimum grade point of 2.3 (C+) in each Nursing course and 2.0 (C) or higher in each general education course.

Complete not less than 30 or the last 15 credit hours required in the nursing curriculum at Muskegon Community College.Apply for graduation according to the NUR 141B and NUR 211A course calendars.

This program meets the State of Michigan rules for nursing education programs and prepares graduates to take the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX) for practical nurse and/or registered nurse licensure. Graduates who intend on practicing in another state should review that state’s requirements for licensure at https://www.ncsbn.org/nursing-regulation/education/board-of-nursing-licensure-requirements.page