Anatomy and Physiology I
Self-paced online Anatomy and Physiology I course (Biology 211). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →IowaNursing
Which Iowa nursing programmes take online A&P labs? How to ask before you enrol
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
No Iowa-wide rule says yes or no to online anatomy and physiology labs; each programme decides. DMACC lists A&P I and II as 4-credit courses taken for college credit, and asks for a B in each on its LPN-to-RN route. The Board of Nursing does not rule on where a lab was taken. Ask your programme in writing before you pay.
Why nobody can give you a state-wide answer
Iowa's Board of Nursing approves programmes and sets curriculum standards in 481 IAC chapter 616. Those rules talk about classroom, clinical, laboratory and simulation settings for the nursing courses themselves. They do not tell a programme what it must accept as a prerequisite lab. Each college's transfer office makes that call when it reads your transcript.
That is why one student can hear yes at one school and no at the next. The only answer that counts is the one from the programme you are applying to.
What DMACC publishes
DMACC's 2026-27 ladder manual lists BIO 168 Anatomy & Physiology I and BIO 173 Anatomy & Physiology II at 4 credits each. Its LPN-to-RN checklist asks for a B or higher in each, 'or equivalent', taken for college credit, and recommends that science be within the last five years. Transfer courses go through official transcripts and the Credentials office must approve them before the term they are needed.
The checklist does not say whether the lab part may be online. That is the question to ask.
How UPI Study's A&P is built
Knowing the credit values helps you ask a precise question:
| Course | Credit recommendation |
|---|---|
| Anatomy and Physiology I (lecture) | NCCRS, 3 credits |
| Anatomy and Physiology I Lab | NCCRS, 2 credits |
| Anatomy and Physiology II (lecture) | NCCRS, 3 credits |
| Anatomy and Physiology II Lab | NCCRS, 2 credits |
The email to send
Write to the programme's admissions or transfer office and ask:
- Will you count Anatomy and Physiology I (3 credits) plus its lab (2 credits), posted on a college transcript, as equivalent to your A&P I?
- Do you accept a lab completed online, and if not, what kind of lab do you require?
- What grade do you need, and is there a time limit on science courses?
- Which transcript do you need, and when must it be on file?
If the answer is no
Some programmes want a lab taken on a campus. If yours does, take the lab at a community college and ask whether an online lecture can still count. If they want both parts in one course from one college, take the whole course there. You will have lost nothing by asking first.
If the answer is yes, take the courses, then move them via a college transcript. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. Send that official transcript to the nursing programme with your written reply on file.
Whatever the answer, plan the grade as well as the course. DMACC's LPN-to-RN route asks for a B in each A&P course, and a lab grade that drags the combined grade down can matter. Ask the programme how it combines a separate lecture and lab grade when it checks the minimum.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask your nursing programme's admissions or transfer office in writing which courses it will count, at what grade and from which transcript, before you enrol.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
does dmacc accept online a&p labs
DMACC's published checklist asks for A&P I and II or equivalent taken for college credit with a B for LPN-to-RN entry, but it does not say whether the lab may be online. Ask DMACC admissions in writing, naming the lab and its credit value, before you enrol.
is 3 credits of a&p lecture plus 2 credits of lab enough for a 4 credit course
Five credits is more than four, but programmes compare content as well as credits. Send the course descriptions and ask the transfer office whether the pair is equivalent to their 4-credit A&P course.
what if my programme wants an in-person lab
Take the lab at a community college that offers it on campus, and ask whether an online lecture can still count. Some programmes accept a split; others want the full course from one college. Get the answer in writing first.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Anatomy and Physiology I Lab
Self-paced online Anatomy and Physiology I Lab course (Biology 211L). NCCRS recommends 2 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Anatomy and Physiology 2 Lab
Self-paced online Anatomy and Physiology 2 Lab course (Biology 212L). NCCRS recommends 2 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Take only the courses your programme has agreed to in writing, then move them via a college transcript.
Sources
- Iowa Administrative Code 481 IAC chapter 616 (Nursing education programs) (official)The board approves nursing programs and sets curriculum standards (481 IAC 616.10); the program's final transcript lists courses accepted for transfer (616.12(4)); rules moved from 655 IAC chapter 2 to 481 IAC chapter 616 in June 2025 (ARC 9159C). No rule sets where a prerequisite must be taken. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- DMACC Nursing Student Policy Manual, Ladder Program 2026-2027 (official)Entry requirements: BIO 168 Anatomy & Physiology I (4), BIO 173 Anatomy & Physiology II (4), PSY 121 Developmental Psychology (3), ENG 105 Composition I (3); MAT 156 Statistics co-requisite; grade of C (not C-) in all support courses; transfer credits approved by the Credentials office and recorded on the transcript before the term; AAS within five years of starting PNN 108; 65 program credits. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- DMACC Advanced Standing (LPN to RN) Nursing Program Application Checklist (updated 16 Apr 2026) (official)Current LPN license; B or higher in A&P I, A&P II and Developmental Psychology or equivalents; C or higher in Statistics and Composition I; courses taken for college credit; science courses recommended within the last five years; official transcripts for transfer evaluation; ATI PN Predictor 92% or ATI TEAS composite 65%. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.