Principles of Statistics
Self-paced online Principles of Statistics course (Statistics 101). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →MinnesotaNursing
RN to BSN in Minnesota: the general education credits you can finish online
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
RN to BSN programmes in Minnesota usually need a set of general education credits on top of your nursing courses. At Minnesota State institutions that is the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum: at least 40 credits across 10 goal areas with a 2.0 GPA. Statistics, composition, social science and humanities are the courses RNs most often still need.
Why general education is the gap
Most RNs who return for a BSN already have their nursing licence and the science prerequisites from their associate degree. What is often missing is general education: a second writing course, statistics, a humanities course, or a social science. These are also the courses where outside credit is most often considered, because they are not tied to clinical practice or a science time limit.
Each BSN programme still decides what it counts. Some take a completed associate degree as meeting most general education; others check course by course.
The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum
Minnesota State colleges and universities share a general education framework called the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum, or MnTC. Completing it takes at least 40 credits with set courses or credits in each of 10 goal areas and a 2.0 MnTC GPA. A completed MnTC, or completed goal areas, generally move between Minnesota State institutions, but some programmes ask for higher grades.
Ask your BSN programme for a degree audit. It will show which goal areas you have met and which are still open, which is the list you plan around.
Courses RNs often still need
These UPI Study courses match common gaps. Each is 3 credits.
| Course | Recommendation | Common gap it may fill |
|---|---|---|
| Principles of Statistics | ACE and NCCRS | Statistics or quantitative reasoning |
| English Composition 2 | NCCRS | Second writing course |
| Introduction to Sociology | ACE and NCCRS | Social science |
| Ethics in the Social Sciences | NCCRS | Ethics or humanities |
| Introduction to Psychology | ACE and NCCRS | Social science |
How to ask your BSN programme
Send your degree audit questions by email so the answer is in writing. Name each course, its credits, and its ACE or NCCRS recommendation, and ask which goal area or requirement it would meet if a college records it on a transcript.
- Which general education requirements do I still need?
- Would these named courses, recorded on a college transcript, meet any of them?
- Is there a minimum grade, and how would a course without a letter grade be treated?
- Is there a residency rule for how many credits I must take with you?
Cost and time
At M State, general education is $200.35 per credit for 2026-27, or $218.50 for internet delivery, so a 3-credit course is about $600 to $656 in tuition before fees. On PRO, a working RN who finishes two or three courses a month pays $99 a month, plus whatever the reviewing college charges.
The lower price only helps if your BSN programme agrees in writing. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit, and a partner college can review your courses and list any credit it awards on its own transcript.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask your Minnesota nursing programme's admissions or transfer office in writing whether each named UPI Study course, including a separate online lab, would meet a listed prerequisite via a college transcript, and how it would be graded, 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
how many general education credits do i need for an rn to bsn in minnesota
It depends on the programme. Minnesota State institutions use the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum, at least 40 credits across 10 goal areas. Your associate degree may already cover much of it. Ask your BSN programme for a degree audit to see what is left.
can i take rn to bsn general education online
Many colleges offer online general education. Recommended credit from a provider that is not a college must first be reviewed and recorded by a college. Ask your BSN programme in writing whether named courses would count before you enrol.
does statistics count for rn to bsn
Most BSN programmes need a statistics course, and many associate degrees do not include one. Mankato's pre-licensure BSN lists Elementary Statistics as a core course. Check your own programme's list and ask whether a named online course would meet it.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
English Composition 2
Self-paced online English Composition 2 course (ENG 102). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Introduction to Sociology
Self-paced online Introduction to Sociology course (Sociology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Ask your programme in writing first, then take only the courses it agrees to consider.
Sources
- Minnesota Revisor: Minnesota Rules chapter 6301, Program Approvals (Board of Nursing) (official)The Board of Nursing's programme approval rules, including 6301.2310 Nursing Education Program Approval and 6301.2340 Required Criteria for Nursing Education Programs; the chapter governs programmes, not a statewide prerequisite list. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Minnesota State University, Mankato: Nursing BS pre-licensure, application and admission (official)Core prerequisites A&P I (4 cr), A&P II (4 cr), Chemistry of Life Processes (5 cr), Foundations of Writing (4 cr), Human Development (3 cr) and Elementary Statistics (4 cr), each with a minimum C before applying; minimum cumulative GPA 3.0; deadline for spring 2027 admission 11 September 2026; transfer coursework must appear on the degree audit with its posted grade; proposed fall 2027 changes add TEAS and a holistic review. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- M State: Cost and tuition 2026-27 (official)Tuition of $200.35 per credit for 2026-27 (resident and non-resident), $218.50 per credit for internet delivery, plus per-credit fees. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Minnesota State Mankato: Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) (official)The MnTC is the general education framework at Minnesota State institutions: at least 40 credits across 10 goal areas with a minimum 2.0 MnTC GPA. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.