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 →MissouriNursing
LPN to RN in Missouri: prerequisite checklist and time limits
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
LPN to RN Missouri prerequisites usually include a current Missouri LPN licence, recent work, A&P I and II, Microbiology, Psychology, Human Growth and Development and English with a C or higher. STLCC's RN Bridge also asks for a 2.5 GPA, a TEAS score of 58.7 and one year of LPN work within five years. Check your college and confirm in writing.
A prerequisite checklist
St. Louis Community College runs an RN Bridge for licensed practical nurses and licensed paramedics. Its April 2026 handbook lists these pre-entry items. Use it as a model and check the page for your own college:
- A current, undisciplined Missouri LPN or EMT-P licence.
- One year of LPN or EMT-P work within five years of applying, shown in a letter of reference; waived if you graduated in the past 12 months.
- A 2.5 cumulative GPA and a TEAS composite of 58.7 within two calendar years.
- Chemistry, Introductory Biology, College Composition, General Psychology, and Communication Between Cultures or Sociology.
- A&P I and II, Microbiology and Human Growth and Development, each with a C or higher, before the Bridge course.
- Official transcripts from every college attended.
The state rule under every programme
The Missouri State Board of Nursing approves practical and professional nursing programmes under RSMo 335.071. Its rule 20 CSR 2200-2.090 leaves admission, transfer and advanced-placement policy to each programme's faculty, who must put it in writing for applicants. That is why one college runs a one-semester Bridge with 11 credits of experiential credit for LPN work, while another may ask you to start with first-semester nursing.
Time limits
The board's rule says time limits on credit from earlier study should be stated, so look for them in your programme's handbook. STLCC wants Chemistry and one of A&P I, A&P II or Microbiology within 5 years, a TEAS score from the past two calendar years, and LPN work within five years. Mizzou, by contrast, sets no time limit on transferable courses for its BSN.
Plan backwards from the deadline. STLCC admits Bridge students each spring and fall, with up to 36 places a semester, and a college transcript can take weeks to arrive.
What an LPN should ask in writing
Send one email covering everything, and keep the reply:
- Do my existing A&P and Microbiology still count, given their dates?
- Would a named online course, recorded on a college transcript, meet a listed prerequisite?
- Is a letter grade needed for the GPA?
- How should my employer document my work time?
Where online courses can fit
UPI Study's A&P I and II are NCCRS-recommended, as a 3-credit lecture and a separate 2-credit online lab. Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Sociology and English Composition are also available. UPI Study does not offer Microbiology with lab, Nutrition, Lifespan Development, Organic Chemistry or Pharmacology. Microbiology and Human Growth and Development must come from a college. No course here gives clinical hours, and none is a remedy for a deficiency the Missouri State Board of Nursing has named.
The credit reaches your programme via a college transcript. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. Ask your programme in writing first; take only what it agrees to.
Planning a 12-month timeline
Month 1: read your programme's handbook and send the written question. Months 2 to 5: finish the courses the programme agreed to, and take Microbiology and Human Growth and Development at a college. Month 6: have the college transcripts sent and take the TEAS if you need it. Then keep working: STLCC counts one year of LPN work within five years, so your current job is part of the application.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask your Missouri 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
what do i need to go from lpn to rn in missouri
Usually a current Missouri LPN licence, recent work, A&P I and II, Microbiology and the college's other prerequisites. STLCC's RN Bridge also asks for a 2.5 GPA, a TEAS score of 58.7 within two years, a C or higher in each course, and one year of LPN work within five years. Check your own college and ask in writing.
how old can my a&p be for a missouri rn programme
Each school decides and should state its limit. STLCC wants Chemistry and one of A&P I, A&P II or Microbiology within 5 years. Mizzou sets no time limit on transferable courses. Ask your programme in writing whether your courses still count, giving the dates you took them.
can i take microbiology through upi study
No. UPI Study does not offer Microbiology with lab, Nutrition, Lifespan Development, Organic Chemistry or Pharmacology. Take Microbiology at a college, so it arrives on a college transcript with a letter grade, and check your programme's time limit for it.
can paramedics use the stlcc rn bridge
Yes. STLCC's RN Bridge is for licensed practical nurses and licensed paramedics (EMT-P) eligible to practise in Missouri. You need a current undisciplined licence, one year of work within five years, and the same prerequisite courses. Check the current handbook before you apply.
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
Self-paced online Anatomy and Physiology 2 course (Biology 212). NCCRS recommends 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
- Missouri Code of State Regulations, 20 CSR 2200-2: minimum standards for professional nursing programmes (3/31/24) (official)20 CSR 2200-2.090(1)(B): policies for admission, readmission, transfer and advanced placement shall be written, implemented and evaluated by the faculty; admission criteria stated in writing and accessible to applicants; time limits for credits earned during prior enrolment should be stated; the board approves the maximum number of students. 2.100(2)(C): curriculum design shall foster seamless academic articulation. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Revised Statutes of Missouri, section 335.071 (official)The State Board of Nursing surveys and approves programmes of professional and practical nursing and resurveys them periodically. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- St. Louis Community College: Nursing Program Handbook (revised April 2026) (official)Pre-entry checklist: 2.5 cumulative GPA; math proficiency at MTH 140 level; CHM 101 or two semesters of high school chemistry with lab; BIO 111; ENG 101; BIO 207 A&P I; PSY 200; COM 200 or SOC 101; all with a C or higher; TEAS composite of 58.7 within two calendar years; Chemistry and one of BIO 207, 208 or 203 within 5 years. RN Bridge adds BIO 208, BIO 203 and PSY 205, a current undisciplined Missouri LPN or EMT-P licence, and one year of work within five years. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.