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 →TennesseeNursing
Which Tennessee nursing programmes take online A&P labs? How to ask before you enrol
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
Whether an online A&P lab counts for Tennessee nursing is each programme's decision. Nashville State's LPN to RN pathway, for example, lists BIOL 2010 and BIOL 2030 with a C or higher among 27 required hours. Email the programme with the course name, the lab format and how the credit will reach it, and wait for a written answer before you pay.
Why there is no single answer
Each Tennessee nursing programme sets its own prerequisites and decides which courses and sources it will count. Two programmes can answer the same question about an online lab in different ways, and one programme can change its answer when it updates its list.
Many programmes are cautious about online science labs. Some refuse them. Some refuse ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit in the sciences. Others review each course. You only find out by asking.
What Nashville State lists
Nashville State's LPN to RN pathway asks for BIOL 2010 and BIOL 2030, Anatomy and Physiology I and II at four hours each, plus BIOL 2230 Microbiology and MATH 1530 Statistics. All four need a C or higher, and the GPA across the 27 required hours must be 2.8 or higher.
Its page does not say whether an online lab counts, so that is the question to ask. Four-hour A&P courses at a community college include a lab, so ask whether a separate lab course would be treated as the same thing.
- Ask whether an online or at-home lab would count for BIOL 2010 and BIOL 2030.
- Ask whether a lecture course plus a separate lab course can stand in for a four-hour course.
- Ask whether credit must come on a college transcript.
- Ask how an outside course's grade counts toward the 2.8 GPA.
A sample email
Keep it short, name the course and attach the syllabus. You might write: I plan to apply to your LPN to RN pathway. I am considering Anatomy and Physiology I with a separate online lab, which carries an NCCRS credit recommendation and would reach you via a college transcript. Would you count it toward BIOL 2010? The syllabus and lab description are attached.
Send one question per science course and lab, and keep every reply. A yes for the lecture is not a yes for the lab.
If the answer is no
A no on the sciences still leaves options. Take A&P and Microbiology at a community college the programme approves, and use online options only for courses it confirms, such as English composition, psychology, statistics or a humanities elective.
Mind the timing as well. Nashville State recommends sciences from the last five years, even though it does not require it, and other programmes may require it.
Where UPI Study fits
UPI Study offers Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs, Principles of Statistics, English Composition I and Introduction to Psychology on PRO at $99 a month. They are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended; A&P is NCCRS-recommended. We are not a college and not accredited, so the credit reaches a nursing programme only via a college transcript, and only counts if the programme agrees. Partner colleges such as Thomas Edison State University, University of the People and Newlane University consider such credit; the nursing programme still decides. We do not offer Microbiology.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Before you enrol, email the nursing programme's admissions office and ask in writing whether it will count the named course and lab, posted via a college transcript, toward its prerequisites, and keep the reply.
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
Is an at-home lab kit the same as an online lab?
Programmes may treat them differently. Describe the lab format exactly in your email, including any kit or virtual simulation, so the reviewer can answer for that specific course and you have the answer in writing.
Does a C count at Nashville State?
A C or higher is needed in each core science and maths course. Because the GPA across all 27 hours must be 2.8 or higher, several Cs can pull you under, so aim higher.
Should I take Microbiology before or after A&P?
Many colleges expect A&P first, and some make it a prerequisite for Microbiology. Check the course order with the college where you take Microbiology, and plan both inside any time limit.
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 nursing programme in writing first whether it will count the course.
Sources
- Nashville State Community College: LPN to RN Bridge Program (official)Admitted to NSCC; 27 required credit hours before applying; ATI TEAS Proficient (waived for TCAT graduates within 3 years of the LPN exit exam); 2.8 GPA on the 27 hours; active PN licence with no restrictions checked with the Tennessee Board of Nursing; ENGL 1010, a humanities elective, PSYC 1030, one of COMM 2025, ENGL 1020, PSYC 2130, BIOL 1215 or a humanities elective; BIOL 2010, BIOL 2030, BIOL 2230, MATH 1530 (15 hours) with C or higher; science within 5 years recommended, not required; pathway starts in the second semester; Spring 2027 application closed. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.