West VirginiaNursing

RN to BSN in West Virginia: the general education credits you can finish online

By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.

The short answer

RN to BSN general education in West Virginia usually means statistics, composition, social science and humanities on top of your nursing credit. These are the courses where ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit is most often considered. Ask your BSN programme in writing which of its general education slots it will fill with credit from another college's transcript.

Where general education fits in an RN to BSN

An RN to BSN builds on your ADN and licence. The nursing courses are taken with the BSN programme. What is left is usually general education and electives the ADN did not cover. Every programme's list is different, so start with your programme's plan of study.

General education courses RN to BSN students often need

These are common slots. Match them to your programme's own list.

  • Statistics, often required before nursing research.
  • English Composition 1 and 2, if the ADN did not include both.
  • Introduction to Psychology or Sociology for social science.
  • A humanities course such as Philosophy, Art History or American Literature.
  • Electives to reach the total credit count for the degree.

What to ask the BSN programme

Send a short email with the course names and ask each question separately.

  • Which general education requirements do I still need?
  • Do you consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit recorded via a college transcript for those requirements?
  • Is there a limit on how many transfer credits I can bring?
  • Do you need the credit before I start nursing courses, or can I finish it alongside them?

How a transcript review helps

Most BSN programmes will review your transcripts before or soon after you apply. The review lists which general education requirements your ADN and any earlier college work already cover, and which are still open. Ask for this review first. It stops you paying for a course you do not need, and it gives you the exact requirement names to use when you ask about a new course.

When the review comes back, match each open requirement to a course and ask the programme about each one by name. A programme may count Statistics from another college's transcript but want Composition taken with them, or the other way round. Some programmes also set a residency rule, meaning a minimum number of credits that must be taken with them, so ask how many transfer credits you can still bring in.

  • Ask for the transcript review in writing and keep the copy.
  • Use the programme's own requirement names in every email.
  • Ask about the residency rule before you plan more than two courses elsewhere.

A sample plan

This only works once the programme confirms each course.

SlotExample courseCredits
StatisticsPrinciples of Statistics3
CompositionEnglish Composition 23
Social scienceIntroduction to Sociology3
HumanitiesPrinciples of Philosophy3

Working nurses, pace and what we do not cover

Self-paced courses suit nurses on rotating shifts: study on days off, take the final when ready. Credit is recorded via a college transcript; TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. Your BSN programme still decides what counts. The full rule is on the page West Virginia nursing prerequisites online: what to check with your programme first.

Some RN to BSN plans include Nutrition, Lifespan or Developmental Psychology, Microbiology or Pharmacology as general or support courses. UPI Study does not offer these, so plan them at a college. Credit from our courses comes via a college transcript, and UPI Study is not accredited, so a written yes from your BSN programme is the step that protects your time and money.

What to ask in writing

Before you enrol

Ask your nursing programme in writing whether it will count each course and its online lab 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

Do I need statistics for an RN to BSN in West Virginia?

Most BSN plans include statistics, often before a nursing research course. Check your programme's plan of study, and ask whether a statistics course recorded via another college's transcript fills the slot before you enrol in one.

How many general education credits will I need?

It depends on what your ADN already covered and on the BSN programme's degree total. Ask the programme for a transcript review, which lists the requirements you still need, before you choose courses.

Can I do general education while working full time as a nurse?

Many nurses do, one course at a time. Self-paced online courses let you study around shifts. Confirm with your BSN programme in writing that it will count each course before you start.

Courses that fit

ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.

Principles of Statistics course
Statistics 101 · 3 credits · ACE-recommended

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 →
English Composition 2 course
ENG 102 · 3 credits · NCCRS-recommended

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 course
Sociology 110 · 3 credits · ACE-recommended

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

Take only the courses your programme confirms in writing.

Sources

  1. W. Va. Code 30-7-5: Schools of nursing (official)A nursing programme accredited by a national nursing accrediting agency is determined to be board approved; the board approves new programmes until they are accredited. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
  2. West Virginia Northern Community College: Nursing admission requirements (official)Nursing applicants need a 2.5 cumulative college GPA, ENG 101 with a C or higher, a TEAS composite of 58 or higher, and must be eligible for West Virginia licensure as stated in the West Virginia Code. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.