Pre-Nursing Concentrations Begin Your Path to a Career in Health Care at CSU

This pre-nursing pathway is a strong match for students who are energized by the science of human movement, performance, and health. As a health and exercise science major, you will study how the body functions in real-world settings — from clinical physiology and biomechanics to disease prevention and health behavior.

The coursework in this concentration covers common nursing school prerequisites and core health and exercise science classes, equipping students with the skills to help people protect, maintain, and improve their health and quality of life throughout the lifespan.

This pre-nursing concentration is ideal for students who want to understand people in context—how individuals and families grow, develop, and interact within complex social systems. Majoring in human development and family studies provides an ecological approach to health and well-being, examining how relationships, environments, and communities shape care across the lifespan.

Coursework includes anatomy and physiology, along with human development, psychology, statistics, and communication. This concentration is especially suited for students interested in pediatric healthcare, mental health, or family and community care. Students who choose this pathway will be prepared to lead with understanding the full picture of a person’s life, and provide care that is both relational and responsive.

If you are drawn to the science of how food, nutrients, and metabolism impact health outcomes, this may be the path for you. By majoring in nutrition science with a pre-nursing concentration, you will be prepared to guide people in living healthier, more fulfilling lives, helping them reach their health and wellness goals.

As a Nutrition Science major, you will take key nursing requisites — such as anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and chemistry — while gaining a deeper understanding of the role nutrition plays in chronic disease prevention and health outcomes.

This concentration educates students to think critically about how systems within the body, and the nutrients that fuel them, impact healing, resilience, and care.