Pre-Nursing Pathways

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

Colorado State University’s pre-nursing pathway concentrations provide a strong foundation for students interested in pursuing careers in nursing and other health professions after they graduate.

With three distinct entry points to pre-nursing pathway concentrations in Health and Exercise Science, Human Development and Family Studies, and Nutrition Science, our programs provide structured and streamlined coursework to help you take the next step in your journey.

Discover Your Path to Nursing

Our pre-nursing pathway concentrations prepare students for most accelerated and traditional nursing programs. For more information about nursing schools, visit the CSU Career Center Guide to Nursing Careers. Students in the pre-nursing pathway concentrations are strongly encouraged to consult with their academic advisor in their major. Current CSU students can schedule Health Career Pathway support appointments at the Career Center through Handshake to ensure they meet the specific prerequisites for their targeted nursing schools.

Major in Health and Exercise Science, Pre-Nursing Pathway Concentration

This pre-nursing pathway concentration 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.

A student practices taking blood pressure with another student using a stethoscope and cuff in a classroom setting at Colorado State University.

Major in Human Development and Family Studies, Pre-Nursing Pathway Concentration

This pre-nursing pathway 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 pathway 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.

A student in a white lab coat adjusts a medical scale while another student smiles, standing on the scale in a brightly lit hallway

Major in Nutrition Science, Pre-Nursing Pathway Concentration

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