CLEP in my undergrad

Colleges and Universities A-Z Emory University
1

I’m entering college to earn my BSN. Next step will be to enroll in Emory for their MSN/Nurse-Midwife program. I’m a non-traditional student in my early 30s. I can’t relocate, and Emory is the only university within any reasonable distance that has a Midwifery program.

University of North Georgia - where I'll get my undergrad BSN - accepts CLEP credit. I was hoping to test out of some core classes unrelated to my major (algebra, history etc). I contacted Emory to ask if taking these tests would decrease my chances of getting accepted. Here was the reply (abridged).

(…) We would prefer that you take the prerequisites for the MSN program at an accredited institution to better prepare you for our program. I have copied the requirements for the program for you below.

Required prerequisites for the Master of Science in Nursing:

Introductory Statistics
Health Assessment
Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from an accredited program
Licensed in the state of Georgia as a Registered Nurse: https://www.ncsbn.org/Georgia.htm

(.....)

Now, I don’t want to do anything to decrease my chances of being accepted. It’s either Emory or an online university, which is NOT what I want.

But could testing out of some basic, unrelated courses really impact whether or not I’m accepted? Even if it’s only 4-5 classes? Could this be the “make it or break it” thing that keeps me from getting in?

2

I think they were basically saying that they don’t care as long as you meet the requirements and take those at the institution. For example, a student earning a BSN from Emory undergrad and then goes on to earn an MSN will not likely have algebra because Emory does not offer an algebra course, but only calculus. They just want you to have the BSN, statistics, and the other two things. They don’t care how you get around to taking them. For example, if stats. requires algebra but you have CLEP for that and can use it to place into stats, then Emory does not care if you took an actual algebra course in college. I think they’re basically telling you “do what is necessary to complete these basic requirements”. If that involves using CLEP to get through them faster then so be it.