Associate Degree in Nursing

Carroll University’s new associate degree in nursing (ADN) is designed to accelerate your career and to increase workforce diversity in the healthcare industry. In just two years, you could be a Registered Nurse (RN) practicing culturally-competent care in urban communities where the nursing shortage is critical. The new program is part of a Carroll University pipeline created to attract students who have been traditionally underrepresented in the nursing profession. While preference is given to bilingual students (conversational-Spanish level and English), we encourage traditional and nontraditional students from all backgrounds to apply. As the population ages, nurses are needed now more than ever who have the knowledge, attitudes and skills to care for people across different languages and cultures. The ADN will help you quickly transition into the workforce to start your healthcare career as a highly sought-after RN.

About the Associate Degree in Nursing Program

If you want to work in healthcare, an associate degree in nursing (ADN) program gets you on your way and prepares you for a career as a registered nurse. RNs work in hospitals, physician offices, home healthcare services and nursing care facilities.

You’ll start taking nursing courses during your first semester. Classes are held in the Carroll nursing center at the United Community Center (UCC) in Milwaukee. Carroll’s nursing center includes a modern, fully-equipped nursing lab with high-tech patient simulators that help you safely learn procedures before performing them on real patients.

Clinical practicum experiences start in the third semester. You will begin in long-term care facilities and eventually transition to medical-surgical units in a hospital acute-care setting under the supervision of faculty and professional nurses. Throughout the program, your patient care responsibility will increase from simply observing to being responsible for planning, managing and administering care for two to three patients at a time.

Your final semester includes a “capstone” experience in which you will be required to complete 160 hours in a healthcare setting at one of the area’s health systems. This gives you the chance to advance your skills and network as you prepare to search for a job after graduation. Carroll’s strong partnerships with local healthcare organizations allow for a variety of clinical placements without waiting lists.

After completing the two-year program (six consecutive semesters), you will be eligible to take the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX-RN), which is required to begin full-time employment as a registered nurse.

The Carroll ADN curriculum is designed so you can continue on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree in the future. And, as a working RN, you may be able to pursue employer tuition assistance, offered by many healthcare systems, to help with the cost of your degree.

As a Carroll University student at the UCC, you will have access to all support services offered on the main campus in Waukesha. In addition, the ADN program has a dedicated student support specialist to support academic, professional and personal success.

Carroll has a history of providing excellent nursing education and exceptional student outcomes in its Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, including 100% pass rates on the national licensing exam for its 2017 and 2018 graduates.

Admission Criteria

The ADN program will admit qualified students regardless of race, color, creed, sex, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, or handicap that does not interfere with the performance of professional nursing as provided by law. The admission process for the ADN program is holistic in nature. This means that no single criterion will ensure or prevent your acceptance into the program. Rather, the Admissions Committee makes a determination of a candidate’s admission based on holistic consideration of the following criteria:

• Two semesters of high school algebra I, biology and chemistry; one semester of high school social sciences (communications, economics, history, sociology) with grades C or better
• High school or college GPA of 2.5 or higher
• If CHE101, CHE102, ANP130, ANP140, or BIO212 equivalencies are completed within 5 years of application, transfer credit may be awarded provided grades of B- or better are earned
• Preference given to applicants who can speak conversational Spanish as well as English 
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen with a valid social security number
• Two letters of reference (one from a teacher; another from teacher or community leader)
• Admission essay focusing on experience with cultural immersion and addressing motivation for
  • Nursing
  • Desire to work with culturally diverse populations
• Interview with Admissions Committee
• Submission of the technical and progression standards for the nursing program (upon acceptance into the program)

Carroll University Associate Degree in Nursing program holds pre-accreditation  status from the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation, located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20037. 800- 669-1656. Holding pre-accreditation status does not guarantee that initial accreditation by NLN CNEA will be received.

For more information, contact Dr. Lori Magestro  Clinical Assistant Professor / Director of Associate Degree Nursing Program lmagestr@carrollu.edu or 262.524.7450.


The Carroll University Associate degree nursing is pursuing accreditation from the National League for Nursing Commission for Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA), located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Washington DC, 20037; phone number: 202-909-2487. Interested parties are invited to submit third-party comments in writing directly to NLN CNEA, attention Dr. Theresa Shellenbarger, NLN CNEA Executive Director, no later than January 23, 2023, to cneaaccreditation@nln.org.

• Academic Support Services
• Student Nurse Association
• Financial Aid
• Academic Catalog
• Master of Science in Nursing - Direct Entry
• Master of Science in Nursing - Nurse Educator