The Associate Degree Nursing curriculum provides knowledge, skills, and strategies to integrate safety and quality into nursing care, to practice in a dynamic environment, and to meet individual needs which impact health, quality of life, and achievement of potential.
Course work includes and builds upon the domains of healthcare, nursing practice, and the holistic individual. Content emphasizes the nurse as a member of the interdisciplinary team providing safe, individualized care while employing evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and informatics.
Graduates of this program are eligible to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX RN). Employment opportunities are vast within the global health care system and may include positions within acute, chronic, extended, industrial, and community health care facilities. Successful completion of the program does not guarantee licensure.
Students seeking admission to the associate degree nursing program must meet competitive criteria. The student must also meet specific requirements of the clinical agencies. These requirements may include but are not limited to a criminal background check, drug screen, CPR and proof of immunizations. Furthermore, a criminal background check will be required before taking the NCLEXRN examination leading to licensure as a Registered Nurse. The North Carolina Board of Nursing may
not issue a license to an applicant who has been convicted of a criminal offense.
Western North Carolina Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses (WNC RIBN) Program, providing an additional pathway for students to earn both an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
The first TCCC RIBN cohort will begin in Fall 2027. Through this four-year model, students are dually enrolled at TCCC and WCU, completing their first three years primarily at TCCC while beginning WCU coursework online. After completing the first three years, students transition to WCU for their fourth year while continuing BSN coursework online and at WCU’s Biltmore Park instructional site.
A key benefit of the RIBN model is that students can enter the nursing workforce as registered nurses at the beginning of their fourth year, allowing them to gain professional experience and earn an income while completing their BSN.
Students interested in the Fall 2027 TCCC RIBN cohort must first apply to and be accepted into TCCC’s Nursing program, then complete WCU’s application process. Applicants must meet admission requirements for both institutions. WCU RIBN admission requirements include a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, a state-minimum ACT composite score of 19, and an ATI TEAS score of 70 or higher.
TCCC Nursing application period for Fall 2027: October 1, 2026–January 31, 2027.
WCU RIBN application deadline: March 1 annually.
For questions or more information about the nursing admissions cycle, please contact:
Kelly Hembree
Director of Student Services
(828) 835-4291
khembree@tricountycc.edu
Click for admissions requirements.
Click for Intent to Enter form.
Click for Technical Standards.
Click for Career Exploration.
Click for Handbook.
