Programmed instruction has recently advanced greatly thinks to extensive world-wide research. Many countries including the United States have increasi- ngly applied the method not only to education, but to such fields as the armed forces and business circles, too. The author has paid great attention to the programmed instruction of other countries and its application to nursing education in Korea. The author studied the matter mainly through descriptive research and has come conclusions as follows: 1) The nursing education in Korea is confronted with the great challenge of how to provide more effective learning for increased learners. Programmed instruction could meet the challenge partially and improve the general quality of student nurse. 2) Programmed instruction could reduce the required study hours by one-third so that the current, excessive school credit system could be rearranged properly. 3) Programmed instruction could provide teachers and professors with more free hours to spend with students and give them advice on a kind of tutorial basis. This could bridge the gaps among the students so the impro- vement of the average quality of learners could be attained. There are, however, many unsolved problems in applying the programmed instruction to nursing education in Korea. Further research should be made to work out a more effective programmed instruction fit to the reality of Korea's nursing education.