In this article, we’ll explore the best-accelerated nursing programs in the USA. Nursing is one of the most rewarding and happiest jobs in the medical profession. It is a medical degree that pays well, provides plenty of opportunities for advancement and diversity, and, most importantly, is personally rewarding and fulfilling.
However, becoming a successful nurse necessitates more than just desire and good intentions; it necessitates education and a college degree.
If you’re serious about a career in nursing, you should learn about the various nursing certificate, diploma, and degree programs available, as well as the value of each to your career goals.
Below we define a nursing program, explain how long it typically takes to complete one, discuss the accelerated nursing program available in the USA, and offer some options for quickly completing a nursing degree program.
Table of Contents
What is a Nursing Program?
Nursing embodies the independent and collaborative care of people of all ages, families, groups, and communities, whether sick or well and in all settings.
Nursing encompasses the promotion of health, the prevention of illness, and the care of the sick, disabled, and dying.
Accelerated Nursing Programs – Meaning
Accelerated nursing programs enable you to obtain a BSN degree in a short period of time. You’ll take the same nursing courses and clinical hours as in a traditional BSN program, but you’ll be able to apply for previous credits to meet non-nursing requirements.
An accelerated nursing degree program reduces higher education time, allowing students to earn a nursing degree in as little as two years. Some accelerated programs operate even faster.
Master’s degrees, for example, may take only a year to a year and a half to complete, rather than the usual two to three years.
Many of the advantages that traditional nursing programs are retained in accelerated nursing degree programs.
For example, depending on the college, they are usually still accredited and cover the same courses with the same number of tests. Everything, however, is accelerated. Classes cover more material in less time, and homework assignments, quizzes, and tests are much more frequent.
Essentially, this is an immersive, intensive experience designed to help people complete their coursework and graduate.
How Can One Get Started in an Accelerated Nursing Program in the USA?
Starting an accelerated nursing program in the USA is similar to starting any other traditional college nursing program. As prospective students, you should apply to several accelerated nursing program institutions to determine which option is best for you.
You should also consider online options, which are becoming increasingly common. Also bear in mind that you can also apply for student aid because many schools have scholarship programs that can help you without breaking the bank.
Furthermore, the United States government provides financial aid to students who meet certain economic qualifications, such as low-interest loans, grants, and work-study programs.
What are the Requirements to Get into a Nursing School?
Before you can become a nurse, you must have more than just an ambition; you must also have the necessary qualifications. While other schools may have different language requirements, we will primarily focus on requirements that affect nurses on a large scale.
So, the requirements to gain admission into an accelerated nursing program in the USA include;
- Minimum CGPA of 2.5 or 3.0
- A credit score in Anatomy, Physiology, and Nutrition
- Personal Statement of Intent
- Transcripts
- High School Diploma
List of Accelerated Nursing Programs in the USA
Here is the list of the top 25 accelerated nursing programs in the USA:
- George Mason University
- University of Miami
- Stony Brook University
- Florida International University
- University of North Florida
- Truman state university accelerated BSN
- Montana Technological University
- West Virginia University
- California State University
- Phillips School of Nursing
- Drexel University
- University of Cincinnati
- East Carolina University
- University of Delaware
- Mount Carmel College of Nursing
- Northeast Alabama Community College
- Westfield State University
- Allen College
- University of Houston
- University of Wyoming
- Duke University
- Western Illinois University
- University of Washington
- Clemson University
- Los Angeles Harbor College.
Accelerated Nursing Programs in the USA
#1. George Mason University
- Location: Fairfax, Virginia
- Program duration: 12 months
- Tuition: $546.50 per credit hour
The George Mason accelerated second-degree nursing program is a 12-month full-time program that prepares students with a previous bachelor’s degree for licensure as nurses.
This nursing program teaches students how to provide the best possible care while also developing their leadership skills, allowing them to be more confident at work as new techniques and trends emerge in the ever-changing healthcare industry.
This program emphasizes health promotion as well as the importance of early detection and prevention of health problems.
#2. University of Miami
- Location: Coral Gables, Florida
- Program duration: 12 Months
- Tuition: $42,000 total + $1,400 nursing fees
The University of Miami School of Nursing & Health Studies provides a fast-track Bachelor of Science in nursing program that begins in the fall and spring semesters.
If you have the prerequisites and an undergraduate degree, you could complete your BSN in as little as 12 months.
The curriculum is a combination of classroom instruction and clinical experience, and after a year, you will be able to sit for the NCLEX exam; the school of nursing has an NCLEX pass rate of 95%.
#3. Stony Brook University
- Location: Stony Brook, New York
- Program duration: 12 months
- Tuition: $4,629 per semester
For college graduates, the Stony Brook School of Nursing medical program offers a 12-month accelerated BSN.
They provide nursing students with a rich curriculum leading to a master’s or bachelor’s degree in nursing. Graduates are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam.
The second bachelor’s degree option provides prerequisites in Humanities and Natural Sciences to assist students in adapting theory and the nursing process to provide the best healthcare possible.
To be admitted, you must have a BA or BS degree and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.8.
#4. Florida International University
- Location: Pensacola, Florida
- Program duration: 24 months
- Tuition: $13,717
You can begin the accelerated BSN program at Florida International University if you have a grade point average of at least 3.00 from an accredited university or college.
The accelerated BSN program is intended for people who already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field.
The coursework can be completed in three semesters, but full-time attendance is required. Hands-on, learner-centered education and evidence-based practice underpin the BSN curriculum.
#5. College of Nursing University of North Florida
- Location: Gainesville, Florida
- Program duration: 15 months
- Tuition: $218.68 per credit hour
The accelerated nursing program at the University of North Florida is driven to transform health through innovative practice, world-class research, and exceptional academic programs.
The school provides excellent personalized nursing care, conducts research and scholarship that has a direct impact on practice, and prepares graduates to care, lead, and inspire.
#6. Truman state university accelerated BSN
- Location: Kirksville, Missouri
- Program duration: 15 months
- Tuition: $19,780
If you already have a bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree, or if you want to change fields of study, you can apply for the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program at Truman State University to become a nurse quickly.
This rigorous program combines classroom instruction, nursing simulation training, research opportunities, and extensive clinical experience.
Also, the ABSN program prepares you for entry-level positions as a generalist in all areas of nursing practice, including a maternal, child, mental health, adult, and community health nursing. It also serves as a foundation for advanced nursing studies.
#7. Montana Technological University
- Location: Butte, Montana
- Program duration: 12 months
- Tuition: $7,573.32 per semester
The Accelerated Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (ABSN) at Montana State University is aimed at applicants who have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher learning in a field other than nursing. The program is in place on all five of our campuses.
#8. West Virginia University
- Location: Morgantown, West Virginia
- Program duration: 18 months
- Tuition: Tuition Per Semester, Resident-$5,508, Non-Resident- $13,680
The accelerated nursing program at West Virginia University is designed for college graduates who want to become registered nurses with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. It is designed for full-time study over five semesters (18 months).
Successful students will receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and will be eligible to take the RPN licensing examination (RN).
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a GPA of 3.0 overall and 3.0 in all prerequisite courses.
If the applicants earned their bachelor’s degree in a different country, they will be required to send credential evaluation packages, which must be ordered through World Education.
#9. California State University Nursing Program
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Program duration: 15 months
- Tuition: $44,840- $75,438
The California State University Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program (ABSN) is designed for non-RN students who already have a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing.
To apply for the ABSN program that summer, prospective students must have graduated by the end of the previous fall quarter or semester.
Each year, one cohort of students is admitted to begin their program in June. Over the course of 15 months, students will complete approximately 53-semester units of study in both didactic and clinical coursework.
#10. Phillips School of Nursing
- Location: New York
- Program duration: 15-month
- Tuition: $43,020
The Phillips School of Nursing (PSON) at Mount Sinai Beth Israel offers three accredited nursing degree programs in a hybrid format: the ADN, the ABSN, and the RN to BSN.
The Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is designed for you if you have a baccalaureate degree in another field.
#11. Drexel University
- Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Program duration: 11-month
- Tuition: $13,466
Drexel’s 11-month Accelerated Career Entry (ACE) BSN program is designed for students who already have a bachelor’s degree and want to complete their BSN in less time.
This institution offers intensive nursing science immersion as well as a streamlined entry into nursing practice.
The rigorous program prepares you to work as a registered nurse in a variety of settings, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, and offices, as well as insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
#12. ABSN Program in Cincinnati
- Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
- Program duration: 16 months
- Tuition: $724 per credit hour in-state; $739 out of state
The accelerated BSN program at Xavier University in Cincinnati allows you to earn a BSN in 16 months by building on your non-nursing bachelor’s degree.
This program lasts four full-time semesters and includes online coursework, hands-on nursing labs at our ABSN Learning Center, and clinical rotations in a variety of areas of practice.
#13. East Carolina University College of Nursing
- Location: Greenville, North Carolina
- Program duration: 12-month
- Tuition: $204.46 per credit hour
Do you already have a baccalaureate degree and want to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing? The accelerated second-degree BSN program at East Carolina University College of Nursing is ideal for you.
Students in this 12-month program attend classes full-time and, upon completion, are eligible to become licensed as registered nurses.
#14. University of Delaware
- Location: Newark, Delaware.
- Program duration: 17 months
- Tuition: $1005 per credit hour
The Accelerated BSN Program is designed for people who already have a baccalaureate degree in another field and want to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
This is a 17-month full-time on-campus nursing program. Students are admitted once a year, with classes beginning in the winter session.
#15. Mount Carmel College of Nursing
- Location: Columbus, Ohio
- Program duration: 13 months
- Tuition: $26,015
The Mount Carmel College of Nursing Second Degree Accelerated Program (SDAP) allows students with a bachelor’s degree in another field to pursue a career in nursing.
This is a 13-month program that allows students to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). The SDAP provides a shortened version of the traditional BSN program.
Full-time students start in early January and finish in early February of the following year. The program is intended for students who can attend classes full-time.
Students spend approximately 40 hours per week in class or clinical, with additional evening and weekend lab or clinical hours possible.
#16. Alabama Community College – Nursing School
- Location: Rainsville, Alabama
- Program duration: 15 months
- Tuition: $21,972
Students who earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Alabama will gain the knowledge and skills needed to become registered nurses at a rapid pace.
The accelerated BSN option is a low residency program for students who already have a baccalaureate degree. After completing the prerequisites for the BSN undergraduate program, as listed in the catalog, students will begin clinical and non-clinical professional nursing courses.
After being accepted into the nursing program, the didactic portion of the courses will be delivered online. The course’s face-to-face clinical component will take place on two weekends per month, with the occasional Thursday at designated times and locations.
#17. Westfield State University Accelerated BSN
- Location: Westfield, Massachusetts
- Program duration: Program may be completed in 12, 15, or 24 months depending on your study pace.
- Tuition: $11,000
Westfield State University’s nursing program includes courses in the liberal arts, sciences, and nursing.
The curriculum prepares graduates to accept responsibility for client and family care in a variety of health care settings, to function in early leadership roles, and to be consumers and participants in nursing research.
Students are given a solid foundation for furthering their education in nursing.
Graduates will be fully prepared to take the National Council Licensing Examination in Nursing for Registered Nurses (NCLEX), a required credential for nursing practice in Massachusetts and the United States as a whole, upon completion of the program.
#18. Allen College of Nursing
- Location: Waterloo, Iowa
- Program duration: 12 months
- Tuition: $541 per credit hour
Allen College understands that life moves quickly. That is why the school provides an accelerated program. Students are prepared for licensure and rewarding careers through rigorous coursework and clinical opportunities.
In small classes, students form strong bonds with experienced faculty, and this personal attention leads to success. The school’s NCLEX pass rate consistently exceeds national averages, with the vast majority of students passing on the first try.
#19. University of Houston Second Degree BSN
- Location: Houston, Texas
- Program duration: 13 months
- Tuition: $14,775
The goal of the University of Houston’s Second Degree BSN program is to prepare graduates for a professional nursing practice who can use knowledge from the biological sciences, social sciences, humanities, and nursing to critically analyze human responses to actual and potential health problems and provide appropriate nursing interventions.
#20. University of Wyoming
- Location: Laramie, Wyoming
- Program duration: 15 months
- Tuition:$20,196
The nursing program offered by the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing is both an accelerated and a distance program.
This program delivery enables Wyoming’s rural and isolated hospitals and agencies to “grow their own” BSN-prepared nurses without relocating the student (or the student’s families) to Laramie.
The 15-month summer-to-summer program at the University of Wyoming includes online learning, hybrid courses, and hands-on clinical experiences. The intensive program emphasizes didactic and clinical nursing education.
#21.ABSN–Duke University
- Location: Durham, North Carolina
- Program duration: 16 months
- Tuition: $24,147
The Duke University Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program (ABSN) is a second-degree program for students who have completed an undergraduate degree and the necessary prerequisites.
This is a full-time, on-campus program lasting 16 months. Students at this school concentrate on health wellness and disease prevention, clinical leadership, evidence-based nursing practice, and culturally appropriate care.
Their professors use dynamic teaching-learning strategies, simulations, virtual and standardized patients, and other techniques.
Duke’s unrivaled Center for Nursing Discovery is North Carolina’s only accredited health care simulation education facility, and you’ll have access to it!
Also, you will complete 58 credit hours of study and nearly 800 hours of clinical experience as a student.
# 22. Western Illinois University
- Location: Macomb, Illinois
- Program duration: 24 months
- Tuition: $26,544
Western Illinois University’s School of Nursing is dedicated to educating future professional nurses who are:
- clinically competent and use evidence-based practice as the norm,
- are capable of critical thinking when designing and redesigning care and care systems,
- and are ethically and legally accountable for their actions.
# 23. ABSN–University of Washington
- Location: Seattle, Washington
- Program duration: 18 months
- Tuition: $11,704
The UW School of Nursing offers a fast-track professional program to applicants with a bachelor’s degree who want to pursue a second career in nursing.
This accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program allows you to complete the BSN curriculum in four consecutive quarters via an academically rigorous schedule—roughly half the time of a traditional two-year (six-quarter) BSN program.
You will learn in the classroom from nationally recognized faculty and in our Learning Lab, where you will practice nursing skills in a safe environment before performing them in a supervised clinical setting.
# 24. Accelerated Second Degree Nursing – Clemson University
- Location: South Carolina
- Program duration: 16 months
- Tuition: $12,000
Individuals with a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university are eligible for the ASD Nursing fast track. This is a demanding full-time program that includes rigorous clinical experiences.
All classes and clinical experiences for this fast track are held in Greenville, SC, and the surrounding area hospital.
#25. Los Angeles Harbor College
- Location: Wilmington, California
- Program duration:12 months
- Tuition Cost: $225 per credit
LA Harbor College is a well-known college in California. It is unlikely to win many awards, but it provides one of the best-accelerated programs in the United States.
If cost, quality, delivery, and opportunities are your motivators for studying any of these accelerated nursing programs in the United States, Harbor College has a good chance.
FAQs About The Accelerated Nursing Programs In USA
How do accelerated nursing programs work?
Accelerated nursing programs are intended for individuals who already hold a bachelor's degree in another field. They allow you to apply credits from your current degree toward a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, which is the most common degree held by registered nurses (RNs)
How much do accelerated nursing programs cost?
The cost of accelerated nursing programs varies by school. However, the program's annual cost can range from $35,000 to $50,000 or more.
Are accelerated nursing programs good?
Yes. Your accelerated degree is as good as the traditional BSN degree. You'll be able to earn the same degree that you'll need to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) and obtain your RN license.
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Conclusion
As you can see, you have many options when it comes to a nursing career. You have the option of pursuing a traditional four-year program or accelerating the process by graduating in two years.
Accelerated nursing programs in the United States offer a viable option for students who need to complete their degree in less than two years. The accelerated option allows students to enter the labor force sooner and begin earning money right away.
This is especially useful if you want to start looking for a job as soon as possible after graduation.
Furthermore, many accelerated programs provide specialized tracks that enable students to further specialize their education and prepare them for specific jobs in the industry.
