Last Updated: October 2, 2026
Program Overview
A 15-month second-degree BSN starting in winter, with campus and online learning, simulation and clinical placements in Greater Hartford.
Central Connecticut State University’s ABSN includes 60 nursing credits after prerequisite completion. High-fidelity simulation and virtual-reality resources support preparation for clinical practice, while the Central Community Health Education Clinic provides opportunities for community engagement.
The program requires substantial in-person attendance despite its mix of classroom, hybrid and online courses. Faculty advising, NCLEX preparation and on-campus childcare are available.
Admission Requirements
The program’s current admissions requirements specify a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Applicants submit all undergraduate/graduate transcripts, an ABSN essay and two professional or academic recommendations; the linked curriculum sheet also lists a resume/CV.
Prerequisites
- Statistics: STAT 104, STAT 215 or the admission page’s STAT 208 option.
- Introduction to Biomolecular Science and lab (BMS 102/103), or an approved substitution.
- Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs (BMS 318/319 or approved EXS equivalents).
- Microbiology for Nursing (BMS 216).
- General Chemistry and lab (CHEM 161/162).
- Organic Chemistry I — Foundations (CHEM 210).
Prerequisites require C+ or higher and no course may be taken more than twice. Sciences must be within eight years of the program start, with in-person labs and exams; any online components require approval from the science and nursing chairs.
The department evaluates transfer coursework after a formal application. Its FAQ allows consideration of conditional admission with missing prerequisites, but all must be completed before enrollment. Follow the ABSN admission requirements and obtain a transcript review for individual eligibility.
Application Process
The published application window is June 1–September 1 for winter entry; the 2026 window has closed. CCSU’s application instructions tell ABSN applicants to select Part-Time, Transfer or Readmit, Accelerated Nursing, and the Winter term.
After submission, upload the ABSN essay and recommendations through the status page. The generic university personal essay may be marked N/A; it does not replace the required nursing essay.
Curriculum
The 2026–27 ABSN catalog lists 60 credits in accelerated NRSE courses. Students move from professional foundations and assessment through specialty practice and a precepted capstone, earning C+ or better in nursing courses.
Required Courses and Credits
Foundations, assessment and prevention
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NRSE 110A — Introduction to Nursing Profession | 2 | Introduces nursing students to foundational and contemporary theories shaping patient care, nursing practice, and research. Covers the evolution of the nursing process influenced by key nursing theories. |
NRSE 150A — Nutrition | 3 | Explores basic nutrition across the lifespan with a focus on wellness and disease prevention. Includes an introduction to nutritional therapy and its application in nursing practice. |
NRSE 210A — Health Assessment | 4 | Develops skills for comprehensive health assessments through history-taking, interviewing, and physical exam techniques. |
NRSE 250A — Nursing Care of Well Populations | 2 | Promote health and prevent disease across the lifespan through community-based clinical learning. |
NRSE 260A — Evidence-Based Nursing Interventions | 4 | Covers practice-based interventions and clinical reasoning in patient-centered care. |
NRSE 270A — Gerontological Nursing | 3 | Explores aging, health promotion, chronic illness, and end-of-life care for older adults. |
Research and specialty nursing
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NRSE 303A — Nursing Research for Evidence-Based Practice | 2 | Prepares nurses to critically evaluate research and apply evidence-based findings to improve patient care. |
NRSE 310A — Altered Health Concepts and Therapeutic Interventions | 4 | Examines health problems and pharmacological/non-pharmacological interventions. Emphasizes safe medication administration and patient response variability. |
NRSE 320A — Holistic Care of Adults with Health Alterations | 5 | Focuses on nursing care for adults with health alterations, emphasizing mental and spiritual wellness. |
NRSE 345A — Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing | 4 | Explores factors affecting mental health and emphasizes disease prevention and adaptation. |
NRSE 360A — Maternity Nursing: The Expanding Family | 4 | Covers holistic nursing care for women and families during the childbearing period. |
NRSE 445A — Social Justice and Health Promotion of Communities | 4 | Examines public health concepts through a social justice lens. Focuses on vulnerable populations and community-based interventions. |
NRSE 465A — Nursing Care of Families with Children | 4 | Focuses on health care for children from birth to adolescence, with an emphasis on nursing interventions. |
NRSE 470A — Holistic Nursing Care of the Critically Ill | 5 | Addresses care for critically ill patients, emphasizing altered body systems and holistic wellness. |
Professional practice and leadership
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NRSE 485A — Professional Values and Role Development | 2 | Analyzes social, political, and ethical issues in healthcare, with a focus on professional and ethical behaviors in nursing practice. |
NRSE 490A — Leadership and Management in Nursing | 2 | Covers leadership principles for healthcare professionals, including quality care, team dynamics, motivation, and conflict resolution. |
NRSE 495A — Synthesis of Professional Nursing Practice | 6 | Capstone course supporting transition from student to RN through preceptorships and case study seminars. |
Courses are grouped by subject here; these groups do not assign semesters. The catalog lists 56 clinical-laboratory hours each for NRSE 270A, 345A, 360A, 445A and 465A, and 112 each for NRSE 320A, 470A and 495A. NRSE 250A also requires community clinical experience, but its accelerated description does not specify a total.
Clinical Experience
CCSU assigns placements through hospitals and healthcare agencies in Greater Hartford and sometimes outside that area. Students do not choose their clinical sites. Simulation and skills instruction complement direct experience, and NRSE 495A uses a preceptor to support the transition into RN practice.
The nursing handbook requires health and immunization documentation, current healthcare-provider CPR/BLS certification, a criminal background check and drug screening. Additional screening may be required by the clinical affiliate; students pay clearance costs and must satisfy site requirements before attending.
Tuition
Estimated full-program tuition is $28,860, calculated as 60 nursing credits × $481 per credit using CCSU’s 2026–27 graduate part-time tuition rate. This estimate assumes per-credit billing throughout the ABSN and excludes fees, prerequisites and living costs; it is not a university-issued cohort quote.
The bursar’s published policy assesses graduate tuition and fee rates to part-time students who already hold a bachelor’s degree, regardless of course level. The ABSN’s application instructions require selecting Part-Time. These sources support the estimate’s billing basis, but the application selection does not independently confirm every term’s assessed status. If a cohort receives a different assessment or full-time term billing, its total will differ.
- Connecticut-resident general fees: $328 per credit in addition to the $481 tuition component. Across 60 credits, that is $19,680 in general fees and $48,540 in tuition plus general fees, before other charges.
- Nonresident part-time rates: Tuition remains $481 per credit; the general fee is $344, giving $825 per credit and $49,500 across 60 credits before other charges.
- Registration: The detailed schedule lists $65 per graduate part-time term or intersession registration assessment.
- Nursing lab fees: The schedule lists an undergraduate nursing lab fee of $450 per full-time term or $50 per part-time credit. If the $50 rate is assessed across all 60 ABSN credits, it adds $3,000; confirm its application alongside the bachelor-holder billing policy.
- Other charges: $50 application fee; the schedule also lists $200 summer orientation and applicable course/lab charges. Books, supplies, clinical screening, housing and travel are additional.
Summer and winter are billed as combined course fees rather than separately invoiced tuition and general fees. The detailed schedule’s graduate resident $809 course rate equals $481 tuition + $328 general fee; its intersession entries are labeled 2026. The estimate applies the current published rate components across the 15-month program without predicting future increases. Later intersession schedules, annual rate changes, registration assessments and the cohort’s actual term loads may raise or otherwise change the bill.
The $292 undergraduate part-time tuition rate and $642 combined resident rate are lower undergraduate rates, not the bachelor-holder basis used above. For full-time fall/spring reference, the schedule lists $3,499 resident undergraduate tuition or $4,358 resident graduate tuition per term. These term rates are not program totals. Obtain the cohort’s fee assessment when comparing the estimate with an actual offer.
Accreditation and Outcomes
CCSU’s nursing FAQ identifies the ABSN as accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Graduates may apply to take the NCLEX-RN and seek licensure, subject to board requirements.
The university advertises a third-party ranking based on current and historical nursing pass rates. That ranking is not an ABSN-specific outcome measure or a guarantee of an individual graduate’s result.