Last Updated: October 3, 2026
Program Overview
An on-campus second-degree BSN in Orlando–Lake Mary with a four-quarter nursing sequence, high-fidelity simulation and a precepted transition-to-practice course.
ECPI University’s accelerated pathway is designed for bachelor’s degree holders in another field. Its detailed program requirements specify a minimum of four quarters—12 months or 48 weeks of instruction—and 75 quarter credits of nursing.
Nursing courses are not available online. Classes generally run Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.; clinical assignments may include any day of the week, evenings or overnight shifts. The program discourages outside employment.
ABSN Admission Summary
The Orlando BS-to-BSN requirements in ECPI’s current catalog set a 2.50 bachelor’s-degree GPA minimum. Admission depends on a completed application, academic review and available space.
Application Requirements
- A BA or BS from a regionally accredited institution and official transcripts from all colleges attended.
- Completed designated general education prerequisites; no more than two may be in progress when applying, and all must be finished before the nursing sequence.
- A resume/CV and an admission essay.
- Two references, including one academic reference.
- The TEAS entrance assessment; confirm the current Orlando testing and score requirements.
- The required Level II fingerprint/background clearance and the school’s additional background process.
- An interview if requested and satisfactory financial arrangements before enrollment.
After acceptance, complete orientation, enrollment and current health/clinical compliance requirements. The campus provides instructions for required documentation and clearance expenses.
Prerequisites
- Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs: 8 semester/12 quarter credits, with B- or higher.
- Statistics: 3 semester/4.5 quarter credits.
- Sociology or psychology: 3 semester/4.5 quarter credits.
- Human growth and development or developmental psychology: 3 semester/4.5 quarter credits.
- English: 3 semester/4.5 quarter credits.
- Additional general education electives: 11 semester/16.5 quarter credits.
Other prerequisite grades and course equivalencies are evaluated under ECPI’s transfer policies. The published list totals 31 semester/46.5 quarter credits; approved prior-degree coursework can satisfy these requirements.
Application Timing
Admissions are rolling, with entry dependent on the Lake Mary campus’s available cohorts and seats. Confirm the next start and its completed-file timing directly with the campus; rolling review does not guarantee immediate entry.
Curriculum
The required nursing sequence totals 75 quarter credits across 22 courses. Assessment, fundamentals and pharmacology lead into adult, specialty and public health care, followed by leadership, research, a precepted clinical transition and licensure preparation.
ECPI applies the equivalent of 105 quarter credits from the accepted prior bachelor’s degree toward a minimum 180-quarter-credit BSN. These prior credits include the evaluated general education requirements; they are not 105 additional nursing credits to complete.
Required Courses and Credits
Foundations and medication care
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 311 — Pathophysiology | 4 | introduces the physiological processes underlying common disease conditions, emphasizing how altered body functions affect health and clinical outcomes. |
NUR 312 — Pharmacology | 4 | covers essential concepts related to drug classifications, mechanisms of action, therapeutic effects, and safe medication administration in nursing practice. |
NUR 313 — Essentials of Nursing Practice | 5 | provides foundational nursing skills, including hygiene, mobility, patient safety, and communication, needed for direct patient care. |
NUR 315 — Health Assessment Across the Lifespan | 5 | teaches students how to conduct comprehensive physical, emotional, and developmental assessments on patients of all ages. |
NUR 316 — Essentials of Nursing Practice Clinical | 3 | applies introductory nursing skills in real-world clinical environments, focusing on safety and foundational care delivery. |
NUR 333 — Pharmacologic Applications | 2 | enhances understanding of medication administration and monitoring by integrating advanced pharmacology concepts into clinical scenarios. |
Adult, specialty and community care
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 326 — Nursing Care of the Adult | 6 | builds knowledge of acute and chronic illnesses in adult populations, emphasizing assessment, planning, and therapeutic nursing interventions. |
NUR 322 — Nursing Care of the Adult Clinical | 4 | offers supervised clinical practice in adult medical-surgical units, reinforcing core nursing interventions and patient monitoring. |
NUR 328 — Public Health Nursing | 3 | introduces population health concepts and disease prevention strategies across communities, with an emphasis on public health systems and access. |
NUR 329 — Public Health Nursing Clinical | 1 | Apply public-health nursing in a clinical setting, connecting population-focused coursework with patient and community care. |
NUR 438 — Nursing Care of Women and Children | 5 | explores reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and pediatric health, focusing on developmental needs and family-centered nursing. |
NUR 433 — Nursing Care of Women and Children Clinical | 3 | focuses on clinical care for women and pediatric patients during prenatal, labor, postpartum, and developmental stages. |
NUR 439 — Mental Health Nursing | 4 | teaches concepts of psychiatric care, including major mental illnesses, therapeutic modalities, and crisis intervention strategies. |
NUR 436 — Mental Health Nursing Clinical | 2 | allows students to work in psychiatric care environments, applying therapeutic communication and mental health nursing techniques. |
NUR 446 — Nursing Care of the Older Adult | 4 | covers aging-related health concerns, emphasizing safe, compassionate care for elderly populations with complex medical needs. |
NUR 447 — Nursing Care of the Older Adult Clinical | 1 | provides clinical application of geriatric nursing concepts in long-term care and acute care settings. |
Professional practice, research and transition
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 332 — Topics in Professional Nursing | 3 | Study topics in professional nursing and the responsibilities of the nursing role. |
NUR 437 — Nursing Research | 3 | introduces students to the research process and evidence-based practice, teaching them how to interpret and apply research findings in clinical care. |
NUR 445 — Professional Leadership | 4 | develops leadership and decision-making skills necessary to guide healthcare teams, manage patient care, and improve system-level outcomes. |
NUR 448 — Transition to Practice | 4 | Integrate nursing knowledge and therapeutic interventions in a precepted clinical capstone, developing beginning leadership and professional role skills. |
NUR 449 — Senior Seminar | 4 | focuses on synthesizing learning from the program and preparing for licensure and career entry through NCLEX-RN preparation and career planning. |
NUR 460 — Clinical Applications Lab | 1 | Complete the clinical applications laboratory requirement alongside the program’s broader clinical and simulation preparation. |
These are subject groups, not assigned quarters. Required courses and credits follow the ABSN curriculum; the campus determines the approved course sequence.
Progression and Graduation
- Each nursing course requires a minimum 77% weighted examination average and successful completion of theory, laboratory and clinical components independently.
- A failed component requires repeating the course. Only one nursing course may be repeated; failing more than one nursing course, or failing the same nursing course twice, results in dismissal under the catalog policy.
- NUR 448 is a precepted clinical capstone that integrates prior learning and beginning leadership.
- NUR 449 Senior Seminar is separate from the clinical capstone. Its ATI comprehensive examination requires a 70 score, with up to three attempts under the catalog’s graduation policy.
Clinicals
High-fidelity simulation and direct clinical practice support preparation in adult medical-surgical, community/public health, mental health, maternal/child and older-adult nursing. The dedicated Clinical Applications Lab complements the required clinical courses.
ECPI’s Orlando catalog states clinical groups of no more than 12 students per faculty member and preceptored experiences of no more than 18 students per faculty member. These are faculty-supervision ratios, not 18 students assigned to one clinical preceptor.
- Clinical schedules may include weekdays, weekends, evenings and nights.
- The published schedule examples include 3–11 p.m. and 11 p.m.–7 a.m. shifts.
- Obtain the current affiliate locations and travel requirements from the Lake Mary campus before arranging commuting or work schedules.
- ATI assessments support course learning and culminate in the Senior Seminar examination.
Tuition
ECPI’s current tuition schedule lists $10,912.50 per quarter for BS-to-BSN. Applying that rate to the four-quarter minimum gives a tuition estimate of $43,650, before required fees and other costs.
- Technology fee: $430 per quarter × 4 = $1,720.
- Application and registration: $25 nonrefundable application fee and $100 registration fee.
- Tuition plus those specified charges: $45,495 at current rates, before background checks and other applicable expenses.
- Textbooks: use of assigned print/electronic textbooks is provided at no additional cost; purchasing permanent copies is optional.
- Other costs: clinical clearance, uniforms, supplies, travel, housing, meals and any additional prerequisite or repeated coursework.
The catalog includes national computerized nursing assessment costs in program costs, while licensure examination vouchers are offered at a reduced cost. Do not assume the NCLEX-RN licensing examination is free or that all expenses are included in tuition.
See ECPI’s tuition and fees for the quarterly billing basis and student-finance guidance. This calculation applies current rates to four quarters; extra enrollment or future increases may raise the bill. Financial aid, scholarships and employer tuition support depend on eligibility.
Accreditation
The baccalaureate nursing program at ECPI’s Orlando campus is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). ECPI University holds institutional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Graduates must meet licensing requirements and pass the NCLEX-RN to become registered nurses; program completion alone does not confer a license.
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