Last Updated: October 9, 2026
Program Overview
Joyce integrates required science coursework into a hybrid second-degree BSN, combining online study with Utah skills immersions and supervised clinical training.
Joyce University’s accelerated BSN is designed for people with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree. Residents of Indiana and other eligible states can apply to this Utah-based hybrid program, which requires travel for hands-on training.
The curriculum can accommodate students without previously completed science prerequisites. The advertised 20-month minimum depends on transferring 46 qualifying credits, including anatomy and physiology with lab and statistics; students needing that coursework follow a longer plan. Joyce describes the program as five to six semesters.
Program Format and Attendance
Online classes: Didactic coursework is primarily asynchronous, with optional live lectures and tutoring. Some learning activities may have scheduled participation requirements.
Utah travel: Distance students make three trips to Draper for skills and simulation immersions. The accelerated pathway describes approximately one week on campus in each of semesters three, four and five; budget travel, lodging and meals.
Indiana clinicals: Joyce’s Indiana nursing page confirms direct-care clinical learning at healthcare facilities in Indiana. The university arranges placements but does not guarantee a particular city, site or schedule; students need transportation and attendance flexibility.
Admission Requirements
- A qualifying non-nursing bachelor’s degree and official academic transcripts.
- The program’s current FAQ lists a 2.75 minimum prior-degree GPA.
- A signed enrollment agreement, applicable fees and background screening.
- Required health documentation, insurance and new-student orientation.
Joyce’s admissions requirements allow an initial unofficial transcript when the bachelor’s degree is expected during the first semester. The qualifying official transcript must arrive by week eight of semester one to continue in the program.
The entrance examination is waived when a qualifying official degree transcript is accepted. Applicants entering before that documentation is complete should confirm the applicable examination requirement; the general admissions options include ACT, SAT, HESI A2 and TEAS.
Health and clinical clearance
Clinical participation requires current documentation, including a provider examination, personal health insurance, CPR certification and required immunizations or screening. Joyce lists Tdap, varicella, MMR, hepatitis B, influenza, COVID-19 and tuberculosis requirements; clinical partners may impose additional conditions. Drug and background screening are part of preparing for placement.
Applications and starts
Joyce uses rolling admissions with three annual starts. A place depends on admission completion and available instructional and clinical capacity. Check the academic calendar and the intended cohort’s document deadlines before planning a start.
Prerequisites and Transfer Credit
Separate science courses are not required simply to enter the ABSN pathway: needed coursework is built into the curriculum. Completing those courses within the program, however, is different from qualifying for the shortest advertised schedule.
Joyce evaluates credits from the previous degree individually. Its 20-month qualification calls for 46 accepted transfer credits, including the specified anatomy/physiology and statistics work. Do not assume that any bachelor’s degree automatically transfers the right courses or produces the same completion date.
The published 85-credit curriculum contains 17 general education credits and 68 nursing credits. Accepted equivalents can affect the individual plan, remaining tuition and number of semesters.
Curriculum
Joyce’s hybrid ABSN combines mostly online theory with required labs, simulation, clinical placements and Utah skills immersions. Students progress from science and professional foundations through adult and specialty care to evidence-based practice and a precepted capstone.
The catalog identifies 68 nursing-core credits plus 17 science and statistics credits, alongside a 35-credit prior-degree transfer block, for a 120-credit BSN. The 85-credit plan used for published tuition comprises the 68-credit core and 17 supporting credits; individual transfer awards can reduce remaining coursework. The advertised minimum duration depends on qualifying transfer credit.
The tables use the current BSN catalog’s accelerated-track requirements. They group courses by subject rather than assigning a fixed semester schedule.
Required Courses and Credits
Science and statistics requirements — 17 credits, separate from nursing core
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
BIO252 — Human Anatomy | 3 | Structure of the human body as a foundation for nursing study. |
BIO254 — Human Anatomy Lab | 1 | Laboratory application of anatomy concepts. |
BIO262 — Human Physiology | 3 | How body systems function and interact. |
BIO264 — Human Physiology Lab | 1 | Laboratory application of physiology concepts. |
BIO280 — Pathophysiology | 3 | How disease alters normal body functions. |
BIO290 — Pharmacology | 3 | Medication principles supporting nursing practice. |
MAT300 — Statistics | 3 | Understanding statistical methods and interpreting data. |
Nursing foundations, quality and technology — 21 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR103 — Introduction to Nursing and Professional Identity | 3 | Registered-nurse roles, practice standards and professional identity. |
NUR302 — Contemporary Issues in Nursing | 3 | Healthcare systems, advocacy, cultural sensitivity and current practice issues. |
NUR115 — Holistic Health Assessment Across the Lifespan | 3 | Health histories, physical assessment, prevention and care planning. |
NUR125 — Fundamentals of Professional Nursing | 3 | Foundational nursing care, clinical reasoning and safe care planning. |
NUR313 — Quality and Safety in Nursing | 3 | Quality standards, error prevention and improvement of patient care. |
NUR322 — Health Promotion | 3 | Health education, social determinants of health and prevention. |
NUR333 — Technology in Healthcare | 3 | Using health information and technology to support safe nursing care. |
Adult, specialty and population care — 24 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR175 — Mental Health Nursing | 3 | Planning care and using interventions for common mental health conditions. |
NUR198 — Adult Health Nursing I | 6 | Assessment, clinical judgment and prioritization of care for adults with health alterations. |
NUR234 — Maternal Newborn Nursing | 3 | Care during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum, including high-risk conditions. |
NUR235 — Nursing Care of the Child | 3 | Growth, development and care of children from infancy through adolescence. |
NUR258 — Adult Health Nursing II | 5 | Further development of clinical judgment and holistic adult nursing care. |
NUR343 — Population Health | 4 | Epidemiology, community assessment, prevention and disaster preparedness. |
Leadership, evidence and transition — 23 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR433 — Nursing Leadership and Management Systems | 4 | Leadership, organizational systems and data-informed quality improvement, including a clinical component. |
NUR443 — Global Health | 3 | Healthcare systems and health disparities in the United States and worldwide. |
NUR453 — Interprofessional Teams | 3 | Collaborative decision-making and practice improvement with other health professionals. |
NUR463 — Healthcare Policy, Finance, and Law | 3 | Policy, reimbursement, budgets and legal or regulatory responsibilities. |
NUR473 — Scholarly Development and Evidence-Based Practice | 3 | Research methods, appraisal of findings and ethical use of evidence. |
NUR299 — NCLEX Success | 2 | Assessing readiness and developing an individualized licensing-exam study plan. |
NUR493 — BSN Capstone | 5 | Precepted practice integrating clinical judgment, care management and professional nursing roles. |
Transfer Credit, Clinical Learning and Capstone
The science and statistics courses are integrated degree requirements, not a separate prerequisite admission phase. Qualifying transferred courses may satisfy them; students should not assume that all 17 credits must be repeated. The nursing core remains separate from that supporting coursework.
The catalog specifies three credits for NUR125 from fall 2025, without a clinical component, and four credits for NUR433 from summer 2026, with a clinical component. Students follow the requirements assigned to their cohort. The catalog requires at least C+ in nursing and BIO courses.
NUR493 includes a 135-hour precepted clinical component as well as classroom work. It is distinct from NUR473’s scholarly and evidence-based work and NUR299’s exam preparation. Online learning may include scheduled synchronous activities; hands-on participation and Utah travel remain required as described below.
Clinical Experience and Utah Travel
Florida Clinical Placements and Utah Travel
Joyce’s official Florida nursing page confirms supervised direct-care clinical placements in Florida. Online coursework is combined with required approximately one-week skills immersions at the Utah campus in semesters three, four and five; budget for three trips to Draper.
For Colorado residents: Joyce’s Colorado nursing page confirms eligibility for the hybrid ABSN. Online coursework is paired with required Utah skills immersions and assigned clinical learning. Admission does not guarantee a placement in a particular Colorado city; plan for travel based on the university’s assignments.
Joyce describes 517.5 clinical-training hours across simulation and direct patient care. This is not a promise of 517.5 bedside hours in the student’s home state.
ABSN skills immersions normally require about one week in Draper, Utah during each of semesters three, four and five. The Joyce Johnson Center of Simulation uses realistic patient-care environments and adult, pediatric and maternal simulation resources. Budget transportation, lodging and meals separately from tuition.
Joyce arranges clinical placements, including Arizona placements, but the clinical experience policy does not guarantee a particular site, location or schedule. Students supply their own transportation and may need to travel beyond their immediate community. Shifts can include early mornings, nights, weekends and holidays; the program describes shifts of eight to twelve hours.
Optional international clinical opportunities depend on availability and do not replace the need to complete the assigned clinical plan. Employment and family arrangements must allow flexibility for required attendance.
Tuition and Fees
Joyce’s current published estimated tuition is $60,520 for the 85-credit plan:
| Component | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
General education | 17 credits × $500 | $8,500 |
Nursing coursework | 68 credits × $765 | $52,020 |
Tuition total | 85 credits | $60,520 |
NCLEX Resources Fee | Separate program fee | $3,710 |
Published tuition plus resources fee | Combined estimate | $64,230 |
These are the rates displayed on the tuition and financial aid page at this review. Transfer credit can change the remaining bill, and future rate changes can increase actual costs. California applicants should use the separate California tuition details linked by the university.
The combined figure does not provide a complete living or travel budget. Allow for Utah immersions, clinical transportation, insurance, health clearances, CPR and any other charges identified in the enrollment agreement. Financial aid is available to qualifying students.
Accreditation and Outcomes
Joyce’s BSN is accredited by CCNE, and the university is institutionally accredited by NWCCU. These are distinct from state approval and individual licensure eligibility. Joyce’s licensing-board disclosure identifies Arizona Board of Nursing approval for its BSN.
The university reports an 83.73% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate for BSN graduates in calendar year 2025. Its outcomes page does not identify this as an Arizona-only or ABSN-only result, so it should not be interpreted that way.
State Availability
The current ABSN page lists residents of 18 states as eligible: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.
Enrollment eligibility and clinical availability are different. California residents complete clinical rotations outside California; all applicants should verify the assigned location and travel plan before enrolling. A change of residence can affect authorization and placement.