Program Overview
A respected Big Ten public university offering its accelerated BSN in two locations — East Lansing or Detroit — with clinicals starting in the first semester and a transparent, merit-based admissions formula that tells applicants exactly how they’re scored.
Michigan State University (MSU) College of Nursing offers an Accelerated Second Degree BSN (ABSN) for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field. The full-time program runs four semesters and finishes in about 16 months, starting each fall and concluding in December of the following year.
A key flexibility: students can attend in East Lansing (the main MSU campus) or in Detroit, broadening access across the state.
The accelerated format blends classroom learning with hands-on practice, and students begin clinical nursing courses in the first semester.
MSU reports an 89.87% NCLEX-RN pass rate in 2024 for BSN graduates and an average of 92% in the first quarter of 2025.
Accreditation
The ABSN is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing. Graduates qualify to take the NCLEX-RN for RN licensure.
ABSN Admission Summary
MSU’s ABSN admission process focuses on prior academic performance and readiness for fast-paced clinical training. You apply to MSU and the College of Nursing, submit transcripts, and complete short reflection responses as part of the review.
Key admission requirements
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university (completed by the end of the spring before the program starts)
- Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 (all undergraduate coursework from every institution)
- Minimum prerequisite grade of 2.0 in each required prerequisite course
- Final transcripts due May 15 for the corresponding fall cycle
How applications are scored
- Prerequisite GPA: 50%
- Personal reflection responses: 25%
- Professional and life experiences: 25%
Application steps
- Submit an MSU application (transfer or readmission, based on your history)
- Submit the College of Nursing supplemental ABSN application (three short-answer prompts and an experience list)
- Attend an ABSN information session (virtual options available)
- Submit official transcripts from every institution attended
Other important policies and checks
- Course equivalency review uses MSU transfer tools, with course review requests available for non-listed equivalents
- MSU lists an Academic Restart option for some post-bachelor students who meet eligibility rules
- Admitted students must complete a criminal background check and drug screening before the program begins
Prerequisite courses (complete by end of spring before entry; 2.0 or higher):
- ANTR 350: Human Gross Anatomy for Pre-Health Professionals (within 5 years)
- PSL 250 or PSL 310: Introductory Physiology (within 5 years)
- CEM 141: General Chemistry
- MMG/MGI 201: Fundamentals of Microbiology
- HDFS 225 or PSY 238: Lifespan Human Development / Developmental Psychology
- HNF 150: Introduction to Human Nutrition
- PSY 101: Introductory Psychology
- STT 200: Statistical Methods
Curriculum
The ABSN curriculum builds on prior bachelor’s-level coursework and moves quickly into nursing practice, spanning foundations, adult care, behavioral health, pediatrics, obstetrics, population health, leadership, and a final precepted immersion. It also includes a Kaplan NCLEX review seminar and an evidence-based practice capstone.
NUR 204 – Introduction to Professional Nursing (3 credits)
Introduces the core values, roles, and responsibilities of the nursing profession. Students build professional identity while exploring ethics, collaboration, and community within nursing practice.
NUR 206 – Health Assessment (2 credits)
Develops foundational skills for conducting comprehensive health assessments. Students learn to collect data, identify normal versus abnormal findings, and support clinical decision-making.
NUR 208 – Clinical Nursing Skills (2 credits)
Builds competence in essential clinical nursing skills through evidence-based practice. Students apply foundational techniques to safe and effective patient care.
NUR 210 – Foundations of Nursing Practice (5 credits)
Covers fundamental nursing concepts and the nursing process across diverse populations. Students apply evidence-based care principles in classroom, lab, and clinical settings.
NUR 306 – Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and Genomics I (4 credits)
Examines disease processes and their clinical manifestations with emphasis on genomics and medication therapy. Students connect physiologic changes to pharmacologic interventions.
NUR 308 – Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and Genomics II (3 credits)
Continues exploration of complex disease states with integrated pharmacotherapy and genomics. Focus is placed on advanced clinical application and patient management.
NUR 310 – Nursing Care of Adults I (5 credits)
Introduces nursing care for adults with acute and chronic conditions. Students use critical thinking and clinical reasoning to plan and deliver patient-centered care.
NUR 312 – Nursing Care of Adults II (5 credits)
Expands adult nursing care to more complex health conditions. Students strengthen clinical judgment and decision-making in varied care settings.
NUR 314 – Scholarship of Nursing Practice (3 credits)
Introduces research methods and evidence-based practice principles. Students learn to evaluate evidence to support ethical and informed nursing care.
NUR 371 – Behavioral Health Nursing (4 credits)
Focuses on nursing care for individuals with mental health conditions. Students apply therapeutic communication and behavioral health interventions across care settings.
NUR 404 – Kaplan NCLEX Review Seminar (1 credit)
Reinforces key nursing concepts and test-taking strategies. Emphasis is placed on clinical judgment and NCLEX exam readiness.
NUR 416 – Informatics, Analytics, and Innovation (2 credits)
Explores the use of health information systems and data analytics in nursing practice. Students examine how technology supports quality improvement and innovation.
NUR 418 – Transformational Leadership (3 credits)
Examines leadership and management principles in nursing systems. Students integrate evidence-based practice into decision-making and care delivery.
NUR 420 – Transitions to Professional Nursing (3 credits)
Prepares students for entry into professional nursing roles. Emphasis is placed on career development, advocacy, and global health awareness.
NUR 426 – Preceptorship Immersion Experience with EBP Capstone (4 credits)
Provides an immersive clinical experience under professional supervision. Students apply evidence-based practice to quality improvement and care delivery.
NUR 430 – Population and Global Health (4 credits)
Examines population health systems and global health challenges. Students analyze strategies to improve outcomes for communities and vulnerable populations.
NUR 440 – Nursing Care of Children and Their Families (4 credits)
Focuses on holistic nursing care for children and adolescents. Students apply theory and clinical skills to support family-centered pediatric care.
NUR 444 – Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family and Beyond (4 credits)
Addresses nursing care for women and childbearing families across health states. Emphasis is placed on wellness, risk management, and reproductive health.
More detail is available in the MSU program catalog.
Clinicals
ABSN students begin clinical courses in the first semester, connecting skills training to patient care early. The plan includes skills development, adult care clinicals, and specialty clinical experiences across behavioral health, pediatrics, and maternal-child nursing, ending with a preceptorship immersion paired with an evidence-based practice capstone.
Experiential learning is a core part of the accelerated timeline.
Tuition
Total estimated tuition and required fees are approximately $34,748 for the four-semester program, based on MSU’s published undergraduate annual tuition and required fees (about $17,374 per academic year × two years). This is a resident-based planning estimate — non-residents pay a higher rate, MSU can change rates each year, and program-specific tuition rules may apply.
Confirm current figures via the official cost and aid page.
Related Programs
MSU’s College of Nursing also offers a Traditional BSN and a BSN for Registered Nurses (RN-to-BSN), along with graduate programs (Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Anesthesiology, PhD, and DNP).