Last Updated: October 3, 2026
Program Overview
NSU’s 15-month accelerated BSN offers fall and winter entry at Miami and Fort Myers, combining a four-semester nursing sequence with simulation and a final RN-precepted practicum.
Nova Southeastern University’s Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing offers this pathway to applicants with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree. The current program consists of 64 nursing credits across four semesters.
Choose Miami or Fort Myers when applying. This is an in-person nursing program with clinical training near the campus; confirm the campus’s current day/evening course options and clinical schedule before making employment plans.
Accreditation
NSU’s baccalaureate nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Graduates may apply for the NCLEX-RN and licensure after satisfying the applicable board’s other requirements.
ABSN Admission Summary
Academic and Testing Requirements
- A prior non-nursing bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
- A 3.0 cumulative GPA and a separate 2.75 science GPA.
- Official ATI TEAS scores submitted to NSU; the current admissions page does not specify a minimum score.
- Complete the applicable general-education and prerequisite requirements before matriculating into nursing courses.
- Admission is selective; meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee a place.
Prerequisites and Transfer Review
The accelerated catalog lists 45 general-education credits plus 11–12 prerequisite credits, followed by 64 nursing credits, for a 120–121-credit degree. Prior coursework is evaluated for transfer and equivalency; a previous bachelor’s degree does not automatically waive every required subject.
- Standard prerequisite route: anatomy and physiology I and II with labs, four credits each, plus human nutrition, three credits.
- Alternative anatomy/physiology route: an approved combined anatomy-and-physiology preparation of six credits, introductory biology of three credits and human nutrition of three credits.
- General-education subject review: college algebra and applied statistics; composition I and II; introductory psychology and lifespan development; arts/humanities; chemistry and microbiology; and applicable electives.
- Required preparation must be completed with C or higher. The catalog specifies C (75%) or higher for students remaining in the Nursing Pathway.
- More than one unsuccessful attempt below C in the applicable nutrition, anatomy/physiology or Nursing Pathway introductory-biology preparation affects admission eligibility; the college reviews laboratory failures case by case.
The Nursing Pathway is a preparatory option for students completing required coursework at NSU. Have the college review the transcript and approved substitutions to determine which general-education and science requirements remain.
Application and Final Deadlines
The College’s undergraduate admissions schedule lists August 1 for fall entry and December 1 for winter entry. Plan to complete the application file by those dates and confirm the deadline assigned to the selected campus and cohort.
- Complete the NursingCAS application and designate Miami or Fort Myers.
- Submit the supplemental NSU application identified by the accelerated program page.
- Send official transcripts from all institutions attended to NursingCAS.
- Have ATI send official TEAS scores to NSU.
The current undergraduate admissions instructions explain the academic, science and entrance-testing requirements.
After Acceptance
- Pay the required $200 seat deposit.
- Complete health documentation, background screening, drug testing and required clinical certifications.
- Maintain health insurance; NSU automatically enrolls students in its student plan unless qualifying alternative coverage is accepted through the waiver process.
- Budget for uniforms, equipment and travel to assigned clinical facilities.
Curriculum
The four-semester sequence advances from assessment, pathophysiology and foundational nursing to adult and specialty care, research, leadership and a final practicum. Five one-credit nursing seminars support critical thinking, knowledge integration and examination preparation throughout the program.
The tables follow the accelerated curriculum in the 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog; descriptions are based on NSU’s official Course Wizard course records. General education and prerequisites are separate from the 64-credit nursing sequence.
Required Courses and Credits
Semester I — 14 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 3149 — Nursing Seminar I | 1 | Critical thinking and test-taking strategies that integrate nursing knowledge for course examinations and NCLEX-RN preparation. |
NUR 3032 — Foundations of Pathophysiology | 3 | Body-system changes and disease processes, applying biological science and evidence to clinical judgment and health promotion. |
NUR 3130 — Foundations of Professional Nursing Practice | 5 | Foundational nursing skills, clinical reasoning, communication and holistic care across the lifespan; provider, coordinator, advocate and educator roles. |
NUR 3160 — Introduction to Professional Nursing | 2 | Professional nursing history, ethical and legal principles, and the baccalaureate nurse’s provider and management roles. |
NUR 3029 — Foundations of Health Assessment | 3 | Holistic assessment, data collection and interpretation, with communication and documentation of findings. |
Semester II — 17 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 3159 — Nursing Seminar II | 1 | Continued critical thinking, test-taking strategies and integration of nursing knowledge for examinations. |
NUR 3161 — Fundamentals of Pharmacology | 3 | Medication actions, pharmacokinetics, interactions, dosage calculations and the nurse’s role in safe pharmacotherapy. |
NUR 3171 — Adult Nursing I | 6 | First adult-care course applying the nursing process, clinical reasoning and communication to organ-system disorders. |
NUR 4132 — Pediatric Nursing | 3 | Children’s developmental needs, family-centered care, health promotion, risk reduction and pediatric nursing interventions. |
NUR 4152 — Population Health Nursing | 4 | Epidemiology, biostatistics, informatics and interdisciplinary planning for population health, disaster preparedness and public-health emergencies. |
Semester III — 17 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 3169 — Nursing Seminar III | 1 | Further integration of nursing knowledge, critical thinking and test-taking strategies. |
NUR 4101 — Theory and Research Foundations for Professional Nursing | 3 | Appraisal and application of nursing theories and research, evidence-based care and ethical research principles. |
NUR 3181 — Adult Nursing II | 6 | Second adult-care course extending nursing-process care, clinical reasoning and communication for organ-system disorders. |
NUR 4131 — Women’s Health and Newborn Nursing | 3 | Women’s reproductive health and newborn/family care, including health promotion, risk reduction and ethical issues. |
NUR 4121 — Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing | 4 | Mental-health promotion and evidence-based psychiatric interventions, with ethical/legal considerations and attention to stigma. |
Semester IV — 16 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 3179 — Nursing Seminar IV | 1 | Advanced integration of nursing knowledge and examination strategies. |
NUR 3189 — Nursing Seminar V | 1 | Final nursing-knowledge integration and test-taking practice in preparation for licensure. |
NUR 4020 — The Nurse as a Leader and Manager | 3 | Leadership and management, prioritization, delegation, quality improvement, accountability, conflict management and team-building. |
NUR 4111 — Adult Nursing III | 6 | Third adult-care course integrating nursing knowledge, clinical reasoning and communication for safe adult patient care. |
NUR 4180 — Nursing Practicum | 5 | Synthesis of prior learning with an RN preceptor, using evidence, leadership and interprofessional collaboration in patient-centered care. |
Clinicals and Simulation
NSU combines simulation-based learning with clinical rotations in healthcare settings near the selected campus. The clinical sequence spans foundational and adult care, pediatrics, population health, women’s/newborn health and psychiatric nursing.
The published plan identifies 100-hour clinical components within Foundations of Professional Nursing Practice and each Adult Nursing course, 50-hour components within the four specialty courses, and a 150-hour clinical component in the final practicum. Those identified components total 750 clock hours; the practicum’s five course credits are not all clinical credits.
In NUR 4180, students work with a registered nurse preceptor and integrate assessment, evidence-based care, delegation and interprofessional collaboration. Simulation and laboratory learning support patient-care preparation but are not interchangeable with direct clinical placements.
NSU identifies alumni employed at facilities including Cleveland Clinic Florida, Baptist Health, Lee Health, Memorial Regional, Miami Children’s Hospital, Jackson Memorial, Naples Community Hospital, Aventura Hospital and Broward Health. These examples describe graduate employment rather than a guarantee of a particular clinical placement or job.
Tuition and Required Fees
NSU’s published 2026–27 ABSN tuition is $8,645 per semester. Four semesters produce a current-rate tuition estimate of $34,580, before institutional charges, books, insurance and living expenses; later academic-year rate increases may raise the actual total.
- Institutional fees: the published first- and second-academic-year cost-of-attendance budgets total $4,365 for fall entrants and $4,240 for winter entrants. These are estimated fee allowances; actual charges follow the enrolled terms.
- Tuition plus those fee allowances: approximately $38,945 for fall entry or $38,820 for winter entry at current tuition rates.
- Books and supplies: the two academic-year allowances total $6,375 for fall entrants and $6,925 for winter entrants. These are annual budget figures, not charges repeated every semester.
- Health insurance: the full-year student plan allowance is $2,674; the first winter-entry year has a shorter $1,552 allowance. Approved alternative coverage can change this expense.
- Additional personal and clinical expenses: housing, meals, transportation, uniforms, clearance costs and licensure/examination fees.
The current nursing tuition and cost-of-attendance page separates tuition, institutional fees, books, insurance and living allowances. Review the campus’s actual term charges and waiver eligibility rather than treating its full living-expense budget as tuition.
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