11 Months. Top 3% Nationally. 1:1 Specialty Preceptorship. NYC and Westchester.
Pace University’s Lienhard School of Nursing has been running second-degree accelerated nursing programs since 1984 — one of the longest track records of any ABSN program in the country. At 11 months, it’s also the fastest program in the Tri State area.
Three start dates per year (Fall, Spring, Summer) give career changers more scheduling flexibility than most NYC-area competitors. The 51-credit curriculum moves quickly — 17 credits in Semester 1, 16 in Semester 2, 18 in the final semester — and caps with a 1:1 preceptorship in specialty settings including emergency department, ICU, oncology, operating room, and NICU.
NCLEX pass rates consistently exceed both New York State and national averages. Graduates are employed at Memorial Sloan Kettering, NewYork-Presbyterian, Montefiore, and Westchester Medical Center.
The program operates across two campuses — New York City and Pleasantville — ranked among the top 3% of BS in Nursing programs nationally and #8 in New York by College Factual.
ABSN Admission Summary
Pace uses a holistic review process. B- or better is required in all prerequisite courses for transfer credit — below this threshold, courses must be retaken. The program does not accept F1 Visa students and is not STEM designated.
Academic requirements:
- U.S. bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution
- B- or better in all prerequisite courses (required for transfer credit)
Six required prerequisite courses (B- or better for transfer credit; may be completed at Pace or transferred in):
- Introduction to Psychology — PSY 112 (4 cr.)
- Introduction to Probability and Statistics or Introductory Statistics for the Life Sciences — MAT 134 or MAT 141 (3 cr.)
- Anatomy and Physiology I — BIO 152 (4 cr.)
- Anatomy and Physiology II — BIO 153 (4 cr.)
- Basic Microbiology — BIO 254 (4 cr.)
- Principles of Chemistry for the Health Professions — CHE 113 (4 cr.)
Total prerequisite credits: 23 cr. — all may be completed at Pace or transferred in with B- or higher.
Application process:
- Contact Lienhard School of Nursing admissions for current application materials and deadlines by term (nursingabs@pace.edu or through the Pace admissions portal)
- Three annual start dates: Fall, Spring, Summer
- International students: F1 Visa students are not eligible for this program
Post-acceptance requirements:
- Health clearance, required immunizations, and clinical compliance documentation before clinical rotations begin
- Background check and drug screen per clinical site requirements
- CPR certification
- Contact Lienhard School of Nursing for the complete pre-clinical checklist
Graduate pathway:
The Lienhard School of Nursing offers a full graduate nursing track for ABSN graduates — Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) specialties, Certificates of Graduate Studies (CAGS), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and PhD in Nursing — providing a continuous educational pathway from second-degree BSN through the doctoral level.
Curriculum
Fifty-one nursing credits are distributed across three consecutive semesters over 11 months. A two-part integrated Pathophysiology/Pharmacology sequence runs across Semesters 1 and 2.
NURS 428 (Evolution of Professional Nursing, 5 credits) serves as the capstone transition course in the final semester, culminating in clinical experiences in acute and critical care settings.
NURS 452 (Clinical Reasoning and Decision Making, 1 credit) is the NCLEX preparation capstone seminar. One nursing elective allows students to pursue a specialty area of interest.
Prerequisite Overview
Six prerequisites required — all with B- or higher for transfer credit; Chemistry and Microbiology included; no Developmental Psychology, no Nutrition required. See the admission summary above for the full list.
Semester 1 (17 cr.):
NURS 402 – Fundamentals of Nursing Practice (5 cr.) Introduces core nursing concepts and basic bedside skills — health assessment, vital signs, hygiene, safety, and documentation. Builds cognitive, psychomotor, and communication skills while emphasizing clinical calculations, safe medication practices, and equitable care. Supervised lab and clinical experiences apply the nursing process and evidence-based interventions with actual patients from the first semester.
NURS 403 – Pathophysiology/Pharmacology I (3 cr.) First of a two-course integrated sequence — examines how disease alters normal body function and how drugs address those changes. Connects major pathophysiologic processes to clinical signs and symptoms and to medication regimens across the lifespan. Covers drug classifications, prototype agents, and basic principles of safe prescribing and monitoring. Introduces legal, ethical, and regulatory aspects of medication administration.
NURS 406 – Clinical Management in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (3 cr.) Nursing care for individuals with acute and chronic psychiatric conditions across diverse settings. Uses the nursing process for person-centered, empowering care respecting culture, identity, and lived experience. Emphasizes therapeutic communication, de-escalation, and evidence-based interventions for mood, psychotic, anxiety, and substance-related disorders. Clinical experiences build assessment, clinical reasoning, and interprofessional collaboration in mental health settings.
NURS 409 – Concepts of Evidence-Based Practice for Practice Improvement (3 cr.) Students learn to ask focused clinical questions, search, appraise, and synthesize research evidence. Evaluates study quality and draws practical conclusions for improving safety, quality, and equity in care. Links evidence to bedside decisions and team quality improvement projects. Focuses on applying findings to primary healthcare, using basic quality metrics, and developing leadership in practice change.
NURS 420 – Health Assessment and Introductory Clinical Reasoning in Nursing Practice (3 cr.) Comprehensive and focused health assessment across the lifespan — collecting subjective and objective data, organizing findings, and forming clinical impressions. Highlights patient safety, communication, and documentation as foundations for sound decision-making. Introduces interprofessional collaboration through assessment data applied to care needs discussion with the broader team.
Semester 2 (16 cr.):
NURS 412 – Clinical Management in Adult Medical Surgical Nursing (5 cr.) Nursing care for adults with common acute and chronic medical-surgical conditions — applying the nursing process to promote health, manage symptoms, and prevent complications in hospital and community settings. Emphasizes assessment, prioritization, communication, and interprofessional care coordination. Pathophysiology, pharmacology, growth and development, and ethics woven throughout planning and delivering safe, quality care.
NURS 414 – Clinical Management in Maternal Newborn Nursing and Women’s Health (3 cr.) Care for childbearing families and women across the lifespan using a family-centered, primary care approach. Covers prenatal care, labor and birth, postpartum health, newborn assessment, and common reproductive health issues. Delivers evidence-based, respectful care supporting dignity and shared decision-making for diverse families. Clinical experiences in varied settings strengthen critical thinking and care management for mothers and newborns.
NURS 416 – Clinical Management in Child Health Nursing (3 cr.) Nursing care for infants, children, and adolescents with acute and chronic conditions — linking pediatric growth and development to assessment findings, family responses, and care planning. Evidence-based interventions for common pediatric illnesses and injuries with emphasis on safety and family education. Clinical experiences in primary care, hospital, and other pediatric settings build confidence in child and family care management.
NURS 432 – Pathophysiology/Pharmacology II (3 cr.) Advances Semester 1’s pathophysiology and pharmacology content into more complex disease processes, chronic disease progression, acute exacerbations, and care of unstable patients. Deepens understanding of drug classes, prototype medications, and safe administration across the lifespan. Continued attention to the nurse’s legal and ethical responsibilities and integration of pharmacology into clinical decision-making.
NURS 448 – Ethics and Excellence in Professional Nursing (2 cr.) Major ethical theories, principles, and legal standards guiding nursing practice. Case-study analysis of dilemmas related to autonomy, justice, consent, and professional responsibility. Promotes value clarification and structured ethical decision-making in clinical and organizational settings. Emphasizes the nurse’s role as citizen, professional, and leader committed to ethical, high-quality care.
Semester 3 (18 cr.) — capstone semester:
NURS 424 – Clinical Management of Population Health (3 cr.) Integrates public health principles with nursing practice to improve outcomes for groups and communities. Examines social determinants of health, vulnerable populations, and strategies to reduce disparities. Covers surveillance, screening, health promotion, and policy advocacy at individual, family, community, and systems levels. Students design and evaluate population-focused interventions in local and global contexts.
NURS 426 – Organizational and Systems Leadership in Nursing (3 cr.) How nurses lead within complex health systems to promote safe, high-quality care. Covers budgeting, staffing, quality improvement, risk management, delegation, and change management. Examines ethical and legal responsibilities of nurses as clinicians, leaders, and advocates at unit and organizational levels. Emphasizes communication, teamwork, and collaboration to improve primary healthcare delivery.
NURS 428 – Evolution of Professional Nursing (5 cr.) The program’s primary capstone course — supports transition from student to entry-level professional nurse with emphasis on acute and critical care. Integrates advanced evidence-based concepts, interprofessional communication, and teamwork for complex adult patients. Examines information management and patient-care technologies as tools for safe, efficient practice. Clinical experiences in acute and critical care settings refine judgment and care coordination for diverse, seriously ill populations.
NURS 434 – Gerontological Nursing: Care of the Older Adult (3 cr.) Addresses the unique health needs of older adults in varied care settings — geriatric syndrome assessment, medication management, functional independence, and safety. Covers healthy aging, chronic disease management, care transitions, and palliative and end-of-life care. Person-centered, culturally sensitive clinical experiences strengthen reasoning in managing complex geriatric cases.
Nursing Elective (3 cr.) A three-credit elective allows students to explore a focused area of interest — a specialty population, care setting, or emerging nursing issue — while strengthening critical thinking and professional development.
NURS 452 – Clinical Reasoning and Decision Making for Nursing Practice (1 cr.) Capstone NCLEX preparation seminar — consolidates program knowledge using the nursing process and a structured clinical judgment framework applied to exam-style questions. Students assess strengths and gaps with diagnostic tools and create personalized remediation plans. Encourages a balanced, reflective approach to exam preparation as the final step before professional practice.
More curriculum details available in the course catalog: Pace University ABSN Catalog
Clinicals
Clinical experiences begin in Semester 1 and run through all three semesters, accumulating to 500+ total hours. The program’s capstone preceptorship in Semester 3 places students 1:1 with a working nurse in specialty settings not typically available in standard ABSN clinical rotations.
- Clinical start: Semester 1 — NURS 402 (Fundamentals of Nursing Practice) includes supervised lab and clinical experiences from the opening semester; NURS 406 (Psychiatric Mental Health) also carries clinical hours in Semester 1
- Total clinical hours: 500+ — distributed across all three semesters and specialty settings
- Specialties with clinical components: Psychiatric mental health, adult medical-surgical (acute and chronic), maternal-newborn and women’s health, child health and pediatrics, population health, and acute/critical care capstone
- Capstone preceptorship (NURS 428): 1:1 preceptorship with a practicing nurse in a selected specialty — available settings include emergency department, ICU, oncology, operating room, NICU, and other advanced specialties; this direct preceptor model in specialty care is a distinctive feature of the Pace ABSN not offered in most comparable programs
- Named employer outcomes: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NewYork-Presbyterian, Montefiore Medical Center, Westchester Medical Center, community health centers, and private medical practices
- Two campus clinical networks:
- New York City campus: Manhattan and surrounding NYC healthcare market
- Pleasantville (Westchester) campus: Westchester County and Hudson Valley healthcare market; home of the original accelerated program launched in 1984
- Center for Excellence in Healthcare Simulation (CEHS): State-of-the-art simulation at both campuses — high-fidelity manikins including Sim Man 3G, SimMom, SimJunior, SimBaby, SimNewB, and Geriatric Nursing Anne; task trainers; standardized patients program; cloud-based digital AV system with playback for debriefing; replicates hospital, clinic, long-term care, and community settings; pediatrics, maternity, medical-surgical, emergency, and critical care specialty areas represented
Tuition
Estimated total program cost: $73,425 (3 semesters × $24,475/semester)
Pace University publishes a flat per-semester rate for the ABS Nursing program — the same rate applies regardless of campus (NYC or Pleasantville) or start term.
| Semester | Tuition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Semester 1 | $24,475 | Flat rate; 17 credits |
Semester 2 | $24,475 | Flat rate; 16 credits |
Semester 3 | $24,475 | Flat rate; 18 credits |
Total program tuition | $73,425 |
Additional costs (not included in the flat tuition rate) include books, supplies, uniforms, clinical equipment, health clearance fees, background check, drug screen, and transportation to clinical sites. Contact Pace’s Student Financial Services for the complete estimated cost of attendance.
Financial aid: Merit-based and need-based financial aid available through Pace University’s financial aid office. FAFSA completion is the starting point for federal aid eligibility. Contact Pace’s College of Health Professions admissions for scholarship opportunities specific to the ABS Nursing program.
At $73,425 for the 11-month program, Pace is priced comparably to other mid-range NYC private ABSNs in this review — below Mount Sinai Phillips ($63,021), above Iona ($59,980), and significantly below NYU Meyers ($131,244). At $24,475 per semester, the per-credit equivalent is approximately $480/credit — below most NYC private per-credit rates. The 11-month timeline also means one fewer semester of tuition compared to 15- and 16-month programs, and lower total opportunity cost for career changers.
See the official tuition page for more details: Pace University College of Health Professions Tuition
Accreditation
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Pace University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The ABS (undergraduate) program holds full, active CCNE accreditation.