As a public university billing only for the 53 nursing credits, Salem State delivers an accelerated BSN at roughly $33,000 in nursing tuition — well under the private Massachusetts programs.
Salem State University offers one of the more affordable accelerated nursing paths in Massachusetts: because students transfer in their general-education credits from a prior degree and pay only for the 53 nursing credits, nursing tuition lands near $33,125 — well below the private ABSN programs in the state. The rigorous, 15-month, full-time cohort program begins each May and concludes in August of the following year, spanning five semesters. It’s built for students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree who are ready to commit to an intensive timeline; faculty are real-world practitioners, and because of the pace, students are encouraged not to work while enrolled. Clinical placements run across the North Shore and Boston area, culminating in a one-on-one preceptorship.
Curriculum
The 53-credit curriculum covers health assessment, adult and aging care, mental health, pharmacology, population health, women’s health, and pediatrics, with clinical placements throughout and a professional role immersion in the final semester.
Semester I
NUR 460 Health Assessment Across the Lifespan
Focuses on developing health assessment skills for diverse clients, including documentation, critical thinking, and recognizing normal and abnormal findings. Includes four lecture hours and six lab hours weekly.
NUR 461 Nursing Care of the Adult and Aging Population I
Introduces foundational nursing skills for adult and aging populations, covering safety, psychosocial needs, and critical thinking. Includes four lecture hours and twelve lab/clinical hours weekly.
Semester II
NUR 462 Explorations of the Professional Nursing Role
Examines professional nursing’s role in modern healthcare, connecting knowledge, research, and practice from a global perspective. Consists of four lecture hours per week.
NUR 463 Mental Health Care Across the Life Span
Combines mental health theories with nursing practice, preparing students to analyze and apply knowledge in mental health care. Includes six lecture and six clinical hours weekly.
Semester III
NUR 464 Nursing Care for the Adult and Aging Population II
Covers essential skills for managing adult and aging patient care in varied settings, focusing on acute and long-term conditions. Includes five lecture hours and fifteen clinical hours weekly.
NUR 465 Pharmacology in Nursing Practice
Explores drug therapy, including pharmacodynamics and patient response, within general and specialty populations. Considers social, cultural, and legal factors in pharmacologic care.
Semester IV
NUR 466 Population Health and Community Nursing
Provides comprehensive instruction on community and population health, emphasizing prevention, health promotion, and community-based interventions. Includes six lecture and six clinical hours weekly.
NUR 467 Nursing Care of the Adult and Aging Population III
Focuses on nursing care for patients with complex conditions, covering topics like safety, nutrition, end-of-life care, and ethical issues. Six lecture hours weekly; required for Accelerated BSN students.
NUR 468 Women’s Health Care Through the Life Span
Addresses care principles for childbearing women and neonates, examining biopsychosocial factors affecting health. Includes six lecture and six clinical hours weekly.
NUR 469 Health Care of Children
Focuses on pediatric nursing for children from infancy through adolescence, considering biopsychosocial factors impacting health. Includes six lecture and six clinical hours weekly.
NUR 409 Nursing Research
Teaches nursing research’s role in practice, covering research methodologies, critical appraisal, and integration into evidence-based care. Three lecture hours per week.
Semester V
NUR 425 Professional Role Concepts and Competencies
Explores leadership and management in nursing, emphasizing quality care, collaboration, and accountability within healthcare organizations. Three lecture hours per week.
NUR 475 Role Immersion Practicum
Immersive clinical experience that emphasizes applying nursing theory, enhancing skills, and fostering clinical judgment for independent practice. Includes 150 hours in a precepted clinical setting.
NUR 420A Preparation for Professional Licensure
Prepares students for the NCLEX-RN with focused test-taking strategies, CAT insights, and practice exams to improve readiness.
More detail is available in the Salem State program requirements.
Clinical Experience
Accelerated BSN students train at a range of healthcare settings across the North Shore and the Boston area. Early in the program, students learn in group clinical settings tied to their current coursework; in the final semester, they work one-on-one with a nurse preceptor through the 150-hour Role Immersion Practicum (NUR 475). Clinical sites may schedule sessions during the day, evenings, and/or weekends.
Admissions and Prerequisites
Admission is competitive. Applicants need a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field with a minimum 3.0 GPA and must complete prerequisite courses — such as Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, Microbiology, and Statistics — with a grade of B- or higher before the program begins. Eligible credits from the prior degree transfer in, leaving the 53 nursing credits to complete at Salem State.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Nursing tuition is about $33,125, based on the 53 nursing credits billed at $625 per credit; mandatory fees are additional. Because the rest of the 120-credit degree transfers in from a prior bachelor’s, students pay Salem State only for the nursing core — making this one of the lowest-cost accelerated BSNs in Massachusetts.
A key financial-aid caveat: as a second bachelor’s degree, the ABSN is eligible for Federal Direct Loans only — not federal or state grants — and the university cautions that aid will likely not cover all program costs. A valid FAFSA is required each enrolled year.
See the official tuition and fees page for current rates.
Accreditation and Outcomes
The baccalaureate nursing program at Salem State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing (BORN); current BORN approval status is posted on the School of Nursing’s website. Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN and pursue registered nurse licensure.