Last Updated: October 3, 2026
Program Overview
Miami’s accelerated BSN combines a 55-credit, three-semester nursing sequence with program-arranged clinical placements and January or May entry.
The University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies offers a 12-month accelerated route for applicants with a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field. Classes and simulation are based at the Coral Gables campus, with clinical experiences across the region.
The full-time curriculum combines classroom, laboratory, simulation and supervised patient care. Miami reports more than 200 clinical partners, and the program places students at their clinical sites. Students are strongly encouraged to forgo employment; the school estimates a minimum of 40–60 hours each week for lectures, clinicals, simulation, studying and exams.
Accreditation and Outcomes
The university is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Its baccalaureate nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
SONHS reports a 97% overall first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate for its baccalaureate nursing graduates in 2025. That is a school-wide baccalaureate result, rather than a separately reported accelerated-cohort rate. Graduation prepares students to apply for the exam; licensing eligibility and other Florida Board requirements apply separately.
ABSN Admission Summary
Academic Requirements
- A non-nursing bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, conferred before orientation.
- A minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and separate 3.0 prerequisite GPA.
- All prerequisites completed with C or higher before the program starts.
NursingCAS calculates cumulative GPA using grades from all institutions. All attempts at repeated courses are included in both cumulative and prerequisite GPA calculations. Health care experience and entrance examinations, including TEAS/HESI, are not required.
Prerequisites
- Chemistry with laboratory.
- Human Anatomy with laboratory and Human Physiology. If using a combined anatomy-and-physiology sequence, complete both A&P I and II with laboratories.
- Microbiology.
- Nutrition.
- Human Growth and Development; Developmental Psychology or Lifespan Development may qualify if the course covers the entire lifespan.
- Introduction to Psychology.
- Statistics.
Science prerequisites, including nutrition, must have been completed within the last 10 years. Only one prerequisite failure (C− or below) may be repeated. No more than two prerequisites may be in progress when applying; provide proof of enrollment and complete all remaining coursework before entry.
Online prerequisites from regionally accredited institutions are accepted. The current FAQ accepts Portage Learning but excludes providers such as Sophia Learning, Westcott and StraighterLine. SONHS evaluates transcripts and equivalencies only after an official application is submitted.
Application Materials
Submit one application through NursingCAS. Applicants may apply to only one SONHS program in a given semester’s application cycle.
- Official transcripts sent directly by the registrar from every institution attended; copies marked “Issued to Student” are not accepted.
- Two recommendations; academic references are preferred, and employer references are acceptable.
- A 250–650-word statement of purpose explaining reasons for applying and how the program fits personal, educational and professional goals.
- A current CV or resume covering work, volunteering, credentials, awards and professional or academic experience.
- Complete transcript entry, including courses in progress, and monitor NursingCAS notifications and application status.
Final Application Deadlines and Starts
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis within the published application cycle. The final deadlines listed on the current admissions page are:
- October 1, 2026: spring 2027 entry, beginning in January. That deadline has passed as of this update.
- March 1, 2027: summer 2027 entry, beginning in May.
The program has two annual starts, January and May. Submit a complete application and all required materials by the applicable final date; rolling review does not replace the deadline. Review the current SONHS admissions instructions for the chosen term.
After Acceptance
- Pay a $1,000 non-refundable deposit within two weeks of admission, as specified in the offer. It is credited toward first-semester tuition.
- Complete the mandatory online pre-immersion course before full matriculation.
- Meet immunization, negative drug-screen and FBI background-check requirements.
- Maintain AHA Basic Life Support certification for health care providers covering adults, children and infants; a Heart Saver course is not accepted.
- Budget for health insurance and confirm current university enrollment or waiver requirements.
Miami’s admissions page states that an infraction appearing on the background report results in rescission regardless of how it was adjudicated. Applicants with a relevant history should discuss this published clinical-clearance condition directly with SONHS before committing to enrollment.
Applicants with international academic records must provide the required translations and an approved course-by-course evaluation establishing degree equivalency. Use the admissions instructions for the applicable credential documents.
Curriculum
The official accelerated catalog plan requires 55 nursing credits over three consecutive semesters, plus zero-credit pre-immersion preparation. It is a lock-step sequence: foundational adult care, assessment and pharmacology lead into specialty nursing, evidence and leadership, followed by complex adult, population and mental health care and role transition.
The tables follow the 2026–27 accelerated BSN catalog plan and its corresponding nursing course descriptions. The catalog assigns six credits to Role Transition and permits NUR 401 or NUR 400 for the three-credit evidence/research requirement.
Required Courses and Credits
Semester one — 15 credits, including zero-credit pre-immersion
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 304 — Adult Health I: Fundamentals of Nursing Practice | 6 | Communication, assessment and essential nursing techniques, with supervised practice applying the nursing process. Integrates clinical reasoning and holistic care for diverse patients. |
NUR 307 — Pharmacology | 3 | Pharmacokinetics, drug classes, therapeutic effects, interactions and adverse effects across the lifespan. Develops safe medication administration, patient education and ethical clinical decision-making. |
NUR 314 — Health Assessment and Promotion | 3 | Systematic health assessment across the lifespan, including collection and interpretation of patient data. Builds basic clinical decisions supporting prevention and health promotion. |
NUR 315 — Pathophysiology | 3 | Physiologic and biologic mechanisms of disease and altered health. Examines disruptions in body structure and function as a basis for nursing assessment and care. |
NUR 417 — Pre-Immersion Course for Accelerated Option Students | 0 | Online preparation in study skills, communication, critical thinking and motivation. Completed after admission and before full matriculation; formally registered in the first semester and does not affect GPA. |
Semester two — 21 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 308 — Adult Health II | 7 | Nursing management of adults experiencing altered physiologic defense mechanisms. Uses discussion, clinical reasoning and applied care to address illness and adaptation across the adult lifespan. |
NUR 318 — Women’s Health Nursing | 4 | Evidence-based care for women, mothers and newborns through reproductive health, pregnancy, birth and postpartum recovery. Emphasizes culturally responsive care, health equity and interdisciplinary collaboration. |
NUR 320 — Child and Adolescent Health Nursing | 4 | Person- and family-centered nursing for infants, children and adolescents with acute, chronic or complex conditions. Applies development, clinical judgment, safety and advocacy to pediatric care. |
NUR 401 or NUR 400 — Evidence-Based Nursing Practice or Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice | 3 | The research process, locating and critically appraising evidence, implementing practice changes and evaluating quality improvement. This is one three-credit requirement; students do not take both alternatives for the plan. |
NUR 430 — Leadership in Nursing | 3 | Professional nursing responsibilities, care systems, mentoring and management of change. Develops leadership and increasing responsibility during the transition to practice. |
Semester three — 19 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 411 — Adult Health III | 5 | Care of adults with complex multisystem alterations, using the nursing process and evidence-based interventions. Strengthens prioritization, clinical judgment and interprofessional teamwork. |
NUR 440 — Population Focused Nursing | 4 | Community assessment, program planning and evaluation using epidemiology and social and behavioral sciences. Addresses vulnerable populations, cultural groups, health disparities and social justice. |
NUR 448 — Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing | 4 | Safe, person-centered mental health care across the lifespan. Integrates therapeutic communication, psychopharmacology and biological, psychological, social and cultural determinants of health. |
NUR 453 — Role Transition | 6 | Synthesis of prior nursing knowledge and clinical practice during the transition from student to professional nurse. Develops confidence, professional identity, clinical reasoning and holistic care in increasingly complex situations. |
NUR 417 is completed online after admission and before matriculation, with formal first-semester registration and no effect on GPA. NUR 401 and NUR 400 are alternatives for one requirement. NUR 453 uses six credits in the accelerated degree plan, although the general course entry allows a range.
The catalog identifies seven courses with both a clinical component and UM civic engagement designation: NUR 304, 308, 318, 320, 411, 448 and 453. NUR 314 has a laboratory component. Course credits include classroom and practice work; they are not all direct patient-care hours.
Clinicals and Simulation
Students do not need to find their own clinical placements. SONHS arranges assignments among its regional partners. The current FAQ describes approximately 140–336 clinical hours per semester; confirm the assigned calendar rather than converting course credits into a single universal clinical-hour total.
- Primary partners include UHealth facilities such as UHealth Tower, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, and Jackson Health System facilities including Jackson Memorial, Holtz Children’s and Ryder Trauma Center.
- Other partners include Broward Health, Baptist Health South Florida, Memorial Healthcare System, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and VA sites in Miami and Palm Beach.
- The current FAQ also lists additional sites beyond Miami; placement depends on program arrangements and does not guarantee a particular hospital or specialty.
Simulation bridges classroom learning and clinical practice. Students assess responsive manikins, interview patients, communicate with families, administer medications and manage evolving clinical situations, then debrief with faculty and simulation specialists.
Arrange transportation to assigned clinical sites and comply with health, certification and screening requirements. The intensive full-time schedule also requires planning for study, exams and simulation beyond scheduled bedside care.
Tuition and Required Fees
The program-specific cost page publishes $43,260 in tuition for the 55-credit program, billed at $14,420 per semester across three semesters. This tuition amount is used in Quick Facts.
- Nursing fees: the program page separately lists $1,440. Tuition plus that listed nursing fee is $44,700 before other university charges.
- The $1,000 enrollment deposit is credited toward first-semester tuition; do not add it again to the program tuition total.
- University fees, health insurance where applicable, books, required equipment and a suitable laptop are additional.
- Housing, transportation, meals and other personal costs are outside the published program tuition.
Review the ABSN cost-of-study page and obtain the cohort’s billing schedule before enrolling. This is the department’s published program price; later rate changes and individual university charges may alter the total budget.
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