Program Overview
The University of New Mexico College of Nursing offers an Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN option for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree. The plan runs in four consecutive terms, including summers, and students spend about 16 months in the program.
Coursework is delivered on campus at the Health Sciences Albuquerque campus, with access to UNM’s health sciences resources and a state-of-the-art simulation and skills lab.
The program highlights hands-on learning in community and hospital settings, plus simulation-based training that builds clinical confidence.
ABSN Admission Summary
UNM’s accelerated second-degree BSN admissions focus on prior degree completion, prerequisite completion, and a minimum GPA standard. The application uses an online process, and the College of Nursing reviews completed files on a set timeline.
Key admission requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree (or higher) from a regionally accredited institution (or foreign equivalent).
- Cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher.
- Successful completion of prerequisite coursework (some courses may be reviewed case-by-case if still pending).
- NursingCAS application plus official transcripts submitted to NursingCAS.
- New Mexico residents receive preference (as stated in the catalog section).
- No entrance exam is required for the Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN option (per the provided copy).
Application timing and deadlines:
- Fall application submission period: November 1 to March 15.
- The page notes a priority deadline and a final deadline, and it states the application closes at 10:00 PM MST on the final deadline day.
Transfer credit note:
- UNM’s Transfer Equivalency System (TES) helps applicants confirm how prior coursework can meet prerequisite requirements.
- If you already completed NUTR 2110 and/or NURS 224, those courses may transfer and reduce first-semester load.
Curriculum
Students enter nursing courses in the first term once prerequisites are complete. The program is described as 59–65 credits across the 16-month track, with a structure that lists four academic terms (including summer).
The curriculum emphasizes evidence-based care, leadership, interprofessional collaboration, and the use of healthcare technology. Clinical experiences take place in hospitals, outpatient settings, and the university’s simulation center.
Main coursework includes the following:
NURS 224 – Application of Growth and Development to Health Care
Explores psychosocial and biological development theories across the lifespan, with emphasis on applying these concepts to patient care in clinical settings.
NUTR 2110 – Human Nutrition
Examines core nutrition principles and their impact on health and illness, focusing on physiological regulation, reproduction, movement, and emotional well-being.
NMNC 3120 – Evidence-Based Practice
Covers the process of integrating clinical expertise, patient preferences, and current research to solve nursing practice problems using evidence-based methods.
NMNC 3110 – Introduction to Nursing Concepts
Introduces foundational nursing concepts and a conceptual learning model that supports clinical reasoning and professional development.
NMNC 3135 – Principles of Nursing Practice
Teaches essential nursing skills including safety, communication, assessment, and medication administration through labs, seminars, and clinical practice.
NMNC 3220 – Health Care Participant
Focuses on understanding individuals, families, and communities as active participants in health care, with attention to values and attributes.
NMNC 3230 – Nursing Pharmacology
Introduces key pharmacological principles using a concept-based approach to promote safe and effective medication use in nursing care.
NMNC 3235 – Assessment and Health Promotion
Develops skills in health assessment and promotion for individuals, families, and communities using clinical, lab, and seminar-based instruction.
NMNC 4335 – Care of Patients with Chronic Conditions
Emphasizes evidence-based nursing care for managing chronic illnesses across the lifespan, integrating classroom instruction with hands-on clinical experience.
NMNC 3210 – Health and Illness Concepts I
Covers wellness and common health variations across the lifespan, focusing on physiological regulation, reproduction, protection, and emotional health.
NMNC 4320 – Professional Nursing Concepts I
Explores the roles, attributes, and core competencies essential to professional nursing practice and leadership.
NMNC 4310 – Health and Illness Concepts II
Addresses moderate to complex health issues including oxygenation, hemostasis, regulation, mobility, and mental health.
NMNC 4410 – Health and Illness Concepts III
Examines advanced health and illness topics across the lifespan, emphasizing regulation, oxygenation, mobility, and emotional processes.
NMNC 4435 – Clinical Intensive I
Applies nursing concepts in the care of patients with acute conditions through integrated seminar, lab, and clinical experiences.
NMNC 4445 – Clinical Intensive II
Continues clinical application for managing acute health conditions, building on prior experience in labs, seminars, and direct patient care.
NMNC 4510 – Concept Synthesis
Focuses on integrating nursing concepts to care for patients with complex needs, preparing students for advanced clinical reasoning.
NMNC 4520 – Professional Nursing Concepts II
Covers health care policy, ethics, and regulatory issues that influence professional nursing practice and patient outcomes.
NMNC 4535 – Clinical Intensive III
Provides advanced clinical practice in managing complex patient care across the lifespan, combining labs, seminars, and real-world experience.
NMNC 4545 – BSN Capstone
Serves as the culminating clinical course where students synthesize all learned concepts and demonstrate readiness for nursing practice.
More information about the curriculum in the course catalog
Prerequisite Coursework Summary
UNM lists a defined set of prerequisites for the accelerated pathway and notes limited flexibility for a few courses.
Prerequisite courses listed:
- BIO 1140 + BIO 1140L: Biology for Health Sciences (lecture and lab)
- CHEM 1120: Introduction to Chemistry (lecture/lab)
- PSYCH 1110: Introduction to Psychology
- MATH 1350: Introduction to Statistics (or equivalent)
- BIO 2305: Microbiology for Health Sciences (lecture/lab)
- BIO 2210: Anatomy and Physiology I (lab recommended, not required)
- BIOL 2225 & 2225L: Anatomy and Physiology II (lecture and lab)
- NURS 239: Pathophysiology I
- NURS 240: Pathophysiology II
- NUTR 2110: Human Nutrition
- NURS 224: Applications of Growth and Development in Health or PSYCH 2120: Developmental Psychology
Case-by-case note:
Applicants who have not completed NURS 240, NUTR 2110, and/or NURS 224 before applying may be reviewed case-by-case, and some students may take them in the first semester depending on course load.
Clinicals
UNM states that students complete experiential clinical courses in community, inpatient/outpatient, and hospital settings, plus learning in laboratory and simulation center environments. The program emphasizes simulation-based practice with equipment such as IV pumps and high-fidelity manikins to build skills in a lower-risk setting.
The College also notes Student Success Coordinators who support students through individual and small-group services.
Tuition
The total estimated cost for the Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN option is $36,441.22 for New Mexico residents and $77,506.02 for non-residents, based on the tuition and fee table provided.
The estimate includes per-credit or block tuition rules, nursing course fees, and required HSC and UNM fees.
Cost components shown:
- Cost per credit (1–14 credits): $529.62 resident / $1,262.92 non-resident
- Block tuition (15+ credits): $7,944.30 resident / $18,943.80 non-resident
- Estimated nursing course fees: $4,308.00
- Required HSC fees: $806.50
- Required UNM fees: $1,668.00
See official tuition page more details.
Accreditation
The program is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the New Mexico Board of Nursing through June 2031.