A prestigious second-degree BSN with a pace that fits your life — Villanova University lets students choose a fast 14-month Express track or a 23-month Flex track that accommodates part-time work, with no GRE or TEAS required and a distinctive emphasis on social justice and health equity.
Villanova University offers a Second Degree Accelerated BSN for students who already earned a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field, with two pacing options: a 14-month Express Track (BSNExpress) or a 23-month Flex Track (BSNFlex). A highly regarded Augustinian Catholic university, Villanova delivers the program through a cohort model that builds peer support and steady momentum, and emphasizes faculty mentorship, research involvement, professional memberships, and pathways into graduate study. Notably, no GRE or TEAS is required for second-degree applicants, and the curriculum carries a strong social-justice and health-equity focus throughout.
Accreditation & Approvals
The nursing program at Villanova University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Villanova University is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Licensure requirements vary by location, and the program provides disclosure guidance for professional licensure planning. Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN.
Program Options
14-Month Express Track (BSNExpress)
- Start: May; finish: August of the following year
- Pace: full-time
- Tuition: $55,620 total
- Best fit: students who want the fastest route and can commit to an intense schedule
23-Month Flex Track (BSNFlex)
- Start: August; finish: about 23 months later
- Design: built for students who want to work part-time or manage outside responsibilities
- Tuition: $55,620 total
- Best fit: students who need more time between terms and a steadier pace
Admission Summary
Villanova uses a structured application timeline with decision-release dates, scholarship timing, and seat-deposit deadlines. Applicants may apply before finishing all prerequisites, but all prerequisites must be completed before the program starts.
Application deadlines and decision timeline
- Express Track, first deadline (scholarship priority): Sep 15 application/scholarship; Nov 1 decisions and merit scholarships; Dec 1 financial aid and need-based scholarships; Dec 15 seat deposit
- Express Track, second deadline: Dec 15 application/scholarship; Feb 1 decisions and merit scholarships; Feb 15 financial aid; Mar 1 seat deposit
- Flex Track: Mar 15 application/scholarship; Apr 15 decisions and merit scholarships; May 1 financial aid; May 15 seat deposit
Core eligibility and review factors
- Bachelor’s degree in another discipline
- 3.0 GPA or higher recommended for consideration
- Close attention to science grades and writing quality in the essay
- No GRE or TEAS required for second-degree applicants
Application checklist: online application by your track deadline; $25 nonrefundable application fee; essay on why you are entering nursing now; resume; two letters of recommendation; official transcripts from all prior institutions; and, if needed, TOEFL (degrees earned outside the U.S.), foreign transcript evaluation, and course descriptions upon request.
Prerequisites
All prerequisites must be completed before the program begins (you may apply while they are in progress), with a grade of C or higher.
- Anatomy & Physiology I with lab (4)
- Anatomy & Physiology II with lab (4)
- Chemistry with lab (4)
- Microbiology with lab (4)
- Statistics (3)
- Human development, lifespan (3)
- Nutrition (3)
- Pathophysiology (3)
- Theology/Religious Studies (3)
A grade of C or higher is needed for transfer credit. The program awards general elective/general education block credit in recognition of the first degree; the BSN degree total is listed as 133 credits.
Curriculum
The Express Track curriculum runs through summer sessions plus fall, spring, and a final summer term, blending nursing foundations, assessment with practicum, adult health, mental health, women and families, pediatrics, community health, leadership, policy, and a transition-to-practice sequence.
NUR 1102: Intro to Prof Nursing (2 Credits)
Introduces core nursing concepts like professional values, evidence-based practice, patient-centered care, clinical reasoning, therapeutic communication, safety, dignity, and analytical skills. Explores historical, current, and emerging factors shaping professional nursing practice.
NUR 1104: Intro to Prof Nursing Practice (2 Credits)
Examines professional nursing within national and global healthcare contexts. Links core concepts to person-centered care while analyzing healthcare planning, financing, delivery, and their effects on nursing and worldwide health outcomes.
NUR 2204: Health Assessment (2 Credits)
Covers health assessment across the lifespan, with emphasis on healthy adults. Includes health history, physical exams, and integration of evidence-based practice, clinical reasoning, genetics, culture, spirituality, development, sexuality, teaching, communication, safety, and values.
NUR 2205: Practicum in Health Assessment (1 Credit)
Lab-based application of health assessment skills, including history-taking, body system evaluations, documentation, and health teaching. Emphasizes safety, privacy, equity, dignity, professionalism, and person-centered care.
NUR 2206: Essentials of Nursing Practice (2 Credits)
Focuses on best practices for fundamental skills like safety, hygiene, mobility, nutrition, elimination, rest, oxygenation, medication administration, and education. Uses assessment and reasoning to plan interventions for individual patient needs.
NUR 2208: Practicum in Essentials of Nsg Prac (3 Credits)
Hands-on practice of evidence-based fundamental skills and interventions in diverse clinical settings to address basic health needs of individuals.
NUR 3104: Nsg Adults & Older Adults I (5 Credits)
Theory and clinical care for adults and older adults with acute and chronic conditions. Stresses ethical, holistic approaches and care continuity across healthcare settings through didactic and hands-on experiences.
NUR 3105: Psychiatric & Mental Hlth Nsg (5 Credits)
Examines care for individuals and families with mental health needs. Covers therapeutic communication, assessments, health promotion, person-centered care, and family involvement via theory and clinical practice.
NUR 3031: Basic Concepts in Pharmacology (3 Credits)
Studies drug classifications through pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics principles. Focuses on optimizing benefits, reducing risks across the lifespan, and applying the nursing process for ethical, safe medication administration.
NUR 3106: Nsg Care Adul & Older Adul II (5 Credits)
Builds on NUR 3104 with evidence-based theory and clinical care for adults and older adults facing chronic and acute issues. Integrates ethical, holistic principles and care transitions across acute, chronic, and community environments.
NUR 3107: Nsg Care of Women & Families (5 Credits)
Person-centered care for women and families, covering women’s health, prenatal/postpartum care, birth, newborn needs, mental wellness, intimate partner violence, and disabilities through classroom and clinical work.
NUR 3122: Imper for Global & Pub Health (3 Credits)
Foundational role of nursing in public health. Analyzes local, national, and global factors and strategies to promote and sustain population health.
NUR 3131: Applied Pharm in Nsg Prac (2 Credits)
Applies pharmacology to patients with complex conditions. Integrates prior knowledge of drugs, pathophysiology, anatomy, physiology, and nursing for advanced medication management.
NUR 1105: Soc Justice & Hlth Eqty Prof Nsg (3 Credits)
Explores social justice impacts on nursing, patients, and society. Examines how class, gender, ability, and other differences drive healthcare and societal inequities.
NUR 4111: Nsg Adults w Comp Hlth Prob (5 Credits)
Evidence-based theory and clinical care for acutely ill adults and older adults with complex issues. Prioritizes safe, person-centered care, dignity, and interprofessional teamwork in didactic and clinical settings.
NUR 4115: Nursing Care of Child & Adul (5 Credits)
Care for children and adolescents in community and acute settings. Highlights family, cultural, religious, social, and developmental factors in wellness, acute, and chronic conditions through theory and practice.
NUR 4119: Nsg Leadership & Health Policy (3 Credits)
Nurse roles in leadership, advocacy, policy, economics, quality/safety, legislation, and social determinants. Addresses key challenges in practice, education, and scholarship.
NUR 4031: Safe & Effect Pharm & Par Ther (2 Credits)
Nursing process and pharmacology application across the lifespan for safe care of individuals, families, and communities. Focuses on drug classes, comorbidities, and polypharmacy management in diverse settings.
NUR 4200: Seminars in Selected Topics (1 Credit)
In-depth exploration of current nursing and healthcare issues and trends through focused seminars.
PHI 2115: Ethics for Health Care Prof (3 Credits)
Analyzes patient rights/duties, healthcare team responsibilities, end-of-life issues, and ethical concerns in genetic engineering.
NUR 4120: Community & Population Health (7 Credits)
Community-based nursing for individuals, families, and populations. Applies the nursing process to advance health, prevent illness, and address disparities using public health best practices in class and clinical.
NUR 4121: Knowledge Integ Pro Nsg Pract (2 Credits)
Synthesizes core concepts for professional practice transition. Covers identity development, lifelong learning, licensure, and early career success.
NUR 4122: Trans to Prof Nsg Practice (3 Credits)
Integrates clinical skills, leadership, communication, and judgment for evidence-based, person-centered care of diverse groups. Precepted experiences support the shift to professional nursing roles.
NUR 3810: Research & Schol in Nsg Pract (3 Credits)
Builds scholarly skills for evidence analysis and application in nursing. Emphasizes ethical communication of research findings and scientific evidence.
14-Month Express Track sequence (high level):
- Summer I (Session 1): intro nursing + health assessment + essentials with practicum
- Summer I (Session 2): adult/older adult care + psychiatric/mental health + basic pharmacology
- Fall: adult/older adult care II + women and families + global/public health + applied pharmacology + health equity
- Spring: complex adult care + pediatrics + leadership/policy + pharmacologic therapies + ethics or research option + seminar
- Summer II: community/population health + knowledge integration + transition to practice + ethics or research option
More detail is available in the Villanova Second Degree BSN catalog.
Clinicals and Learning Experience
The program integrates clinical learning and practicum courses throughout the accelerated plan. Villanova promotes simulation and learning-resource experiences (including tours of the simulation center), and the cohort model supports steady peer collaboration. Faculty mentorship is a stated program advantage.
Tuition and Fees
Published program tuition for the second-degree accelerated track is $55,620 for either track:
- Express Track: $13,905 per semester across four semesters
- Flex Track: $9,270 per semester across six semesters
Students should also plan for added costs such as books, uniforms, transportation to clinical sites, health requirements, background checks, CPR certification, and exam-prep items. Confirm current figures via the official tuition and fees page.
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See our Comparison of Pennsylvania ABSN Programs (tuition, format, clinicals etc)