Accelerated BSN Programs in Florida: Fast-Track Online & Campus Nursing Degrees

Herzing University’s accelerated bachelor’s in nursing is a hybrid program that allows students to take classes both online and at the school’s Orlando campus. If you have completed the prerequisite classes, you can obtain this degree in approximately 20 months. However, it can take up to 24 months to complete if you need to catch up on required science coursework. To be admitted, applicants are expected to have a high school diploma or its equivalent, and a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. A minimum GPA of 2.5 is also required for admission.

Once admitted, students take courses designed to provide a foundation in the theory behind nursing practice and its everyday application. Specific classes include mental health, family, and medical-surgical nursing, as well as healthcare assessment practices, pharmacology, and nursing leadership. Students also complete a practicum to gain hands-on experience in evidence-based nursing practice.

The University of Central Florida’s accelerated BSN program includes classes that cover the essentials of nursing practice, healthcare across the lifespan, health assessment, pathophysiology, and pharmacology. This 54-credit program also has coursework that helps students gain a deep understanding of specific kinds of nursing, including psychiatric, public health, community, and family nursing. Students go on to participate in a practicum to get the hands-on experience they need to become competent nurses. To successfully complete the program, students should have at least a 2.5 grade point average.

The University of Central Florida charges $212.28 per credit for state residents and $748.89 for those coming into the program from another state. Students must also pay an equipment fee of $50 per term if they attend full-time, while part-time students pay $25.

The accelerated bachelor’s degree in nursing offered by Utica University can be completed in approximately 16 months. The hybrid program allows students to take advantage of the convenience of online learning, while giving them the hands-on training that will make them the highly skilled nurses the community needs. To do this, the school provides robust, interactive online courses through its e-Learning platform, as well as labs with hands-on simulations that reinforce what students learn in class. In addition, there is a clinical rotation requirement, so students can work in advanced medical settings and experience how care is delivered to a diverse community of patients.

In addition to offering a hybrid education format, Utica University provides additional convenience by allowing prospective students to be admitted on a rolling basis, so they don’t have to wait to apply or find out if they’ve been accepted. The program has multiple start dates, allowing students to begin in January, May, or August.

FAU’s Accelerated BSN program is a 15-month intensive program that begins each spring and lasts four consecutive semesters. The program is full-time and requires approximately 24 to 40 hours of clinical nurse practice and classes each week, along with approximately 40 hours per week in study time. All didactic courses and labs are in-person on FAU’s Boca Raton campus, with clinical hours completed at practice sites in and around the city. Admission into the program requires a non-nursing bachelor’s earned with a cumulative 3.0 GPA. This is a limited-access program, and students must complete all prerequisites before beginning the program’s 60-credit hour curriculum. Prerequisite coursework can be completed at FAU or other state universities or community colleges.

The current estimated total cost of the program is approximately $21,664 for Florida residents and $52,776 for out-of-state residents. These estimates include tuition, fees, and all associated costs (computer, uniforms, books, supplies, etc.) except housing and personal transportation to clinical sites.

The 16-month, full-time Accelerated BSN program from the University of Florida consists of four consecutive semesters of classes, labs, and clinical practice. Students begin their courses of study in May and finish in August of the following year. The program is available on UF’s main Gainesville campus and UF Health’s Jacksonville campus, where students attend all classes and labs. Nursing practice requirements are attended at clinical sites around the Gainesville and Jacksonville areas.

As with the FAU program, the two major requirements for admissions are a previously-earned bachelor’s degree or higher in a non-nursing major (earned with a cumulative minimum 3.0 GPA) and completion of all state-mandated prerequisite coursework. The current total in-state resident program cost for this 60-credit hour program is $12,762.60 for tuition and fees, plus an estimated $3,000 to $3,400 in expenses for items such as books and supplies, uniforms, stethoscope, course-related software and services, travel expenses, licensure preparation courses, etc.

The University of South Florida’s Accelerated Second Bachelor’s Degree (BSN) program is hosted on all three of USF’s campuses (Sarasota-Manatee, St. Petersburg, and Tampa), meaning that students complete all classes and labs on their campus of choice and all clinical hours at approved practice sites in the community surrounding their campus. However, the degree program is approved and accredited through USF Tampa, so all students must apply to and be admitted there. This full-time program is four semesters in length and begins in the spring semester. Admission is competitive.

The current total (tuition and fees) cost for this 62-credit hour program is $13,087.58 for in-state residents and $35,650.62 for out-of-state residents. Accelerated BSN students at USF are eligible for many financial aid opportunities, including the Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows program that provides students the opportunity to earn up to $4,000 in scholarship funds by completing internships in underserved communities in the Tampa area.