UMass Boston

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester (September): May 1
• Spring Semester (January): September 1
• Summer Semester (May): February 1

Applicants will receive admission decision notifications via email about a month after each application deadline.

Application Requirements

• All applicants must attend an online Accelerated Nursing Information Session.
• All prerequisite courses must be completed by the application deadline. For a list of required prerequisite courses, please refer to our list of Accelerated Nursing Prerequisite Guide.pdf.
• Your Bachelor’s degree must be conferred by the application deadline.

What type of applicant are you?

• External - If your baccalaureate degree is not from UMass Boston and you have never attended UMass Boston as a matriculated/accepted student.
• Internal - If you obtained a bachelor's degree from or completed coursework at UMass Boston as an accepted/matriculated student.

External Applicant

• Admission applications through the UMass Boston Application
• Apply as a “transfer student” and select “Accelerated Nursing” as your major
• Official transcripts from all institutions attended
• Bachelor’s degree conferred by the application deadline
• External evaluation for foreign coursework
• Accelerated Nursing Prerequisites form will be made available in your Beacon Gateway portal once you submit your admissions application
• Two Short Essays
• 500-Word Essay: UMass Boston's Manning College of Nursing & Health Sciences (MCNHS) is committed to advance efforts towards promoting health equity, social justice, and population-based health in our community and beyond by educating health professionals to serve communities as diverse as our students. Why are you interested in studying nursing at UMass Boston, an institution committed to advancing health equity?
• 250-Word Essay: UMass Boston’s Accelerated Nursing program is designed to blend high-quality clinical experiences with online didactic learning. Successful students must be flexible, adaptable, and self-directed. Please describe a time when you independently learned a complex task. What was the task? What resources did you utilize to learn it? What did you learn about yourself during this process?
• Two Recommendation Letters
• $60 application fee

Internal Applicant

• Application Form
• Fill out the second-degree application if you received your bachelor’s degree from UMass Boston
• Fill out the re-enrollment application if you did not receive your bachelor’s degree from UMass Boston
• If you only completed graduate coursework at UMass Boston, you must submit an Undergraduate Admissions Application
• Official transcripts from all institutions attended (except UMass Boston - we can retrieve your transcript for you)
• Bachelor’s degree conferred by the application deadline
• External evaluation for foreign coursework
• Accelerated Nursing Supplemental Form
• Two Short Essays
• 500-Word Essay: UMass Boston's Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences (MCNHS) is committed to advance efforts towards promoting health equity, social justice, and population-based health in our community and beyond by educating health professionals to serve communities as diverse as our students. Why are you interested in studying nursing at UMass Boston, an institution committed to advancing health equity?
• 250-Word Essay: UMass Boston’s Accelerated Nursing program is designed to blend high-quality clinical experiences with online didactic learning. Successful students must be flexible, adaptable, and self-directed. Please describe a time when you independently learned a complex task. What was the task? What resources did you utilize to learn it? What did you learn about yourself during this process?
• Two Recommendation Letters sent directly from the references to ABSNinfo@umb.edu

Submitting Application Materials

External Applicant

• Official application materials can either be submitted via email to undergrad.admissions@umb.edu or mailed to:
  
  University of Massachusetts Boston
  c/o Office of Undergraduate Admissions
  100 William T Morrissey Blvd
  Boston, MA 02125
  
  
• A transcript is considered official if sent to UMass Boston directly from the institution, either electronically or by mail.

Internal Applicant

• Email your application and materials to ABSNinfo@umb.edu.

If accepted to the ABSN program, a mandatory in-person orientation at UMass Boston and an online virtual orientation are required for attendance. Orientation dates will be sent with acceptance letters, approximately one month following the application deadline.

UMass Boston programs are designed to meet the requirements for licensure or certification in Massachusetts. Please contact your state licensing or certification board to determine whether the ABSN program meets the requirements for licensure or certification in other states.

ABSN is a Special Fee program. This cost includes tuition, fees, E-textbooks and resources, laptop computer, NCLEX prep resources, and nursing supplies for the program.

• The program consists of 12 courses, for a total of 54 credits.
• The special fees come to approximately $35,000*.

MCNHS offers a variety of scholarship opportunities for our students. All students are encouraged to apply for Financial Aid.

*Please note, program cost is subject to change.

More information about costs can be found from the Bursar’s Office.

Course Sequence

• The ABSN program option is a hybrid program that includes 54 total credits.
• Courses are taken following the UMass Boston academic calendar with competency checks and multi-modal simulation each semester.
• Throughout the semester, typically one day per week, students will participate in clinical placements, where students will practice in a wide variety of real clinical settings in the greater Boston area and regional hospitals located in the state of Massachusetts.*
• Students also attend clinical simulation training on campus at UMB's Center for Clinical Education and Research (CCER) several times a semester.

*In-person clinical placements are assigned to students for approximately 8-12 hours per week each semester. Students who attend the ABSN program must live within commuting distance of the UMass Boston campus and area hospitals. Applicants from out of state must be willing to relocate.

Course Requirements

Semester 1/ Level One Courses (18 credits)

• NU 270- Introduction to the Concepts of Nursing 3 Credits
• NU 271- Principles of Pathophysiology and Pharmacology for the Nurse 3 Credits
• NU 273- Assessment and Health Promotion 6 Credits
• NU 272- Applying Nursing Process 6 Credits

Semester 2/ Level Two Courses (18 Credits)

• NU 370- Healthcare Participant 3 Credits
• NU 371- Evidence-Based Nursing Practice 3 Credits
• NU 372- Concepts of Health and Illness I 6 Credits
• NU 373- Concepts of Health and Illness II 6 Credits

Semester 3/ Level Three Courses (18 Credits)

• NU 470- Professional Nursing Concepts 3 Credits
• NU 471- Active and Engaged Nursing Practice 3 Credits
• NU 472- Concepts of Health and Illness III 6 Credits
• NU 473- Concepts of Health and Illness IV 6 Credits

Download the printable Accelerated Nursing Curriculum Guide (pdf).

Upon completion of Semester 3 there will be a mandatory NCLEX prep course.

Applicants will be required to make a full-time commitment to their studies while attending the Accelerated option. Class and clinical assignments make the program highly time-intensive. Students are highly discouraged from working, especially more than 20 hours per week, while in the ABSN program.

For more information on curriculum, including course descriptions and degree requirements, visit the Academic Catalog.

Eligibility

• Courses Required Prior to Application to the Accelerated Option
• Completion of all prerequisite courses is required before the application deadline.
• A total of 68 credits are required from a previous bachelor's degree.
• Minimum GPA requirements: Cumulative Baccalaureate GPA of 3.0, prerequisite GPA of 3.3
• Seven prerequisite courses must be completed by the application deadline.
• The 7 required prerequisite courses are listed below:

The following 3 courses must have been completed within 10 years and require a grade of C+ or higher.

• Anatomy and Physiology I with lab 4 Credits
• Anatomy and Physiology II with lab 4 Credits
• Microbiology with lab 4 Credits

The following 2 courses require a grade of C+ or higher and do not have a time limit

• Growth and Development through the Lifespan (Birth through Death) 3 Credits
• Nutrition 3 Credits

The following 2 courses require a grade of C or higher and do not have a time limit

•  Statistics 3 Credits
•  Social Behavioral Science Elective (Psychology or Sociology) 3 Credits

The prerequisite courses do not need to be completed at UMass Boston.

You may take the prerequisite courses at a regionally accredited community college or university.

If you are unsure if your courses will satisfy the prerequisite requirements contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions

We also recommend the Accelerated Nursing Prerequisite Guide.  and Transferology to determine if a course will fulfill a requirement.

Academic Progression

Students must progress through the full fifty-four (54) credits of the Accelerated Undergraduate Nursing program, attend all New Student and Clinical Orientations, complete core nursing requirements, and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.50 (77%) or higher every semester for the program duration. Students must receive both a lecture grade of "C+" or higher AND a PASS for any lab or clinical course components.

Degree Requirements

• Complete 54 credits from 12 courses including four level one courses, four level two courses, and four level three courses.
• GPA: A minimum GPA of 2.50 is required for all major courses.
• Minimum grade: No courses with a grade below C+.
• Pass/fail: No courses taken pass/fail.
• Residency: All required nursing courses must be completed at UMass Boston. No courses can be taken outside the program.

 

Current UMass Boston students or internal applicants, please contact Allison Christiansen, Program Assistant
Allison.Christiansen@umb.edu

For ABSN application information, external applicant questions, or credit transfer questions, please contact George Goldman, Undergraduate Admissions Department,
George.Goldman@umb.edu

You can schedule a transfer credit evaluation with Undergraduate Admissions. For additional information on the application process, please contact Undergraduate Admissions at 617.287.6100 or undergrad.admissions@umb.edu.

Will the courses I have completed fulfill the prerequisites for the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) option?
Review our prerequisite course descriptions so that you can compare them to the course description of the prerequisite course you have taken or plan to take. We also recommend the Accelerated Nursing Prerequisite Guide and Transferology to determine if a course will fulfill a requirement. 

Can I work while attending the Accelerated Option?
It is strongly recommended that students do not work while attending this program. This program is a full-time commitment. It does not have a set schedule and the courses and clinical assignments could be held on any day of the week (Monday through Sunday) and at various times within a 24 hour period. In addition to course and clinical time, there are numerous assignments to be completed, and over 50 hours of coursework is common each week. If students work a full-time job, they may find it very difficult to succeed in the program.

Must I complete all the prerequisite courses before applying to the Accelerated Option?
Yes. All prerequisite courses must be completed prior to applying to this program. Students who do not have their prerequisite courses completed when applying to the program will not be considered.

How many people apply to the Accelerated Nursing Option?
The number of applications varies from year to year, but typically over 300 applicants apply each cycle. 

How many students are admitted into the Accelerated Nursing Option?
To date, we have approximately 48 seats available for accelerated students in each cohort. The acceptance rate is around 15%.

Do I need to take the GREs to be considered for the Accelerated Option?
No. GREs are often required to enter graduate level programs. Completion of the Accelerated Option would earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), an undergraduate degree.

Is there a minimum GPA to be considered for the Accelerated Option?
The minimum GPA requirement for the program is a Baccalaureate GPA of 3.0 and a minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.3.

Can I take the CLEP Examination to meet the Growth and Development prerequisite requirement?
No. You must take a course in Growth and Development that covers the lifespan.

What documentation is required for clinical clearance?
Information regarding our clinical clearance documentation can be found in the student handbook. Please note clinical clearance items are updated each enrollment cycle. Those who are admitted and enroll, will receive a welcome packet containing clinical clearance requirements.

For further questions, please view our FAQ.

SARA Compliance, Disclosure & Dispute Resolution
UMass Boston programs are designed to meet the requirements for licensure or certification in Massachusetts. Please contact your state licensing or certification board to determine whether the program meets the requirements for licensure or certification in other states.

 

 

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