FAQ for Accelerated Nursing Programs

A bachelor’s degree in any field is required (BA or BS). The Accelerated Nursing Programs are designed to admit non-nurse baccalaureate graduates and provide education for generalist and specialist (advanced practice) nursing roles.

If completing a bachelor's degree after the application deadline, that is fine. You could be accepted to the program “pending successful completion of the bachelor's degree.”

Complete the Accelerated Bachelor's in Nursing program in 12 or 24 months (three or six  semesters). During this time, students complete all the nursing content of the bachelor's, or generalist, coursework for RN licensing. The 12-Month program moves at a very fast pace. 

There are limited slots for the Accelerated Master's Nursing Programs. The pool of applicants to our master's programs (which have many fewer total slots than the accelerated bachelor's) also includes students enrolled in the traditional master's specialty programs. Those admitted to the Accelerated Master's Nursing Programs complete the exact same first year as the accelerated bachelor's students, and then a slot is simply saved in one of our Nurse Practitioner programs. Years two and three are on the regular master's program schedule (four academic semesters).

Depending on when you begin the program, completion time for the entire program (including bachelor's and master's portions) will differ by a few months (those who have a May admission start date will complete the master's portion three years later in May; those who have January start dates will complete a few months later in May of the third year).

No one specializes at the basic nursing level (any program leading to RN licensure teaches you about all the areas of nursing because in order to pass the RN licensing exam, you are tested on all areas - pediatrics, maternity, psych, etc.). It is by working on a certain unit as a nurse OR by going on for the master's that you specialize in one area. Students in the Accelerated Bachelor's Nursing program get the opportunity to experience various specialty areas including med-surg, obstetrics, acute care, etc. to test each one out.

The Accelerated Master's Nursing programs are for those who already know exactly which Nurse Practitioner program or master's program they want. Keep in mind that there are also master's in nursing programs that do not lead to Nurse Practitioner certification. For example, we also offer master's degree in Nursing Education and a Clinical Nurse Leader concentration. Or you may prefer to get some practical experience in the work world before doing the master's program.

Many graduates choose to work as an RN at the University of Rochester Medical Center. These graduates can then complete using tuition benefits while working full time and earning the regular salary - another reason many choose the Accelerated Bachelor's Program.

The 12-Month Accelerated Bachelor's program is one calendar year, but three full semesters (summer, fall, spring), so we are essentially taking four traditional semesters of clinical and offering them in three semesters. They are NOT shortened, and in fact there are more clinical hours and lab hours than required by the state (our bachelor's portion of the program has 700 clinical hours and 90 lab hours).

Yes, students can work during either of the Accelerated Bachelor's in Nursing programs. The student is responsible for determining appropriate workload and should carefully review the posted curriculums for each program prior to applying. Clinicals are typically scheduled on nights or weekends. Pursuing a nursing degree is so time-consuming because of the hours;

• in college, 1 credit = 1 clock hour a week
• in nursing school, 1 clinical credit = 4 clock hours a week.

Please note: The accelerated nursing programs are "cohort-style" programs, which means students start and finish their program together, and all follow the same course schedule. As a result, the School of Nursing cannot modify course schedules to accommodate work commitments. 

It is helpful to have a car for the times you may be assigned to a hospital and have to start at 7 a.m. You don't want to have to depend on your classmates to get you there or try to stand at a bus stop in the dark at 6 a.m. Students live everywhere - most get a regular apartment nearby, some live with each other in rented houses literally around the corner from here, some (fewer) live in graduate housing.

Visit Residential Life to learn about on and off campus housing offerings.

If applying for graduate housing through the University's Office for Residential Life & Housing Services, should select "Medical Center" when indicating University Affiliation.

To learn more about housing opportunities as a student, please visit Places4students.com or visit our Off-Campus Housing webpage. There are many houses and apartments available for rent within walking distance from the School of Nursing's campus. 

We require the following regional institutional accreditations, depending on geography:

• New England Association of Schools and Colleges
• Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges

We require the following institutional accreditation, depending on geography:

• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA)

There are other accreditations considered legitimate under the federal Department of Education and CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation), but not that we or other nationally-ranked universities recognize. For example, we do not accept Anatomy and Physiology coursework from a school that has only “massage therapy program accreditation,” or credits from a school accredited by the “Commission of the Council on Occupational Education.”

Regional vs. national institutional accrediting agencies:

• Academically-oriented, non-profit, degree-granting schools usually have regional accreditation.
• For-profit, vocational, technical and career schools typically have national accreditation.