Second Degree Accelerated BSN

The application deadline for the summer 2024 cohort has been extended! Applications will now be accepted on a rolling basis until the cohort is filled.

In just 15 months, the Second Degree Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing will help you leverage your existing bachelor’s degree to fast-track your path to becoming a nurse.

Why Earn Your Second Degree Accelerated BSN at Sacred Heart?

Regardless of your previous area of study, this program’s unique, year-round format will guide you to develop the skills and knowledge you need to provide the highest quality nursing care to patients in a variety of clinical settings. 

The Second Degree Accelerated BSN program follows similar nursing coursework to our traditional BS in Nursing program, but builds on your prior undergraduate degree and focuses exclusively on the nursing curriculum. This format allows you to fully immerse yourself in nursing.

View the Program of Study

In this program, you will also:

• Gain a liberal education for Baccalaureate Generalist nursing practice, with knowledge from biological, behavioral, social, and nursing sciences
• Evaluate and provide safe, high-quality health care in a variety of settings
• Learn to make clinical judgments based on knowledge and evidence, and developed through clinical reasoning and hands-on experience
• Participate in quality and patient safety initiatives that impact patient care
• Gain clinical experience in a variety of settings, including extended care facilities, acute-care hospitals, daycare centers, visiting nurses associations, and local community clinics
• Study year-round, beginning in May and ending in August of the following year
• Learn from faculty who are active professionals, have received state and national recognition, and hold doctoral degrees or are certified nurse practitioners
• Use computer information management systems and patient care technology to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of patient care
• Understand the impact of health care policy, finance, and regulatory environments on nursing and healthcare
• Improve collaboration and communication skills and understand how these skills improve patient outcomes
• Learn in five state-of-the-art nursing labs and a high-fidelity simulation center that includes a bedside-care lab and eight simulation rooms to replicate a variety of healthcare settings
• Study clinical prevention and population health
• Learn to provide effective, patient-centric care by fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making
• Use online testing platforms that prepare you for the R.N. licensure examination
• Support health promotion, and disease and injury prevention activities, to improve individual and population health
• Embrace the core values of professionalism that support optimal health and wellness outcomes
• Study in a program that is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
  

Connecticut Health Horizons Grant

The Davis & Henley College of Nursing, through the Health Horizons CT grant initiative, is pleased to offer up to $10,000 in tuition assistance to qualified students completing their BSN degree. Combined with SHU’s evidence-based nursing education, this funding will help to increase the number of qualified nurses entering the workforce in Connecticut and positively impact the state’s health and wellness.

To learn more, visit CT Health Horizons Grant at SHU or contact Heather Ferrillo, Ph.D., MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, CN, Chair of Undergraduate Programs, at ferrilloh@sacredheart.edu.

Experience nursing through clinical rotations. 

Extensive clinical experience introduces you to different pathways in nursing, from acute care to long term care settings. You will have increasingly autonomous experience with nursing practice in real-world healthcare settings.

Clinical locations are in and around Sacred Heart’s Fairfield, CT, location and have included:

• St. Vincent's Medical Center
• Yale New Haven Hospital
• Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Engage in the global nursing community.

By gaining a global understanding of nursing and health, you’ll prepare to be responsive to social and civic obligations. When you join our Second Degree Accelerated BSN program, you will have the opportunity to participate in short-term global learning experiences, including:

Clinical Immersions

You’ll spend a week or more in Guatemala, Jamaica, or the Central Appalachia Mountain area of the US, working with patients or on fundamental team projects in underserved communities.

Two-week Intersession

Travel to SHU’s Dingle, Ireland campus for a 3-credit Nursing Leadership course. You’ll learn about professional nursing issues and trends through a global lens, participate in clinical experiences, and observe in an Irish healthcare setting.

Prepare for the future you want.

Upon graduation, you will be eligible to take the Registered Nurse licensure examination (NCLEX). Sacred Heart’s BSN graduates earned greater than a 97% pass rate in the previous four years.

Past BSN graduates have been hired by:

• Mayo Clinic
• Memorial Sloan Kettering
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Yale New Haven Hospital

You will also be prepared to apply to any Master of Science in Nursing program, including graduate programs at Sacred Heart. 

Admission to the Second Degree Accelerated BSN Program

Due to advanced planned required for completing prerequisites, you are advised to apply early.

Following the deadline, applications may be considered on a rolling basis until the cohort is full.

Apply Now

Admission Requirements

• Completion of the Second Degree Accelerated BSN application (includes Essay: a 500-word statement highlighting your reasons for pursuing the Second Degree Accelerated BSN program at Sacred Heart University)
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
  • Maintenance of a 3.0 or better undergraduate, cumulative GPA
  • Successful completion of all prerequisite courses: View more information about prerequisites
  • Successful completion of the baccalaureate degree (as verified by a final, official transcript with date of degree conferral by the start of classes)
• One letter of recommendation from a recent professional or academic source
• Resume 
• $50 application fee

Prerequisite Courses

All prerequisite science and math courses must be taken within the past 5 years with a grade of B- or better.

*Must be taken fully on-ground.

For more details on admission requirements and prerequisites, visit Application FAQs.

Financial Aid Information

You may be eligible for financial assistance in the form of loans. The Office of Student Financial Assistance will work with you to maximize the federal aid that you are eligible for and discuss alternative student loan options, but the first step is to complete the FAFSA; use School Code 001403. Please note that this program bridges financial aid years. For entry term summer 2023, the first Summer I/II terms are within the 2022-2023 aid year, while all remaining terms are within the 2023-2024 aid year. Students applying for financial aid (including federal or private student loans) will need to apply separately for aid applicable to multiple aid years.

Complete the Second Degree Accelerated BSN Financial Aid Application and submit it to the Office of Student Financial Assistance along with your completed FAFSAs. It is strongly recommended that you submit the form via SHU Awards > Menu > My Documents & Messages however, you may opt to submit a paper version available to download.

The Office of Student Financial Assistance can be a resource to you throughout this process; however, your financial aid applications will not be reviewed until you have been admitted to the program. Contact the Colleen Mulrooney, Director of Student Financial Assistance, at mulrooneyc@sacredheart.edu or 203-365-4702 to discuss the financial assistance application process.

Tuition & Fees

To learn more about Second Degree Accelerated BSN costs, visit Tuition & Fees.