Format: In person on the Armstrong Campus
Credit Hours: 58
Get ready for your fast-track to a rewarding nursing career. Georgia Southern’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) is an accelerated program that’ll get you caring for patients at the bedside in just three semesters. If you currently hold a bachelor’s degree in another field, this is the program for you.
Georgia Southern’s ABSN program admits students to the fall semester with program completion scheduled just one year later. You’ll graduate ready for state board exams and your nursing licensure so you can begin your career healing and advocating for patients.
Over 20 Scholarships Available >
The Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree curriculum builds upon a foundation of the arts, sciences, and humanities essential to professional nursing. Our top academic education focuses on professional nursing practice and leadership skills while emphasizing clinical experience and simulation labs
In just three semesters you’ll graduate ready day one. You’ll get the academics AND the know-how.
Courses and Curriculum
ABSN Program Highlights
- Finish your degree in just three semesters if you already have a bachelor’s from another field
- Become eligible for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) upon graduation
- Benefit from individual academic and career advising from dedicated nursing advisors
- Study topics including professional nursing practice, health assessment, pharmacology, nursing care across the lifespan, research and leadership and more
- Experience cutting-edge, high-fidelity simulation labs
- Develop your skills in communication, healthcare technology, leadership, health policy, professional roles and more
- Traditional BSN program also available for students that do not hold a bachelor’s degree
Accreditation
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing/master’s degree program in nursing/Doctor of Nursing Practice program and/or post-graduate APRN certificate program at Georgia Southern University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
All prelicensure programs are fully approved by the Georgia Board of Nursing. Georgia Southern University is accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Nursing Careers Information
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2020 a faster than average job growth for registered nurses through 2029 – bls.gov registered nurses handbook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2020 the average salary for registered nurses was $80,010 – bls.gov
Did You Know? Georgia Southern is a top 10 producer of nurses for the US Army
BSN Degree Rankings
- A 2020 Top 10 Best Accredited Nursing School in Georgia by NursingProcess.org
- A 2021 Top 10 Best Nursing Program in Georgia by NursingSchoolHub
ABSN Program Outcomes
- Synthesize core knowledge from the liberal arts, sciences, and nursing as the foundation for professional practice.
- Use knowledge of organizational systems, leadership principles, and resources in becoming responsible, safe, and accountable professional nurses.
- Apply scholarship, inquiry, and analysis of current evidence to clinical judgment to improve individual and population health care outcomes.
- Incorporate healthcare information and technology to enhance clinical decision making in professional practice.
- Integrate knowledge of health care policy, finance, and regulatory environments into professional practice.
- Utilize inter-professional communication to develop collaborative partnerships for improving patient health outcomes.
- Apply a health promotion, disease and injury prevention framework to the care of individuals and populations.
- Demonstrate the professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct as well as assume accountability for personal and professional behavior.
ABSN Program Admissions Information
All courses for the nursing program must be completed within a total of four consecutive calendar years. All prelicensure nursing students are required to take two standardized exit examinations.
Application Deadlines (ABSN)
Fall semester applications will be available on the School of Nursing (SON) website from the first Monday in January through the first Monday in February. Deadline extended until February 15, 2022.
Admission Criteria to the Accelerated BSN program
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university (Must have bachelor’s degree at time of application)
- Admission to Georgia Southern University
- A grade point average of 3.2 on grades earned in Introduction to Statistics I, Anatomy and Physiology I with lab (four credit hours), Anatomy and Physiology II with lab (four credit hours), Microbiology with lab (four credit hours), Lifespan Development, and Pathophysiology without repetition of failed science courses to achieve a passing grade
- Must achieve a cumulative score of at least 75% on the HESI Admission Assessment (A2) Exam that includes the following subject areas: anatomy & physiology, grammar, reading comprehension, vocabulary and general knowledge, and math within the last year
- Completion of a pre-admission interview (student will be contacted to schedule an interview)
- Verification through signature that the student will not be employed at any time while enrolled in the accelerated program
- Ability to meet all legal requirements for licensure
- Post-baccalaureate students must complete Area D’s Introduction to Statistics and Area F with a grade of C or higher
- Area F science course credits may not have been earned longer than 5 years before the time of application.
- Post-baccalaureate students will be given credit for completion of Areas A, B, C, D, E, and PE, with the exception of STATS in Area D and US and Georgia History and Government
- All core courses, including Georgia History, must be completed prior to starting the ABSN curriculum
- Must be able to meet the Core Performance Standards
- Clinical agencies utilized by the Schoolof Nursing require criminal background checks and/or drug testing prior to acceptance of the student into clinical facilities. Students who do not pass the criminal background check and/or drug test will be unable to attend clinical courses and therefore will be unable to complete their program of study resulting in course failure. Any fees or cost associated with background checks and/or drug testing are the responsibility of the student
- Students who fail out of any nursing program may be considered for readmission to Georgia Southern’s nursing program after a period of 5 years. Only one readmission in the nursing program per track is permitted. The student must meet all current entry requirements. Upon acceptance, the student will be required to complete all nursing courses from the beginning
- If a student withdraws from the ABSN program, they are eligible to apply to the next fall admission cycle of the traditional BSN program.
- A student who fails one ABSN course will need to meet with the ABSN program director to review their program of study.The student may be given the opportunity to join the traditional BSN program on a space available basis. A student who fails more than one ABSN course will be dismissed from the program.
State law requires proficiency in U.S. and Georgia History and Government. At Georgia Southern University, a student may demonstrate proficiency by examination or credit for political science and history. For further information about the SON rules, requirements, criteriaand more, please refer to Georgia Southern’s course catalog.
Application Process
The completed Accelerated Baccalaureate Nursing program application with an unofficial transcript from Georgia Southern University, official transcripts from any other college attended and unofficial HESI scores should be hand-delivered or mailed (with tracking) to the Schoolof Nursing. An application is considered incomplete and will not be reviewed if the student does not meet ABSN admission criteria and/or does not attach requested transcripts/scores.
Once the submitted applications have been reviewed, eligible students will be contacted by the Schoolof Nursing to schedule their pre-admission interview.
Applicants will be notified of admission decisions by mail and/or student email after all applications have been reviewed. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the School of Nursing of changes to their mailing address and phone number.
Reviewing applications is time-consuming. It may take 3 to 4 weeks after the deadline for all applications to be reviewed. The School of Nursing will begin notifying students after all applications have been reviewed. Calling to check the status of an application will delay the reviewing process.
It is important to remember that meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the nursing program. Admission is competitive. Accepted students may be assigned to clinical sites up to 100 miles outside the greater Savannah area. Students accepted to the School of Nursing will be required to complete a criminal background check and drug screening. Accepted students are required to submit a copy of a photo ID to hold their seat for the intended semester of entry.
Criminal Background Check and Drug Testing
The Schoolof Nursing uses clinical agencies that require criminal background checks and/or drug testing prior to acceptance of the student into clinical facilities. Students who do not pass the criminal background check and/or drug test will be unable to attend clinical courses and, therefore, will be unable to complete their program of study. Any fees or costs associated with background checks and/or drug testing are the responsibility of the student.
For more information download the student handbook.
Contact Us
Tonya Sellars, DNP, APRN, AG-ACNP – BC
Armstrong Campus-Ashmore Room 260
Email: tsellars@georgiasouthern.edu
Professional License Disclosure
The School of Nursing anticipates that graduates of this program will seek the following professional state licenses: Professional Registered Nurse (RN)
For required disclosures on whether this program satisfies the license requirements of all states and territories for Registered Nurse license, click https://www.ncsbn.org/about-boards-of-nursing.htm to check the requirements of your state or territory.
The School of Nursing has determined that the required classes and educational activities of this academic program will qualify a graduate of this program to take the exam for a Registered Nurse license in the 50 U.S. states, District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories: American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands.
The School of Nursing has not determined whether the required classes and educational activities of this academic program will qualify a graduate of this program to take the exam for a Registered Nurse license (or certificate) for any state not set forth above.
Last updated: 7/29/2022
