Becoming a registered nurse is a rewarding and exciting career that offers a daily change in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. A registered nurse often handles complicated medical cases and is tasked with communicating information effectively, managing care with quick yet safe decisions, and managing a team of LPNs to help manage overall care in several medical settings. Like many Bachelor’s degree programs, becoming a nurse can take time and dedication, but many schools offer an accelerated program to quickly award a BSN.
What is an Accelerated Nursing Program?
Compared to a traditional Bachelor’s degree, an accelerated nursing program is much shorter. Many accelerated nursing programs take just a little over a year to complete, with several programs running 15 to 16 months in length. This program does not take a summer recess compared to other programs and offers continuous semesters for students to complete their degree quickly. Students will learn the same amount of information with an accelerated nursing program as with a traditional BSN, but the information is packed down to a condensed and quick format.
Top 4 Accelerated Nursing Programs in SC
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anderson University | Anderson, South Carolina |
| 2 | Medical University of South Carolina | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 3 | Francis Marion University | Florence, South Carolina |
| 4 | Clemson University | Clemson, South Carolina |
What Are the Benefits?
The most significant benefit of enrolling in accelerated nursing programs in SC is the quick turn around time from acceptance to graduation. This means that with dedication and hard work, it is possible to earn your degree in under two years. This helps you focus solely on your studies and future career, and it helps accelerate your education timeline, which can get you started in a competitive career quickly.
Earning a BSN degree can open the door to a range of future careers helping people within the medical field. As a registered nurse, you will be able to help manage care for your patients while having the ability to make quick and informed decisions about their ongoing care. An RN typically earns more money than an LPN, and can manage a team of LPNs.
What is the Outlook and Salary?
Compared to other nursing careers, an RN makes significantly more money. This increased salary is because the RNs are often responsible for making critical decisions that directly impact their patients. The career outlook is continuing to grow at an accelerated rate, rising a whopping 16% in demand for RNs in just the past year. As an RN, you can expect to earn about $70,000 per year, with specialty RN nurses in specific fields making significantly more.
We understand that it can be difficult choosing the right school to suit your needs. Deciding which school to attend is a big decision that will impact your career and potentially the rest of your life. To make things easier, we have put together a list of the best accelerated nursing programs in SC to help give you the much-needed information to make a knowledgeable and informed decision.
The Best 4 Accelerated Nursing Programs in SC
Anderson University
Students who enroll in the accelerated nursing program offered by Anderson University will have the opportunity to earn their BSN in as little as 15 months. This comprehensive and intensive course requires 122 credits to complete. Students who successfully complete the program will go on to be an RN, able to work in several different fields and several medical facilities. This program highlights the specific skills needed to work in pediatric, surgical, and adult geriatric fields.
This degree balances both general education and specific nursing education courses. Students will take a range of courses in pharmacy, anatomy, microbiology, and adult health. Students must have 40 credits in core university educational classes and 63 credits in core nursing education. An additional 19 credits in Cognate studies are also required.
- Application Requirements: Application, Application Fee, High School Transcripts, Official SAT Test Scores
School Overview
Medical University of South Carolina
The accelerated nursing degree program for students offered by the Medical University of South Carolina is an intensive degree that awards a BSN upon completion. This program is a 16-month degree program that is divided into four consecutive semesters. The program must be completed in person, on campus, because of the clinical and laboratory elements included in this degree. With extensive hands-on training and a practical medical approach, graduates of this program have an extremely high success rate in passing their exams to become practicing RN.
The program focuses not only on the knowledge needed to become an RN but also on the personality, values, and morality required to make delicate decisions that will forever impact a person’s life. These skills help to keep a patient-centric mindset while also keeping patients safe. The program teaches communication skills, technical skills, and critical thinking skills crucial for successful nurses.
- Application: Application, Application Fee, High School Diploma or GED, Official High School Transcripts, SAT Test Scores, Minimum 3.0 GPA
School Overview
Francis Marion University
The nursing program offered at Francis Marion University gives students plenty of options for earning a competitive, comprehensive, and rewarding nursing degree. While this school may not be as accelerated as other accelerated nursing programs in SC, it does offer plenty of options for students and nurses alike. Enter as a student and earn your BSN, or for existing nurses, pursue further education and earn your Master’s degree. There is also the option for students to get their Master’s degree, so they can go on to be nurse educators.
To earn a degree as an RN, students must first accumulate 59 credits in the lower-level course work. This coursework includes nursing-specific courses as well as a selection of general study courses. Once completed, students must earn an additional 61 credits in upper-level courses. Coursework will be a combination of theoretical and hands-on practice to ensure students are well-rounded and able to practice medicine following successful graduation.
- Application Requirements: Application, Application Fee, High School Diploma, High School Transcripts, ACT or SAT Test Scores
School Overview
Clemson University
As one of the best-accelerated nursing programs in SC, Clemson University offers students the opportunity to earn their BSN in 16 months. This program remains incredibly small, with just 32 students admitted each semester. This small enrollment size ensures that class sizes remain small, giving students the best opportunity for one-on-one learning in a collaborative and approachable environment.
The coursework is a mix of general education requirements as well as nursing-specific courses. Students must learn both theoretical nursing skills and hands-on clinical skills, including laboratory practice. The degree will not only teach students the knowledge needed to be a nurse but will also teach students how to effectively communicate, work with a variety of technical skills, and have the critical thinking skills necessary to make quick yet safe decisions as they related to their patients. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in nursing-related coursework to successfully graduate from this intense and competitive program.
- Application Requirements: Application, Application Fee, High School Diploma, Official High School Transcripts, ACT Test Scores,
School Overview
Methodology
To determine the top accelerated nursing programs in SC, we devised a point system to rate the available schools. Universities and colleges were based on two metrics. The first metric used was the cost of tuition based on a per-credit basis. In all cases, the out-of-state tuition cost was used. If a school’s tuition was given as a yearly tuition rate, the price was divided in half, assuming two semesters, and further divided by 12, assuming 12 credits in one semester. The school with the lowest tuition rate per credit was given the most amount of points and the most favorable ranking.
The second scoring metric that was used to rank the top accelerated nursing programs in SC was the total enrollment size. Schools with a smaller enrollment size were given the most points, thus earning the most favorable ranking. It was assumed that schools with fewer students had a better student to professor ratio, giving students more one on one attention. The total points earned for the tuition ranking and the enrollment ranking were added together. The school with the most amount of points was given the highest ranking on our list of the best accelerated nursing programs in SC.
If your school has been included on our list of accelerated nursing programs in SC, we would love to hear from you. We understand that information is continually changing as it relates to schools and their programs. If you notice that our data is incorrect or out of date, just let us know. We are happy to update our website to provide prospective students with the most up to date and accurate information. We understand just how big of a choice you are making when it comes to choosing a top nursing school, and we will do everything in our power to give you the information that you need.
