Nursing Programs in Florida How to Become a Nurse in Your State

Students pursuing JU's online RN-to-BSN program enjoy six annual start dates, flexible eight-week courses, and a fully asynchronous delivery format that requires no mandatory class sessions. The 120-credit degree includes a minimum of 30 credits of core nursing courses, along with electives covering topics such as global health promotion, holistic nursing, and palliative care strategies.

The program requires no campus visits, and JU permits nurses to complete professional practice projects locally, often at their place of employment. Offering part-time and full-time enrollment options, this flexible degree enables BSN candidates to earn their degree within 18 months.

Program applicants must possess a valid RN license along with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5. Active-duty service members, veterans, reservists, guardsmen, and their family members receive a 10% discount on online nursing tuition.

One of the top colleges for nursing in Florida, FAU hosts a highly flexible on-campus RN-to-BSN program that offers several completion options, enabling working nurses to complete their studies in 3-6 semesters, depending on course load.

Unlike many online nursing programs, FAU does not allow students to complete practicum experiences at their place of employment. Instead, candidates perform work at community sites that align with their professional interests, such as clinics, schools, community health facilities, and home healthcare agencies.

The college maintains a unique relationship with two Cherokee tribes in Oklahoma: the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Nation. Interested students can participate in FAU's transcultural practicum experience, gaining knowledge of Native American history and caregiving philosophies while building experience in health promotion. Students should note that the Oklahoma immersion experience requires participants to cover their own airfare and hotel accommodations.

Though based in Fort Lauderdale, NSU offers its BSN program online and at satellite campus locations around Florida, including Fort Myers and Miami. Students typically complete the 82-credit nursing curriculum in just over two years.

Enrollment in the program requires the completion of 39 credits of prerequisite courses, which include topics in nutrition, mathematics, physical sciences, and social sciences. The program's nursing courses cover general and specialized topics, such as anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, nursing research methodologies, and psychiatric/mental health nursing.

All candidates complete a six-credit practicum that combines program concepts with hands-on experience in an approved healthcare setting. These practicum experiences typically take place at hospitals near NSU's campus locations. The nursing curriculum prepares graduates for the industry-standard National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse.

Serving around 12,000 students from its campus in Pensacola, UWF hosts a substantial online learning program that includes an RN-to-BSN degree. Designed for working nurses with an RN diploma or associate degree, UWF's online program offers an interdisciplinary approach to healthcare, emphasizing social, cultural, ethical, and political perspectives on nursing along with technical practice.

The fully online program requires a minimum of 32 credits of nursing major courses, including gerontological nursing, health education in the community, and essentials of evidence-based nursing practice. Candidates also complete 16 credits of upper-division electives that build specialized nursing skills.

For qualified students with a strong professional nursing background, the school offers an accelerated RN-to-MSN pathway that enables candidates to pursue their master's degree without completing a bachelor's.

Located just outside of Miami in Coral Gables, UM ranks among the top colleges for nursing in Florida, offering one of the oldest baccalaureate nursing programs in the state. The school's on-campus RN-to-BSN program emphasizes practical healthcare training, with 30 credits dedicated to advanced practice placement.

Nursing students benefit from the program's relationships with several major medical facilities, including the University of Miami Hospital and Jackson Memorial, a 1,567-bed teaching hospital based in inner-city Miami. The school also offers unique opportunities for hands-on learning at its on-campus Simulation Hospital, a healthcare education facility that includes an outpatient clinic, an intensive care unit, an emergency department, and several operating rooms.

Simulating medical care as well as home care and palliative care environments, the Simulation Hospital uses medical actors, mannequins, and standardized patients to replicate common nursing scenarios, such as diagnostics, trauma treatment, and neonatal care.

Based in Orlando, UCF is one of the largest colleges in the country by campus enrollment, with a student body of more than 66,000. The school hosts a major distance education system, which offers some of the top programs for nursing in Florida.

UCF's online RN-to-BSN serves the needs of professional nurses, with flexible enrollment options that enable candidates to complete their studies in 3-10 semesters. Students can also complete some courses on campus, either at the UCF main campus or in Melbourne at the college's Health First Education Center.

The program requires 59 credits of nursing courses, including a 27-credit nursing core, a 29-credit upper-division section, and a three-credit nursing elective. Students planning to pursue a master's in nursing may complete up to nine credits of graduate nursing courses as part of the BSN.

A public college in Jacksonville, UNF serves more than 16,000 students through on-campus and distance programs, with an RN-to-BSN bridge pathway available in either format. Both programs offer flexibility for working students, with on-campus courses typically held just once a week.

Students explore general and specialized topics through a variety of campus, online, and hybrid course offerings, including perspectives in chronicity, women's health and pediatric nursing, and socialization to professional nursing. Students must complete professional practicum hours at health agencies in the Jacksonville area or within their own community. Nurses often fulfill this requirement by working in clinics, home care agencies, homeless shelters, and hospital outreach programs.

Both tracks take approximately one year to complete. The online track accepts registered nurses nationwide, while the on-campus track only accepts nurses from Florida. Professional RN experience is not required for applicants to the online track.

A small Christian college based in West Palm Beach, PBA primarily focuses on liberal arts education, but the school also offers a variety of professional programs, including a fully online RN-to-BSN.

Designed for working nurses, the program features full-time and part-time enrollment options and three yearly start dates in the fall, spring, and summer. The school requires candidates to complete 31 nursing credits along with general education requirements that cover biblical and academic topics. The BSN curriculum seamlessly transitions into PBA's master's and doctoral nursing degrees; students with a 3.5 GPA or higher receive guaranteed entry to the school's graduate nursing programs.

While the online track enables students to complete coursework without visiting campus, admission to the program is only open to nurses with a Florida RN license. State residents may qualify for up to $3,000 in financial aid.

A major public research college based in Tampa, USF serves more than 50,000 students, offering one of the top online programs for nursing in Florida. The school's online RN-to-BSN features three focus areas: clinical excellence, patient/staff education, and leadership management.

The curriculum includes 30 major credits, with 15 credits of core nursing courses, six credits of focus courses, and nine credits of nursing electives. As part of the core curriculum, USF requires candidates to complete one practicum course, which most students perform at their place of employment.

Typically including an organizational culture assessment and an evidence-based patient education project, the practicum builds professional experience but does not require students to work with patients directly. Part-time students typically complete the nursing program in five semesters, while full-time students complete the program in three.

A Christian liberal arts college affiliated with the Assemblies of God, SEU serves around 7,000 students from its campus in Lakeland. The school's RN-to-BSN offers flexibility for working nurses, with multiple enrollment options that enable students to work at their own pace.

With a focus on patient safety principles, clinical prevention, and quality improvement, the program gives nurses the opportunity to improve their leadership and integrated research skills, developing their professional practice and improving their job prospects.

The nursing major requires 30 hours of core courses and covers topics including health assessment, nursing history, and community population health. All students must complete nine credits of religion courses that explore ethics, faith integration, and Christian theology. The school offers support for nursing students, including tutoring services, library resources, and academic success coaching.