Nursing - Bachelor of Science (BSN)

Four-Year BSN Option
Offered on our Philadelphia and Lancaster campuses, students gain invaluable nursing experience through our four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. For Lancaster-based students, hone your skills by pairing the knowledge you obtain in the classroom with hyper-realistic simulation experiences at our Center for Excellence in Practice. For students in Philadelphia, we offer a nursing facility at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). Located only a few blocks away from our Philadelphia campus, PCOM’s 11,000 sq. ft. facility provides state-of-the-art skill labs, virtual reality simulation experiences, high fidelity manikins and standardized simulations with patient actors.

Accelerated Three-Year BSN Option
Saint Joseph’s University is the only school in the area that offers an accelerated three-year BSN program. Offered only in Lancaster, the three-year BSN track is designed for highly qualified students seeking a faster path to a career in nursing. This concept-based curriculum offers a combination of classroom work and immersive experiences in simulation, clinical and service learning that is challenging and rewarding in our state of the art Center for Excellence in Practice.

RN to BSN Option
Offered only in Lancaster, our RN to BSN program is designed for individuals who currently have an RN license and an associate or diploma in nursing and seek to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Offered 100% online, the RN to BSN program utilizes an accelerated learning model that meets the needs of practicing nurses who have work, family or other commitments.

Students in the RN to BSN program complete 30 clinical hours as a service-learning project. These hours are completed at a community agency of the student’s choice. During this time, students apply academic knowledge to address the needs of the community.

This program is structured to be completed in 22 months; however, the exact length of time for the program is dependent upon students’ goals and previous college experience.* For the practicing nurse, we provide courses that build upon existing professional expertise and provide additional opportunities for personal and professional growth. You will learn about the theory behind nursing and will study current research as well as ethical dilemmas in healthcare.

*Customized scheduling is also available to meet the needs of individual students.

Whether you choose to pursue the accelerated three-year or the four-year BSN program, you are placed on track for clinical placements at some of Pennsylvania’s leading healthcare organizations. We have over 200 partnerships with nursing and health-related facilities, including community health organizations, long-term care facilities, school districts, hospice care and more. 

Through both the three-year and four-year BSN programs, you will have the opportunity to experience working in clinical settings, helping transfer knowledge and skills from the classroom to in-person patient experiences. The four-year BSN track in Philadelphia and Lancaster does not offer clinical courses during the first year, which allows for a reduced credit load load. Through the three-year BSN, you are guaranteed clinical placements at premier locations in Pennsylvania within your first year.

Our Clinical Partnerships

Saint Joseph's partnerships available to four-year BSN students on our Philadelphia campus include:

• Main Line Health System
• Penn Medicine

Penn Medicine reserves a minimum of 80 nursing clinical rotation placements in the Philadelphia metropolitan area exclusively for Saint Joseph’s students. Penn Medicine brings together the strengths of a world-renowned, academic medical center and a nationally recognized community healthcare system. The clinical component of our BSN program will set you on a path for placement in one of the region’s leading healthcare facilities, with hands-on clinical experiences and high-tech simulation-based learning. 

Saint Joseph's partnerships available to four-year and three-year BSN students on our Lancaster campus include:

• Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital
• Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Lancaster and Reading, PA (at Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center)
• UPMC in Harrisburg and York, PA
• WellSpan Health in York, Ephrata, Lebanon and Philhaven, PA
• Lebanon VA Medical Center

Saint Joseph's nursing faculty are experts in their fields, bringing theory, practice and relevance to the classroom. Our small, dynamic classes allow for discussion, reflection and collaboration.

View required courses for this program in the academic catalog. Please contact us if you have any questions about the program curriculum.

Saint Joseph's University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing tuition structure includes both per-credit tuition and program-specific fees.

PER-CREDIT TUITION FOR THE THREE-YEAR BSN:

The cost of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing is $683 per credit for the 2024-2025 academic year.

PROGRAM-SPECIFIC FEES FOR THE THREE-YEAR BSN:

In addition to the per-credit rate, there are also program-specific fees for the following courses*:

When a student enrolls in the following courses, they will be responsible for paying a fee of $2,825 per course:

• NUR 170
• NUR 271
• NUR 275
• NUR 295
• NUR 355 
• NUR 405

PER-CREDIT TUITION FOR THE FOUR-YEAR BSN:

The cost of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing is $670 per credit for the 2023-2024 academic year.

PROGRAM-SPECIFIC FEES FOR THE FOUR-YEAR BSN:

In addition to the per-credit rate, there are also program-specific fees for the following courses:

When a student enrolls in the following courses, they will be responsible for paying a fee of $2,825 per course:

• NUR 170 
• NUR 271 
• NUR 275 
• NUR 295 
• NUR 355 
• NUR 405

Pricing does not include room and board, health insurance or any professional, clinical or transportation fees. Visit our tuition & fees page or contact us for more information.

Financial aid may be available to you to help offset the cost of your degree. Explore your options on our financial aid website.

Saint Joseph's is a Yellow Ribbon School that accepts GI education benefits. Our Office of Veterans Services can help you access and understand your benefits.

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at the Saint Joseph’s University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. 

A BSN, which stands for Bachelor of Science in Nursing, is an undergraduate-level degree that introduces nurses to topics such as patient care technology, research, health promotion, safety and quality within the healthcare system.

The 2022-2023 NCLEX Total Pass Rate for Saint Joseph’s University’s program is 97.62%, the highest among any nursing program in Pennsylvania.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, registered nurses earn a median annual salary of $86,070 and nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners earn a median annual salary of $125,900.