Adelphi University Nursing School Review

Adelphi University (AU, AdelphiU) started as a small private preparatory school in 1863. 30 years down the line, Adelphi preparatory school head found it important to establish a liberal arts college in the Brooklyn region. As such, Adelphi College; a woman’s college came into being in 1893. The two institutions remained intact but each operated independently.  The college separated from the preparatory academy and relocated to Garden City in Long Island. By 1946, the college had had tremendous growth and opened its doors for men. It was granted university status in 1963 as a private co-ed center of higher learning.

Nursing Programs at Adelphi University

The School of Nursing at Adelphi University offers 3 Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degree tracks, 3 Master of Science in Nursing options and a PhD in nursing degree program. There is also a special Master of Public Health degree program designed for nurses. Besides the major degree programs, Adelphi University also offers a number of Continuing Education courses and Registered Nurses (RN) refresher courses. All the degree programs are approved by the New York State Board of Education and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Undergraduate Programs

As mentioned earlier, the school of nursing at Adelphi has 3 tracks leading to the Bachelor of Science in nursing:

BS in Nursing

This traditional nursing program is designed for recent high school graduates or transfer students of a pre-nursing program. The program has a curriculum designed to be covered in 4-academic years on a full time basis. Student takes general education and nursing courses in preparation for the NCLEX-RN exam so as to become registered nurses.

30 general education credits are covered during the freshman year. Starting from the sophomore going forward, all but one are nursing courses totaling to 94 credits. Those admitted as freshmen take their courses on a full time basis while transfer students have the option of a part time plan. Successful completion of the 124 credits for the generic degree enables students to take the NLCEX-RN exam for initial licensure as registered nurses.

RN to BS Program

This program; referred to as ASCEND at Adelphi, is designed for registered nurses who wish to advance and complete BSN degree. The curriculum for this track builds on prior nursing experience and focuses on deepening nursing expertise for the RN. It can be completed on a flexible study plan and is therefore suitable for the working RN. RN who are graduates of an Associate of Science in nursing program are exempted from taking all general education courses unlike those of Associate of Applied Science in nursing programs. On a further note, those who have graduated from a diploma program must take 24 credits from Excelsior College to be eligible for advanced standing.

Students take a mandatory 30 upper division nursing courses while the lower division and general education courses may be validated for advanced standing.  Courses are taken on a full time format of one day per week schedules; hence suitable for the busy RN. Completion all requirements lead to the award of a BSN degree.

BS in Nursing Second Degree Program

This program also referred to as Professional Acceleration to Healthcare (PATH) at Adelphi University is designed for career shifters wishing to enter professional nurses. Candidates must be graduates of an accredited bachelor program other than nursing. Students who have completed all pre-requisite courses for the BSN take 14 months to complete of the upper division BSN courses.

Students of the PATH program are admitted as cohort and progress as so for the entire period of study. Since the program has intensive curriculum coverage mode, students are advised to give-up any employment prior to starting on the program.  Courses commence on a summer semester and progress for another 4 semesters including a winter and 2nd summer session. 62 credits are required for students to graduate with a BSN degree and gain eligibility to write the NCLEX-RN exam.

Master of Science in Nursing

Adelphi offers 3 Master of Science in nursing tracks and a special master of science in public health program. For the latter, candidates need not be registered nurses to be allowed to apply. The MSN tracks requires BSN prepared students or registered nurses with a non-nursing baccalaureate degree. All applicants must hold or be eligible for RN licensure in the state of New York and must have at least 2 years working experience a registered nurses.

However, RNs without a nursing baccalaureate degree must expect to take a number of undergraduate BSN courses before being allowed to take any MSN courses. Candidates who do not meet all MSN admission requirements may still be admitted at the discretion of the program director. Such candidates retain the status of Provisional Admission until they complete at least MSN credits to be recognized for regular admission. Each MSN track has 15 core courses and varying specialty course depending on the track chosen. The 3 tracks are:

  • Master of Science: Adult Health Nurse Practitioner
  • Master of Science: Nursing Education
  • Master of Science: Nursing Administration

For the Master of Science in Public Health MPH, students need to apply through the school of nursing but do not require a nursing degree to be accepted. The program is open to nurses and non-nurse candidates and offers a broad interdisciplinary approach to improving public health.

PhD in Nursing

The Doctor of Philosophy in nursing terminal degree is designed for MSN prepared candidates who wish to become nurse scholars. Adelphi University offers students the options of taking the curriculum requirements for this program on either a full time or part time basis. Students are admitted every fall semester in cohorts and proceed as such to the end. At least 54 credits of nursing and research courses are required to graduate.

Professional Development and Lifelong Learning (Continuing Education)

Adelphi University offers registered nurses a refresher course for those intending to get back to nursing practice after dormancy. There are also other continuing education courses on various topics designed for nurses as outlined below:

  • RN Refresher course
  • AHA Basic Life Support Certification (CPR)
  • AHA Basic Life Support
  • PICC (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) course
  • IV Training
  • Infection Control
  • Wound Care

All the above courses are offered on a face-to-face format at the 3 campuses of Adelphi University: Manhattan, Hauppauge and Garden City. RN should check for course offering dates regularly.

Contact:
Adelphi University
1 South Avenue, Garden City
NY 11530