Nursing requires more than clinical skill. It calls for compassion, confidence, and the ability to care for the whole person. At CCU's School of Nursing and Health Professions, you'll develop the knowledge and hands-on skills to serve others with excellence while learning in an environment where faith is woven into your education.
CCU is one of the few Christian universities in the Rocky Mountain region offering a full range of nursing programs. Whether you're preparing to become a nurse, advancing your education as a licensed RN, or pursuing the highest level of nursing practice, you'll find a pathway designed to meet you where you are and prepare you for where you want to go.
Nursing Programs
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing and the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Colorado Christian University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Colorado Christian University participates in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement and provides professional licensure disclosures to aid in determining state requirements.
Impact the world with grace and truth at a university that values Christ-centered education. As one of the nation’s top institutions of higher education, CCU is here to guide, assist, and advocate for your future.
Colorado Christian University's Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a 120-credit-hour degree taught at CCU's campus near Denver, Colorado, with two pathways into the same nursing degree.
The Traditional Student Pathway fits recent high school graduates and transfer students who want a Christ-centered college experience. The Adult Student Pathway is built for adult learners returning to school with post-high school work experience.
CCU's online RN to BSN program provides an opportunity for licensed RNs with an associate degree in nursing to finish their bachelor's in as little as 13 months. Transfer up to 90 credits toward the 120-credit-hour BSN and complete just 10 courses, all 100% online. Courses run in accelerated five-week terms at a guaranteed undergraduate tuition rate, so you can keep working while you finish.
Many larger hospital systems prefer or require a bachelor's, and this is the fastest route if you are already practicing. Explore CCU’s RN to BSN program and see how quickly you can earn your degree.
CCU's online BSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is the terminal degree in clinical nursing practice, built for nurses who already hold a BSN. You develop advanced expertise in evidence-based practice, healthcare innovation, and organizational leadership, and translate research into improved patient outcomes.
BSN to DNP tracks include Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, and Nurse Educator. CCU also offers an MSN to DNP in Transformational Leadership.
With more than 30 years of clinical and academic experience, Dr. Lepianka is dedicated to advancing women’s and children’s health and serving vulnerable populations. Her forensic nursing training equips her to care for victims of violence across the lifespan. Her research and volunteer work focus on women affected by human trafficking, substance use disorders, homelessness, and violence. A Jonas Scholar and published author, she is passionate about Christian education and student growth.
CCU’s state-of-the-art Nursing Simulation Center provides hands-on training in realistic clinical settings.
All courses are taught with a Christian worldview. This means you will be equipped to make a positive impact in the world.
CCU’s unique online and course schedule format make it possible for you to juggle life, work, and family all while earning your degree.
With competitive tuition rates, scholarships, and discount opportunities, it’s possible to earn your degree without breaking the bank.
From your first class to graduation, you'll have a personal support team invested in your success.
Our military enrollment specialists help veterans, service members, and spouses maximize their education benefits.
Whether you have questions about CCU's accreditation, hybrid or dual degree options, or financial aid, we're here to help. For additional questions, please contact an enrollment counselor.
CCU's School of Nursing and Health Professions offers nursing students programs at three levels. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing is available through a traditional pathway on the Lakewood campus near Denver for students entering from high school or transferring early, and through an adult pathway for students returning to school later.
For nurses already practicing, the RN to BSN completion track is designed for licensed registered nurses who hold an associate degree and want to finish the bachelor's degree online while continuing to work. At the doctoral level, CCU offers special tracks with the BSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice program. Choose from Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, or Nurse Educator, each paired with transformational leadership coursework.
Yes. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing and the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Colorado Christian University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. CCU's School of Nursing and Health Professions has held CCNE accreditation for its baccalaureate program since 2010, and the current accreditation term runs through December 2032.
Accreditation matters for reasons beyond reputation. It affects your eligibility to sit for licensure examinations, how your credits transfer, and how graduate programs evaluate your application later. Not all nursing schools hold CCNE accreditation, so it is worth confirming wherever you apply. Graduation from an approved program is mandatory to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-RN)
Most people comparing Colorado nursing schools are really comparing entry points, so start from where you are now. If you are finishing high school or transferring early in your college career, the traditional BSN pathway is built for you, and it puts you on campus near Denver with the clinical rotations that come with it. If you finished high school some time ago and are coming back to school, the adult BSN pathway covers the same degree with prerequisites available online.
If you already hold an associate degree and an active RN license, the RN to BSN track is an efficient route for advancing your nursing career because it is designed around a working schedule. If you already hold a BSN and want to practice at the highest clinical level, look at the BSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice options. An enrollment counselor can help you compare them honestly.
The clinical content of an accredited nursing program is largely set by the profession, so the pharmacology and pathophysiology you study at CCU cover the same ground they would anywhere. The difference is the framework around them. At a Christian nursing school, the question of why a patient matters is treated as part of the curriculum rather than something you work out on your own in other health care settings.
In practice, that shows up in how ethics, end-of-life care, and patient dignity are taught, and in a community where faith is a shared starting point rather than a private matter. For people who came to nursing through a sense of calling, that alignment is often the reason they chose a faith-based nursing school over a larger state institution.
Yes, and it is the pathway that the CCU education program is built around. The Doctor of Nursing Practice tracks admit students who hold a BSN, so you can move from your bachelor's degree to the terminal practice degree in nursing inside the same school, without transferring institutions or re-establishing yourself somewhere new.
Knowing the ladder exists changes how you think about the bachelor's degree. You are not choosing between becoming a nurse now and practicing at an advanced level later. You are choosing the first stage of a route CCU already runs end to end. Admission to a BSN to DNP track is a separate application with its own requirements, and it is a decision you make once you have practiced.
A nursing degree prepares you to practice as a registered nurse across a wide range of settings, including hospital acute care, community health, pediatrics, oncology, emergency departments, school health, and home healthcare. Many employers, particularly larger hospital systems, prefer or require a bachelor's degree, which is part of why the BSN has become the common entry point into the profession no matter what program outcome you are looking for.
The field itself is well documented. Registered nurses earned a median annual wage of $93,600 in May 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That figure describes the occupation nationally rather than any individual outcome, but it gives you and your family a grounded reference point when you weigh the cost of the degree against the career it opens in the nursing profession.
Start by connecting with an Enrollment Counselor. They can identify which pathway fits your situation, walk through prerequisites and transfer credit, and explain financial aid options. Those are the practical questions worth raising in the first conversation rather than later.
Bring what you already have. If you hold college credit, an associate degree, or an active RN nursing license, say so early, because it changes which pathway makes sense and how much of your prior work carries across. If you are still deciding between nursing and another health profession, say that too. The School of Nursing and Health Professions sits alongside CCU's other health sciences programs, and an Enrollment Counselor can help you compare them.
