Bryan College of Health Sciences

About Bryan College of Health Sciences

Bryan College of Health Sciences is a specialized institution rather than a comprehensive liberal-arts university. Its mission and academic structure are directed toward preparing healthcare professionals through academic study, experiential learning and collaboration with Bryan Health and the wider healthcare community. The college’s roots are in the Bryan School of Nursing, established alongside Bryan Memorial Hospital in 1926. Nebraska approved the school as a degree-granting institution in 2001, when it moved from diploma nursing education toward baccalaureate study. The college remains institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which reaffirmed its accreditation in April 2024. Its catalogs identify associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral awards, as well as certificates. This combination makes Bryan relevant both to students beginning their first health-sciences degree and to working clinicians seeking advanced education. The primary Lincoln instructional location is integrated into Bryan Medical Center’s East Campus, while the college also uses facilities at Bryan West. A separate Hastings location operates within a medical office building at Mary Lanning Healthcare. The healthcare-campus model shapes the experience: facilities and curricula emphasize simulation, laboratory work, clinical preparation and professional practice. Prospective students should nevertheless evaluate each program independently. Entry standards, delivery formats, clinical placements, accreditation and licensure pathways vary by field, and admission to a general health-sciences pathway does not automatically secure entry to a selective professional program.

Undergraduate applications are reviewed on a rolling basis during the academic year. The current catalog states that applications open August 15 and close August 1 of the following year, but students should apply well before their intended start because capacity in clinical programs can be limited. Official transcripts from every institution attended are required for a complete application. Requirements differ substantially by program. The traditional BSN lists a minimum 2.75 high-school GPA and a 2.75 combined mathematics and science GPA; transfer applicants to that pathway need minimum 2.5 cumulative and math/science college GPAs. The accelerated BSN requires a completed bachelor’s degree or at least six full-time college semesters, minimum 3.0 cumulative and math/science college GPAs, and prerequisite grades of C+ or higher. Healthcare Studies and the Associate of Science in Health Professions list a 2.75 high-school GPA or a 2.5 transfer GPA. Meeting these thresholds does not guarantee placement, and entry through an associate or healthcare-studies route does not guarantee later admission to nursing, sonography or another baccalaureate program. Applicants whose first language is not English generally must submit TOEFL results of at least 550 on the paper-based test or 79 on the internet-based test. The catalog describes exemptions for applicants educated at an accredited US institution or at an overseas institution where English is the official instructional language. Graduate applicants should consult the separate requirements for their chosen MSN, DNAP, EdD or certificate program.

Bryan’s academic portfolio is concentrated in health and healthcare-adjacent disciplines. The current undergraduate catalog includes nursing, sonography, biomedical sciences, healthcare studies and health-professions pathways. The Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Studies offers combinations involving biomedical sciences, healthcare management, public health and social sciences, along with pathways connected to nuclear medicine imaging science and medical laboratory science. Those partner pathways require separate admission by the receiving institution, so enrollment at Bryan does not guarantee progression into the external professional component. Graduate study includes the Master of Science in Nursing, Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice and Doctor of Education, along with graduate certificates. These are distinct professional pathways with their own prerequisites and policies. Applicants should use the applicable program page and graduate catalog rather than assuming that undergraduate admission rules carry over. Associate and bachelor’s students complete general education alongside their majors. The college’s general education framework covers natural sciences, social sciences, humanities and fine arts, mathematics, communication, and business or management. Applied learning is prominent. Lincoln facilities include natural-science laboratories, skills laboratories and simulation spaces with adult, birthing and pediatric patient simulators. Bryan also uses clinical and healthcare-community relationships as part of its experiential model. This is therefore a strong curricular fit primarily for students already interested in healthcare or biomedical study. It offers fewer reasons to enroll for unrelated majors, and the broad program list stored in the database should not be interpreted as a verified list of standalone Bryan degrees.

Key Highlights

• Institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, with accreditation reaffirmed in April 2024
• Originated as Bryan School of Nursing in 1926 and became degree-granting in 2001
• Offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral awards plus certificates
• Operates instructional locations in Lincoln and Hastings, Nebraska

Student Life & Environment

Student life at Bryan is organized around a small, professionally focused health-sciences community. Student Affairs encompasses academic support, counseling, financial aid guidance, student services, health and wellness, and campus-culture initiatives. Academic support includes early intervention and peer tutoring, while mentoring and professional-development activities are intended to help students connect their studies with expectations in healthcare settings. Students can participate in community service, student organizations, cultural and wellness programming, social activities and student governance. The Student Government Association acts as a link between students and the college. These opportunities provide a campus community, although the experience is likely to differ from that of a large residential university with extensive athletics or a broad array of non-health majors. Bryan does not provide conventional college-operated housing at its Lincoln location. Students generally arrange and pay for their own accommodation, although Lincoln students may be able to access room and board through Union Adventist University by contacting the dean of students. Hastings students follow the Hastings College on-campus housing policy. Students must also maintain health-insurance coverage, and health-program enrollment can involve immunization and other clinical-readiness requirements. Distance students receive support electronically, but available activities and services may differ from those experienced on site.

Location & Surroundings

Bryan’s main instructional location is at Bryan Medical Center East in Lincoln, Nebraska. The setting places classrooms, skills laboratories, simulation facilities, computing resources and a library within a working healthcare campus. The college also uses Bryan Medical Center West, approximately three miles away, for natural-science laboratories, classrooms, faculty offices and student space. A free shuttle connects the East and West sites on a scheduled basis. This dispersed medical-campus arrangement is important when planning transportation and daily routines. Students may move between academic rooms, laboratories and clinical environments rather than spending all their time on a self-contained residential campus. The official admissions address is 1535 South 52nd Street in Lincoln. Bryan also has an instructional location in Hastings on the third floor of a medical office building at Mary Lanning Healthcare. Applicants should confirm where their chosen program is delivered because facilities, housing arrangements and commuting needs are location-specific. Lincoln offers the services of Nebraska’s capital city, but the college itself remains a focused healthcare campus rather than a large traditional university district.

Costs & Career Outcomes

The current online undergraduate catalog lists tuition at $664 per credit hour. It also lists general fees of $300 per semester for enrollment in one to six credits and $750 for more than six credits in the covered undergraduate programs. Accepted undergraduate applicants pay a nonrefundable $175 enrollment fee. Books, living expenses and program-specific charges are excluded, so a realistic budget must account for more than tuition alone. Graduate tuition and additional professional-program costs are published separately and should not be inferred from undergraduate rates. Housing is another variable expense because Bryan generally requires students to arrange and pay for their own accommodation. Financial Aid Services advises students about funding methods and available resources. Prospective students should request a current, program-specific cost estimate and check the college’s net-price and financial-aid information before committing, particularly where clinical travel, uniforms, equipment, examinations or health requirements may add costs. Career preparation is embedded in the college’s healthcare focus through laboratory work, simulation, clinical education, mentoring and professional-development support. Some degrees are designed for direct healthcare practice, while biomedical and healthcare-studies routes may lead to further professional or graduate education. Programmatic accreditation, certification eligibility and state licensure should be checked for the exact occupation and jurisdiction. No sufficiently current official salary, placement-rate or employer-outcome figures were verified for this profile, so applicants should ask each program for recent completion, certification-exam and employment disclosures before comparing likely returns.