Alabama State University College of Health Sciences

If you came here looking for an Alabama State University nursing program, here is the honest answer: there isn't one. ASU does not run a BSN, ADN, RN-to-BSN, MSN, or DNP. The university is not on the Alabama Board of Nursing's approved programs list and does not appear in the state's NCLEX pass-rate report. Black students set on becoming RNs in Montgomery typically look at Auburn University at Montgomery, Troy University, the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa or Birmingham, the University of South Alabama, or Wallace Community College Selma for an ADN bridge. Alabama State University remains a strong HBCU option, but for different health careers.

What ASU does run, and runs well, is the College of Health Sciences inside the John L. Buskey Health Science Building on the Montgomery campus. The college houses five departments: Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Health Information Management, and Rehabilitation Studies. Dean Dr. Charlene Portee leads the college. The mission statement is explicit about preparing graduates who serve medically underserved communities and work to close health disparities, which is consistent with the broader ASU identity as an HBCU founded in 1867 by nine formerly enslaved organizers known as the Marion Nine.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy is the flagship. It is a three-year, nine-semester clinical doctorate with 34 weeks of full-time clinical rotations across four placements. The program has been continuously accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) since April 2002, with reaffirmation in 2018. ASU advertises a 95.8 percent graduation rate for its most recent DPT cohort. It is one of a very small number of HBCU-based DPT programs in the United States, which matters because the physical therapy profession is one of the least racially diverse in health care. Recent graduates have placed at Baptist Health in Montgomery, the University of Alabama Medical Center in Birmingham, the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, the Atlanta Falcons organization, and a mix of outpatient orthopedic clinics, school systems, and skilled nursing facilities. Applications go through PTCAS. The DPT office is reachable at 334-229-4709 or asupt@alasu.edu.

The Occupational Therapy department offers a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). The program runs seven semesters: five semesters of coursework followed by two semesters of Level II fieldwork totaling 24 weeks. Cohorts are capped at 24 students. Fieldwork sites span hospitals, outpatient clinics, schools, psychiatric facilities, and skilled nursing. ASU has also moved an entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) into ACOTE Candidacy Status, with the formal preaccreditation site visit scheduled for October and November 2026. Prospective OT students should confirm with the department which credential, MSOT or OTD, will be admitting new cohorts for their target year.

The Prosthetics and Orthotics (MSPO) program is one of fewer than 15 accredited P and O master's programs in the country and the only one at an HBCU. Graduates work as certified prosthetists and orthotists fitting and fabricating devices for patients with limb loss, spinal conditions, and orthopedic injuries. The Health Information Management bachelor's program prepares students for the RHIA certification and roles in clinical documentation, coding, and health informatics. The Rehabilitation Studies department offers both a BS in Rehabilitation Studies and a Master of Rehabilitation Counseling for students moving into vocational rehabilitation, addictions counseling, and disability services.

Cost matters and ASU is intentionally affordable. For 2024-2025, undergraduate tuition and fees are $11,068 in-state and $19,936 out-of-state. Graduate tuition and fees are $12,628 in-state and $22,516 out-of-state. The published full cost of attendance for an on-campus undergraduate is $23,568 in-state and $32,436 out-of-state, including room, board, books, and transportation. Graduate on-campus COA is $26,442 in-state and $36,330 out-of-state. The DPT program markets itself as the most affordable physical therapy doctorate in its peer set, which is consequential given that PT students nationally graduate with median debt above $100,000.

Undergraduate admissions deadlines are May 10 for Summer, July 30 for Fall, and November 15 for Spring. The undergraduate admissions office is at admissions@alasu.edu and 334-229-4291, with offices in the Hardy Center on the Montgomery campus. Graduate health-sciences programs each have their own deadlines and most use centralized application services (PTCAS for DPT, OTCAS for OT). Contact the College of Health Sciences directly at 334-229-5053 or asucohs@alasu.edu for current cycle dates.

Student support beyond academics matters more at the graduate health sciences level than most prospective students realize. ASU's student affairs infrastructure includes TRIO and Student Support Services, the Counseling and Student Development Center, career services, and academic tutoring. The cultural context, an HBCU founded in the cradle of the modern civil rights movement, with a College of Health Sciences whose stated purpose is producing clinicians who serve underrepresented communities, is the actual differentiator. Black students choosing ASU choose a setting where their identity is the default, not the exception, and where the curriculum is built around the patient populations they intend to serve.

Bottom line for Black students researching nursing in Alabama: ASU is not the school for an RN credential. ASU is the school for a Black-led, mission-driven path into physical therapy, occupational therapy, prosthetics and orthotics, or health information management, at a cost structure that does not require a six-figure loan to enter the profession.