Apparatuses and methods for adapting unfinished lighting fixture rough-ins to receive a lighting module, such as an incandescent light bulb or a light-emitting diode (LED) lighting device, are disclosed. According to one aspect, a universal adapter is provided that can be inserted into an existing lighting fixture rough-in, secured in place, and electrically connected to the lighting fixture rough-in. In this way, the adapter stands in place of the finishing section typically used in current lighting fixture designs. As a result, the adapter can modify an unfinished lighting fixture so that it can be used with a variety of lighting elements beyond those designed to be used with the specific configuration of the lighting fixture rough-in.