Master of Science in Family Nurse Practitioner
Provide Compassionate Primary Care to People of All Ages
Personal Support and Small Class Sizes
100% Online Coursework
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Complete the form to learn more about this program.
- Duration 8 semesters
- Cost per Credit $850
- Credit Hours 48
Program Benefits
- Prepare for FNP certification through the ANCC or the AANP
- Participate in a three-day immersion experience
- Complete 775 practicum hours across three courses
Immersive, Hands-On Learning
Become your patients’ first point of contact for all their health care needs with the online Master of Science Family Nurse Practitioner program.
This MS FNP degree supports preparation for the Family Nurse Practitioner certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners National Certification Board (AANP).
Our MS FNP program includes an in-person, three-day immersion experience hosted at Utica University in New York. In a simulated clinical setting using actual hospital equipment, you’ll gain hands-on experience with suturing, orthopedic splinting, gender examination, X-ray interpretation, and other essential everyday skills.
Next, across three courses, complete 775 practicum hours focused on preventing health problems, caring for child-bearing individuals, and treating asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic illnesses. You can apply this experience toward the 1,000 practicum hours required for the family nurse practitioner certification.
You will encounter hiccups and bumps along your journey. Fear not, you can and will navigate what comes before you. Stay focused on your end goal.
– Charles Eaton
Career Outlook: Fill the Primary Care Shortage
By 2034, communities nationwide could experience a shortage of 37,800 to 124,000 physicians, including shortfalls in primary and specialty care.1
At the same time, more than 25 states and Washington, D.C. now permit FNPs to practice without physician supervision.2 This allows you to fill the primary care shortage by building your practice and providing compassionate care to the people who need it most.
The average salary for nurse practitioners and other advanced practice nursing positions is $123,780, with 45% job growth projected through 2030.3 This growth is driven by baby boomers living longer, more active lives.3
Jobs and Income
Curriculum: Skills to Build an Autonomous Practice
You’ll begin the FNP degree with core courses in nursing leadership, health care quality improvement, and more.
Next, you’ll build your skills in primary care, including leading nursing teams, preventing the spread of disease, public health and epidemiology, and treating acute injuries and chronic illness.
Each course required by the FNP degree is designed to fit the life of a busy working nurse, so you never need to worry about missing a class if you pick up a shift or your schedule changes.
Explore CoursesAccreditation
The baccalaureate degree programs in nursing at Utica University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
The master’s degree program in nursing and the post-graduate APRN certificate program at Utica University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Program Outcomes
The MSN – Family Nurse Practitioner program prepares you to:
- Integrate contemporary nursing knowledge as well as knowledge from other disciplines within the advanced nursing practice specialty within a variety of settings.
- Manage evidence-based person-centered care that is holistic, individualized, just, respectful, compassionate, coordinated, and developmentally appropriate within the advanced nursing practice specialties.
- Collaborate with communities, public health, government entities, and others to facilitate health equity from prevention to disease management and influence social justice for the improvement of population health outcomes.
- Synthesize and disseminate nursing science to inform and support transformative health care.
- Develop and lead safety initiatives to enhance quality and minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
- Lead interprofessional collaboration efforts across professions and with care team members, patients, families, and communities, to optimize care, enhance the healthcare experience, and improve outcomes.
- Lead initiatives to effectively use resources and provide cost-effective, safe, quality, and equitable care across diverse populations within complex systems.
- Analyze and evaluate data to lead decision making and deliver safe, high-quality, and efficient healthcare services in accordance with best practice and professional and regulatory standards.
- Model a sustainable professional identity that includes accountability, integrity, perspective, collaborative disposition, respect for others, inclusivity, and ethical comportment that reflect characteristics and values of the advanced nursing practice specialty.
- Use self-reflection to mentor and lead activities that foster personal health, resilience, and well-being, contribute to lifelong learning, and support the development of nursing expertise and leadership qualities.
Admission Requirements
Advancing your nursing education and earning a degree with Utica University is simple. Students with a history of volunteer work, excellent communication skills, and previous publications and presentations are encouraged to apply.
Admissions requirements for the graduate nursing program include:
- Completed application
- Unencumbered RN license in the state in which you reside (New York or Florida)
- Bachelor’s degree in nursing from an accredited nursing program
- 3.0 minimum GPA
- 2,000 hours of work experience as a registered nurse in the United States, verified by an HR department
- Two letters of recommendation from a current nursing colleague or professional licensed as an RN, physician, or nurse practitioner
- 3-credit statistics course*
- Baccalaureate-level health assessment course with an observed laboratory*
- Résumé
- 500 Word Statement
*Applicants with a B- or lower grade in health assessment will be required to complete a 3-credit course prior to starting the program. Applicants with a B- or lower grade in statistics will be provided the option of completing a self-study module and accompanying exam.
Note: A background check and fingerprints are required at the time of clinical courses.
Get StartedTuition and Financial Aid
Our FNP degree costs $850 per credit hour, with 48 total credits. Utica University is dedicated to making an advanced education accessible and affordable and offers many avenues for financial aid.
Learn MoreFaculty
At Utica University, you’ll work directly with faculty who have years of combined healthcare and nursing education experience. They’ll ensure you’re well prepared to serve as an FNP by sharing their learning from real-world practice.
Utica nursing faculty bring decades of experience in nursing education, research, and practice.
Janice Ceccucci, DNP, FNP-BC
Director of Graduate Nursing Programs (MS, FNP)
Janice Ceccucci, DNP, FNP-BC, Assistant Professor of Nursing in the School of Health Professions and Education, completed her bachelor of nursing and master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner from SUNY Polytechnic Institute in an accelerated program. She earned her doctor of nursing practice at Upstate Medical University.
Janice brings with her more than 15 years of experience in nursing and emergency medicine, including forensic nursing for victims of sexual assault. She has also practiced in primary care and tele-health services.
Elizabeth Spooner Dunn, FNP-BC
Professor of Practice, Nurse Practitioner Program Coordinator
Elizabeth received her Master of Science in Family Nurse Practitioner from SUNY Institute of Technology, her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Russell Sage College, and her Associate of Arts and Science in Practical Nursing from Northwest Technical College. Prior to being hired to her current position, Elizabeth taught multiple clinical sections as an adjunct in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Utica College.
Frequently Asked Questions
Advancing your life and career with an online degree comes with many questions, and we want to ensure your search for answers is effortless. If you have a question we haven’t covered, call (866) 295-3106 to speak with an enrollment counselor.
Interested in our state authorizations? To learn about state authorizations, click here.
With the Family Nurse Practitioner program, you can earn a Master of Science in Nursing degree in as few as 20 months. Plus, you may transfer up to nine credits from a regionally accredited institution to complete this program ahead of schedule. Review additional curriculum details on the courses page.
The online Family Nurse Practitioner program’s cost per credit hour is $825. The program includes 48 credits, and the total estimated tuition is $39,600. To help eligible students reduce their costs, Utica University accepts up to nine credits to this program. Learn more by visiting the tuition page.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Utica University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
The master’s degree program in nursing and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Utica University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
Before you apply, you will need 2,000 hours of work experience as a registered nurse in the United States, verified by an HR department. Two letters of recommendation from a current nursing colleague or professional licensed as an RN, physician, or nurse practitioner are required.
To apply to the online Family Nurse Practitioner program, you will need to:
- Submit an online application and pay the $50 application fee.
- Have a bachelor’s degree in nursing from an accredited nursing program.
- Have at least a 3.0 GPA. Applicants with a GPA below the minimum may be admitted at the department’s discretion. A GPA letter will be required.
- 2,000 hours of work experience as a registered nurse in the United States, verified by an HR department
- Two letters of recommendation from a current nursing colleague or professional licensed as an RN, physician, or nurse practitioner
- Provide a writing sample that details your personal and professional goals and explain how this program will help you bring them to life. The statement of interest must include responses to the following:
- Describe how your professional experiences have prepared you for future education in the role that is the focus of your desired track.
- Describe your plans to alter your work, professional, and/or personal obligations to have the time needed to complete the graduate courses and clinical work successfully.
- Identify one significant contemporary issue/problem in the current US health care system and discuss how members of the nursing discipline can help address/solve the issue/problem.
- Have completed two prerequisites:
- Three-credit statistics course (grade of B or higher). If you received a B- or lower grade in this prerequisite statistics course, you will have the option to complete a self-study module and accompanying exam.
- Three-credit baccalaureate-level health assessment course, including an observed laboratory that will be determined during your application review. If you received a B- or lower grade in the health assessment course, you will need to complete a three-credit-hour course before starting the program.
- Complete a background check
- A background check is not required for admission, but an approved background check and fingerprints are required before your clinical courses begin. Students shall be drug-screened through arrangements made by the school and the screening agency. Students are responsible for the cost of all screenings. You may be denied participation and placement at a clinical agency based on the background or drug screening findings and the clinical agency’s pre-employment screening policy.
- Withdrawal from the program will be necessary if you cannot be placed in a clinical agency to meet program practicum requirements.
- Send a résumé with a detailed work history highlighting any experience that may be relevant to this program.
If you’re located outside the U.S., you will need to:
- Submit an online application and pay the $50 application fee.
- Submit your test scores from either the TOEFL or IELTS if English is not your first language. Utica University requires a TOEFL score of 550 written, 213 computer-based, or 79 internet-based. Utica requires an IELTS score of 6.0.
- Complete an evaluation of your overseas degree and transcripts to determine their equivalency in the U.S. You may use the following universal organization: https://www.wes.org/
- Provide a letter of support from your employer using a form provided by Utica University.
Review the admission requirements to learn your transfer credit options and other details.
You will take 16 courses to complete the online Family Nurse Practitioner program. That includes seven core courses and 10 family nurse practitioner courses. The program also includes a practicum so you gain experience in a clinical setting. Review additional curriculum details on the courses page.
Sources
- Association of American Medical Colleges (2021 June 11). New research shows increasing physician shortages in both primary and specialty care. Retrieved on May 15, 2022, from https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/press-releases/aamc-report-reinforces-mounting-physician-shortage
- American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2019 December 20). State Practice Environment. Retrieved on May 15, 2022, from https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/state/state-practice-environment
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook, Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners. Retrieved on May 25, 2022, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm