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Apply hereMaster of science in nursing
Caring for patients of all ages defines your job as a registered nurse (RN), where you follow doctors’ treatment plans and monitor ongoing therapies. To help you assume more responsibility as part of a health care team, Mizzou Online's master of science in nursing (MSN) program with a family nurse practitioner (FNP) emphasis enriches your clinical skills and knowledge of the diagnostic progress and medication administration.
Building off your RN license and years in the field, these advanced, entirely online courses plus a practicum assignment qualify you to sit for American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) FNP certification exams — a distinction paving the way to the next stage of your career.
About the online MSN FNP program
For nursing professionals like you, driving change means rethinking the care you provide and serving patients' unique needs from infancy through older adulthood. Your RN license ignited your journey, but now, you're ready for more — more responsibility, more independence and more influence within your health care organization.
Mizzou Online's MSN FNP program helps you not only envision but plan this next stage. In preparing for certification, you learn how to empower individuals and families at all life phases, strengthen your delivery of primary care and preventative services, manage acute episodic and chronic conditions and educate patients. At the same time, a focus on collaboration, research and effective communication empowers you to provide the best evidence-based care possible alongside doctors, technicians and allied health professionals.
Through this approach, you:
- Train to provide more advanced care from experienced practicing faculty who belong to a nationwide network of nurse leaders, educators and clinical specialists.
- Deepen your understanding of primary care services, including disease management, preventative care, drug therapies and health promotion.
- Explore your role in improving care quality and outcomes for all patients, with a focus given to rural and traditionally underserved communities.
- Have opportunities to deploy your knowledge in the field — including as an RN and through a preceptor- or faculty-mentored practicum assignment.
- See the influence of research on your practice, from diagnosis to disease prevention.
- Prepare to oversee clinical efforts and health education in primary care settings.
Quick facts
Official name
Master of science in nursing with an emphasis in family nurse practitionerCampus
Program type
Master's degreeAcademic home
Sinclair School of NursingDelivery mode
Blended, some campus visits requiredAccreditation
Higher Learning Commission, Commission on Collegiate Nursing EducationCredit hours
47Estimated cost
$29,610.00*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
Career prospects
Seamless BSN-to-DNP with an MS(N) option
Hospitals, clinics, private practices and specialists seek nurse practitioners to expand the delivery of care, from guiding the diagnostic process to managing acute and chronic conditions. With the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting 38% growth across the occupation through 2032, FNPs have a dual advantage. Not only do opportunities exist in settings ranging from pediatrics to gerontology, but they’re also needed to assist a growing aging population and address an ongoing shortage of primary care practitioners.
Earning an MSN in FNP gives you an edge in the following environments:
- Community health centers
- Family practices and internal medicine departments
- Hospitals
- Long-term care centers
- Outpatient clinics
- Private practices
- Urgent care
Program structure
Mizzou Online's MSN FNP program requires 47 credit hours, beginning with a required core of general advanced practice nursing courses (14 credit hours) before switchign to a family practice focus.
The program uses a blended format. Students attend all courses online plus an annual on-campus visit and complete a clinical practicum assignment at a location of their choosing.
Courses are held on a semester schedule. Students either progress through the program on a full-time basis, fulfilling all requirements in two years, or part time, earning their degree in three years.
Delivery
Blended, some campus visits requiredCalendar system
Semester-basedTypical program length
2.5-3 yearsTypical course load
Part timeAccreditation
The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The MS at the Sinclair School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Faculty spotlight
Miriam has been an RN since 1987. She has worked in a variety of roles, including staff nurse and nurse manager in medical-surgical, cardiothoracic and neurosurgery. Miriam has worked as a Family Nurse Practitioner since 1997, working in public health, GYN-oncology surgery — chemo certified, retail health, employee health and clinic manager/director. She joined the Sinclair School of Nursing in 2014. In 2017 she worked with a local health department to establish a mobile clinic to provide health care to rural and underserved populations in the county.