Master’s Degree in Nursing, Concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner

Become a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)

Ball State University’s Master of Science in Nursing offers a Family Nurse Practitioner concentration is designed for Registered Nurses who want to advance their careers and provide primary healthcare to patients of all ages.

Because coursework is completed online, you can continue working full-time while earning your degree. This program may be right if you want to:

• Diagnose and treat acute illnesses, infections, and injuries
• Write prescriptions for medications, including dosage and frequency
• Order and interpret diagnostic tests
• Educate patients about managing their health and design patient treatment plans

What Nurse Practitioner Skills Will I Learn?

The hands-on experience you gain throughout your education results in skills that you can use the next day in your healthcare career.

• Advanced health assessment
• Communication and therapeutic relationships
• Diagnostic reasoning and clinical judgement
• Management of acute and chronic conditions
• Patient education
• Pharmacological management
• Professional practice skills, leadership, and advocacy

Family Nurse Practitioner Courses You Will Take

The Master’s in Nursing with a Concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner is comprised of 48 credits and 690 supervised clinical hours, with 8 clinical hours required to be completed on Ball State University’s campus. You will complete coursework 100 percent online and can complete this concentration in six or eight semesters.

Required Research Courses (6 credits)

• EDPS 641 Introduction to Statistical Methods (3 credits)
  Or NUR 607 Data Analysis in Nursing Research (3 credits)
• NUR 604 Research (3 credits)

Required Nursing Courses (12 credits)

• NUR 603 Nursing Theory (3 credits)
• NUR 605 Nursing Information Technology (3 credits)
• NUR 610 Nursing Concepts in Health Promotion/Disease and Injury Prevention in Populations (3 credits; 45 clinical hours)
• NUR 630 Advanced Nursing and Role Theory (3 credits)

Family Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Courses (21 credits)

• NUR 681 Primary Care of the Adult 1 (4 credits; 120 clinical hours, with 8 hours required to be completed on campus in Muncie, Indiana)
• NUR 682 Primary Care of Children (4 credits; 120 clinical hours)
• NUR 683 Primary Care of the Adult 2 (4 credits; 120 clinical hours)
• NUR 684 Primary Care of Women (4 credits; 90 clinical hours)
• NUR 673 Practicum-Family Nurse Practitioner (5 credits; 180 clinical hours)

Pathophysiology, Health Assessment, and Pharmacology Core Courses (9 credits)

• NUR 632 Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
• NUR 634 Advanced Health Assessment (3 credits; 60 clinical hours)
• NUR 638 Advanced Clinical Pharmacology (3 credits)

Experience a Family Practice Clinical Setting

Of your 690 supervised clinical hours, 682 hours can be completed in a family practice primary care setting. You will find your own preceptors in your community to supervise your clinical hours. The remaining 8 clinical hours must be completed at Ball State’s campus in Muncie, Indiana.

After completing the FNP program, you will be eligible to apply for the FNP certification exam (ANCC and/or AANP).

FNP Careers

The demand for family nurse practitioners are growing by almost 20% nationwide through 2035 (Source: Lightcast™ – lightcast.io). Graduates have found nurse practitioner careers in:

• Community clinics
• Hospice centers
• Private practice
• Private and public health departments
• Schools and colleges
• Veterans Affairs facilities

More about Online Learning

State Authorizations

All students must reside in and complete all clinical hours in a state where the Ball State University School of Nursing is authorized to offer its programs. Students moving to a state where the master’s nursing program is not authorized will be unable to progress in the program.

Prior to applying, all prospective students need to visit the state authorizations website to determine if their state currently allows them to enroll at Ball State University for the master’s nursing program. The website and its links are updated on an as needed basis, so please check regularly for updates. 

Ready to Apply?

Are you interested in pursuing this degree? Then you will need to meet our admissions criteria and apply.