Our program has five 8-week e-terms per academic calendar year.
Nursing: Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner (M.S.)
Nursing: Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner (M.S.)

Our online Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN FNP) program is designed for nurses seeking a hands-on role in family-oriented care. Our state-of-the-art Health Sciences Simulation Center provides experience in a clinical setting with real equipment and technology.
Credit Hours: 51 | Program Length: 27 Months
WHY GET YOUR MASTER’S IN NURSING: FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER?
The master of science in nursing: family nurse practitioner degree is designed for those who wish to advance their nursing career and provide comprehensive primary care for children and adults of all ages. You’ll learn a family-oriented approach that emphasizes health promotion, maintenance and restoration. You’ll combine theory, research and evidence-based practice to develop skills in advanced health assessment, illness and disease management, pathophysiology, pharmacology, epidemiology, and population health and risk reduction. You’ll complete your degree with a practicum in the primary care of families, and successful completion will qualify you to sit for the family nurse practitioner certification examination.
WHY CHOOSE UNH’S GRADUATE NURSING PROGRAM?
At UNH you’ll be supported by a productive faculty and outstanding facilities as you advance your nursing career. Faculty members conduct research in family-based health issues such as women’s health, health promotion for children and adolescents, and nursing care for the elderly. Practica are available in local, regional and teaching hospitals, clinics, community health agencies, primary care and other urban and rural healthcare settings in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and additional sites by permission.
POTENTIAL CAREER AREAS
- Correctional facilities
- Government health services
- Home health agencies
- Hospitals
- Long-term care facilities
- Military
- Physicians’ offices
- Primary care clinics
- Schools
- Workplace clinics
Licensing Requirements
Applicants who intend to pursue licensure after completing UNH's online MSN FNP should become familiar with their state's licensure requirements. Students should contact their State Board of Nursing to confirm whether this program meets online program requirements for licensure in their state. Learn more

The University of New Hampshire has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements. Learn more
Curriculum & Requirements
Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner
This program prepares primary care family nurse practitioners (PC-FNPs) with specialized knowledge and clinical competency to practice as licensed independent practitioners across the life span. PC-FNPs practice in ambulatory and long-term care as primary providers to individuals, families, and groups. The UNH program prepares these advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to diagnose and manage acute episodic and chronic illnesses across the life span and simple-to-complex continuum. Health promotion, disease prevention, teaching, counseling, and coaching are emphasized. At the completion of the program, students are eligible to sit for national certification as a family nurse practitioner. Students are also prepared to enter doctoral study. Upon licensure, PC-FNPs may practice autonomously as well as in collaboration with other health professionals.
Degree Requirements
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
NURS 810 | Families in Health and Illness | 3 |
NURS 901 | Health Policy | 3 |
NURS 907 | Advanced Pharmacology & Therapeutics | 3 |
NURS 908 | Advanced Physiology & Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan | 3 |
NURS 909 | Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan | 3 |
NURS 925 | Leadership, Role & Collaboration | 3 |
NURS 935 | FNP Health Management I - Didactic | 3 |
NURS 936 | FNP Health Management I - Clinical | 3 |
NURS 937 | Primary Care of Families II | 3 |
NURS 938 | Primary Care of Families II Practicum | 3 |
NURS 939 | Seminar and Practicum in the Primary Care of Families III | 6 |
NURS 944 | Health Promotion Theory & Population Health | 3 |
NURS 963 | Biostats and Epidemiology | 3 |
NURS 968 | Foundations of Evidence Based Practice | 3 |
Total Credits | 45 |
The goal of the BSN program is to prepare baccalaureate generalist nurses. At the completion of the program, graduates are expected to:
- Synthesize core knowledge from the liberal arts, sciences, and nursing as the foundation of professional practice.
- Integrate knowledge and skills to assess, design, implement, and evaluate nursing care in a safe, compassionate, culturally sensitive, evidence-based manner.
- Engage clients, families, and communities in collaborative decision-making incorporating evidence-based knowledge and anticipatory guidance.
- Employ team leadership and collaborative skills with other health professionals to optimize client and system outcomes.
- Recognize the influence of complex health systems on health care practice and advocate for policies that promote a socially just, patient centered healthcare system.
- Engage in scholarly inquiry to identify, evaluate and integrate the best current practice.
- Integrates health promotion, clinical prevention strategies when providing care at the individual or population level.
- Incorporates principles of patient safety and risk mitigation when using healthcare technology and therapeutics in the provision of care.
- Uses effective written, verbal, and nonverbal communication strategies when engaged in professional practice.
- Embrace professional values embodied in the ANA code of ethics.
In addition to the BSN outcomes above, at the completion of the Master's nursing program, the graduate student is prepared to:
- Serve in a healthcare leadership and change agent role as part of a diverse, complex,and patient-centered health care system.
- Act as a practice scholar to design, direct and evaluate system changes to promote safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient-centered care.
- Use data analytic methods, information systems and technology to evaluate,integrate and apply knowledge that will improve programs of care, outcomes of care and care systems.
- Use translational science and analytic methods to develop, identify, implement, and evaluate best practices to improve health care and health care systems.
- Design and implement health promotion and clinical prevention strategies across the health/illness continuum to optimize health and disease management.
- Systematically use improvement methods to monitor and evaluate care processes and outcomes and applies data for continuous improvement and safety
- Advocate for social justice through policy, professional and political engagement.
- Applies leadership principles that support inter-professional practice.
In addition to the Master's Outcomes:
The Family Nurse Practitioner graduate will:
- Utilize advanced assessment, diagnostic reasoning, and evidence-based practice when partnering with individuals, families, and communities to optimize health
- Judiciously prescribe treatment modalities to manage acute and chronic conditions within state and federal scope of practice regulations
- Function as an independent practitioner to manage comprehensive primary careacross the lifespan.
Deadlines
Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:
- Fall: June 1
- Spring: Nov. 1
- Summer: N/A
- Special: N/A
Application fee: $65
Campus: Durham
New England Regional: No
Accelerated Masters Eligible: No
New Hampshire Residents
Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission or you will not be able to register for classes.
Transcripts
If you attended UNH after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester and UNH Non-Degree work.
If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must request one official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. International transcripts must be translated into English. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:
- Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
- Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.
Transcripts are required for any school you earned a degree from, attended for at least one year, or attended for 2 or more semesters. Exceptions to this rule may be approved at the discretion of the program you are applying to and the UNH Graduate School Admission’s office.
Letters of recommendation: 3 required
Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.
References should be substantial with one academic, if available, and two current nursing professionals with graduate education background.
Personal Statement/Essay Questions
Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding:
- Reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives.
- Your specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field.
Additional Department Requirements
Applicants are required to have an unencumbered RN license in the United States, degree in nursing or outside nursing, and successful completion of undergraduate statistics and research to be eligible to apply to this program.
Non-BSN Admission Requirements:
RNs whose baccalaureate degree is in a discipline other than nursing may apply to the master of science degree in nursing (M.S.) program and will be considered for the track that is commensurate with their clinical experience based on faculty discretion.
- Unencumbered, active RN license in the United States
- Baccalaureate degree in another field
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in associate and baccalaureate programs
- Nursing experience preferred but not required
- Successful completion of undergraduate statistics course and undergraduate research course
- Interview may be requested
Important Notes
All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program specific application questions.
International Applicants
Some academic departments recommend that international applicants, living outside of the United States, and planning on pursuing a research based degree, submit a preapplication form before submitting a full application. If your desired program is not on the form, departments prefer a full application be submitted. Preapplication requests will be carefully reviewed and a decision usually provided within 3 weeks. If your preapplication is approved then it is recommended you then submit a full application. If you are currently living in the United States (on a H1B visa, etc.), or you plan on pursuing a professional master’s degree, then you do not need to submit a preapplication.
Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.
Explore Program Details
Tuition & Fees:
Tuition for 2021-22 Academic Year*:
- $785 per credit for New Hampshire (NH) residents
- $865 per credit for non-NH residents
Program Total Number of Credits: 51
Technology Fee per Semester:
- 1-4 credits $26.00
- 5-8 credits $52.50
- 9-16 credits $105.00
ADDITIONAL TUITION & FEES INFORMATION
Course Fees: Specific courses may have additional course fees. Visit the course schedule for more information.
Financial Aid
Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loans is the form of federal financial aid available to Graduate Students. To apply, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The UNH priority deadline is March 1. This is the date by which the FAFSA must be received by the federal processor, however, if your application is received after March 1st you will still be considered for the Federal Direct Loan, which is not subject to the priority deadline.
The basic eligibility requirements to be considered for Financial Aid include:
- Attend classes at least half-time (5 or more credits per semester).
- Enrollment in a degree program.
- Documentation of United States citizenship or eligible non-citizen status.
- Must maintain satisfactory academic progress.
Department of Nursing Mission and Vision
We educate leaders in nursing, engaging in reflective practice, to provide innovative and exemplary healthcare in partnership with individuals, families, groups, and communities. We transform the delivery of healthcare through the generation, dissemination, and application of evidence-based nursing knowledge.
We embrace a culture that embodies the University's and the College's vision, mission, and values of interdisciplinarity, scholarship, innovation, integrity, curiosity, openness, and sustainability.
UNH Department of Nursing is nationally accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
