Winston-Salem State University FNP Programs

Division of Nursing • Winston-Salem, NC • Mostly Online • $354–$451/credit

Winston-Salem State University offers 3 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • MSN
  • BSN-DNP
  • Post-Graduate Certificate

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. Tuition (In-State)Est. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$23.1K2 years (5 semesters)51
BSN-DNP$25.5K3 years (8 semesters)72
Post-Graduate Certificate$16.3K2 years (5 semesters)36–39

WSSU’s defining advantage is that all three credentials share one 672-hour FNP clinical sequence, while the online BSN-DNP is billed at a lower per-credit rate than the MSN. For North Carolina residents, the doctorate costs about $2,400 more than the master’s for 21 more credits and 510 more clinical hours (derived).

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN, BSN-DNP, and a non-degree post-graduate certificate, all in FNP
FormatMSN and certificate: Online per WSSU, disputed by an older FAQ. BSN-DNP: Mostly Online, twice-weekly Zoom
Clinical Hours672 (MSN, certificate); 1,182 (BSN-DNP)
Clinical PlacementStudent-arranged with NC-licensed preceptors; rural and underserved sites encouraged; up to two hours’ travel
PopulationAdults and older adults, women, and children, each with a didactic course and a practicum
Distinctive Coursework5-credit assessment and diagnostic reasoning course; Healthcare Equity and Social Determinants of Health (DNP)
ConcentrationsNone
RN License RequirementsNorth Carolina or compact RN (MSN, certificate); active North Carolina RN license (BSN-DNP)
TuitionIn-state $451/credit (MSN, certificate) and $354/credit (BSN-DNP), fees included, derived
AccreditationCCNE (master’s, DNP, post-graduate APRN certificate); SACSCOC (institutional)
Start TermFall only for all three tracks

MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner at Winston-Salem State University is approximately $23,100 for North Carolina residents and $53,500 for non-residents (51 credits at a derived $451.42/credit in-state or $1,048.40 out-of-state, fees included). The program can generally be completed in about 2 years (5 semesters) full-time or 3 years part-time; WSSU publishes the years, and the five-semester count is derived from its fall start and fixed practicum sequence.

MSN Curriculum

The shared FNP sequence. The MSN’s clinical core is the same sequence used by the BSN-DNP and the certificate. It opens with advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology, and a 5-credit course combining health assessment, health promotion, and diagnostic reasoning. Each population then gets a didactic course and a practicum in the same term: adults and older adults in spring, women in summer, children the following fall. A 192-hour Residency Practicum and a role transition course finish the program.

The master’s layer. Around that sequence, the MSN adds theory, research and evidence-based practice, health care policy and finance, advanced nursing technologies, and an advanced practice clinical problems course. These roughly 15 credits are what the post-graduate certificate leaves out. All coursework must be finished within six years.

  • NUR 6301 Theoretical Basis for Advanced Nursing Practice
  • NUR 6345 Foundations of Research and Evidence-Based Practice
  • NUR 6323 Health Care Policy, Organization and Finance
  • NUR 6307 Advanced Nursing Technologies
  • NUR 6201 Advanced Practice Clinical Problems
  • NUR 6511 Advanced Health Assessment, Health Promotion & Diagnostic Reasoning (5 credits)
  • NUR 6310 Advanced Pathophysiology and NUR 6312 Advanced Pharmacology
  • Population pairs: adults/older adults (NUR 6325, 6423), women (NUR 6322, 6327), children (NUR 6324, 6326)
  • NUR 6444 Residency Practicum and NUR 6243 Nurse Practitioner Role Preparation and Transition

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • Format is not settled in WSSU’s own materials. The current MSN page calls the MSN “fully online.” An older FNP clinical FAQ says FNP courses are mostly face to face and that full-time students should expect two days a week on campus or in clinical. Ask whether any on-campus sessions are required.
  • Billing points toward campus status. The MSN is billed on an FNP schedule that includes athletics, student activity, health services, and transportation fees. The BSN-DNP, which takes the same FNP courses, is billed on a distance-learning schedule without them.
  • The course list comes from an older catalog. WSSU’s current catalog plan could not be accessed. The MSN core courses above come from the most recent version available; confirm them before planning transfer credit.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • 672 total hours: 192 (adults/older adults, spring) + 144 (women, summer) + 144 (children, fall) + 192 (Residency Practicum, final spring). Each clinical credit equals 48 hours.
  • Clinicals start in the first spring semester for full-time students and the second spring for part-time students.
  • Students secure their own sites and preceptors. A clinical coordinator runs a clinical orientation at the start of fall, and North Carolina AHECs can supply lists of preceptor candidates.
  • Sites must be primary care: family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, or women’s health. Emergency departments, urgent care, and surgical centers are not accepted, though a specialty rotation may be possible during Residency Practicum.
  • WSSU asks students to focus their preceptor search on sites serving rural and underserved areas.
  • Preceptors must be nationally certified NPs, nurse-midwives, physicians, or PAs with a master’s degree or higher, at least one year in that setting, and a North Carolina license. APRNs and PAs need North Carolina prescriptive authority.
  • Expect to travel up to two hours from home. WSSU tells admitted students to start searching for all four practicum sites as soon as they are accepted.
  • Clinical documents are tracked in Typhon. Compliance items (immunizations, background check, drug screen, BLS, liability insurance, and others) must clear before classes or clinicals begin.

At 672 hours, the MSN sits 172 hours above the 500-hour certification floor and inside the 600 to 700 hour range common among FNP programs. In a 15-week semester, the 192-hour terms work out to about 13 hours a week, roughly one long clinical day. The bigger issue is placement. WSSU does not place students, and its own FAQ warns that Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and Charlotte sites are hard to get. A nurse who already knows primary care providers in a rural or underserved community starts in a much stronger position than one searching from scratch in a metro area.

You Should Know
  • The preceptor license rule keeps clinicals in North Carolina. Every preceptor must hold a North Carolina license, so out-of-state residents would need to complete all four practica in North Carolina.

MSN Admissions

Admission is fall-only, and WSSU’s current MSN page does not publish a full requirements list, so confirm the items flagged below before applying.

  • BSN from a nationally accredited program
  • Undergraduate statistics, research, and health assessment with a C or higher, with no time limit on when they were taken
  • Three reference letters, a professional resume, and official transcripts
  • Active, unencumbered North Carolina or compact-state RN license
  • Admission essay (WSSU says the essay requirement has been shortened)
  • Application deadlines, annual fall cycle: February 15 for early admission and April 30 for the FNP track
You Should Know
  • Some requirements appear only in an older catalog. That version lists a 2.7 GPA, one year of RN experience (waivable with a 3.4 GPA and qualifying GRE scores), and up to 10 graduate transfer credits toward the FNP concentration.
  • The GRE or MAT may still apply. WSSU’s current MSN page waives the GRE and MAT only for the ENEL and MSN-DNP options. The older catalog required GRE or MAT scores from FNP applicants.
  • Deadlines conflict across WSSU pages. The MSN page lists February 15 and April 30 but also says the final date for fall admission is June 30. The clinical FAQ lists only February 15, which is the safest target for all three tracks.
  • Licensure outside North Carolina is not confirmed. WSSU states its nursing programs meet North Carolina requirements and that other states may differ. Check the professional licensure disclosures and your own board’s rules. This applies to all three tracks.

BSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Doctor of Nursing Practice, BSN to DNP (Family Nurse Practitioner) at Winston-Salem State University is approximately $25,500 for North Carolina residents and $67,600 for non-residents (72 credits at a derived $353.83/credit in-state or $939.09 out-of-state, fees included). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years (8 semesters), counting six fall and spring semesters and two summers.

BSN-DNP Curriculum

The FNP sequence plus the MSN-DNP. Years one and two run the same FNP courses and 672 clinical hours as the MSN, with doctoral courses layered into each term. The doctoral portion matches WSSU’s 33-credit MSN-DNP course for course, so the degree is 39 FNP-side credits plus 33 DNP credits. WSSU’s MSN-DNP itself is for nurses who already hold an advanced practice master’s and does not add FNP preparation.

A front-loaded workload. Spring of year one carries 13 credits and fall of year two carries 12, while clinicals run about two days a week. Year three drops to 5 to 7 credits per term, mostly the DNP project. Classes meet by Zoom twice a week, with no campus meetings.

An equity-focused doctorate. Healthcare Equity: Epidemiology and Social Determinants of Health ties the doctorate to WSSU’s underserved-population focus. The DNP project is a quality improvement project reported as either a peer-reviewed manuscript or a three-chapter thesis. No dissertation is required.

  • NUR 6301 Theoretical Basis for Advanced Nursing Practice
  • FNP sequence shared with the MSN: pathophysiology, pharmacology, NUR 6511, three population pairs, Residency Practicum, role transition
  • NUR 7308 Applied Biostatistics for Evidence-Based Practice
  • NUR 7304 Research and Evidence-Based Practice
  • NUR 7306 Health Care Quality Improvement Evaluation and Informatics
  • NUR 7316 Healthcare Equity: Epidemiology and Social Determinants of Health
  • NUR 7300 Organizational and Systems Leadership in Health Care
  • NUR 7314 Healthcare Finance and Budgeting
  • NUR 7302 Research Translation and NUR 7320 Advanced Tripartite Immersion Practicum
  • NUR 7500 DNP Project I and NUR 7405 DNP Project II (9 credits combined)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The credit total conflicts. WSSU’s DNP page and catalog description say 78 credits, but the catalog’s own plan of study (approved spring 2024) lists courses totaling 72. This profile uses 72. At 78 credits, the in-state estimate would rise by about $2,100.
  • The plan comes from the 2024–25 catalog. It is the most recent version that could be accessed. Confirm the current plan of study with WSSU.

BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements

  • 1,182 total hours: 672 in the four FNP practica shared with the MSN, plus 70 (Research Translation), 130 (Advanced Tripartite Immersion Practicum), 160 (DNP Project I), and 150 (DNP Project II)
  • Clinicals typically run two days a week in years one and two and one day a week in year three
  • Clinicals can be completed locally if the student negotiates a site; placement rules for the FNP practica are described under the MSN

At 1,182 hours, the BSN-DNP exceeds the 1,000 practicum hours WSSU’s catalog sets for the DNP by 182, and its FNP portion alone sits in the common 600 to 700 hour range. Year three is lighter, about 10 to 11 hours a week for the project practica. Years one and two are the pressure point: two clinical days a week, twice-weekly Zoom classes, and 12- to 13-credit terms are hard to combine with full-time work.

You Should Know
  • Local placement has limits. The DNP page says clinicals can be done locally, but the FNP practica are the MSN courses, and WSSU’s preceptor rules require North Carolina-licensed preceptors. Applicants outside North Carolina should confirm how this applies to them.

BSN-DNP Admissions

The BSN-DNP sets a higher bar than the MSN: a 3.2 GPA measured three ways, an active North Carolina RN license, and a possible interview.

  • BSN from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited program; final-year BSN students may apply
  • GPA of 3.2 or higher on BSN courses, on the last 60 hours of BSN coursework, and on any post-baccalaureate courses
  • One year of RN clinical experience preferred
  • Active North Carolina RN license at admission
  • CV or resume and official transcripts
  • Essay of 350 to 500 words on your practice area and a population and clinical diagnosis of interest
  • A 3-credit statistics and research prerequisite
  • Three letters: a doctoral-prepared academic, an employment supervisor, and a practicing RN or APN
  • Interview possible after preliminary review; criminal background check and 12-panel drug screen after admission, at the student’s cost
  • Application deadlines, annual fall cycle: February 15 for early admission and June 30 as the final date
You Should Know
  • A compact license is not enough. The BSN-DNP requires an active North Carolina RN license, while the MSN and certificate accept a compact-state license.
  • Requirements come from the 2024–25 catalog. Confirm them against the current application.

Post-Graduate Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate

The estimated tuition for the Post-Graduate Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate at Winston-Salem State University is approximately $16,300 for North Carolina residents and $37,800 for non-residents (36 credits at a derived $451.42/credit in-state or $1,048.40 out-of-state, fees included). The program can generally be completed in about 2 years (5 semesters) on WSSU’s published full-time plan, starting in fall.

Certificate Curriculum

The full FNP sequence without the MSN core. Applicants without NP preparation take the complete shared sequence described under the MSN, including the three advanced core courses. The certificate drops the master’s layer, so it runs 36 credits against the MSN’s 51. WSSU’s catalog states certificate graduates meet the same competencies as MSN FNP graduates.

One optional course. Advanced Nursing Technologies, required in the MSN, is optional here and accounts for the 36–39 credit range. All coursework must be finished within six years.

  • NUR 6511 Advanced Health Assessment, Health Promotion & Diagnostic Reasoning (5 credits)
  • NUR 6310 Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
  • NUR 6312 Advanced Pharmacology (3 credits)
  • NUR 6325 Primary Health Care of Adults/Older Adults in Families (3) with NUR 6423 Practicum (4)
  • NUR 6322 Primary Health Care of Women in Families (3) with NUR 6327 Practicum (3)
  • NUR 6324 Primary Health Care of Children in Families (3) with NUR 6326 Practicum (3)
  • NUR 6444 Residency Practicum (4 credits)
  • NUR 6243 Nurse Practitioner Role Preparation and Transition (2 credits)
  • NUR 6307 Advanced Nursing Technologies (3 credits, optional)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The MSN format conflict applies here. The certificate page says nothing about format, and the certificate is billed on the same FNP schedule as the MSN.
  • No part-time certificate plan is published. The only posted plan is full-time, though WSSU notes individual plans may vary.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

  • 672 total hours in the same four practica as the MSN, under the same self-placement model and North Carolina preceptor rules
  • Admitted non-NP students are granted the full clinical series
  • Practicing NPs have required credits and clinical hours evaluated by specialty

The hours match the MSN exactly, so the certificate saves credits but not time. Because the four practica run in four consecutive terms, a full-time certificate student finishes on the same two-year calendar as an MSN student.

You Should Know
  • Credit for prior NP hours is not published. WSSU does not say how many hours an adult-gerontology or pediatric NP, for example, can expect to have credited.

Certificate Admissions

Admission is competitive and fall-only, with practicing NPs evaluated individually for credits and clinical hours.

  • WSSU graduate application
  • Master’s degree in nursing from a nationally accredited program
  • GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Three reference letters covering intellectual ability, academic achievement, and professional commitment
  • Resume or CV and official transcripts, including MSN and BSN
  • Active, unencumbered North Carolina or compact-state RN license
  • Copy of NP certification (NP applicants only)
  • Admission essay of 350 to 500 words on why WSSU, your goals, and your understanding of the advanced practice role
  • Undergraduate statistics, research, and health assessment with a C or higher
You Should Know
  • The certificate page lists no deadline. The deadline conflict and licensure caveats described under the MSN apply here as well.

Tuition

WSSU charges two different per-credit rates, depending on the fee schedule each program is billed under. The MSN and certificate cost a derived $451.42 per credit in-state and $1,048.40 out-of-state on WSSU’s 2026–27 FNP schedule, plus a $10 Ram Card fee each semester. The BSN-DNP costs a derived $353.83 per credit in-state and $939.09 out-of-state on WSSU’s 2025–26 DNP distance-learning schedule, the most recent DNP schedule that could be retrieved. Tuition alone is $219.39 and $816.37 per credit on the FNP schedule, and $215.11 and $800.37 on the DNP schedule.

Per-Credit Component (In-State)MSN & CertificateBSN-DNP
Tuition$219.39$215.11
Program Fee$83.34$111.11
Athletics Fee$43.33None
Student Activity Fee$31.55None
Health Services Fee$24.32None
Educational & Technology Fee$23.78$24.22
Debt Service Fee$18.44None
Security, Transportation, International, SGA$7.27$3.39
Total per credit, in-state$451.42$353.83
Total per credit, out-of-state$1,048.40$939.09
TrackCreditsIn-StateOut-of-State
MSN51$23,072$53,518
BSN-DNP72$25,476$67,614
Certificate36$16,301$37,792
Certificate with optional course39$17,655$40,938

Derived: credits × per-credit total. MSN and certificate figures add $10 × 5 semesters for the Ram Card fee.

  • MSN and certificate: $451.42 per credit in-state or $1,048.40 out-of-state, including an $83.34 FNP program fee
  • BSN-DNP: $353.83 per credit in-state or $939.09 out-of-state, including a $111.11 program fee
  • Ram Card Technology Fee of $10 per semester (MSN, certificate)
  • Typhon clinical tracking fee of $80, charged once
  • Late registration fee of $100 for registering after the designated fall or spring period

Be aware that:

  • DNP rates are a year old. The 2026–27 DNP schedule could not be retrieved. WSSU’s 2026–27 distance-learning base rates match 2025–26, so the program fee is the figure most likely to change.
  • Terms above 9 credits are not shown. Both schedules stop at 9 credits. The estimates bill every credit, but if 9 credits is a full-time ceiling, the BSN-DNP’s three heavier terms would cost about $3,200 less in-state.
  • Summer is billed separately. The estimates apply fall/spring rates to summer. WSSU’s latest posted campus summer schedule has no FNP program fee, so an MSN or certificate summer term could cost less, about $780 for 6 in-state credits.
  • The certificate is not named on the FNP schedule. If certificate students are billed on the general graduate schedule instead, the program fee drops off, about $3,000 less over 36 credits.
  • Health insurance may apply. MSN and certificate students taking 3 or more credits are billed $1,182.28 per fall or spring semester unless they waive by September 11 or January 31, about $4,729 over four terms. The DNP schedule lists the waiver deadlines but no charge.
  • Book rental is on by default. Both schedules bill $33.33 per credit unless you opt out, about $1,700 for the MSN and $2,400 for the BSN-DNP.

WSSU’s two schedules reverse the usual pattern: per credit, the doctorate costs about $98 less in-state than the master’s. The FNP schedule carries campus fees (athletics, student activity, health services, debt service, transportation) that the distance-learning DNP schedule does not. In-state, the BSN-DNP costs about $2,400 more than the MSN in total, and an unwaived health insurance charge would push the MSN’s all-in cost to about $27,800, above the DNP estimate. Out-of-state, tuition dominates and the gap widens to about $14,100.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for North Carolina nurses who want FNP preparation at public-university prices, can recruit their own primary care preceptors, and want a real choice among master’s, doctorate, and certificate.

BSN nurses weighing the MSN against the doctorate. At WSSU the price difference is small, about $2,400 in-state (derived). The real costs are time and workload: a third year, 510 more practice hours, twice-weekly Zoom classes, and 12- to 13-credit terms early on. The BSN-DNP also sets a higher entry bar, with a 3.2 GPA and a North Carolina license where the MSN accepts a compact license.

Nurses rooted in rural or underserved communities. WSSU asks every FNP student to find preceptors at the kinds of sites it wants graduates to serve. If you already work in or near a rural practice, a community health center, or a safety-net clinic, your relationships line up with that focus. You also avoid competing for the metro sites WSSU itself describes as saturated.

Master’s-prepared nurses who are not yet NPs. The certificate delivers the full 672-hour FNP sequence without repeating an MSN core. It is 15 credits shorter than the MSN, about $6,800 less in-state (derived), but it takes the same two years.

Honest trade-offs. Placement is on you, with up to two hours of travel and a North Carolina license required of every preceptor. WSSU’s pages disagree on whether the MSN and certificate are online or mostly face to face. Every track has a single fall intake, and several requirements can be confirmed only in older catalogs.

What each credential gets you. All three tracks lead to the same national FNP exam eligibility through the same clinical sequence. The MSN is the faster route from a BSN, the certificate is the efficient route for nurses who already hold an MSN, and the BSN-DNP adds a terminal degree and 510 practice hours for a modest price difference. At WSSU, the choice between them comes down to time and workload rather than cost.

Accreditation

WSSU states that its baccalaureate, master’s, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). That scope covers all three FNP tracks, including the certificate, which CCNE reviews as its own program rather than as part of the MSN.

CCNE is the accreditor most employers and state boards look for in graduate nursing. Its recognition of the certificate is what lets a non-degree credential carry weight when you apply for APRN licensure.

The university is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Institutional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and determines how other schools and employers recognize your coursework.

Graduates of all three tracks are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC). WSSU names both certifying bodies, so the choice of exam stays with you.

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