UMass Lowell offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner tracks:
- MSN
- BS to DNP
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (In-State ) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS | $29.1K | 2 years (4 semesters) | 45 |
| BS-DNP | $73.0K | 4 years (12 terms) | 75 |
Tuition estimates use UMass Lowell’s current published per-credit rates: the Graduate, Online & Professional Studies online rate for the MS, and the on-campus graduate rate plus per-credit activity and technology fees for the BS-DNP.
Both UMass Lowell FNP credentials require the same 750 hours of direct patient care, delivered through the same three 250-hour practicums. The doctorate adds 30 credits and roughly $44,000 in resident cost without adding a single hour of patient contact. What those extra credits buy is leadership, epidemiology, quantitative methods, and a scholarly project sequence, plus 630 hours of DNP practice time that is project and leadership work rather than clinical practice.
The trade-off is geographic, and it is absolute. The online MS admits students from Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire only. Nurses outside those three states are not eligible regardless of qualifications, and international students cannot complete the program online at all. The BS-DNP is billed on the campus rate schedule instead, where residency swings the 75-credit price by more than $52,000.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MS (Family Health NP track); BS-DNP (FNP option) |
| Format | Mostly Online. MS requires four campus days; BS-DNP adds two-day DNP intensives per semester |
| Clinical Hours | 750 direct patient care hours in both tracks; BS-DNP adds 630 DNP practice hours |
| Clinical Placement | School provides placement assistance. Not described as a guarantee |
| Population | Family health across the lifespan |
| Distinctive Coursework | Health Care Finance; Health Equity and Informatics; standalone Women’s Health course |
| Enrollment Restriction | MS admits residents of Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire only |
| RN License Requirements | Massachusetts RN license required before practicum courses; out-of-state license accepted for review |
| Admissions Gate | BS-DNP requires an interview. The MS does not list one |
| Tuition | MS: $610/credit, $750 for four courses. BS-DNP: campus rates, residency-tiered |
| Accreditation | CCNE (baccalaureate, master’s, DNP); NECHE institutional |
Master of Science in Nursing, Family Health Nurse Practitioner Track
The estimated tuition for the Master’s in Nursing online at UMass Lowell is approximately $29,130 (45 credits at a blended $647 per credit). The program can generally be completed in about 2 years of full-time study, with part-time students taking 3 to 5 years.
MS Curriculum
The 45-credit curriculum is built as a 42-credit shared core plus a single 3-credit specialty course. Students choosing the Family Health track take APRN Care of Children and Adolescents; students choosing Adult-Gerontology Primary Care take APRN Care of Older Adults instead. Everything else is identical. That architecture is worth understanding before you apply, because it means the FNP-specific content beyond the shared adult, women’s health, and practicum sequence amounts to one course.
Coursework that stands out. Two public health courses sit inside the required core: Health Care Finance and Health Equity and Informatics. A 45-credit NP master’s that spends 6 credits on finance and informatics is making a deliberate choice about what an advanced practice nurse should be able to do outside the exam room. Women’s Health Across the Lifespan is also a standalone 3-credit course rather than a unit folded into a general primary care class, which gives it more depth than most FNP curricula allow. A 2-credit Scholarly Writing course and a 1-credit APRN Role Transition course round out the core.
Clinical integration. The three practicums are evenly weighted at 3 credits and 250 hours each, so the clinical load is distributed across the program rather than concentrated in a final immersion semester. For a working nurse, an even distribution is easier to plan around than a back-loaded ladder, since no single term demands a disproportionate number of clinical days.
- HSCI.5510 Clinical Pathophysiology (3 cr)
- NURS.5590 Advanced Pharmacology (3 cr)
- NURS.6510 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (3 cr)
- NURS.6520 APRN Care of Adults (3 cr)
- NURS.6521 APRN Care of Children and Adolescents (3 cr, the FNP-defining course)
- NURS.6522 APRN Women’s Health Across the Lifespan (3 cr)
- NURS.6511, 6512, 6513 APRN Practicum I, II, and III (3 cr each, 250 hours each)
- NURS.6524 APRN Role Transition (1 cr)
- PUBH.5110 Health Care Finance (3 cr)
- PUBH.6270 Health Equity and Informatics (3 cr)
More curriculum details are available here.
MS Clinical Requirements
- 750 hours of direct patient care, confirmed against the course list (three practicums at 250 hours each)
- NURS.6511 Practicum I, NURS.6512 Practicum II, and NURS.6513 Practicum III, 3 credits each
- Four on-campus days total, one built into each of NURS.6510, 6511, 6512, and 6513
- Campus days include lab work and simulated clinical exams with mock patients
- UMass Lowell provides assistance with finding a clinical placement
- Massachusetts RN license required before starting practicum courses
At 750 hours, this program sits 250 hours above the 500-hour national certification floor and about 50 hours above the top of the 600 to 700 range most FNP programs land in. That is a meaningful margin. More supervised patient contact generally means a stronger position at graduation, and it also gives you room if a state board or a future employer applies a higher hour standard than the certifying body does. The practical cost is time: 750 hours across three terms works out to roughly 250 hours per practicum term, which is difficult to absorb alongside full-time bedside work without schedule negotiation.
You Should Know
- Placement is described as assistance, not a guarantee. No named partner sites or placement success rates are published.
- Preceptor sourcing rules, faculty site-visit frequency, and the clinical supervision model are not stated.
- An out-of-state RN license is accepted for application review, but a Massachusetts license is required before practicum courses begin. Budget time for that endorsement process.
- The four campus days are tied to specific courses. Whether they can be rescheduled, and how much notice is given, is not published.
MS Admissions
The one thing to check before anything else is residency: this program admits applicants from three states only, and the application portal is open on a fixed annual window rather than year-round.
- BSN from an accredited program with a minimum 3.000 GPA
- An introductory statistics course with a grade of B or better, shown on a transcript
- Current RN license from the state where you practice
- Two letters of recommendation, a resume, and a goal statement aligned to the FNP or AGNP track
- Official transcripts sent directly by the issuing institution. Photocopies, PDFs, and faxes are not accepted
- Computer literacy with Word, email, and online learning platforms
- No GRE required; $50 application fee
- Priority deadlines run annually: March 1 for summer and fall entry, November 1 for spring
- The MS Nursing application portal opens September 1 and closes March 1 each cycle
- Admission is rolling and competitive; a maximum of 6 transfer credits, taken within 5 years, and never for advanced health assessment, specialty, or specialty practicum courses
You Should Know
- Enrollment is limited to residents of Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. This is the single largest filter on the program.
- International students cannot complete the program online, and F-1 student visas are not issued for it.
- The published dates conflict slightly: the March 1 priority deadline covers both summer and fall entry, but the stated portal window (September 1 to March 1) draws no distinction between the two terms. Confirm the operative date for your intended start.
- No minimum RN work experience is published. If you are applying straight from a BSN, ask whether that is competitive in practice.
- No interview is listed for the MS, which differs from the BS-DNP pathway at the same school.
- Massachusetts licensure requirements govern practicum eligibility. UMass Lowell recommends contacting your home state licensing agency about certification and licensure rules where you intend to practice.
BS to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner Option
The estimated tuition for the BS-DNP pathway at UMass Lowell is approximately $73,000 for Massachusetts residents or $125,400 for out-of-state students (75 credits at published on-campus graduate rates plus per-credit mandatory fees). The program can generally be completed in about 4 years full-time including summers, or 5 years part-time, with an 8-year outer limit to finish.
BS-DNP Curriculum
The doctoral pathway carries the entire master’s core inside it. The 3Ps, the APRN care sequence, the standalone women’s health course, the role transition course, and all three 250-hour practicums appear in the BS-DNP course list unchanged. The FNP and AGPCNP split happens at the same single course it does in the MS. If you have compared the two credentials and cannot see what the extra 30 credits deliver, the course list gives a direct answer.
What the extra 30 credits actually contain. Four courses form a sequenced scholarly project: Evidence Appraisal, Scholarly Project Design, Scholarly Project Implementation, and Evidence Dissemination, Advocacy and Policy. These must be taken in order, which constrains how much you can rearrange the back half of the program. Around them sit Evaluation Research, Epidemiology, Advanced Nursing Leadership and Management, Operational Analysis and Quality Improvement, and Quantitative Methods in Health Management. This is a systems and analytics load, not additional clinical training.
The immersion requirement. NURS.7760 DNP Immersion carries 250 hours and is required by CCNE for all BS-to-DNP programs, so it is a national accreditation requirement rather than a UMass Lowell design decision. It is worth knowing the difference when comparing doctoral programs, since every accredited BS-to-DNP will carry an equivalent.
- NURS.7170 Evaluation Research (3 cr)
- NURS.7070 Epidemiology (3 cr)
- NURS.7710 Advanced Nursing Leadership and Management (3 cr, 80 DNP hours)
- NURS.7700 Evidence Appraisal (3 cr, 100 DNP hours)
- NURS.7740 Scholarly Project Design (3 cr, 100 DNP hours)
- NURS.7720 Scholarly Project Implementation (3 cr, 100 DNP hours)
- NURS.7730 Evidence Dissemination, Advocacy, and Policy (3 cr)
- NURS.7760 DNP Immersion (3 cr, 250 hours)
- PUBH.5120 Operational Analysis and Quality Improvement (3 cr)
- PUBH.5060 Quantitative Methods in Health Management (3 cr)
More curriculum details are available here.
BS-DNP Clinical Requirements
- 750 hours of direct patient care, from the same three 250-hour practicums used in the MS
- 630 additional DNP practice hours: 80 in leadership, 300 across the three project courses, and 250 in immersion
- Approximately 1,380 total practice hours, derived by summing the published per-course figures
- NURS.6510, 6511, and 6513 require in-person experiences on campus
- DNP intensives require two full days per semester on campus for the project course sequence
- Massachusetts RN license required before practicum courses
The number that matters when comparing this doctorate to the master’s is 750, not 1,380. Direct patient care volume is identical between the two credentials. The additional 630 hours are leadership, evidence appraisal, project implementation, and immersion work, which build a different skill set and do not deepen your clinical exposure as a practitioner. If clinical volume is your reason for considering the doctorate, this program does not deliver it. If systems leadership or a terminal degree requirement is your reason, the extra hours are pointed squarely at that.
You Should Know
- NURS.7730 carries no published hour figure, so the 1,380 total is derived from the courses that do publish one and may understate the real requirement.
- The two catalog pages disagree on campus-day courses: the MS page names NURS.6510, 6511, 6512, and 6513 as carrying on-campus days, while the BS-DNP pathway footnote names only 6510, 6511, and 6513.
- The DNP catalog page describes the BS-DNP as delivered in a hybrid format, but the enumerated obligations (three in-person course experiences plus two intensive days per semester) are finite and countable rather than a weekly or biweekly cadence. Confirm the total campus day count with the program before assuming either label.
- Whether BS-DNP students receive the same clinical placement assistance offered to MS students is not stated.
BS-DNP Admissions
Admission requirements track the MS closely with one substantive addition: an interview is required, and it is listed as a formal requirement rather than an optional step.
- BSN from an accredited program with a minimum 3.000 GPA
- An introductory statistics course with a grade of B or better
- Massachusetts RN license required before practicum courses; out-of-state licenses accepted for application review
- Two letters of recommendation, a resume, and a goal statement explaining why you chose the DNP over the master’s
- An interview
- Fast Track option for UMass Lowell BSN students in their final year with a 3.500 GPA. The application fee is waived, and acceptance is conditional on passing the NCLEX
- Fast Track applicants submit two letters, one from faculty and one from a current employer
- Students have up to 8 years to complete the degree
- Students with fewer than 60 credits completed may petition to step down to the master’s program on a space-available basis, then must reapply to return
You Should Know
- Whether the three-state enrollment restriction that governs the online MS also applies to the BS-DNP is not stated on either page. Ask directly if you live outside New England.
- UMass Lowell publishes no per-credit rate specific to the BS-DNP. All doctoral cost figures here are derived from the on-campus graduate schedule.
- Residency drives cost far more than it does on the master’s side. Over 75 credits the in-state and out-of-state gap exceeds $52,000, and the New England Regional Program rate falls between the two.
- Application deadlines are not published on the DNP catalog page, unlike the MS, which publishes both a portal window and priority dates.
- The academic standing policy is strict. A single semester or cumulative GPA below 3.00 triggers a dismissal letter and an appeal process, and a second occurrence is automatic dismissal.
Tuition
UMass Lowell charges the online MS at $610 per credit, with four courses billed at $750 per credit, per the Graduate, Online & Professional Studies rate schedule. The BS-DNP has no program-specific published rate and falls under the on-campus graduate schedule at $926.22 per credit for Massachusetts residents, $1,398.00 for New England Regional Program students, and $1,625.00 for out-of-state students, plus $47.22 per credit in mandatory fees.
The MS rate structure is the unusual part. UMass Lowell charges the same online tuition whether you live in Massachusetts, another state, or outside the United States, so there is no in-state discount to chase and no out-of-state penalty to absorb. But NURS.6510, 6511, 6512, and 6513 carry a premium rate, and those are precisely the four assessment and practicum courses every FNP student must take.
| Component | Rate | Credits | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS standard online courses | $610/credit | 33 | $20,130 |
| MS premium courses (NURS.6510, 6511, 6512, 6513) | $750/credit | 12 | $9,000 |
| MS total (derived) | $647.33 blended | 45 | $29,130 |
| BS-DNP tuition, in-state | $926.22/credit | 75 | $69,466 |
| BS-DNP mandatory fees | $47.22/credit | 75 | $3,542 |
| BS-DNP total, in-state (derived) | $973.44 all-in | 75 | $73,008 |
| BS-DNP total, out-of-state (derived) | $1,672.22 all-in | 75 | $125,416 |
Confirmed costs:
- MS online tuition: $610 per credit, identical for in-state, out-of-state, and international students
- MS premium rate: $750 per credit for NURS.6510, 6511, 6512, and 6513
- Term registration fee: $30 per term
- Graduate degree and certificate application fee: $50
- On-campus graduate tuition 2026-27: $926.22 (in-state), $1,398.00 (regional), $1,625.00 (out-of-state) per credit
- On-campus per-credit mandatory fees: $13.89 student activity and $33.33 technology, totaling $47.22
- Full-time on-campus graduate year: $16,672 in-state tuition plus $850 in mandatory fees
Be aware that:
- Both program totals are derived. UMass Lowell publishes no all-in total for either FNP track.
- The premium rate on four courses adds $1,680 to the MS beyond what a flat $610 assumption would produce, a 6 percent increase on the tuition line.
- The BS-DNP does not appear on the Graduate, Online & Professional Studies rate schedule. The on-campus graduate schedule is the applicable published rate, but UMass Lowell does not state this explicitly for the doctoral pathway.
- Whether BS-DNP students pay the $750 GPS rate when they take NURS.6510 through 6513 is not stated. If they do, the doctoral total rises further.
- The GPS tuition page flags that the online rate is expected to increase next semester. A 2-year master’s will likely span at least one increase.
- Full-time on-campus billing is defined as 9 credits per semester, and credits beyond 9 are charged extra. A 75-credit doctorate over 4 years does not fit that flat band cleanly, so per-credit billing is the more reliable estimate.
- Health insurance is required by Massachusetts law for graduate students enrolled at 9 or more credits, at $3,617 for the full year, and is waivable with comparable coverage. Students taking exclusively online courses are not eligible to enroll in the plan.
The real takeaway is how far apart these two credentials sit financially. The master’s at roughly $29,130 is one of the more affordable routes to FNP certification available anywhere, and it costs the same whether you commute from Lowell or log in from Portland. The doctorate at $73,008 in-state costs about two and a half times as much for the same 750 clinical hours, and an out-of-state applicant pays over four times the master’s price. That gap should be weighed against what a DNP actually changes about your practice scope, which in most states is nothing.
Why Choose This FNP Program?
Best suited for nurses living in Maine, Massachusetts, or New Hampshire who want above-average clinical volume at public-university prices and can accept four days of campus travel across two years.
The cost case is clean and unusually easy to verify. Two published rates, one $30 term fee, and no hidden program fee or differential tuition surcharge. At a derived $29,130 the master’s undercuts most FNP programs by a wide margin, and because the online rate ignores residency, a New Hampshire nurse pays exactly what a Lowell resident pays. That is rare among public universities, where out-of-state pricing usually erases the value proposition entirely. Add in a reported 100 percent pass rate on the 2025 national NP certification exam and the return calculation gets straightforward.
The clinical volume holds, and it holds at both levels. 750 hours is 50 percent above the certification floor and above the range most FNP programs settle into. Just as importantly, that number does not shrink if you enter through the doctoral pathway or stretch the program part-time. Programs that publish a single clinical figure and apply it consistently across credentials are easier to trust than programs where the hour count varies by 200 or more depending on which door you came in through.
Geography decides this one before anything else does. If you live in Maine, Massachusetts, or New Hampshire, UMass Lowell belongs on your list and probably near the top of it, because almost nothing else combines this price with this clinical volume and only four campus days. If you live anywhere else, the online master’s is closed to you, and the doctoral pathway is your only route in at $125,416 out-of-state, which removes the affordability argument that made the school interesting in the first place. Check your residency first. Everything else follows from that answer.
Accreditation
The baccalaureate, master’s, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs at the UMass Lowell Solomont School of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). That scope covers both FNP tracks on this page, so neither the MS nor the BS-DNP depends on a separate or pending approval. The nursing program also holds Full Approval Status from the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing.
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is institutionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), and was fully reaccredited following its comprehensive evaluation in 2023, with a five-year interim report due in 2028. Institutional accreditation is what makes federal financial aid available and what lets your credits transfer if you move to another school, so it matters independently of the nursing-specific accreditation.
Graduates of the Family Health track are prepared to sit for the national FNP certification exam through either AANP or ANCC. Graduates of the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care track sit for the corresponding adult-gerontology primary care exam instead. Because CCNE accreditation covers both degree levels, certification eligibility does not depend on which of the two UMass Lowell pathways you complete.
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