Houston Christian University FNP Programs

Linda R. Dunham School of Nursing • Houston, TX • Online • $530/credit

Houston Christian University offers an MSN Family Nurse Practitioner track.

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$27.7KAbout 2.3 years
(7 semesters)		46

Tuition estimates use HCU’s 2026-27 MSN rate of $530 per credit plus the per-semester Technology and Online Student fees and published per-course clinical fees.

Houston Christian’s FNP asks for no campus trips and no live class times, but it only admits nurses who hold a Texas RN license. Every course is asynchronous, runs 16 weeks, and starts in January or August.

That makes it a practical fit for Texas nurses on rotating or night shifts. The trade-off is scope: HCU offers the FNP as an MSN only, with no BSN-DNP route and no post-graduate FNP certificate, and clinical placement is assisted rather than guaranteed.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN only
FormatOnline; asynchronous, no live classes, no campus visits
Clinical Hours733
Clinical PlacementAdministrators try to arrange sites at your employer or nearby; not guaranteed
PopulationFamily, across the lifespan
Distinctive CourseworkStandalone Growth and Development clinical; Advanced Diagnostics and Skills
ConcentrationsNone
RN License RequirementsUnencumbered Texas RN license
Experience GateAt least one year of RN experience
Start TermsJanuary and August
Tuition$530/credit; about $27,715 with mandatory fees
AccreditationCCNE (all MSN programs); SACSCOC institutional

Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the MSN: Family Nurse Practitioner at Houston Christian University is approximately $24,380 (46 credits at $530/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 2.3 years (7 semesters), with the year figure derived from HCU’s published seven-semester plan run year-round.

MSN Curriculum

Structure. The 46 credits split into two blocks. A 23-credit core covers theory, research, leadership and policy, the advanced role, and the three advanced sciences. The 23-credit specialty block pairs each population course with its own clinical section, then finishes with a skills course and a 4-credit practicum.

What stands out. Clinical training is organized by population rather than bundled into generic practicum courses. Adult health runs as two 5-credit courses, and women’s health and pediatrics each carry their own clinical. HCU also requires a separate Growth and Development Across the Lifespan course with 80+ clinical hours, a topic most FNP programs fold into other courses. Advanced Diagnostics and Skills adds hands-on practice with primary care skills before the final practicum.

  • NURS 5303 Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
  • NURS 5304 Advanced Pharmacology (3)
  • NURS 5305 Advanced Health Assessment (3)
  • NURS 5306 Advanced Diagnostics and Skills (3)
  • NURS 5323/5023 Growth and Development Across the Lifespan with Clinical (3)
  • NURS 5335/5035 FNP Women’s Health with Clinical (3)
  • NURS 5336/5036 FNP Pediatric Health with Clinical (3)
  • NURS 5500/5000 and 5501/5001 FNP Adult Health I and II with Clinical (5 each)
  • NURS 5420 Advanced Practicum (4)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • HCU does not publish a term-by-term course sequence, so the order of clinical courses is not clearly stated.
  • Every course requires a B or higher, and the cumulative GPA must stay at 3.0 or above to graduate.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • Total: 733 clinical hours (published).
  • Published course minimums: Adult Health 130+, Growth and Development 80+, Women’s Health 80+, Pediatric Health 80+.
  • Advanced Practicum: preceptor-supervised care in primary care clinics or approved outpatient settings; hours not published.
  • All clinical hours are in person at an approved facility near you.
  • Placement: program administrators try to place students with their current employer or a nearby facility and will work with your employer.
  • Your clinical supervisor sets the hours you must be on site.

At 733 hours, HCU sits well above the 500-hour certification floor and slightly above the 600 to 700 hours common among FNP programs. Averaged across seven semesters, that is about 105 hours per term, or 6 to 7 hours a week. Actual clinical terms run heavier than that average. The employer-site model helps working nurses, but preceptor schedules still set the calendar, so expect daytime clinic hours during clinical terms.

You Should Know
  • The published per-course figures account for 370 to 500 of the 733 hours, depending on whether the 130-hour adult figure applies to one or both adult courses. HCU does not publish the practicum’s hours.
  • Placement language is “try,” not a guarantee. Plan for the possibility of sourcing or confirming your own preceptor.
  • HCU states its licensure programs meet Texas requirements and that it has not determined whether they meet other states’ requirements.
  • HCU does not state whether clinicals may be completed outside Texas.

MSN Admissions

Two requirements screen out many applicants: a Texas RN license and a year of RN experience.

  • BSN from an accredited program
  • Unencumbered Texas RN license (FNP track only; HCU’s other MSN tracks accept any state’s license)
  • One or more years of RN work experience
  • 3.0 GPA
  • Start terms: January and August
  • Transfer credit: up to 6 semester hours
  • Completion limit: 5 years
  • No enrollment deposit
You Should Know
  • The FNP page links to a general nursing admissions page that describes the pre-licensure BSN (TEAS or HESI scores, April and September deadlines). Those rules do not apply to the MSN.
  • MSN application deadlines are not clearly stated. Contact HCU Online Admissions for the current cycle.
  • HCU’s online nursing hub describes applicants as ADN graduates. That text covers the RN-BSN-MSN route; the FNP catalog requires a BSN.

Tuition

The FNP costs $530 per credit hour (published 2026-27 MSN rate). That is below HCU’s standard $620 graduate online rate, which does not apply to this program.

Cost ItemBasisAmount
Tuition46 credits × $530$24,380
Technology Fee$275 × 7 semesters$1,925
Online Student Fee$100 × 7 semesters$700
Graduate Nursing Lab Fee$110 × 6 clinical courses$660
Malpractice Fee$25 × 2 courses$50
Estimated total (derived)$27,715

The all-in estimate works out to about $602 per credit. HCU does not publish a program total; the figure above is derived from the 2026-27 online tuition and fees schedule.

Confirmed costs:

  • Tuition: $530 per credit, $24,380 for 46 credits
  • Technology Fee: $275 per semester
  • Online Student Fee: $100 per semester
  • Graduate Nursing Lab Fee: $110 per clinical course
  • Malpractice Fee: $25 per course for NURS 5305 and NURS 5323

Be aware that:

  • BookPass adds $28.50 per credit ($1,311 over the program). Students are enrolled automatically each semester and must opt out every term to avoid it. It is excluded from the total above.
  • An Amplify Fee applies to NURS 5501. HCU does not publish the amount.
  • The tuition page charges the lab fee per clinical course; the online nursing FAQ says once per term. Six clinical courses are assumed.
  • The FAQ lists the malpractice fee on different course numbers (5305, 5223, 5400) than the tuition page (5305, 5323).
  • Rates shown are for 2026-27. A seven-semester plan spans three academic years.

Expect roughly $27,700 in required charges, or about $29,000 if you keep BookPass. The fees add about 14% to tuition. HCU’s payment plans are built around employer reimbursement cycles, which matters for nurses whose employer pays after each term.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for Texas-licensed RNs on unpredictable schedules who want an FNP with no set class times, no travel, and a chance to do clinicals where they already work.

Shift workers. No live sessions and no campus days means coursework fits around nights and rotating weekends. The 16-week course length also gives more time per course than 8-week formats, which helps when a heavy work stretch hits mid-term.

Nurses with employer support. HCU’s administrators try to place students at their own employer, and the $530 rate pairs with payment plans timed for tuition reimbursement. For a nurse whose hospital system has outpatient clinics, that combination can keep both the job and the clinical site in one place.

The trade-off. The flexibility comes with narrow edges. You need a Texas RN license, and HCU has not confirmed the degree meets other states’ licensure rules, so nurses planning to move should check first. There is no DNP or post-graduate FNP option to grow into here. Asynchronous study also puts pacing on you, and placement help is a best effort, not a promise. If you want structure, a guaranteed preceptor, or a doctoral path, another Texas program will fit better.

Accreditation

HCU states that all of its MSN programs, including the Family Nurse Practitioner track, are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). CCNE accreditation of the graduate program is what certification bodies and state boards look for when confirming NP education.

The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award degrees through the doctoral level. Institutional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and the transfer and recognition of HCU credits.

The Linda R. Dunham School of Nursing is also approved by the Texas Board of Nursing. Because the FNP requires a Texas RN license, the Texas Board is also where most graduates will apply for APRN licensure.

Graduates meet the criteria to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC). HCU’s catalog names both certifying bodies, so graduates can choose the exam that suits their testing preference and plan to renew through that body.

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