University of Mount Saint Vincent FNP Programs

Saint Joseph's School of Nursing • Riverdale, NY • Campus • $980/credit

University of Mount Saint Vincent offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • MS
  • Advanced Certificate

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MS$43.1K2.5 years
(7 semesters)		42
Certificate$28.0K2.5 years
(6 semesters)		27

Tuition estimates use Mount Saint Vincent’s 2026–27 MS in Nursing rate of $980 per credit plus the $28-per-credit part-time technology fee and the $200 clinical fee on each clinical course.

$980 per credit is the same MS in Nursing rate Mount Saint Vincent charged in 2024–25 and 2025–26, so the published tuition has held flat for three academic years. The 42-credit MS runs part-time on the Riverdale campus, with graduate classes generally held in the late afternoon and evening, and totals about $43,100 with required fees.

The trade-off is flexibility. Both tracks are campus-based, admit once a year in the fall, and require a New York RN license. The MS also requires a year of RN experience, and students must find their own preceptors. This is a program for working New York nurses who can get to the Bronx after their shifts and already have clinical contacts.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMS (BSN entry); Advanced Certificate (post-master’s)
FormatCampus; graduate classes generally late afternoon and evening
Clinical Hours600 (60 health assessment + three 180-hour practica)
Clinical PlacementStudents find their own preceptors; school handles affiliation agreements and site approval
PopulationFamily; 180 of the 600 hours are in pediatrics
Distinctive CourseworkTwo-course master’s evidence-based practice project, presented at a university research event
Enrollment PaceMS is part-time only
Start TermFall only (MS deadline July 1)
RN License RequirementsNew York RN license; MS requires one year of RN experience
Tuition$980/credit, unchanged since 2024–25
AccreditationCCNE (master’s and post-graduate APRN certificate)

MS, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the MS Family Nurse Practitioner Program at University of Mount Saint Vincent is approximately $43,136 (42 credits at $980/credit, plus fees). The program can generally be completed in about 2.5 years of part-time study, across 7 semesters, including two summers (semester count derived from the school’s sample plan).

MS Curriculum

Foundation first, specialty last. The first four semesters cover the 15-credit nursing core and the 9-credit advanced practice support courses. The FNP sequence does not start until the fifth semester, and the three FNP theory courses each run alongside a matching practicum.

Adult care, then pediatrics. The first two FNP pairs cover adult and older-adult primary care by body system. The final pair is devoted to pediatrics and family issues. Reproductive conditions are covered inside Advanced Practice Theory I rather than in a separate women’s health course.

A two-course research project. Advanced Nursing Research I and II take students from a project proposal to a finished evidence-based practice project. Students present it in poster and oral formats at the university’s Research and Scholarship event and at their own workplace.

  • NURS 501 Advanced Nursing Theory
  • NURS 502 and 506 Advanced Nursing Research I and II
  • NURS 504 Dynamics of Nursing Leadership
  • NURS 505 Ethics and Health Care Policy
  • NURS 530, 531, 532 Advanced Pathophysiology, Health Assessment, Pharmacophysiology
  • NURS 650 and 651 Advanced Practice Theory I and Seminar/Practicum I
  • NURS 652 and 653 Advanced Practice Theory II and Seminar/Practicum II
  • NURS 656 and 657 FNP Theory III and Seminar/Practicum III (pediatrics)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The program page lists NURS 600 Continuous Practicum at 3 credits, which would make the total 45. The 42-credit total and the sample plan both leave it out, and the course descriptions list it at 0 credits. The handbook marks it “if applicable” and requires Program Director permission, so it is not a standard requirement.
  • The sequence is term-locked. Health Assessment runs only in fall, and the FNP pairs run Spring, Summer, then Fall. Falling behind can delay graduation by a full year.
  • Patho, pharm, and health assessment expire after three years, and students must graduate within two years of finishing them.
  • Each course can be attempted only twice, and two failures lead to dismissal.
  • The school does not publish how many evenings per week classes meet.

MS Clinical Requirements

  • Total: 600 clinical hours (60 + 180 + 180 + 180)
  • NURS 531 Advanced Health Assessment: 60 practicum hours plus a weekly lab
  • NURS 651 and 653: 180 hours each in ambulatory adult and older-adult settings
  • NURS 657: 180 hours in pediatrics
  • Each practicum includes a 1-hour weekly seminar
  • Sites: primary care focused (internal medicine, family practice, adult clinics, pediatric practices); optional secondary OB/GYN site in FNP I
  • Placement: students find their own preceptors for every rotation and submit a preceptor application each semester
  • School role: a Graduate Clinical Liaison handles affiliation agreements; the Graduate Clinical Coordinator approves each site and preceptor
  • Deadline: students without an approved placement by the start of the semester are removed from the course by the end of Week 1
  • Preceptors: board-certified NP, MD, or DO with a New York license, two years of practice, and six months at the site; not the student’s direct supervisor at work
  • Oversight: at least one faculty site visit per semester; hours logged in Typhon
  • Hours count only while the semester is in session
  • Mandatory clinical orientation before Advanced Health Assessment

600 hours sits at the low end of the 600–700 range common among FNP programs and 100 hours above the 500-hour certification floor. The pediatric practicum is the notable part: a full 180-hour course in pediatrics gives students dedicated child-health experience instead of relying on mixed family practice sites. The placement model matters more. Students must line up a new preceptor, or re-apply with the same one, before every clinical semester, and missing the start-of-term deadline costs the course. In a crowded New York preceptor market, that search usually starts a semester ahead. Each 180-hour practicum works out to about 12 hours a week over a 15-week semester, with a heavier weekly load in the shorter summer term.

You Should Know
  • Placement details come from the 2022–23 FNP Graduate Student Handbook, the most recent FNP handbook the school has posted. Confirm the current policy with the program.
  • Because every preceptor must hold a New York license, clinicals take place in New York.
  • Students need their own NP malpractice insurance ($1 million per claim, $6 million aggregate) plus CastleBranch clearance before any agreement is signed.
  • NURS 600 is used only with Program Director permission, typically to finish outstanding hours. It carries a clinical fee and is billed by “billing hour” at $980.

MS Admissions

The MS has a one-year RN experience gate, a single fall intake, and a part-time-only schedule.

  • BSN from an NLN- or CCNE-accredited program
  • Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • One year of work experience as a registered nurse
  • New York State RN license
  • Undergraduate nursing research and elementary statistics with a C or better (may be completed in the first two terms)
  • Resume, two letters of recommendation (one professional, one academic preferred)
  • Writing sample on a current nursing issue and its impact on advanced practice nursing
  • Deadline: July 1 for fall entry (annual cycle)
You Should Know
  • Official transcripts and references must arrive in sealed envelopes. Copies and opened envelopes are not accepted.
  • International applicants need TOEFL 80 or IELTS 6.5, and the page also lists a GMAT score of 530. A GMAT requirement is unusual for nursing, so confirm it with admissions.
  • The July 1 deadline for fall 2026 has passed. The next cycle is fall 2027.
  • The 2022–23 handbook lists stricter criteria than the current admissions page: a 3.2 GPA, B grades in research and statistics, and two years of recent full-time bedside experience. The admissions page is newer and governs, but ask which standard the committee applies.
  • Up to 6 graduate credits may transfer, decided only at admission.

Advanced Certificate, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Advanced Certificate Program in Family Nurse Practitioner at University of Mount Saint Vincent is approximately $28,016 (27 credits at $980/credit, plus fees). The program can generally be completed in about 2.5 years across 6 semesters, per the school’s sample sequence.

Certificate Curriculum

The certificate is the MS without the 15-credit nursing core. Students take the same three support courses and the same six FNP theory and practicum courses as MS students, so the clinical sequence and pediatric practicum are identical.

Because the specialty courses are term-locked, the certificate finishes in the same fall as an MS student who starts alongside it. The sample plan spreads patho, pharm, and health assessment across the first three semesters, then runs the FNP pairs Spring, Summer, and Fall. Removing the nursing core cuts cost, not calendar time.

  • NURS 530 Advanced Pathophysiology
  • NURS 531 Advanced Health Assessment
  • NURS 532 Advanced Pharmacophysiology
  • NURS 650 to 657: three FNP theory courses and three seminar/practicum courses
You Should Know
  • The three support courses are listed as required, yet admission also asks for them within the last five years. The handbook says courses from a prior master’s may transfer, with each reviewed by the FNP Program Director at admission. There is no automatic waiver. If all three transfer, the certificate drops to 18 credits.
  • The handbook’s three-year expiration on these courses is stricter than the admissions page’s five-year window. Courses taken three to five years ago may need to be repeated.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

  • 600 hours if Advanced Health Assessment is taken; 540 hours through the three FNP practica alone
  • Same adult, adult, then pediatric practicum sequence as the MS
  • Same student-found preceptor model and placement deadlines as the MS

Even without the health assessment hours, the certificate stays above the 500-hour certification floor.

Certificate Admissions

The certificate accepts applications once a year in the fall and may require an interview.

  • Master’s in nursing from a CCNE-, NLN-, or ACEN-accredited program
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0
  • Advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology, and physical assessment completed within the last five years
  • New York State RN license
  • Resume and two letters of recommendation
  • Possible admission interview with the program coordinator
You Should Know
  • No RN experience minimum is listed for the certificate, unlike the MS.
  • No specific application deadline is published.

Tuition

Mount Saint Vincent charges $980 per credit for the MS in Nursing in 2026–27. The same rate applies to the certificate, which is billed under MS in Nursing courses.

Cost ItemMS (42 cr)Certificate (27 cr)
Tuition ($980/credit)$41,160$26,460
Technology fee ($28/credit, part-time)$1,176$756
Clinical fee ($200 × 4 clinical courses)$800$800
Estimated total (derived)$43,136$28,016

Confirmed costs:

  • MS in Nursing tuition: $980 per credit (2026–27)
  • Nursing 600: $980 per billing hour
  • Technology fee: $28 per credit for part-time students, $400 per term for full-time
  • Clinical fee: $200 per clinical nursing course

Be aware that:

  • The clinical fee count assumes four clinical courses (NURS 531, 651, 653, 657). The school does not list which courses carry it.
  • NURS 600 is billed only if you need it and the Program Director approves it. If it runs 3 billing hours, it adds about $3,224 with fees.
  • If the FNP Program Director accepts all three support courses from your prior master’s, the certificate falls to about $18,744 (derived).
  • Student NP malpractice insurance and CastleBranch compliance are student costs not listed on the bursar page.
  • The part-time technology fee assumes 6 credits or fewer per term, which matches the sample plan. It has risen each year, from $25 to $27 to $28 per credit.
  • Rates are set annually. The $980 rate has held since 2024–25, but the school does not lock it for continuing students.
  • Student health insurance ($5,364 per year) applies to full-time graduate students only.

At about $1,027 per credit all-in, the MS stays close to its advertised rate because fees are small. The variables are NURS 600, which most students should not need, and how many support courses transfer into the certificate. Get the transfer decision in writing at admission. Full rate tables are on the tuition and fees page.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Mount Saint Vincent fits New York RNs who want to keep full-time hospital jobs, take classes in person after work, pay a stable per-credit rate, and can source their own preceptors.

Can you keep working? Yes, by design. The MS is part-time only, courses run two per semester, and classes are held late afternoon and evening. The heaviest stretch is the three practicum semesters, at about 12 hours of clinicals a week plus two courses. Plan for less scheduling slack in the summer practicum.

Can you get to Riverdale? This is the deciding question. Nothing in the program is online, and the school does not publish a meeting schedule. Nurses in the Bronx, Upper Manhattan, and lower Westchester have the easiest commute. Nurses elsewhere should confirm how many nights a week they would travel.

What is the honest downside? You find your own preceptors, every semester, under a hard Week 1 deadline. Nurses without contacts in New York primary care and pediatrics will carry most of the workload here. The certificate also saves money rather than time, since it ends in the same term as the MS.

Accreditation

The master’s degree in nursing at University of Mount Saint Vincent is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The CHEA accreditation database also lists the school’s post-graduate APRN certificate as accredited, so both FNP tracks fall under CCNE review.

The university is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Institutional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and the transfer of graduate credits to other schools, including doctoral programs.

Graduates of both tracks are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC).

Compare More Family NP Programs