Seton Hall University FNP Programs

College of Nursing • Nutley, NJ • Mostly Online • $1,585/credit

Seton Hall University offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • MSN
  • Post-Master’s Certificate

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$76.1K3 years
(8 semesters, including summers)		48
Certificate$38.0K–$61.8KAbout 1.5 to 2 years
(5 to 6 semesters, derived)		24–39

Tuition estimates use Seton Hall’s published graduate nursing rate of $1,585 per credit multiplied by program credits.

Seton Hall teaches all FNP coursework asynchronously online, then brings students to its Interprofessional Health Sciences campus in Nutley for three scheduled two-day immersions. The immersions cover hands-on procedures such as suturing, punch biopsies, incision and drainage, and GYN/GU exams with standardized patients, and the school provides clinical placement support for the 600-hour practicum sequence.

The trade-off is that “100% online” does not mean zero travel. Out-of-state students need to budget for three trips to New Jersey, and the graduate licensure disclosure lists eight states where Seton Hall has not determined whether its curriculum meets APRN requirements.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN; Post-Master’s Certificate (for current nurse practitioners)
FormatMostly Online: asynchronous courses plus three two-day in-person immersions in Nutley, NJ
Clinical Hours600 hours across four practicum courses
Clinical PlacementSchool-provided placement support; preceptor model with faculty oversight
PopulationFamily/individual across the lifespan
Distinctive CourseworkFamily Health Concepts; immersion training in suturing, biopsies, nerve blocks, EKG and radiology
ConcentrationsNone
RN License RequirementsRN in state of practice; New Jersey RN also required for New Jersey clinicals
Experience GateNew BSN graduates need one year of full-time RN work before practicum courses
Tuition$1,585/credit plus a $310 graduate nursing fee and university fee each semester
AccreditationCCNE (MSN and post-graduate APRN certificate); Middle States institutional

MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the M.S.N., Family Nurse Practitioner at Seton Hall University is approximately $76,080 (48 credits at $1,585/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years on the published part-time plan, which runs 8 terms including two summers; Seton Hall also references a 4-year plan.

MSN Curriculum

Structure. The 48 credits split into 24 didactic nursing credits, 15 clinical credits, and 9 other required credits. The first year is entirely non-clinical: pathophysiology, pharmacology, evidence-based practice, a systems leadership course, health policy, and health promotion. The FNP specialty sequence starts in year two with advanced health assessment paired with Practicum I.

Pacing. The published plan never exceeds 7 credits in a term, so a working nurse carries two courses at a time. Each practicum runs alongside one theory course rather than stacking two practica in one semester. That keeps weekly clinical load manageable but also explains why the degree takes three years rather than two.

Distinctive coursework. Family Health Concepts is a dedicated course on family systems, taught in the summer between the second and third practica. The third immersion reinforces this with a focus on older adults and how family dynamics shape caregiving and adherence.

  • NURS 6411 Advanced Clinical Pathophysiology (3)
  • NURS 6415 Clinical Pharmacology (3)
  • NURS 7372 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Decision Making Across the Lifespan (3)
  • NURS 7239 Family Health Concepts (3)
  • NURS 7235 Advanced Practice Nursing I: Family (3)
  • NURS 7253 Advanced Practice Nursing II: Family (3)
  • NURS 7338 Graduate Nursing Practicum I: Family (3)
  • NURS 7350, 7352, 7373 Graduate Nursing Practicum II–IV: Family (4 each)
  • NURS 7470 Advanced Professional Role Enactment (3)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The online catalog carrying this plan is labeled 2024–2025. The systems leadership course still appears as “NURS XXXX” with no assigned number.
  • The catalog’s plan of study lists NURS 7515, a psychiatric-mental health practicum, in the final term where the FNP course list shows NURS 7373 (Practicum IV: Family). Both are 4 credits, so the total is unaffected; treat 7373 as correct and confirm with an advisor.
  • Only the 3-year part-time plan is published. The 4-year plan and any full-time option are not clearly stated.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • 600 supervised clinical hours with patients of all ages.
  • Four practicum courses totaling 15 credits. Practicum I is published at 120 clinical hours plus 15 seminar hours (40 clinical hours per credit).
  • At that ratio, Practica II–IV at 4 credits each carry about 160 hours apiece (derived), which reconciles to 600.
  • Preceptorship model: agency staff and faculty jointly identify on-site preceptors, while faculty keep primary responsibility for student progress.
  • Seton Hall advertises clinical placement support in diverse settings.
  • Three two-day in-person immersions at the Nutley campus: orientation at program start, a practicum immersion in early fall of year two, and a second practicum immersion in late fall of year two.
  • A basic physical assessment refresher course is required before Practicum I.
  • Before clinicals: immunizations, medical history, liability insurance, criminal background check, and AHA BLS certification.

At 600 hours, Seton Hall sits at the lower end of the 600 to 700 range common for FNP programs and 100 hours above the 500-hour certification floor. Spread across four semesters, that works out to roughly 8 hours per week in Practicum I and about 11 hours per week in each later practicum, which fits around a full-time nursing job more easily than heavier programs. The immersions add hands-on procedure training that many fully online programs leave to the preceptor.

You Should Know
  • “Placement support” is not a placement guarantee. The catalog separately tells out-of-state students to confirm with the Director of Graduate Admissions that securing a clinical rotation will not be a problem before applying.
  • Per-course hours for Practica II–IV are not published; the 160-hour figure is derived from Practicum I’s ratio.
  • The program page calls the format “100% online,” but the immersions page describes all three immersions as in-person. Some third-party listings say orientation can be completed virtually; Seton Hall’s own immersion page does not confirm this.

MSN Admissions

Recent BSN graduates can be admitted, but they must pass the NCLEX by August 15 and complete one year of full-time RN employment before practicum courses begin in year two.

  • BSN from an ACEN, CCNE, or NLN-accredited program.
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  • RN license in the U.S. state of practice, plus a New Jersey license if clinicals are completed in New Jersey.
  • Undergraduate statistics, nursing research, and physical assessment (not credited toward the MSN).
  • Statement of professional goals.
  • Two references: one professional and one academic (two professional if out of school more than 5 years).
  • $75 application fee.
  • Interview for selected applicants.
  • Internationally educated nurses: TOEFL (reading 22, listening 22, speaking 26, writing 24) and a WES evaluation.
  • Deadlines: August 1 for fall and December 15 for spring (annual cycle).
You Should Know
  • Seton Hall’s graduate licensure disclosure lists “information not known” for Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The disclosure is undated.
  • New Hampshire is listed as “meets,” but graduates must complete additional contact hours.
  • The published plan of study begins in a fall term. How a spring entrant is sequenced is not clearly stated.

Post-Master’s Certificate, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Post-Master’s Certificate in Nurse Practitioner (Family) at Seton Hall University is approximately $38,040 to $61,815 (24 to 39 credits at $1,585/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 1.5 to 2 years, derived from the MSN’s five-term FNP specialty sequence.

Certificate Curriculum

The certificate uses the same FNP specialty courses and practicum sequence as the MSN. A gap analysis of your prior transcript sets your credit total. The FNP course list totals 24 specialty credits; if the gap analysis also requires the shared core (health promotion, pathophysiology, pharmacology, lifespan health assessment, and role enactment), the total reaches 39.

  • NURS 7235 Advanced Practice Nursing I: Family (3)
  • NURS 7253 Advanced Practice Nursing II: Family (3)
  • NURS 7239 Family Health Concepts (3)
  • NURS 7338 Graduate Nursing Practicum I: Family (3)
  • NURS 7350, 7352, 7373 Graduate Nursing Practicum II–IV: Family (4 each)
  • Possible core: NURS 6223, 6411, 6415, 7372, 7470 (15 total)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • Seton Hall publishes an 18 to 39 credit range across all its NP certificates. The 24-credit floor used here is the FNP specialty list; whether a gap analysis can go below it is not clearly stated.
  • Certificate duration is not published.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

  • The certificate includes all four FNP practicum courses (15 clinical credits), matching the MSN’s 600-hour sequence.
  • Placements are individualized, congruent with certification requirements, and made with certified, experienced nurse practitioners.

The catalog’s certificate language (“placement is made”) is stronger than the MSN’s “placement support.” For an NP adding a second population focus, this matters: finding a family-practice preceptor willing to take a student who already practices in another specialty can be harder than a first placement.

You Should Know
  • A total clinical-hour figure for the certificate is not clearly stated; 600 is inferred from the shared practicum courses.
  • Whether certificate students attend all three immersions is not clearly stated.
  • State boards set their own rules for adding a second APRN population focus. Confirm your board accepts a post-master’s certificate for FNP licensure.

Certificate Admissions

This certificate is for nurses who already hold a master’s degree and practice as nurse practitioners; it is not open to non-NP MSN holders.

  • Master’s degree in nursing with nurse practitioner preparation.
  • Transcript gap analysis to set required credits.
  • Other requirements follow the MSN admissions list above.

Tuition

Seton Hall charges a published graduate nursing rate of $1,585 per credit. This rate is tuition only; semester fees are billed separately.

ItemMSN (48 credits)
Tuition (48 × $1,585)$76,080
Graduate nursing fee + part-time university fee, 6 fall/spring terms (6 × $625)$3,750
Summer university fee, 2 terms (2 × $90)$180
Graduate nursing fee in summer, if charged (2 × $310)$0–$620
Estimated total (derived)$80,010–$80,630

Full tuition and fee rates are listed on the Seton Hall bursar page.

  • Tuition: $1,585 per credit.
  • Graduate nursing fee: $310 per semester.
  • University fee: $315 per semester part-time, $735 full-time (9+ credits), $90 summer/winter.
  • MSN tuition: $76,080. Certificate tuition: $38,040 (24 credits) to $61,815 (39 credits).
  • Certificate fees add roughly $625 per fall or spring term (derived).
  • Application fee: $75.

Be aware that:

  • Every term in the published MSN plan is under 9 credits, so the part-time university fee applies. A heavier load would trigger the $735 full-time fee.
  • The bursar page does not state whether the graduate nursing fee is charged in summer terms; the table shows both cases.
  • The bursar page does not name the academic year its rates apply to. Rates may rise over a three-year program.
  • Travel and lodging for three immersions in Nutley are not included.
  • Certificate totals depend on the gap analysis and are derived, not published.

Plan on about $80,000 for the MSN once semester fees are added, which is roughly 5 percent above the tuition-only figure. Because fees are charged per semester, the three-year pace adds more fee cost than a shorter program would. For the certificate, the gap analysis is the biggest cost variable: the difference between 24 and 39 credits is about $23,800.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

This program fits nurses who want asynchronous coursework they can schedule around shifts, structured in-person procedure training, and a slower three-year pace that never requires more than two courses at once.

Working nurses in New Jersey and the New York metro area. Nutley is close enough for a day trip, so the three immersions are a minor inconvenience rather than a travel expense. Local students also have the easiest path to placement support, since the catalog cautions out-of-state applicants to confirm rotation availability first.

Nurses who value hands-on skills training. The immersions cover suturing, punch biopsy, incision and drainage, nerve blocks, fishhook removal, and standardized-patient GYN/GU exams. Many fully online FNP programs leave these skills to whatever a preceptor happens to teach.

The trade-offs. This is not a fast program: three years is the shortest published plan. Private-school pricing puts the MSN near $80,000 with fees, with no in-state discount. The 600 clinical hours meet the common range but do not exceed it. Nurses in the eight “information not known” states, or those who want zero travel, should compare other programs first.

Accreditation

The master’s degree program in nursing and the post-graduate APRN certificate programs at Seton Hall University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). That scope covers both FNP tracks on this page.

Seton Hall is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Institutional accreditation determines eligibility for federal financial aid and affects how other schools treat transfer credit.

CCNE accreditation matters because national certification bodies and state boards of nursing require graduation from an accredited program to certify and license nurse practitioners.

Graduates of both tracks are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC). Seton Hall reports a 100 percent pass rate on the AANPCB exam, though the reporting year is not stated.

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