Saint Peter’s University offers an MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Track:
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN | $41.4K–$45.0K | 2–3 years (6–8 terms) | 46–50 |
Tuition estimates use Saint Peter’s 2026–27 Master of Nursing rate of $899 per credit applied to the published 46 credits and the 50-credit course list.
Saint Peter’s FNP is its adult-gerontology NP program with a family year added on top. Students complete the same two adult-gero theory courses and practica as the AGNP track, then add a 200-hour pediatric and women’s health clinical and a 150-hour family practice capstone, for 750 hours in total.
The trade-off is timing and geography. Pediatric and obstetric patient care does not start until the final third of the program, and every practicum must be completed in New Jersey under a New Jersey RN license.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN (FNP concentration); RN-MSN Bridge entry for non-BSN bachelor’s holders |
| Format | Mostly Online: online courses plus on-campus simulation in the pediatric/women’s health clinical |
| Clinical Hours | 750 (400 adult-gero, 140 pediatric, 60 women’s health, 150 family capstone) |
| Clinical Placement | Preceptor-based; who secures sites is not clearly stated |
| Population | Family/individual across the lifespan |
| Distinctive Coursework | Family Systems and Dynamics; Primary Care for Pediatric & Maternal Patients |
| RN License Requirements | Current New Jersey RN license; all practicums in New Jersey |
| Experience Gate | At least one year of professional nursing practice |
| Tuition | $899/credit (2026–27) |
| Accreditation | CCNE (master’s); Middle States (institutional) |
Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the MSN at Saint Peter’s University is approximately $41,354 (46 credits at $899/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 2 years, the school’s published minimum, with a longer path likely for part-time students.
The Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner runs on 15-week fall and spring semesters plus a 10-week summer term.
MSN Curriculum
Level I: Core and Cognate (24 credits). Five core courses (13 credits) cover health policy, nursing theory, health care financing, research, and client education. Four cognate courses (11 credits) cover pathophysiology, pharmacology, advanced health assessment, and family systems. Students can take Level I courses in any order once prerequisites are met, which gives part-time students room to build their own pace early on.
Level II: Adult-Gero First, Family Last. The specialty sequence is shared with the AGNP track for its first half. NU-558 and NU-572 are adult-gerontology theory courses, paired with two adult-gerontology practica. Only after those four courses do FNP students branch into NU-592 (pediatric and maternal primary care) and NU-602 (the pediatric and women’s health clinical). The program closes with a two-part FNP capstone: a didactic course with board-review resources, and a 150-hour family practice clinical.
Why the sequence matters. Nurses coming from adult med-surg or ICU backgrounds start in familiar territory and build diagnostic confidence before tackling children. Nurses who want early pediatric exposure get the opposite. Even the health assessment course (NU-542) is framed around the adult-geriatric client, so structured pediatric assessment arrives late.
- NU-536 Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
- NU-537 Pharmacology for Prescriptive Practice (3 credits)
- NU-542 Advanced Health Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning (3 credits, includes lab)
- NU-538 Family Systems and Dynamics (2 credits)
- NU-558 / NU-572 Advanced Practice Adult-Gerontology Nursing I and II (3 credits each)
- NU-568 / NU-582 Adult-Gerontology Practicum I and II (4 credits each)
- NU-592 Primary Care for Pediatric & Maternal Patients (3 credits)
- NU-602 Clinical III: Pediatric & Women’s Health (4 credits)
- NU-612 FNP Capstone (2 credits) and NU-622 Clinical IV: FNP Capstone (3 credits)
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The published total is 46 credits, but the program page’s own course list sums to 50 (24 Level I plus 26 Level II). Saint Peter’s does not explain the 4-credit gap. Ask admissions which figure governs billing.
- The online graduate catalog is still the 2021–22 edition. Its FNP table lists only 13 courses and 38 credits, omitting all four FNP-specific courses. The current program page supersedes it.
- Catalog prerequisites chain every Level II course to the one before it (for example, NU-568 requires NU-558, and NU-622 requires NU-612). Read literally, that produces six sequential Level II terms after Level I, closer to 2.7 years than 2. The 2-year figure likely assumes theory and practicum are taken together.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- Total: 750 supervised clinical hours, per the program page
- Adult-Gerontology Practicum I (NU-568): 200 hours
- Adult-Gerontology Practicum II (NU-582): 200 hours
- Clinical III, Pediatric & Women’s Health (NU-602): 200 hours (140 pediatric, 60 women’s health/OB)
- Clinical IV, Family Practice Capstone (NU-622): 150 hours with a primary care preceptor
- Ratio: 50 clinical hours per practicum credit
- On-campus simulation is part of NU-602
- Location: all practicums must be completed in New Jersey
- NU-587 (0 credits) lets students log practicum hours in summer if they fall short in NU-568 or want to bank hours before NU-582
At 750 hours, Saint Peter’s sits at the top of the 600 to 700 hour range common among FNP programs and well above the 500-hour certification floor. More than half of those hours (400) are adult-gerontology, which suits nurses who expect to practice mostly with adults. A 200-hour clinical works out to roughly 13 hours per week across a 15-week semester, or about 20 per week if it lands in the 10-week summer term.
You Should Know
- The catalog descriptions for NU-568 and NU-582 still say 300 hours each, which is the AGNP requirement. Using those figures, the FNP would total 950 hours. The FNP program page’s 200-hour figures reconcile exactly to the published 750, so this page uses 750.
- Saint Peter’s does not state whether it arranges clinical sites or expects students to find their own preceptors.
- How often NU-602 simulation meets on campus is not stated. NU-542’s catalog entry also includes a 5-hour weekly lab without saying whether it is on campus. If that lab is weekly and in person, that semester would function as hybrid.
- Telehealth clinical policy and faculty site visits are not clearly stated.
MSN Admissions
Admission requires a New Jersey RN license, one year of nursing experience, and three supervisory or academic nursing references, and an interview may be required.
- BSN from a CCNE- or ACEN/NLN-accredited program, or equivalent
- Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0
- At least one year of professional nursing practice
- Current New Jersey RN license, presented for documentation
- Completed undergraduate statistics and nursing research courses
- Evidence of physical assessment skills (transcript, course description with theory and lab hours, or a challenge exam)
- 500-word personal statement, current resume, and official transcripts
- Three letters of recommendation from nurses in supervisory roles or academic nurse educators
- Rolling admissions; applying at least two months before the intended start term is recommended
- Criminal background check and titers for rubella, rubeola, mumps, and varicella
- Up to 6 transfer credits with a grade of B or better
RN-MSN Bridge. RNs with an ADN or diploma plus a non-nursing bachelor’s degree (3.0 GPA) can enter through a bridge option. It adds credit validation for Anatomy and Physiology I and II (Excelsior exam) and Microbiology. The bridge is billed at the same $899 rate.
You Should Know
- Saint Peter’s has made a licensure determination for New Jersey only. Combined with the NJ license and NJ-only practicum rules, the program is effectively limited to nurses living or working in New Jersey.
- Whether a multistate compact license satisfies the New Jersey license requirement is not stated.
- The bridge option’s added coursework, credits, and duration are not published, and the school does not confirm that bridge students can choose the FNP concentration.
- Transfer-credit age limits conflict. The nursing admissions page says credits 10 years or older may not transfer; the graduate academic policies say nursing credits may expire after five years.
- Start terms and application deadlines are not published beyond the rolling-admission guidance.
Tuition
Saint Peter’s charges a published $899 per credit for the Master of Nursing in 2026–27. The same rate applies to the RN-MSN Bridge and to post-master’s certificate students, and there is no in-state or out-of-state differential.
| Item | Basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition, published credits | 46 × $899 | $41,354 |
| Tuition, course-list credits | 50 × $899 | $44,950 |
| Graduate Student Service Fee | $240 × 4 fall/spring semesters | $960 |
| Course fees | NU-542 $75 + NU-568 $100 + NU-582 $100 | $275 |
| Estimated all-in (derived) | 46 to 50 credits plus fees | $42,589–$46,185 |
Confirmed costs:
- $899 per credit, Master of Nursing, 2026–27 (Student Accounts tuition and fees)
- Graduate Student Service Fee: $240 per semester, fall and spring
- Enrollment fee for new students: $16
- Course fees listed in the catalog: $75 (NU-542) and $100 each (NU-568, NU-582)
Be aware that:
- The 4-credit gap between the published 46 credits and the 50-credit course list is worth $3,596 in tuition.
- The service-fee count assumes four fall/spring semesters on the 2-year plan. A longer schedule adds $240 per extra fall or spring term.
- Course fees come from the 2021–22 catalog and may have changed. NU-602 and NU-622 have no listed fee.
- A part-time technology fee of $15 per credit (not billed in summer) appears on the fee schedule. Whether it applies to graduate nursing students is not stated; if it does, it adds up to about $690.
- A graduation fee ($160, “evening population”) and a nursing background check fee are listed without clear application to this program.
Expect roughly $42,600 to $46,200 all-in, depending mainly on which credit total Saint Peter’s actually bills. That is about $6,300 more than the 39-credit AGNP at the same rate, the price of the added pediatric, women’s health, and family practice training.
Why Choose This FNP Program?
Best suited for New Jersey nurses with adult acute or med-surg experience who want a family certification without starting from pediatrics.
An adult-first ramp into family practice. Because the first two practica are adult-gerontology, experienced adult-care nurses spend the first clinical year building on what they already know. Pediatrics and women’s health come after that base is in place, followed by a capstone that pulls all populations together in a family practice setting.
Solid clinical volume at a flat private rate. 750 hours clears the common FNP range, and the capstone guarantees 150 hours with a primary care preceptor in family practice. At $899 per credit with no residency differential, the total lands in the low-to-mid $40,000s.
What you give up. Nurses who want pediatrics or women’s health to be a major part of their future practice get 200 hours of it, concentrated late in the program. The New Jersey license and practicum rules shut out anyone planning to move during the program. The unexplained 46-versus-50-credit gap, an outdated catalog, and unstated placement support mean applicants should get key answers in writing before enrolling.
Accreditation
The master’s degree in nursing at Saint Peter’s University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). CCNE’s scope also covers the baccalaureate program and the post-graduate APRN certificate, and it includes the MSN’s Family Nurse Practitioner concentration.
Saint Peter’s is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which reaffirmed its accreditation in November 2023 with the next evaluation scheduled for 2030–31. Regional institutional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and transfer of graduate credit to later doctoral study.
Graduates are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC).
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