CSUDH Family Nurse Practitioner Programs

School of Nursing • Carson, CA • Hybrid • $500–$650/credit

California State University Dominguez Hills offers 1 Family Nurse Practitioner track:

  • MSN FNP (48 units, hybrid online/on-campus, 3–4 years)
  • California BRN-approved; graduates eligible for CA NP certificate, CA NP Furnishing number, and national board certification
  • Spring and fall admits accepted; rolling applications within each cycle
  • Collaborative preceptor placement — program locates sites within 100 miles of student’s home

The program is designed for experienced working nurses in California, though full-time employment is acknowledged to be challenging alongside the program’s demands.

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. Duration
MSN FNP~$25K–$35K (CA resident, est.)3–4 years

“CSUDH’s FNP MSN is one of the most affordable accredited FNP programs in California — a CSU public university program with spring and fall admission cycles, collaborative preceptor placement support, and California BRN approval built in.”

Program Tracks Overview

MSN FNP

The estimated cost for the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner at California State University Dominguez Hills is approximately $25,000–$35,000 for California residents. The program takes 3–4 years to complete.

Estimate based on the published graduate tuition rate of $8,548/year (two full-time regular semesters) plus part-time semester rates and per-unit summer fees.

Note:Exact costs vary by enrollment pattern (full-time vs. part-time semester distribution) and summer unit fees — students should confirm current per-unit rates at the CSUDH term fees page before applying.

MSN Curriculum

The MSN FNP requires 48 graduate units structured across a 15-unit graduate core, a 9-unit APRN core, and a 24-unit FNP role and population-focused sequence.

The graduate core covers advanced nursing roles, healthcare policy and economics, health promotion and disease prevention, research utilization, and nursing ethics.

The APRN core builds clinical science foundations with advanced health assessment (including a hands-on on-campus skills lab), advanced pharmacology, and advanced pathophysiology.

The FNP role and population sequence progresses through four clinical semesters of primary care, covering adult populations (Primary Care I), pediatric health, women’s/gender health, and a capstone integration course (Primary Care III), each paired with a Role Performance clinical course carrying 144 clinical hours.

The program concludes with a culminating activity — an oral presentation of MSN program learning outcomes to a faculty panel. The three-year plan distributes the curriculum as follows:

  • Year 1 focuses on graduate and APRN cores
  • Year 2 opens the clinical sequence
  • Year 3 completes advanced primary care.

Summer sessions in Years 1 and 2 accommodate core courses and reduce the fall/spring load.

Graduate Core (15 units — all MSN students):

  • MSN 502 – Advanced Nursing Roles (3 units)
  • MSN 513 – Healthcare Policy and Economics (3 units)
  • MSN 514 – Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (3 units)
  • MSN 530 – Research Utilization in Advanced Nursing Practice (3 units)
  • MSN 531 – Nursing Ethics (3 units)

APRN Core (9 units):

  • MSN 521 – Advanced Health Assessment (2 units)
  • MSN 522 – Advanced Health Assessment Lab (1 unit) — requires two 2-day on-campus sessions for teaching and testing of assessment skills
  • MSN 526 – Advanced Pharmacology (3 units)
  • MSN 528 – Advanced Pathophysiology (3 units)

FNP Role and Population-Focused Courses (24 units):

  • MSN 556 – Primary Care of the Family I (4 units)
    Explores pharmacologic treatment principles and the assessment and management of common acute conditions across the lifespan. Focus on comprehensive primary care foundations.
  • MSN 558 – FNP: Role Performance I (3 units, 144 clinical hours)
    Introduces clinical practice in primary care, emphasizing assessment and management of acute conditions within family and culturally diverse contexts. Includes 144 supervised clinical hours. CR/NC grading.
  • MSN 561 – Primary Care of the Family II: Pediatric Health (2 units)
    Focuses on pediatric primary care from infancy through adolescence, including assessment, diagnosis, and management of common conditions, with an emphasis on health promotion and cultural sensitivity.
  • MSN 562 – Primary Care of the Family II: Women’s/Gender Health (2 units)
    Covers primary care for gender-related health needs, including reproductive health, pregnancy, and sexuality, with attention to diagnosis, management, and culturally sensitive care.
  • MSN 568 – FNP: Role Performance II (3 units, 144 clinical hours)
    Builds clinical skills in caring for women and children, including reproductive health and development, through 144 supervised hours in diverse primary care settings. CR/NC grading.
  • MSN 576 – Primary Care of the Family III (4 units)
    Advances FNP practice with focus on managing complex acute and chronic conditions across the lifespan in diverse populations.
  • MSN 578 – FNP: Role Performance III (3 units, 144 clinical hours)
    Strengthens independent clinical practice, emphasizing chronic disease management and comprehensive care across the lifespan. Includes 144 supervised clinical hours. CR/NC grading.
  • MSN 588 – FNP: Role Performance IV (3 units, 144 clinical hours)
    Integrates evidence-based practice into primary care while evaluating social, cultural, and community factors affecting health. Includes 144 supervised clinical hours. CR/NC grading.

Culminating Activity: Oral presentation via conferencing technology to a faculty panel, documenting achievement of MSN program learning outcomes.

MSN Clinicals

The MSN FNP requires 576 clinical hours (144 hours × 4 semesters) completed in outpatient, primary care ambulatory settings. Clinical preceptor placement is a collaborative process — the program locates preceptors within 100 miles of the student’s home, though students may request approval of preceptors or sites closer to their location.

All preceptor and site approvals are the responsibility of program faculty.

  • Total clinical hours: 576 (144 hours × 4 Role Performance courses)
  • MSN 558 – Role Performance I: 144 hours
  • MSN 568 – Role Performance II: 144 hours
  • MSN 578 – Role Performance III: 144 hours
  • MSN 588 – Role Performance IV: 144 hours
  • Settings: approved outpatient primary care and ambulatory settings only — hospital clinical hours are not permitted in this FNP program
  • Preceptors must be NPs, CNMs with a graduate degree, or physicians
  • Most clinical settings are open Monday–Friday during daytime business hours; students should plan to be available during those hours
  • Collaborative placement: program works to locate preceptors within 100 miles of home; students may also identify and request approval of their own preferred sites
  • Clinical compliance requirements include: unencumbered California RN license, health requirements (immunizations, titers, screenings), preceptor/site approval, and in some cases background check and drug screen
  • Students must begin securing preceptors two semesters in advance
  • Health Assessment Lab (MSN 522) and Role Performance courses meet on campus 1–3 times per semester

MSN Admissions

The MSN FNP requires a BSN from a nationally accredited nursing program, California RN licensure, and a minimum of two years of recent direct patient care experience; spring and fall admits accepted.

  • BSN from a CCNE-, ACEN-, or NLN CNEA-accredited nursing program required (from a regionally accredited institution)
  • Minimum GPA: 3.0 in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) upper-division units
  • Minimum 2 years of recent direct clinical patient care as an RN (acute care preferred)
  • California RN licensure: unencumbered, unrestricted, no probation or disciplinary action pending or imposed — required throughout the program
  • Prerequisite courses (grade C or better, no time limit): statistics (with probability and inferential components), nursing research (upper division), health assessment with skills lab (upper division, standalone course — not integrated; minimum 3 units with lab)
  • Application via Cal State Apply portal; all four sections must be completed, including recommendations, FNP-specific questions, unofficial and official transcripts
  • Late applications are not accepted; incomplete applications are not considered
  • Application deadlines:
    • Spring admits: open August 1, deadline September 15
    • Fall admits: open October 1, deadline April 1
  • Admission decisions: late May/June (fall) or November/December (spring)
  • Mandatory on-campus orientation the week before classes begin — students must reserve this week and cannot be on vacation or working
  • International degrees: official records + certified English translations required; TOEFL minimum 550 paper / 80 internet / 213 computer, or IELTS 6.5, or Pearson PTE Academic 53
  • Note: Admission is competitive; meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee a seat

Tuition

California State University Dominguez Hills charges $8,548 per academic year (fall + spring, full-time, 7+ units per semester) in graduate tuition, plus $1,863 per year in campus fees.

Part-time semesters (0–6 units) are charged at a lower per-unit rate, and summer sessions are billed per unit — exact per-unit rates for part-time and summer enrollment are listed on the CSUDH term fees page.

The three-year FNP plan includes 3 full-time semesters, 3 part-time semesters, and 9 units of summer coursework, resulting in an estimated total tuition of approximately $25,000–$35,000 for California residents — one of the most affordable accredited FNP options in the state.

Additional financial resources including California Loan Repayment, scholarships, and grants are available through the California Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) office.

See the official cost of attendance page for more details.

Accreditation

The Master of Science in Nursing program at California State University Dominguez Hills is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).

The FNP program is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). Graduates are eligible to apply for California BRN Nurse Practitioner certification and Nurse Practitioner Furnishing certification, and to sit for the national FNP board certification examination through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

Additional California FNP Programs