Francis Marion University offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:
- MSN
- BSN-DNP
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (In-State / Out-of-State) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN | $47.0K / $91.5K | 2.5 years (7 semesters) | 55 |
| BSN-DNP | $60.0K / $116.8K | 3 years (9 semesters) | 70 |
Tuition estimates use Francis Marion’s 2025-26 graduate nursing rates ($823.20 resident, $1,646.40 nonresident per credit) plus per-semester registration, activity, technology, and facility fees.
Fifteen credits and two extra semesters separate Francis Marion’s MSN from its BSN-DNP. Both tracks share the same 42-credit core and 540-hour FNP clinical sequence, and the doctorate adds 300 clinical hours for roughly $13,000 more in-state.
Francis Marion enrolls only nurses licensed or practicing in Nurse Licensure Compact states, and students find their own preceptors. Hybrid clinical courses also bring up to two campus trips per semester to Florence.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN (55 credits); BSN-DNP (70 credits) |
| Format | Mostly Online: online coursework; hybrid courses require up to two campus trips per semester |
| Clinical Hours | MSN 780; BSN-DNP 1,080 |
| Clinical Placement | Student-arranged; Typhon directory of past preceptors and sites available |
| Distinctive Coursework | Three doctoral-level DNP courses built into the MSN |
| Concentrations | Optional 9-credit Nurse Educator certificate, taken concurrently |
| RN License Requirements | Licensed and/or practicing in a Nurse Licensure Compact state |
| Start Term | Fall only, rolling review |
| Tuition | $823.20/credit resident; $1,646.40/credit nonresident (2025-26) |
| Accreditation | CCNE (MSN and DNP); SACSCOC |
Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner at Francis Marion University is approximately $44,453 in-state (55 credits at $823.20/credit, with one term billed at the flat full-time rate). The program can generally be completed in about 2.5 years (7 consecutive semesters, fall through fall) on the full-time plan, with part-time plans arranged through a faculty adviser.
MSN Curriculum
A long MSN with doctoral courses inside it. At 55 credits, this MSN is longer than many BSN-entry FNP master’s programs. Part of the difference is three DNP-coded courses (Doctoral Knowledge Development, Health Policy and Finance, and Technology and Interprofessional Collaboration). Those same 8 credits appear in the BSN-DNP, which is why the two tracks overlap so heavily.
Population-based clinical sequence. Clinical courses are organized by patient population rather than by acute versus chronic problems: adults, then pediatrics and women’s health, then geriatrics. The program ends with two internships in the final fall, where students also develop an evidence-based improvement project for their clinical site.
- APRN 602 Advanced Pharmacology (3)
- APRN 603 Advanced Physical Assessment and Health Promotion (4, 45 lab hours, hybrid)
- DNP 800 Doctoral Knowledge Development (3)
- APRN 701 Primary Care of Adults (6, 180 clinical hours)
- APRN 702 Primary Care of Infants, Children and Adolescents (5, 120 clinical hours)
- APRN 703 Primary Care of Women (3, 60 clinical hours)
- APRN 704 Primary Care of Geriatric Patients (5, 180 clinical hours)
- APRN 705 and 706 Internship I and II (4 each, 120 clinical hours each)
More curriculum details are available here.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- 780 precepted clinical hours in primary care settings: 180 + 120 + 60 + 180 + 120 + 120
- Credit ratio: 1 practicum credit equals 4 contact hours a week (60 hours a term)
- Conferences can count toward no more than 10% of practicum hours
- Clinicals run across four consecutive semesters, starting in the second fall
- Students locate their own preceptors and schedule their own hours
- Preceptors: nurse practitioners, physicians, or PAs with at least one year in their specialty
- Support: Typhon directory of past preceptors and sites; leads posted on the graduate Blackboard site
- Malpractice insurance required on acceptance
- At least one preceptor must be a nurse practitioner; one preceptor per clinical course
- Clinicals at your own employment site or unit require director approval
- Preceptor agreements due June 10 (fall), September 10 (spring), January 20 (summer)
At 780 hours, the MSN sits above the 600 to 700 hours common among FNP programs and well above the 500-hour certification floor. The heaviest stretch is the final fall: 240 hours across two internships, about 16 hours a week over a 15-week term. Because placement is self-arranged, nurses with existing primary care contacts will have an easier time filling four separate population rotations.
You Should Know
- Summer clinical terms (180 hours in APRN 704) compress the same volume into fewer weeks. Francis Marion does not publish summer term length, so the weekly load that term is not clearly stated.
- Hybrid courses carry up to two campus trips per semester. Five MSN semesters include a hybrid course, so plan for as many as 10 trips. Whether the limit applies per semester or per hybrid course (spring of year two has two) is not clearly stated.
MSN Admissions
Admission is fall only, with rolling review and a compact-state licensure requirement.
- BSN and current, unencumbered RN license
- Graduate nursing application (also serves as the FMU application) and $41 fee
- Official transcripts from all colleges attended; foreign transcripts certified by WES
- Three references, one from a current or former supervisor
- Personal statement (300 to 500 words) and resume or CV
- Deadline: one week before classes start; apply earlier to allow for transcripts and financial aid
- On acceptance: background check and drug screen, TB test, immunizations, AHA BLS, malpractice insurance (via CastleBranch)
You Should Know
- Francis Marion publishes no minimum GPA, RN experience requirement, prerequisite courses, or interview. Applications are reviewed for merit against a limited number of seats, so a competitive profile matters even without stated cutoffs.
- Once enrolled, students must keep a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Two failed courses, or any clinical failure that cannot be retaken, end the program.
- Students must be licensed and/or practicing in a Nurse Licensure Compact state. Francis Marion’s exclusion list appears dated: it still names Washington, now a compact state, and does not mention Washington, D.C., or Massachusetts, where compact licenses are not yet usable. Confirm eligibility with the program before applying.
BSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the BSN to FNP/DNP at Francis Marion University is approximately $56,801 in-state (70 credits at $823.20/credit, with one term billed at the flat full-time rate). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years (9 consecutive semesters) on the full-time plan, with part-time plans available through a faculty adviser.
BSN-DNP Curriculum
The first two years nearly mirror the MSN: the same foundations, the same four population-based clinical courses, and the same doctoral seminars. The tracks split in year three. MSN students take two internships and finish; BSN-DNP students take three residencies, an IRB course, two capstone courses, and scholarly writing and grant development.
- DNP 801 Doctoral Research and Epidemiological Evidence-based Practice (3)
- DNP 802 Doctoral Health Policy, Finance and Leadership (3)
- DNP 805 Project Development (3)
- DNP 804 IRB (1)
- DNP 807 and 808 Capstone I and II (3 each)
- DNP 806 Scholarly Writing and Grant Development (3)
- DNP 810, 811, 812 BSN-FNP/DNP Residency I to III (4, 5, 3 credits)
More curriculum details are available here.
BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements
- 1,080 clinical hours: 540 in the shared FNP sequence (180 + 120 + 60 + 180) plus 540 in three residencies (180 + 240 + 120)
- Clinicals run across six consecutive semesters, from the second fall through the final summer
- Same self-arranged preceptor model, NP-preceptor rule, and agreement deadlines as the MSN
- Residencies I and II are hybrid; Residency III is not designated hybrid
At 1,080 hours, the BSN-DNP exceeds the 1,000 post-baccalaureate hours expected of DNP graduates and doubles the 500-hour certification floor. The extra 300 hours over the MSN come in the residencies, so the doctorate adds real clinical time rather than only project work. The peak is Residency II: 240 hours in one spring term, about 16 hours a week.
You Should Know
- Six BSN-DNP semesters include a hybrid course, so plan for as many as 12 campus trips under the two-per-semester limit.
- There is no opt-out to sit for national certification before graduation. BSN-DNP students cannot certify and begin practicing as an FNP after the clinical sequence; certification waits until the doctorate is complete.
BSN-DNP Admissions
Admission is fall only and follows the same graduate nursing application, compact-state rule, and post-acceptance requirements as the MSN.
- BSN and current, unencumbered RN license
- Graduate nursing application and $41 fee
- Transcripts, three references, career-goals statement, and resume or CV
- Written statement on DNP project interest
You Should Know
- As with the MSN, no minimum GPA, RN experience, or interview is published, and seats are limited.
Tuition
Francis Marion charges $823.20 per credit for South Carolina residents and $1,646.40 per credit for nonresidents in graduate nursing (2025-26). Including mandatory per-semester fees, the derived all-in cost is about $855 per credit for residents and $1,663 for nonresidents. The full-time rate ($8,232 resident, $16,464 nonresident) applies at 10 or more credits, which caps tuition in the single 11-credit term on each plan.
| Item | MSN | BSN-DNP |
|---|---|---|
| Credits / semesters | 55 / 7 | 70 / 9 |
| Tuition, resident | $44,453 | $56,801 |
| Tuition, nonresident | $88,906 | $113,602 |
| Per-semester fees (derived) | $2,466 | $3,164 |
| Application + graduation fees | $82 | $82 |
| Total, resident | $47,001 | $60,047 |
| Total, nonresident | $91,454 | $116,848 |
Rates come from Francis Marion’s 2025-26 Tuition and Fees schedule.
Confirmed costs:
- Graduate nursing tuition: $823.20 resident, $1,646.40 nonresident, per credit
- Full-time graduate nursing tuition (10+ credits): $8,232 resident, $16,464 nonresident, per semester
- Registration fee: $20 per semester
- Information technology fee: $112 per semester ($56 per credit part-time)
- University facility fee: $100 per semester ($50 per credit part-time)
- Student activity fee: $156 per semester ($15.60 per credit part-time)
- Application fee: $41; graduate graduation fee: $41
- Optional Nurse Educator certificate: 9 credits, about $7,409 resident
Be aware that:
- Part-time fee caps are assumed. The schedule lists per-credit part-time fees but does not say they stop at the full-time amount. This estimate caps them; without a cap, fees would run several thousand dollars higher.
- Online students may not owe every fee. Whether distance students pay the activity and facility fees is not clearly stated.
- Nursing testing fee. The schedule lists a $215 per-semester nursing program testing fee without saying whether it applies to graduate students. It is excluded here; if it applies, it adds $1,505 to the MSN and $1,935 to the BSN-DNP.
- Summer billing. Whether the full-time cap applies in summer is not stated. No summer term reaches 10 credits on either plan, so this does not change the estimate.
- Rates are set annually. The Board of Trustees sets tuition each June. The graduate nursing rate has held at $823.20 since at least 2018-19, but future increases are possible.
- Unpriced items. CastleBranch screening, malpractice insurance, campus travel, and certification exam fees are billed separately.
For South Carolina residents, the MSN comes in near $47,000 all-in and the BSN-DNP near $60,000. That $13,000 gap buys a doctorate and 300 more clinical hours. Nonresidents pay double tuition with no online discount, which pushes the BSN-DNP past $116,000.
Why Choose This FNP Program?
Best suited for compact-licensed nurses near Florence who can drive to campus a few times a semester, can line up their own preceptors, and are weighing whether a doctorate is worth two more semesters.
The DNP costs less extra time than usual. Many BSN-DNP programs add a year or more over the MSN. At Francis Marion, the gap is 15 credits and two semesters (9 versus 7), because the tracks share 42 credits, including three doctoral courses. Nurses who start the MSN and later want the doctorate should ask whether those DNP-coded credits carry into the MSN to DNP track.
High clinical volume on both tracks. The MSN’s 780 hours and the BSN-DNP’s 1,080 hours both clear common benchmarks comfortably. That depth is a strength for nurses moving into independent primary care, but it means filling four population rotations, plus residencies on the doctoral track, without school placement.
Weigh these trade-offs before applying. Admission happens once a year, in fall. Students outside compact states cannot enroll, and nonresidents pay twice the resident rate. Hybrid clinical semesters mean recurring trips to Florence, and BSN-DNP students cannot certify early. For South Carolina residents who accept those terms, either track is a full-volume FNP program at public-university pricing.
Accreditation
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits Francis Marion’s master’s degree program in nursing and its Doctor of Nursing Practice program. The university’s accreditation page names both the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner and the BSN to DNP/FNP within that scope.
Francis Marion University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, master’s, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees. Regional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility, credit transfer, and acceptance of the degree for further graduate study.
Graduates of the MSN and the BSN-DNP are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC).
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