Missouri Valley University FNP Programs

School of Nursing & Health Sciences • Marshall, MO • Mostly Online • $750/credit

Missouri Valley University offers an MSN Family Nurse Practitioner track.

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$33.8K2 years (6 semesters)45

Tuition estimate multiplies 45 credits by Missouri Valley University’s published 2026–27 rate of $750 per credit.

Missouri Valley University asks for one campus trip in the whole program: a two-day skills session in Marshall during the second semester. Everything else is online, and the final practicum lets you spend at least 50 hours in an approved specialty setting such as an emergency department, hospitalist service, or telemedicine clinic. MVU BSN graduates also get 20% off tuition.

The trade-off is placement and pace. You arrange your own preceptors for 750 hours, and the program runs full-time only, with one practicum per semester at 16 to 24 clinic hours a week.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN (BSN entry)
FormatMostly Online: online coursework plus one two-day campus skills session
Clinical Hours750 minimum (200 + 250 + 250 + 50)
Clinical PlacementStudent-arranged preceptors; program director approves each site
PopulationFamily/individual across the lifespan
Distinctive Coursework4-credit skills course with campus lab; final practicum allows specialty hours
ConcentrationsNone
Enrollment PaceFull-time only; one practicum per semester
RN License RequirementsUnencumbered RN license in your home state and every practicum state
Tuition$750/credit (2026–27); 20% off for MVU BSN graduates
AccreditationCCNE (master’s program)

MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner at Missouri Valley University is approximately $33,750 (45 credits at $750/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 2 years (6 semesters), studying full-time on the school’s set sequence.

MSN Curriculum

Foundations and skills (semesters 1–2). The plan opens with a 1-credit orientation and the three advanced core courses. The second semester adds NURS 543, a 4-credit skills course that includes the program’s only campus requirement: a two-day Clinical Competency Session in Marshall for hands-on skill check-offs. Students bring an otoscope, ophthalmoscope, and stethoscope, which the school mails out beforehand.

Paired theory and practicum. Clinical work starts in semester three, with each primary care theory course taken alongside a practicum. The sequence is strict: Theory I runs with Practicum I, Theory II with Practicum II, then Practicum III, then Practicum IV. Only one practicum is allowed per semester, so a delayed course pushes back graduation.

Board preparation is built in. A Latrina Walden board review is embedded in three courses (Theory I, Theory II, and Practicum IV), and Practicum III includes a comprehensive exam. Practicum IV also carries board-style practice testing and a live review course alongside its clinical hours.

  • NURS 500 Orientation to MSN (1 credit)
  • NURS 510 Pathophysiology for Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
  • NURS 520 Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
  • NURS 530 Advanced Health Assessment (3)
  • NURS 543 Advanced Practice Skills in Primary Care & Lab (4)
  • NURS 550 Transitioning to the Advanced Practice Nurse Role (3)
  • NURS 560 / 570 Primary Care Theory I and II (4 each)
  • NURS 561 / 571 / 580 / 581 Primary Care Practicum I–IV (14 total)
  • NURS 590 Research and Best Evidence for Clinical Practice (3)
  • NURS 591 Capstone Project (3)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The catalog’s requirements list still names NURS 540 and NURS 541, the older split version of the skills course. The catalog’s own course table and the program page both use NURS 543 at 4 credits, and both total 45 credits.
  • The clinical handbook describes the four practicums as 12 credits. The current course list totals 14 practicum credits.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • Total hours: 750 minimum, logged in Typhon: Practicum I 200, Practicum II 250, Practicum III 250, Practicum IV 50. Running totals must reach 200, 450, 700, and 750 by the end of each practicum.
  • Weekly load: the school says to expect 16 to 24 clinic hours per week, with hours finished by week 12 to 14 of the semester.
  • Placement: students arrange their own preceptors and sites, which the program director approves. Sites can be in your home community.
  • Practicum rules: Practicum I allows pediatric and adult patients but no specialty hours. Practicum II must be in family practice or internal medicine, with no specialty or pediatric hours. Practicum III must be in an all-ages primary care or internal medicine office.
  • Specialty option: Practicum IV allows 50 hours at an approved specialty site, including emergency departments, acute care, hospitalist services, telemedicine clinics, and diagnostic specialty clinics. Simulation hours do not count.
  • Preceptor rules: at least 100 hours must be with a physician during Practicums I–III. Physician assistants cannot precept. Your direct supervisor or a relative cannot precept.
  • Faculty oversight: routine site visits are not made. Faculty communicate with preceptors by email or phone, at a 1:8 faculty-to-student ratio.

At 750 hours, MVU sits above the 600 to 700 hours common among FNP programs and well above the 500-hour certification floor. The extra volume is a real strength, but it lands on the student: you find every preceptor, and with only one practicum per semester, a lost site can delay the whole sequence. The specialty block in Practicum IV is small (50 hours), but it is one of the few chances in an FNP program to log time in an emergency department or hospitalist setting.

You Should Know
  • If faculty or a preceptor decides a site visit is needed, the student pays the visit’s travel, meals, and lodging.
  • You must hold an unencumbered RN license in every state where you complete practicum hours.
  • The marketing page says clinicals happen “near you,” but it does not say the school finds sites. The student handbook states that practicums are arranged by the student.

MSN Admissions

Admission is straightforward on paper, but the program is full-time only and the RN licensure language differs between sources.

  • BSN from a nationally accredited program, with a B or higher in all nursing courses and clinicals
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Current, unencumbered RN license
  • Official transcripts from all colleges attended, plus a transcript review and plan of study
  • Two professional references on the MSN reference form
  • Criminal background check, drug screen, immunizations, and NP student liability insurance ($1M/$6M) before clinical work
  • Application deadlines: December 1 (spring), April 1 (summer), and July 1 (fall), each year
  • Transfer credit: up to 9 credits for pathophysiology, pharmacology, and health assessment taken in the last five years with a B or higher
You Should Know
  • The program page accepts an RN license from any U.S. state or territory. The 2026–27 student handbook lists Missouri, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, and Arkansas. Confirm with the program director if you live elsewhere.
  • MVU’s graduate nursing licensure disclosure says the FNP program does not meet California’s requirements. It lists every other state as meeting requirements, but the sheet was last reviewed in September 2024.
  • The catalog asks for three references and allows 12 transfer credits within three years. The program page and handbook say two references and 9 credits within five years.
  • Three application deadlines are published, but the handbook describes a yearly cohort system. Readmitted students join the following year’s cohort.
  • Two final grades below a B lead to dismissal, and every nursing course requires a B to progress.
  • International applicants cannot receive an I-20 until the program’s SEVIS review is complete.

Tuition

Missouri Valley University charges $750 per credit for the MSN-FNP in 2026–27, the same rate for all students regardless of residency. Program fees, an annual enrollment fee, and course fees raise the derived all-in cost to about $815 per credit.

Cost ItemAmountSource
Tuition (45 credits × $750)$33,750Published rate
Enrollment fee ($200 × 2 academic years)$400Derived
Program fee (one-time)$600Published
On-campus session fee$75Published
Equipment fee (second term)$200Published
NURS 543 lab fee$150Published
Board review fees (3 × $500)$1,500Published
Estimated total$36,675Derived
  • Tuition: $33,750 at $750 per credit
  • MVU BSN graduates: $27,000 tuition after the 20% discount, about $29,925 with fees
  • Transferring all 9 eligible credits saves $6,750 in tuition
  • The $600 program fee covers a skills bag, equipment, the sim lab fee, and Typhon tracking
  • Student-paid extras: malpractice insurance (about $40/year), background check (about $150), TB screening, and a laptop with camera and microphone

Be aware that:

  • The cost-of-attendance page lists a $75 on-campus session fee and a $200 equipment fee. The program’s cost sheet lists a separate $150 lab fee for the same campus course and says the $600 program fee covers skills equipment. Some of these may overlap, so the $36,675 total is a ceiling estimate.
  • The three $500 board review fees are marked “subject to change.”
  • The enrollment fee is charged per academic year. A six-semester plan usually spans two academic years, but some start terms may cross into a third ($200 more).
  • The cost page also lists a tech fee, student fee, and per-term enrollment fee for online-only students. The FNP page names only the $200 annual enrollment fee, so it is not clear whether the others apply.
  • Travel and lodging for the two-day campus session, and for any required site visit, are paid by the student.

Fees add roughly $2,900 (about 9%) to tuition, a modest premium for a program with a built-in board review and only one campus trip. For MVU’s own BSN graduates, the 20% discount brings the all-in cost under $30,000.

See the official MVU cost of attendance page and the 2026–27 MSN-FNP approximate costs.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for working RNs who can manage a full-time online schedule, line up their own preceptors, and want a single campus trip with board review already in the plan.

Low travel, high clinical volume. One two-day session in Marshall is the only campus requirement. You still log 750 hours, above the common range, and Practicum IV lets you test an emergency, hospitalist, or telemedicine setting before graduating.

Strong value for MVU’s own graduates. At $750 per credit, the program’s fee-inclusive cost is about $36,700. MVU BSN graduates pay about $29,900 all-in after the 20% discount, which makes this a natural next step for the school’s alumni.

Know the costs before committing. Self-placement is the biggest risk, especially with the 100-hour physician requirement and no PA preceptors. The program is full-time only, and its small cohorts show in its outcomes data: a 25% certification pass rate in 2023, then 100% in 2024 and 2025 (83.3% over three years). Ask the program director about current cohort size and preceptor support before applying.

Accreditation

The master’s degree program in nursing at Missouri Valley University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). This covers the MSN-FNP track. The CHEA directory lists the accreditation under the school’s former name, Missouri Valley College.

The university is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Regional institutional accreditation keeps students eligible for federal financial aid and supports credit transfer and later doctoral study.

MVU participates in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), which governs how it enrolls online students from other states.

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

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