Bellarmine University offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:
- MSN
- Post-Master’s Certificate
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN | $37.3K | 2 years (6 semesters) | 42 |
| Certificate | $15.0K–$22.5K | 1–1.5 years (3–5 semesters) | 18–27 |
Tuition estimates use Bellarmine’s published graduate rates: $835 per core credit and $920 per MSN specialty credit, with the certificate billed at a flat $835.
Bellarmine places its Kentucky students in clinicals, and almost everyone else finds their own. The NP practicum coordinator arranges sites for students whose primary residence is in Kentucky or within 30 miles of the Louisville campus in southern Indiana. Out-of-state students must secure a preceptor and get it approved.
The rest of the program is built around working nurses. Coursework is asynchronous, the only required campus event is a one-credit NP intensive the summer before practicum, and the one-year RN experience requirement can be completed during the first year of study.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN; Post-Master’s Certificate |
| Format | Mostly Online: asynchronous courses plus one required on-campus NP intensive |
| Clinical Hours | 720 (program page) or 810 (sample plan of study) |
| Clinical Placement | School-arranged for Kentucky and nearby southern Indiana residents; self-arranged elsewhere |
| Population | Family/individual across the lifespan |
| Distinctive Coursework | Two 6.5-credit Primary Care courses with embedded clinicals; 360-hour final practicum |
| Concentrations | None |
| RN License Requirements | Active, unrestricted Kentucky and/or compact-state RN license |
| RN Experience | One year full-time (32+ hrs/week); may be completed during year one |
| Tuition | $835 core / $920 MSN specialty; certificate flat $835 |
| Accreditation | CCNE (master’s); SACSCOC (institution) |
MSN Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner Track at Bellarmine University is approximately $37,280 (16 credits at $835 plus 26 credits at $920). The program can generally be completed in about two years of part-time study, including two summers.
MSN Curriculum
The MSN splits cleanly into two years. Year one is nine non-clinical courses: the graduate core plus advanced assessment, pathophysiology and pharmacology. Year two is almost entirely clinical, built on two 6.5-credit Primary Care courses and a 4-credit comprehensive practicum.
That split matters for working nurses. Bellarmine says most students keep full-time jobs in year one and reduce hours in year two. It also explains why the RN experience requirement can be met during year one: the clock only matters before the specialty year starts.
The NP specialty courses carry strict grading. At least 75% of the grade comes from exams, students need an 83% exam average to pass, and B- or better is required in NURS 611, 629, 650, 659 and 660.
- NURS 604 Transition to Advanced Practice: History, Leadership and Systems (3 cr)
- NURS 621 Informatics and Clinical Decision Making (3 cr)
- NURS 611 Advanced Physical Assessment and Clinical Reasoning (3 cr)
- NURS 629 Pathophysiologic Concepts for Clinical Decision Making (3 cr)
- NURS 650 Pharmacotherapeutics in Advanced Practice (3 cr)
- NURS 657 Nurse Practitioner Intensive (1 cr, on campus)
- NURS 659 Primary Care I (6.5 cr)
- NURS 660 Primary Care II (6.5 cr)
- NURS 663 Comprehensive Family Nurse Practitioner Practicum (4 cr)
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- Credit totals conflict across Bellarmine sources. The catalog and tuition table list 42 credits; the program page says 43; the sample plan of study totals 44.
- The sample plan adds PHIL 543 Bioethics (3 cr), which is not in the catalog, and omits NURS 657. This profile follows the catalog’s 42 credits.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- Total hours: 720 per the program FAQ (180 + 180 + 360), or 810 per the sample plan (225 + 225 + 360)
- Clinical courses: NURS 659 (fall, year two), NURS 660 (spring), NURS 663 (summer)
- Final practicum: 360 hours in one summer term, roughly 24 hours a week over 15 weeks (derived)
- Placement: coordinator-arranged for Kentucky residents and southern Indiana residents within 30 miles of zip code 40205
- Placed students have 48 hours to accept a site; declining it means finding your own
- All other out-of-state students secure their own site, approved by the practicum coordinator and NP program director
- Required on campus: NURS 657 intensive, the summer before practicum begins
- Pre-practicum: background check, drug screen and immunizations through CastleBranch (student-paid)
Either figure clears the 500-hour certification floor and sits at or above the 600–700 hours common among FNP programs. The bigger variable is placement. A Kentucky resident gets a site assigned. A student in Ohio or Tennessee carries the same workload with none of that support, and the 48-hour accept-or-self-source rule means even placed students should treat the assignment as their best option.
You Should Know
- The 720 and 810 totals both come from Bellarmine. The 90-hour gap sits entirely in the two Primary Care courses. Confirm the current figure with the program.
- The program page says preceptors are selected “in conjunction with” the clinical coordinator. The handbook’s placement policy is narrower: only Kentucky and nearby southern Indiana residents are placed.
- Declining an assigned site can delay progression.
MSN Admissions
The main gate is RN experience: one year of full-time work, though it can be earned while taking year-one courses.
- BSN from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited program
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Active, unrestricted RN license in Kentucky and/or a compact state
- One year of full-time RN experience (32+ hours/week) before the specialty year
- Two professional references, goal statement and resume
- No GRE required
- TOEFL iBT 83 (26 speaking) or IELTS 7.0 (8.0 speaking) for non-exempt international applicants
You Should Know
- Students still building experience must submit an employer verification form each semester of year one. Missing it can lead to dismissal.
- Bellarmine cannot confirm that its programs meet licensure requirements outside Kentucky. Non-residents should check with their state board before enrolling.
- Two unsatisfactory grades in the NP specialty courses are grounds for dismissal from the track.
- The catalog still lists GRE scores “if requested”; the program FAQ says the GRE is not required.
Post-Master’s FNP Certificate
The estimated tuition for the Post-Master’s Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate at Bellarmine University is approximately $22,545 (27 credits at $835/credit), or as low as about $15,030 if prior coursework waives the foundation courses. The program can generally be completed in about 1.5 years (5 semesters, derived from the sample plan), or about 1 year when the foundation courses are waived.
Certificate Curriculum
The certificate is the MSN’s FNP specialty block with the graduate core removed. Students take the same Primary Care courses, practicum and campus intensive as MSN students.
Foundation courses (assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacology) can be waived through gap analysis if taken within the last five years. That is why the credit load ranges from 18 to 27.
- NURS 611 Advanced Physical Assessment and Clinical Reasoning (3 cr, may be waived)
- NURS 629 Pathophysiologic Concepts for Clinical Decision Making (3 cr, may be waived)
- NURS 650 Pharmacotherapeutics in Advanced Practice (3 cr, may be waived)
- NURS 657 Nurse Practitioner Intensive (1 cr, on campus, first summer)
- NURS 659 Primary Care I (6.5 cr)
- NURS 660 Primary Care II (6.5 cr)
- NURS 663 Comprehensive Family Nurse Practitioner Practicum (4 cr)
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The catalog lists 27 credits. The sample plan lists 17–26 and omits NURS 657, which the catalog says is required. This profile uses 18–27.
- Bellarmine’s certificate web page currently describes the AGACNP certificate (20 credits, four semesters). Those figures do not apply to the FNP certificate.
Certificate Clinical Requirements
- Same clinical sequence as the MSN: NURS 659, 660 and 663
- Hours: 810 per the certificate sample plan (225 + 225 + 360)
- Same residency-based placement policy as the MSN
- NURS 657 campus intensive in the first summer of enrollment
Certificate students get the full clinical sequence, not a shortened version. That makes the certificate a strong route for MSN-prepared nurses, especially Kentucky residents who also get placement support.
Certificate Admissions
The certificate adds a faculty interview and admits on a space-available basis.
- MSN from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited program
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Active, unrestricted RN license in Kentucky and/or a compact state
- Interview with graduate faculty
- Two professional references, goal statement and resume
You Should Know
- Certificate students are not eligible for federal financial aid.
- Bellarmine’s CCNE statement names its master’s and DNP programs but does not list the certificate separately.
- Nurses adding FNP as a second APRN population should confirm their state board accepts post-master’s certificate preparation.
Tuition
Bellarmine charges $835 per credit for core courses and $920 per credit for MSN specialty courses, a blended rate of about $888 per credit across the MSN (derived). The certificate is billed at a flat $835 per credit.
| Program | Calculation | Total |
|---|---|---|
| MSN | 16 × $835 + 26 × $920 | $37,280 (published) |
| Certificate (full) | 27 × $835 | $22,545 (published) |
| Certificate (foundations waived) | 18 × $835 | $15,030 (derived) |
Rates come from Bellarmine’s graduate tuition page.
- Same per-credit rates for all students; no in-state/out-of-state split
- Alumni discount: 20% off master’s programs (MSN ≈ $29,824, derived)
- Partner-organization discount: 20% off master’s programs
- Professional liability insurance is included through lab fees
Be aware that:
- Lab fee amounts are not clearly stated.
- CastleBranch background check, drug screen and immunization tracking are paid by the student.
- A late drug-screen submission triggers a $50 fine.
- Whether the alumni and partner discounts apply to certificates is not clearly stated.
- The program page lists 43 MSN credits; an extra specialty credit would add $920.
- Travel for the campus intensive is an out-of-pocket cost for distance students.
The MSN costs about $37,000 plus modest compliance costs. For MSN-prepared nurses, the certificate delivers the same clinical sequence for $15,000–$22,500, partly because its specialty credits bill at $835 instead of $920. Bellarmine alumni and partner employees can cut the MSN to about $29,800.
Why Choose This FNP Program?
Best suited for Kentucky-based nurses who want school-arranged clinicals, near-online convenience and time to finish building RN experience.
Kentucky residents. Placement is the biggest practical burden in most online FNP programs, and Bellarmine removes it for Kentucky residents. Combined with one campus trip, this works well for nurses outside Louisville. The University of Louisville also provides preceptors, to all APRN students rather than by residency, but requires several Louisville campus days each semester.
Newer nurses. The one-year RN requirement can be met during the coursework year, so a BSN nurse with under a year of experience can start sooner. Faculty are practicing NPs, and Bellarmine reports a 97% first-time certification pass rate (five-year average, 2019–2024).
Out-of-state applicants. The trade-off is real. Out-of-state students find their own preceptors, need a Kentucky or compact license, and must confirm their home board accepts the program. For them, Bellarmine competes on format and outcomes, not placement.
Accreditation
The master’s degree program in nursing at Bellarmine University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The MSN FNP track falls under this accreditation. The post-master’s certificate uses the same FNP courses.
Bellarmine is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Institutional accreditation supports federal aid eligibility for degree programs and credit transfer.
Bellarmine is a member of NC-SARA, which authorizes its distance programs across participating states.
Graduates of both tracks are eligible for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC).
More FNP Programs in Kentucky
- Eastern Kentucky University - Richmond
- Frontier Nursing University - Versailles
- Kentucky Christian University - Grayson
- Morehead State University - Morehead
- Murray State University - Murray
- Northern Kentucky University - Highland Heights
- Spalding University - Louisville
- University of Kentucky - Lexington
- University of Louisville - Louisville
- University of the Cumberlands - Williamsburg
- Western Kentucky University - Bowling Green