Charles R Drew University FNP Programs

School of Nursing • Los Angeles, CA • Hybrid • $890/credit

Charles R. Drew University offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner tracks:

  • MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner (51 credits) — for BSN-prepared nurses
  • Post-Master’s Certificate, Family Nurse Practitioner (39 credits; 33 for CDU ELM alumni) — for master’s-prepared nurses

Both run 16 months in a hybrid executive-education format, with theory taught in one weekend intensive per month and all clinical work done in person at Los Angeles–area sites.

The program is built around primary care for underserved communities, which makes it a fit for working nurses in the region committed to that mission.

Program Tracks Overview

Program NameEst. TuitionEst. Duration
MSN FNP$45K 16 months
Post-Master’s Certificate FNP$37K 16 months

Charles R. Drew University trains family nurse practitioners for underserved communities through a working-nurse-friendly executive format — one weekend intensive a month — with clinical immersion in real Los Angeles safety-net settings.

MSN FNP

The estimated cost for the MSN FNP at Charles R. Drew University is about $45,300 in flat-rate tuition, and the program would take about 16 months to complete on a full-time basis.

MSN Curriculum

The MSN-FNP totals 51 credits across four semesters. Theoretical content is delivered in one weekend session per month (Saturday to Tuesday), while every clinical course runs as an in-person immersion practicum in a faculty-approved, precepted setting.

The sequence opens with the APRN core — pharmacology, pathophysiology, and physical assessment — then moves through primary care across the lifespan, health systems, cultural diversity, research, and a capstone FNP practicum, with 645 clinical hours in total.

NUR 610 — Advanced Pharmacology
Builds advanced knowledge of drug therapy, including pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacotherapeutics, to support safe prescribing and medication management.

NUR 616 — Advanced Pathophysiology
Focuses on disease processes, altered physiology, and the clinical reasoning needed for advanced assessment, diagnosis, and treatment decisions across the lifespan.

NUR 620 — Advanced Physical Assessment
Develops advanced adult assessment skills, including subjective data collection, physical and mental status exams, and interpretation of diagnostic and lab findings.

NUR 630 — Primary Care of Adults & Aged
Prepares students to deliver comprehensive adult primary care, including health promotion, illness management, and clinical decision-making in supervised practice settings.

NUR 631 — Health Promotion/Disease Prevention
Examines strategies for promoting health and preventing disease across populations, with attention to public health trends, environmental factors, and policy.

NUR 621 — Advanced Nursing Theory
Explores the development of nursing knowledge through analysis of key theories and concepts from nursing, science, and the humanities.

NUR 632 — Primary Care of Women & Children
Prepares students to provide primary care for women and children, with emphasis on prevention, assessment, counseling, and management of common health concerns.

NUR 628 — Health Systems Management
Reviews U.S. healthcare delivery, policy, and system challenges, comparing them with other countries and examining population health influences.

NUR 627 — Advanced Biostatistics and Epidemiology
Introduces core epidemiology and biostatistics concepts used to interpret healthcare data and support evidence-based nursing practice.

NUR 642 — Cultural Diversity
Addresses culturally responsive nursing care, health disparities, and the influence of social and cultural factors on health outcomes and healthcare access.

NUR 635 — Nursing Research
Covers evidence-based practice and guides students in developing a research or project proposal, including the problem statement, literature review, methods, and evaluation plan.

NUR 633 — FNP Practicum
Provides supervised primary care practice experience for family nurse practitioner students, with emphasis on caring for individuals, families, and underserved communities.

NUR 639 — Perspectives
Examines socioeconomic, ethical, and policy issues affecting nursing and healthcare, along with leadership, organizational roles, and professional values.

NUR 643 — FNP Preparation
Supports exam readiness for FNP certification by strengthening core content review, test-taking skills, critical thinking, and clinical reasoning.

MSN Clinicals

All clinical courses run as in-person immersion practicums with approved preceptors, totaling 645 clinical hours. Placements take place in Los Angeles–area safety-net settings.

  • Total hours: 645 clinical hours
  • Format: in-person immersion practicums in faculty-approved, precepted settings
  • Sites: Los Angeles Downtown Medical Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center, Women’s Health Associates of Southern Nevada
  • Focus: primary care across the lifespan, with an emphasis on underserved populations

MSN Admissions

Admission is for a Spring, Summer, or Fall cohort and assumes a California-licensed, BSN-prepared RN.

  • BSN from a regionally accredited institution
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0
  • Current, unrestricted California RN license
  • Statistics course (3 units), grade of C or better, before matriculation
  • Three letters of recommendation (at least two from a current or past nursing supervisor/manager)
  • Résumé or CV
  • Personal goal statement (2–3 pages)
  • Submitted through NursingCAS

Cohorts start three times a year: Spring (begins early January, apply by December 1), Summer (begins mid-May, apply by May 1), and Fall (begins late August, apply by August 1).

Post-Master’s Certificate FNP

The estimated cost for the Post-Master’s Certificate FNP at Charles R. Drew University is about $36,600 in flat-rate tuition — roughly $32,400 for CDU ELM alumni — and the program would take about 16 months to complete on a full-time basis.

Certificate Curriculum

The certificate totals 39 credits (33 for CDU Entry-Level Master’s alumni) in the same executive format: monthly weekend theory sessions plus in-person clinical immersion.

It carries the same APRN core and primary-care sequence as the MSN, trimmed of the MSN’s broader research, theory, and systems coursework, and includes 645 clinical hours. The ELM alumni plan further drops advanced biostatistics and nursing research.

  • NUR 610 — Advanced Pharmacology (3 units)
  • NUR 616 — Advanced Pathophysiology (3 units)
  • NUR 620 — Advanced Physical Assessment (4 units; 45 clinical hours)
  • NUR 630 — Primary Care of Adults & Aged (6 units; 180 clinical hours)
  • NUR 631 — Health Promotion/Disease Prevention (3 units)
  • NUR 632 — Primary Care of Women & Children (6 units; 180 clinical hours)
  • NUR 627 — Advanced Biostatistics and Epidemiology (3 units)
  • NUR 635 — Nursing Research (3 units)
  • NUR 633 — FNP Practicum (7 units; 240 clinical hours)
  • NUR 643 — FNP Preparation (1 unit)

Certificate Clinicals

Clinical requirements match the MSN track: 645 hours completed as in-person immersion practicums with approved preceptors at Los Angeles–area sites.

  • Total hours: 645 clinical hours
  • Format: in-person immersion practicums in faculty-approved, precepted settings
  • Sites: Los Angeles Downtown Medical Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center, Women’s Health Associates of Southern Nevada
  • Focus: primary care across the lifespan, with an emphasis on underserved populations

Certificate Admissions

The certificate requires an existing master’s in nursing and a California RN license.

  • MSN or higher (e.g., DNP, PhD) from a regionally accredited institution
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0
  • Current, unrestricted California RN license (plus APRN license, if applicable)
  • Statistics course (3 units), grade of C or better, before matriculation
  • Three letters of recommendation (at least two from a current or past nursing supervisor/manager)
  • Résumé or CV
  • Personal goal statement (2–3 pages)
  • Submitted through NursingCAS

Cohorts start in Spring, Summer, and Fall on the same deadlines as the MSN. CDU ELM alumni follow a shorter 33-credit plan.

Tuition

CDU charges flat-rate program tuition: about $45,300 for the MSN-FNP and $36,600 for the post-master’s certificate, dropping to $32,400 for CDU Entry-Level Master’s (ELM) alumni on the shorter 33-credit plan.

Tuition is the same regardless of residency. Living expenses, books, transportation, medical insurance, and loan fees are budgeted separately and raise the full cost of attendance well above tuition alone.

Note: these tuition figures appear on CDU’s 12-month cost-of-attendance budget while the program runs 16 months — confirm the figure represents full-program tuition rather than a single year before publishing.

See the official cost page for more details: Cost of Attendance.

Accreditation

The MSN-FNP and post-master’s certificate programs at Charles R. Drew University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing. Graduates qualify to sit for national FNP certification through the ANCC (FNP-BC) or the AANP (NP-C).

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