The University of Louisiana Monroe offers an MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Track.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN | ~$20K | 2 yrs (FT) / 3 yrs (PT) | 40 |
ULM’s defining advantage is a lean 40-credit degree billed at one flat $500 online rate, putting tuition near $20,000 — under the 45–49 credits most MSN–FNP programs require. The trade-off is a hard entry gate: applicants must live in Louisiana, hold a Louisiana RN license, have two years of RN experience, and apply for a single annual intake.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN only. No post-master’s certificate or DNP pathway offered. |
| Format | Online. No campus requirement published. |
| Clinical Hours | 640 minimum. Catalog states 800; course-level math supports 640. |
| Clinical Placement | Not clearly stated. Preceptors must be school-approved; no placement service described. |
| Population | Primary care across the lifespan, infancy through geriatrics. |
| Distinctive Coursework | Two required electives: business practice, nursing education, or genomics. |
| Concentrations | FNP is one of three MSN concentrations; the others are AGPCNP and Clinical Nurse Leader. |
| RN License Requirements | Current unencumbered Louisiana RN license required, plus Louisiana residency. |
| RN Experience | Minimum two years of work experience as an RN, required at application. |
| Start Terms | One intake per year; full-time plan begins in summer. |
| Tuition | $500 per graduate credit hour, flat ULM Online rate. Program fees not published. |
| Accreditation | CCNE-accredited master’s program; institutional accreditation through SACSCOC. |
MSN — Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration
The estimated tuition for the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner concentration at ULM is approximately $20,000 (40 credits at $500/credit).
The program can generally be completed in about two years across six consecutive semesters on the published full-time plan, with a three-year part-time plan available for nurses who keep working.
MSN Curriculum
Foundation courses. The first two semesters front-load theory, policy, and the advanced science core, then move directly into clinical coursework. Advanced Physical Assessment carries 64 clinical hours in the first fall term, so hands-on hours begin in semester two rather than after the science core is complete.
FNP specialty sequence. ULM splits the specialty into four population-specific courses taken in fixed order — adults, women’s health, pediatrics, then geriatrics — with clinical hours escalating at each step (128, 96, 160, 192). Two design choices stand out. The geriatrics course is the only 4-credit course in the degree and carries the heaviest clinical load, placing the most complex patients at the end rather than the middle. And the women’s health course runs as an eight-week summer term carrying 96 clinical hours — roughly 12 clinical hours a week on top of coursework, the most compressed stretch of the program and the one to plan work schedules around.
Electives. Two electives are required, which is unusual for an FNP master’s — most fill every credit with fixed core and specialty courses. The menu is practical rather than academic: practice management, nursing education, or genomics. Students may take all three when a higher credit load is needed to maintain financial aid eligibility. Progression is also grade-gated: the science core and all four FNP courses require a B or better to advance.
- NURS 5006 — Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
- NURS 5007 — Advanced Physical Assessment (3)
- NURS 5008 — Advanced Pharmacology (3)
- NURS 5200 — Nurse Practitioner Role (1)
- NURS 5302 — FNP I: Primary Care of Adults (3)
- NURS 5304 — FNP II: Women’s Health in Primary Care (3)
- NURS 5306 — FNP III: Primary Care of Pediatrics (3)
- NURS 5308 — FNP IV: Primary Care Geriatrics (4)
- NURS 5220 — Business Practices for Nurse Practitioners (3, elective)
- NURS 5226 — Genomics and Family Healthcare Across the Lifespan (3, elective)
More curriculum details are available here.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- 640 clinical contact hours minimum, in primary health care settings
- Course-level math: 64 (assessment) + 128 (adults) + 96 (women’s health) + 160 (pediatrics) + 192 (geriatrics) = 640
- NOTE: The university catalog states 800 clinical hours for the FNP and AGPCNP concentrations, conflicting with the 640 figure on the program page and in the curriculum map. Confirm in writing before enrolling.
- All hours completed under the direction of an approved clinical preceptor
- Clinical hours are spread across five courses in five of the six semesters
- Placement model, faculty site visits, and preceptor-sourcing responsibility are not clearly stated
At 640 hours, ULM sits above the 500-hour national certification floor and inside the 600–700 band typical of FNP programs. The more useful detail is distribution: pediatrics and geriatrics together account for 352 hours, more than half the total, so the back half of the program is clinically heavier than the front. The bigger open question is placement. The source material says only that preceptors must be approved, with no statement about whether the school arranges sites or the student does. For a program restricted to Louisiana residents this matters less than it would elsewhere — the cohort is local and preceptor networks are regional — but ask directly, since an unstated model usually means the student carries the work.
MSN Admissions
Three gates narrow this applicant pool sharply: Louisiana residency, two years of RN experience, and one application cycle a year with no rolling admission.
- BSN from a nationally accredited school of nursing
- Current, unencumbered RN license — specifically a Louisiana license, with Louisiana residency required to apply
- Minimum two years of work experience as an RN
- Cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher on a 4.0 scale
- GRE required only if GPA falls below 2.8; verbal and quantitative scores are multiplied by GPA to produce a formula score, with 712 the minimum
- Separate applications to the ULM Graduate School and to the Kitty DeGree School of Nursing graduate program
- Official transcripts from all institutions attended; no grades below C in prior graduate coursework
- NOTE: Deadline conflict: the program page lists March 1 as the annual due date, while the downloadable application packet lists April 1 and is dated to a prior cycle. Treat March 1 as the working annual deadline and confirm with the school.
Tuition
ULM Online charges a flat $500 per graduate credit hour, which puts the 40-credit MSN–FNP at approximately $20,000 in tuition. The rate is published as a straight per-credit schedule with no full-time discount and no resident/nonresident split — the same $500 applies at one credit or twelve, and it continues unchanged beyond twelve hours.
- Derived total: 40 credits × $500 = $20,000. ULM does not publish a program-level total.
- The ULM Online rate applies only to students registered in the ULM Online program, and rates are assessed by major — verify the FNP concentration bills at the online rate before budgeting
- The tuition schedule states that professional and program fees are assessed on top of the per-credit rate at their current amounts, but does not list nursing fee amounts. Real cost will exceed $20,000 by an unpublished margin.
- The ULS Board of Supervisors may adjust tuition and fees at any time without notice, so a two- or three-year plan carries rate-increase exposure
- ULM’s cost-of-attendance tables are not tuition figures — they bundle housing, travel, books, and personal expenses, and the nursing lines in those tables use a different rate basis
The practical read: $20,000 is a firm tuition floor, not an all-in number. Nursing program fees, clinical and background-check costs, and mid-program rate increases sit outside it. Ask the School of Nursing for a current fee schedule in writing before treating this as the budget.
View ULM’s official tuition and fee schedule.
Why Choose This FNP Program?
Best suited for experienced Louisiana nurses who want a short, low-credit path to FNP certification, can study around a full-time job, and are able to commit to a single annual start.
The math is the argument. Forty credits at a flat $500 is a leaner degree than most MSN–FNP programs, which typically run 45 to 49 credits, and there is no nonresident premium layered on top. A working nurse can finish in six semesters without relocating and without a campus commute. The two-elective structure adds something most FNP curricula skip entirely — a practice-management course aimed at nurses who intend to run or open a clinic, which is directly useful for anyone weighing independent practice questions early in an NP career.
The limits are structural rather than academic. Admission is closed to anyone outside Louisiana, the two-year experience requirement rules out new graduates, and one intake a year means a late or unsuccessful application costs twelve months. There is no certificate option for MSN-prepared nurses and no DNP progression at ULM, so a nurse who expects to pursue the doctorate will change institutions to do it. Two data gaps also deserve a phone call before any deposit: the 640-versus-800 clinical hour conflict between the program page and the catalog, and the absence of any published placement policy or nursing fee schedule.
Against Louisiana’s other options, ULM occupies a specific position. Its 640 clinical hours land inside the typical national band rather than at either extreme, so hours are not the deciding variable here. The Louisiana restriction is not unique either — the ICMSN consortium programs also confine clinical placement to Louisiana. What separates ULM is the combination of a standalone curriculum outside that consortium, a 40-credit load, and one flat online rate that does not change with course load or residency status. If cost per credential is your deciding variable and you already clear the residency and experience gates, this is a straightforward choice. If you need flexible start dates, a doctoral pathway, or a documented placement guarantee, look elsewhere in the state.
Accreditation
The baccalaureate and master’s degree programs in nursing at the University of Louisiana Monroe Kitty DeGree School of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), verified from the school’s own accreditation statement; the master’s program has held CCNE accreditation since 2017 and received continuing accreditation through December 31, 2030. The university is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). ULM states that graduates of the FNP concentration are eligible to sit for national certification as a family nurse practitioner and to hold advanced practice registered nurse licensure with prescriptive authority.
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