Duquesne University FNP Programs

School of Nursing • Pittsburgh, PA • Mostly Online • $1,918/credit

Duquesne University offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • MSN
  • Post-Master’s Certificate

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$84.4K ($63.3K net)3 yrs44
Post-Master’s Cert.$67.1K ($50.3K net)2.5 yrs35

Duquesne’s defining feature is that its published rate is not the rate students pay. Every admitted graduate nursing student who submits a deposit automatically receives a 25% scholarship, and two higher tiers sit above it.

One limit is worth knowing before you read further. Duquesne’s School of Nursing cannot accept online program applications from residents of Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, New York, Tennessee, or Washington, per its published state authorization notice. If you live in one of those six states, neither FNP track is available to you.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN and Post-Master’s Certificate
FormatMostly Online — two required three-day campus residencies in each track
Clinical Hours775 precepted hours in both tracks, plus 50 campus residency hours
Clinical PlacementPlacement model not clearly stated; faculty clinical oversight is conducted online
PopulationIndividuals across the lifespan, primary care setting
Distinctive CourseworkFour-term Primary Care sequence; graduate ethics course required in the MSN
ConcentrationsForensic Nursing, Nursing Education and Faculty Role, Transcultural Nursing (MSN only)
RN License RequirementsCurrent unencumbered RN license; MSN requires one year full-time RN experience before clinical courses
Enrollment RestrictionsNo online admission for residents of AL, AZ, LA, NY, TN, WA
Tuition$1,918 per credit; 25% scholarship applied automatically after deposit
AccreditationCCNE (master’s and post-graduate APRN certificate); MSCHE institutional

MSN — Family (Individual Across the Lifespan) Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the MSN in Family (Individual Across the Lifespan) Nurse Practitioner at Duquesne University is approximately $84,392 (44 credits at $1,918/credit), or roughly $63,294 after the automatic 25% scholarship.

The program can generally be completed in about three years.

MSN Curriculum

The 44 credits break into two clean halves. Year one is entirely didactic core — frameworks, pharmacology, pathophysiology, evidence-based practice, and population health — with the only clinical exposure coming through the advanced assessment course in the summer term. Years two and three are almost entirely the FNP specialty sequence.

Foundation Core

  • GPNG 547 Historical and Contemporary Frameworks for Advanced Practice Nursing (3)
  • GPNG 534 Advanced Pharmacology Applications (3)
  • GPNG 533 Advanced Pathophysiology Applications (3)
  • GPNG 548 Evidence Based Practice and Policy for Advanced Nursing (3)
  • GPNG 549 Nursing and Health Care Ethics in Practice and Policy (3)
  • GPNG 550 Clinical Prevention and Population Health Promotion (3)

FNP Specialty Sequence

  • GPNG 535 Advanced Physical Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning Applications (3) — 75 total hours, of which 50 are precepted and 25 are campus residency
  • GNFN 542 Primary Care I (3) — 75 clinical hours
  • GNFN 543 Primary Care II (5) — 225 clinical hours
  • GNFN 544 Primary Care III (6) — 200 clinical hours plus 25 residency hours
  • GNFN 545 Primary Care IV (6) — 225 clinical hours
  • GPNF 546 Transitioning to Role of Advanced Practice Nursing (3) ⚠

NOTE: The final course is listed as GPNF 546 on the MSN page and GPNG 546 on the certificate page. The MSN page also attaches the comprehensive exam to GNFN 545, while the certificate page attaches it to GPNG 546. Confirm which course carries the exam and when it falls in your plan.

Concentrations

Duquesne allows MSN-FNP students to add a concentration in Forensic Nursing, Nursing Education and Faculty Role, or Transcultural Nursing. This is genuinely uncommon — most FNP programs offer no specialty overlay at all — and it matters if you want a second credential-adjacent skill set. Forensic nursing pairs with emergency and urgent care work; the education concentration supports a future faculty role; transcultural nursing supports refugee, immigrant, and cross-cultural primary care. ⚠ Neither the MSN page nor the certificate page states the added credit count or added cost for a concentration, so ask before assuming the 44-credit figure holds.

More curriculum details are available here.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • 775 precepted clinical hours, verified against the per-course listings: 50 (GPNG 535) + 75 + 225 + 200 + 225 = 775
  • An additional 50 hours are campus residency hours — 25 in GPNG 535 and 25 in GNFN 544 — bringing all listed hours to 825
  • Two required three-day on-campus residencies, tied to GPNG 535 and GNFN 544
  • Clinical hours are front-loaded into the assessment course, then build across four Primary Care terms

You should know:

  • Placement model not clearly stated: neither page says whether Duquesne secures preceptors and sites or whether students source their own
  • Duquesne’s graduate clinical faculty recruitment page states that clinical oversight is conducted exclusively online with no site visits required

At 775 precepted hours, Duquesne sits meaningfully above the 500-hour national certification floor and above the 600–700 range that is common in FNP programs. That volume is a real advantage at the job-search stage, where hours and case variety carry weight. The unresolved question is who does the work of finding those hours.

A program that expects students to secure their own preceptors across five clinical courses imposes a substantial hidden workload, and Duquesne does not publish its policy either way. The related detail — that faculty oversight happens online without site visits — suggests a remote supervision model, which lowers travel burden but also means no faculty member is physically evaluating your site. Ask both questions directly before depositing.

MSN Admissions

One requirement is structured unusually: the one-year RN experience gate applies at registration for clinical and specialty courses, not at application. In practice that means a nurse with less than a year of experience can be admitted and complete the first two didactic semesters while accumulating it.

  • BSN from an accredited college or university with a 3.0 GPA or higher
  • At least one year of full-time RN work experience, required before registering for clinical or specialty courses
  • Current, unencumbered RN license
  • Undergraduate statistics course completed with a C or higher
  • Resume or CV, professional goal statement, and official transcripts
  • The faculty admissions committee may weigh nursing and science grades more heavily
  • Up to 9 graduate credits may transfer, if earned within the past five years with a B or higher and requested via the Advanced Standing form during admissions
  • Duquesne lists a fall, spring, and summer deadline cycle, but notes that spring admission applies only to the Nurse Educator, Executive Nurse Leader, and Forensic Nursing tracks — FNP applicants enter in fall or summer

Post-Master’s Certificate — Family (Individual Across the Lifespan) Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the online Family Nurse Practitioner Post-Master’s Certificate at Duquesne University is approximately $67,130 (35 credits at $1,918/credit), or roughly $50,348 after the automatic 25% scholarship.

The program can generally be completed in about two and a half years.

Certificate Curriculum

The certificate is the MSN minus its three non-clinical core courses. Duquesne drops GPNG 547 (frameworks), GPNG 548 (evidence-based practice and policy), and GPNG 549 (ethics), which accounts for the exact nine-credit difference between the two tracks. Everything with clinical content is retained in full.

  • GPNG 533 Advanced Pathophysiology Applications (3)
  • GPNG 550 Clinical Prevention and Population Health Promotion (3)
  • GPNG 534 Advanced Pharmacology Applications (3)
  • GPNG 535 Advanced Physical Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning Applications (3) — 50 precepted plus 25 residency hours
  • GNFN 542 Primary Care I (3) — 75 clinical hours
  • GNFN 543 Primary Care II (5) — 225 clinical hours
  • GNFN 544 Primary Care III (6) — 200 clinical hours plus 25 residency hours
  • GNFN 545 Primary Care IV (6) — 225 clinical hours
  • GPNG 546 Transitioning to Role of Advanced Practice Nursing (3)

The practical consequence is that the certificate carries the same clinical burden as the MSN for 20% less tuition. Certificate students do not, however, get the concentration option — Duquesne offers those only within the MSN.

NOTE: Duquesne states 2.5 years for the certificate and 3 years for the MSN, but both published plans of study span the identical seven terms, from a fall start through a fall finish two years later. The stated durations and the plans of study do not agree.

More curriculum details are available here.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

  • 775 precepted clinical hours — identical to the MSN, verified against the same per-course listings
  • 50 additional campus residency hours, split across GPNG 535 and GNFN 544
  • Two required three-day on-campus residencies, matching the MSN requirement
  • Placement model not clearly stated

This is the part of the certificate worth pausing on. Duquesne asks post-master’s students for the full 775 hours with no reduction for prior graduate clinical work, which is stricter than programs that grant gap analysis credit for hours already logged in a previous APRN role. If you are an MSN-prepared nurse who already completed 500 or 600 supervised hours in another population focus, none of that shortens this path. Confirm whether any individualized gap analysis is possible before you plan around the full sequence.

Certificate Admissions

The certificate requires both a BSN and an MSN, so a nurse who entered graduate study through a direct-entry or non-BSN master’s route may not qualify. Notably, no RN work experience minimum is listed for this track.

  • BSN and MSN from an accredited college or university, with a 3.0 GPA or higher
  • Current, unencumbered RN license
  • A 3-credit undergraduate statistics course with a C or higher, or a 3-credit graduate statistics course with a B or higher
  • Resume or CV, professional goal statement, and official transcripts
  • Same transfer policy: up to 9 graduate credits, within five years, B or higher

Tuition

Duquesne publishes a single per-credit rate of $1,918 for all School of Nursing graduate programs, with no residency distinction. That produces an estimated $84,392 for the 44-credit MSN and $67,130 for the 35-credit certificate before fees or scholarships. Both figures are estimates derived from published credit counts and the published rate.

What actually changes the arithmetic is the scholarship structure. Duquesne applies a 25% scholarship automatically to admitted graduate nursing students who submit a deposit — no separate application, no competitive selection. Two higher tiers replace it if you qualify.

Confirmed costs and rates:

  • $1,918 per credit, applied to every School of Nursing graduate program
  • MSN: $84,392 tuition; approximately $63,294 at 25%, $54,855 at 35%, or $37,976 at 55%
  • Certificate: $67,130 tuition; approximately $50,348 at 25%, $43,635 at 35%, or $30,209 at 55%
  • MSN FNP program fee: $157 per semester, roughly $1,099 across seven terms
  • Certificate FNP program fee: $183 per semester, roughly $1,281 across seven terms
  • 25% tier: automatic for admitted, deposited graduate nursing students
  • 35% tier: members or employees of partner organizations, including the Transcultural Nursing Society, Chi Eta Phi Sorority, and the National Association of Hispanic Nurses; also all active duty and reserve military personnel
  • 55% tier: graduate students who also serve as Duquesne School of Nursing clinical faculty

Be aware that:

  • Duquesne’s own pages disagree on the discount structure. The tuition rates page describes a 30% and a 55% discount; the School of Nursing pages describe 25%, 35%, and 55% tiers effective Fall 2026 and after. The 25/35/55 structure is the current one and the 30% language appears to be legacy, but confirm your tier in writing at admission.
  • The two pages also disagree on the MSN FNP semester fee: $157 on the graduate tuition rates page and $164 on the School of Nursing graduate programs page. The certificate fee shows $183 on one page and TBD on the other.
  • The 55% figure is not a straight 55% off $1,918. Duquesne defines it as equivalent to its graduate liberal arts rate, so the actual reduction depends on that separate published rate. Treat the 55% estimates above as approximate.
  • The 55% tier also carries a Tuition Remission Administrative Fee, which Duquesne does not quantify publicly.
  • Fee totals above assume seven billed semesters. If your plan of study stretches longer, per-semester fees accrue accordingly.
  • Duquesne states that tuition is reviewed and adjusted annually. Rates listed here are the 2026-2027 schedule and are not locked for the duration of either program.
  • Technology and clinical fees may apply beyond the per-semester program fee. Duquesne notes the possibility but does not publish amounts for the FNP tracks.
  • Tuition discounts do not apply to study abroad courses.

The realistic all-in planning number for a full-pay MSN student is roughly $63,000 to $65,000 in tuition after the automatic scholarship, plus about $1,100 in program fees. For the certificate, roughly $50,000 to $51,000 plus about $1,300. Compare those against sticker figures elsewhere rather than against Duquesne’s own $84,392 headline, which no admitted student pays.

Full detail is on Duquesne’s graduate nursing tuition page.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for nurses who want a high-volume clinical program from an established private university, and who can either absorb a private-school net price or qualify for one of Duquesne’s deeper discount tiers.

The clinical volume is the substantive draw. 775 precepted hours across five courses is well above the 500-hour certification floor and above the 600 to 700 range that is typical, and the four-term Primary Care sequence gives that volume real continuity rather than scattering it across disconnected rotations. The two three-day campus residencies are the trade-off: six travel days to Pittsburgh over the life of the program, which is manageable for a nurse in the mid-Atlantic and less so for someone in the Mountain West. Duquesne is candid that this is a hybrid model even though the program pages label the modality as online.

The concentration option is the second real differentiator, and it is rare. Adding forensic nursing, nursing education, or transcultural nursing to an FNP credential gives you a second professional identity, which matters if you are aiming at emergency department work, a faculty appointment, or cross-cultural primary care. It is available only in the MSN, which is a legitimate reason for an MSN-prepared nurse to weigh the master’s over the certificate elsewhere.

The honest limits are three. First, geography: if you live in Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, New York, Tennessee, or Washington, you cannot apply, and this is not negotiable. Second, the placement model is unpublished, and across 775 hours the difference between a program that places you and one that does not is enormous. Third, the certificate carries the identical clinical load as the MSN with no reduction for prior graduate clinical work, which makes it a poor fit for an experienced APRN hoping to add a population focus efficiently.

Where you land depends almost entirely on which discount tier you fall into. A nurse who qualifies for the 35% tier — a Transcultural Nursing Society member, an employee of a partner organization, or anyone on active duty or in the reserves — brings the MSN down near $55,000 and the certificate near $44,000, which puts a private research university with 775 clinical hours into the same conversation as regional public programs. At the automatic 25%, the MSN sits around $63,000, which is defensible but no longer a value play. And the 55% tier is functionally a staffing arrangement, not a scholarship: it requires serving as clinical faculty while enrolled, which is real work on top of a full clinical sequence. Identify your tier first, then decide whether the number that comes back justifies the six travel days and the unanswered placement question.

Accreditation

Duquesne states that the Family Nurse Practitioner MSN and the Family Nurse Practitioner Post-Master’s Certificate are both accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The School of Nursing’s broader statement, verified from Duquesne’s own graduate program and catalog pages, covers the baccalaureate degree program, the master’s degree program, the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and the post-graduate APRN certificate program. Institutionally, Duquesne University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education; the university was last reaffirmed in 2018, with its next scheduled evaluation in the 2026-2027 academic year. That timing is routine and is not a warning sign.

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