Ball State University FNP Programs

School of Nursing • Muncie, IN • Mostly Online • $464/credit

Ball State University offers 4 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • MSN
  • BSN-DNP
  • MSN-DNP
  • Post-Master’s Certificate

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$27.7K–$27.9K / $38.8K–$39.0K2–2.7 years (6–8 semesters)48
BSN-DNP$39.4K–$39.6K / $57.5K–$57.7K3.3–4.3 years (10–13 semesters)78
MSN-DNP$24.3K+ / $35.4K+2–2.7 years (6–8 semesters)48–78
Certificate$8.1K–$14.2K / $11.1K–$19.6K0.7–1.3 years (2–4 semesters)13–23

Estimates use Ball State’s 2026-27 online graduate rates (Indiana resident / non-resident) plus the $25/credit online course fee and per-semester technology fee, with the School of Nursing’s $400 clinical course fee and $150 semester program fee added to the MSN and certificate.

One 8-hour clinical day in Muncie is the only campus time Ball State’s MSN FNP specifies. Coursework runs asynchronously in Canvas with weekly deadlines, and the MSN admits in fall, spring, and summer. That combination suits a working nurse who cannot travel or rebuild a schedule around live class sessions.

The trade-off is clinical logistics. Students find their own preceptors, and if faculty step in to find a site, the student must accept it or wait a semester to take the course. Students must also live and complete all clinical hours in a state where Ball State’s nursing programs are authorized, and moving to an unauthorized state stops progression. Ball State’s DNP does not appear in CCNE’s directory of accredited programs or its new-applicant list, which BSN-DNP applicants should weigh before enrolling.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN, BSN-DNP, MSN-DNP, Post-Master’s Certificate
FormatMostly Online: asynchronous courses, one 8-hour MSN campus day, other NP-course visits possible
Clinical HoursMSN 690; BSN-DNP 1,000; certificate 390 or 630, by prior degree
Clinical PlacementStudent-arranged local preceptors; a faculty-found site must be accepted or the course waits
PopulationFamily primary care in clinic settings; acute care sites and your own unit not allowed
Distinctive CourseworkDNP: Transition into Advanced Practice and Entrepreneurship; Teaching in Nursing; health care business and economics
RN License RequirementsActive, unencumbered RN license in state of practice by the first day of term
RN Experience GateMay need proof of 500 RN work hours before starting clinical courses
Enrollment RestrictionsMust live and do clinicals in an authorized state; relocating elsewhere halts progression
Tuition$464/credit resident, $696/credit non-resident, plus $25/credit online fee (2026-27)
AccreditationCCNE for master’s and certificate, through June 2031; DNP not CCNE-listed; Higher Learning Commission

Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration

The estimated tuition for the MS in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner concentration at Ball State is approximately $22,272 for Indiana residents (48 credits at $464/credit) and $33,408 for non-residents (48 credits at $696/credit), before fees. The program can generally be completed in about 2 to 2.7 years (6 to 8 semesters) at 6 to 8 credits per term.

MSN Curriculum

Foundation first. Eighteen credits of research and graduate nursing core (theory, informatics, role theory, and population health) sit alongside the 9-credit advanced pathophysiology, health assessment, and pharmacology block. Students choose between an education-department statistics course and a nursing-specific data analysis course.

Population-based specialty sequence. The 21-credit FNP block is organized by patient population rather than by body system. Adult care gets two courses (240 hours) while children and women get one each, so the program weights clinical time toward adult primary care. A 5-credit, 180-hour practicum closes the sequence.

  • NUR 610 Health Promotion/Disease and Injury Prevention in Populations (3 credits, 45 clinical hours)
  • NUR 632 Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
  • NUR 634 Advanced Health Assessment (3 credits, 60 clinical hours)
  • NUR 638 Advanced Clinical Pharmacology (3 credits)
  • NUR 681 Primary Care of the Adult 1 (4 credits, 120 clinical hours)
  • NUR 682 Primary Care of Children (4 credits, 120 clinical hours)
  • NUR 683 Primary Care of the Adult 2 (4 credits, 120 clinical hours)
  • NUR 684 Primary Care of Women (4 credits, 90 clinical hours)
  • NUR 673 Practicum: Family Nurse Practitioner (5 credits, 180 clinical hours)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The catalog and program page list 48 credits; Ball State’s MSN cost FAQ says 47. The course list sums to 48.
  • Ball State publishes the semester range (6 to 8). The year figures here are derived and assume year-round enrollment, which the separate summer program fee suggests.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • 690 supervised NP clinical hours across six courses: 60 + 120 + 120 + 120 + 90 + 180
  • NUR 610 adds 45 population-health clinical hours outside that total
  • 8 of the 690 hours are completed on campus in Muncie during NUR 681; the other 682 are local
  • Primary care courses average 1 day a week; the final practicum averages 1.5 to 2 days a week
  • Students find their own preceptors, in primary care or clinic settings only, never their own unit or clinic
  • Faculty may help; a faculty-found site must be accepted or the course is deferred to a later semester

At 690 hours, the MSN sits comfortably above the 500-hour certification floor and inside the 600 to 700 range common among FNP programs. A 120-hour course works out to about 8 hours a week over a standard semester, which most full-time nurses can schedule. The harder part is the search: preceptor recruitment falls on the student, and the take-it-or-wait rule means a distant faculty-found site can cost a semester if declined.

You Should Know
  • Ball State states that campus visits may be required in certain NP clinical courses beyond the one specified day. No count is published.
  • Clinical travel costs are the student’s responsibility.
  • Course-specific clinical requirements are released to admitted students after orientation, so applicants cannot review them in advance.

MSN Admissions

FNP applicants face a firmer GPA line than other Ball State MSN concentrations: no probationary or conditional admission is offered.

  • BSN from an ACEN (formerly NLNAC), NLN CNEA, or CCNE accredited program
  • RN-MS option: ADN plus a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, with additional credits required
  • Minimum 3.0 overall undergraduate GPA, or a 3.0 in each nursing degree earned
  • Active, unencumbered RN license in the state of practice by the first day of term
  • Three signed letters of recommendation on letterhead; family and friends not accepted
  • Supplemental forms: criminal background disclosure, employment history, nursing background, goals
  • Fall, spring, and summer starts, with priority deadlines of July 19, September 15, and February 15
  • Mandatory orientation, either one day on campus or by Zoom
  • Up to 9 transfer credits with departmental approval
You Should Know
  • New graduates and RNs not currently working may apply but may need proof of 500 RN work hours before starting any clinical course.
  • Students must live in and complete all clinical hours in a state where the School of Nursing is authorized. Check Ball State’s state authorization map before applying; relocating to an unauthorized state halts progression.
  • Applications after a priority deadline are reviewed until seats fill or two weeks before term. Applications are valid for one semester only.
  • Graduates of pass/fail-only nursing programs may not be competitive.

BSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner Cognate

The estimated tuition for the BS-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner cognate at Ball State is approximately $36,192 for Indiana residents (78 credits at $464/credit) and $54,288 for non-residents (78 credits at $696/credit), before fees. The program can generally be completed in about 3.3 to 4.3 years (10 to 13 semesters), a derived estimate based on the 6 to 8 credits per term Ball State cites for its MSN; part-time and full-time options are offered.

BSN-DNP Curriculum

The DNP does not stack on top of the MSN. It uses its own primary care sequence (NUR 781 to 785), with 5-credit clinical courses instead of the MSN’s 4-credit ones and a dedicated 475-hour immersion. The FNP cognate also includes coursework rarely seen in FNP tracks: a teaching course and a 4-credit course on transition into practice and entrepreneurship. The 38-credit DNP core leans toward business and systems, with health care economics, epidemiology, informatics, grant writing, and a three-course DNP project. No dissertation is required.

  • NUR 662 Health Care Business and Economics (3 credits)
  • HSC 683 Principles of Epidemiology 1 (3 credits)
  • EDST 697 The Grant Process and Research (3 credits)
  • NUR 622 Teaching in Nursing (3 credits)
  • NUR 781–783 Primary Care 1–3 (5 credits each)
  • NUR 784 Primary Care 4 (4 credits)
  • NUR 785 Primary Care Immersion (5 credits)
  • NUR 786 Transition into Advanced Practice and Entrepreneurship (4 credits)
  • NUR 792–794 DNP Project 1–3 (5 credits total)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The catalog gives 74 to 78 credits for the DNP overall. By course list, the FNP cognate totals 78 (24 core, 14 scholarship, 40 cognate); 74 applies to the other cognates.
  • NUR 794 is listed at 3 to 6 credits, though the catalog says students complete 3. A larger load would raise credits and cost.

BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements

  • 1,000 clinical and practicum hours across NUR 781, 782, 783, and 785
  • 525 hours in Primary Care 1 to 3 combined (derived from Ball State’s MSN-DNP equivalency rule)
  • 475 hours in the NUR 785 immersion
  • Same self-arranged preceptor model and state-residency rule as the MSN

A 1,000-hour requirement is double the certification floor and well above the common 600 to 700 range, giving DNP graduates noticeably more supervised practice before licensure. The cost is concentrated in one term: 475 hours in a single course comes to roughly 30 hours a week over a 15 to 16-week semester (derived), which is hard to combine with full-time RN work. Plan reduced hours or leave for the immersion semester.

You Should Know
  • Ball State does not publish per-course hours for NUR 781 to 783 or state whether NUR 784 carries clinical hours.
  • The DNP page markets the program as 100% online, but the School of Nursing states that campus visits may be required in certain NP clinical courses.
  • Ball State lists the next DNP start as August 23, 2027, which suggests a fall entry. Confirm intake terms with the program.

BSN-DNP Admissions

Admission requirements match the MSN, including the no-conditional-admission rule for FNP applicants and the 500-hour RN experience check before clinicals.

  • Advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology, and health assessment are part of the cognate; prior graduate credit in them may be reviewed for equivalency
  • An individual plan of study is built for each student
You Should Know
  • As of October 2026, the DNP is not listed in CCNE’s accredited-program or new-applicant directories, and Ball State names no other nursing accreditor for it. National certification requires graduation from an accredited graduate program, so BSN-DNP applicants should get written confirmation of certification exam eligibility before enrolling.

MSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner Cognate

The estimated tuition for the MS-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner cognate at Ball State starts at approximately $22,272 for Indiana residents (48 credits at $464/credit) and $33,408 for non-residents (48 credits at $696/credit), before fees. The program can generally be completed in about 2 to 2.7 years (6 to 8 semesters), a derived estimate for the 48-credit minimum.

MSN-DNP Curriculum

At least 48 credits must be completed at Ball State, and up to 30 master’s credits may be applied after a transcript review. Prior coursework can replace epidemiology, informatics, theory, statistics, evidence-based research, and Primary Care 1 to 3. Courses without an equivalent are required, so a nurse whose MSN is not in an NP specialty should expect a total closer to the full 78 credits.

MSN-DNP Clinical Requirements

  • 475 practicum hours in NUR 785 Primary Care Immersion
  • Evidence of 525 prior master’s clinical hours equivalent to NUR 781 to 783
  • 1,000 combined hours across the master’s program and the DNP

For a practicing FNP, this route converts an existing master’s into a doctorate with one heavy clinical term rather than a second full clinical sequence. The immersion carries the same roughly 30-hours-a-week load as in the BSN-DNP.

You Should Know
  • Ball State does not publish the MSN-DNP FNP cognate’s total credits for students who lack equivalents. Final credits, cost, and length depend on the transcript review.

Post-Master’s Certificate in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Post-Master’s Certificate in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner at Ball State is approximately $6,032 to $10,672 for Indiana residents (13 to 23 credits at $464/credit) and $9,048 to $16,008 for non-residents (13 to 23 credits at $696/credit), before fees. The program can generally be completed in about 0.7 to 1.3 years (2 to 4 semesters), a derived estimate based on credit load.

Certificate Curriculum

The certificate has two fixed routes, set by the applicant’s prior master’s degree. Adult or adult-gerontology NPs take only the pediatric, women’s health, and practicum courses. Nurses with a non-NP master’s take the full FNP specialty sequence. Both reuse the MSN’s course numbers, so certificate students train in the same sequence as MSN students.

  • Adult or Adult-Gerontology NP route (13–15 credits): NUR 682, NUR 684, NUR 673, plus NUR 605 if the prior master’s is not from Ball State
  • Non-NP master’s route (21–23 credits): NUR 681, 682, 683, 684, and 673, plus NUR 605 if needed
  • Conditional by transcript: NUR 630 Role Theory, NUR 632 Pathophysiology, NUR 634 Health Assessment, NUR 638 Pharmacology (3 credits each)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • NUR 605 Nursing Information Technology is listed at 2 credits on the certificate page and 3 in the catalog course table. The catalog’s 13–15 and 21–23 totals only work at 2 credits.
  • Non-NP applicants missing all four conditional courses could need up to 35 credits, well beyond the advertised range.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

  • Adult or adult-gerontology NP route: 390 new hours (120 + 90 + 180)
  • Non-NP route: 630 new hours (120 + 120 + 120 + 90 + 180), or 690 if health assessment is required
  • Self-arranged local preceptors, as in the MSN

The 390-hour route is not a shortcut. It adds pediatric, women’s health, and family practicum hours to the adult primary care hours the NP already completed. A non-NP master’s holder completes essentially the MSN’s clinical load.

You Should Know
  • The non-NP route includes NUR 681, which carries the MSN’s 8-hour campus day.
  • State boards set their own rules for adding a second APRN population focus. Adult-gerontology NPs should confirm their board accepts the certificate route.

Certificate Admissions

Certificate applicants follow the School of Nursing’s graduate admission rules, with one change: the 3.0 minimum GPA can be met by the master’s GPA.

  • Master’s degree in nursing; route set by NP or non-NP concentration
  • Transcripts and course descriptions reviewed to set the course plan

Tuition

Ball State charges $464 per credit for Indiana residents and $696 per credit for non-residents in its online graduate programs for 2026-27 (published). With the mandatory $25/credit online course fee, the effective rate is $489 and $721 per credit (derived).

FeeAmountApplies To
Tuition, Indiana resident$464/creditAll tracks
Tuition, non-resident$696/creditAll tracks
Online course fee$25/creditAll tracks
Technology fee$100/semester under 7 credits; $150 at 7+All tracks
Clinical course fee$400/clinical courseMS in Nursing (published)
School of Nursing program fee$150 fall and spring; $90 summerMS in Nursing (published)
TrackResidentNon-ResidentFees Included
MSN (48 credits)$27,672–$27,872$38,808–$39,008Online, technology, 6 clinical courses, program fee
BSN-DNP (78 credits)$39,442–$39,642$57,538–$57,738Online, technology
MSN-DNP (48-credit minimum)$24,272–$24,372$35,408–$35,508Online, technology
Certificate (13–23 credits)$8,057–$14,247$11,073–$19,583Online, technology, 3 or 5 clinical courses, program fee

All totals are derived from published rates. Ranges reflect pace (6 to 8 semesters for the MSN) or route, and program fees are applied at the $150 fall/spring rate.

  • Published per-credit tuition: $464 resident, $696 non-resident
  • $25/credit online course fee
  • $100 or $150 per-semester technology fee
  • $400 per clinical course for the MS in Nursing
  • $150 (fall and spring) or $90 (summer) School of Nursing program fee
  • Online-only students are not charged main-campus health, recreation, or transportation fees

See the official graduate tuition page for current rates.

Be aware that:

  • Ball State’s online cost calculator excludes the $400 clinical course fees and the School of Nursing program fee. For the MSN, those add about $3,300 to $3,600.
  • Ball State publishes the clinical and program fees only for the MS in Nursing. If they apply to the DNP, add about $1,600 in clinical fees and $1,500 to $1,950 in program fees.
  • Taking any course on the Muncie campus in a semester triggers main-campus tuition and fees for that term.
  • Credit and debit card payments carry a 2.85% processing fee.
  • Rates are for 2026-27. Ball State’s trustees may change tuition and fees for any term.
  • Textbooks, clinical travel, background checks, and drug screens are extra.

The calculator’s figure understates the MSN by roughly 13 to 15 percent once nursing fees are added. Even so, an Indiana resident completes the MSN for under $28,000 in tuition and fees. Non-residents pay 50 percent more per credit, which adds about $11,000 to the MSN and $18,000 to the BSN-DNP.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for working nurses who want an asynchronous FNP with almost no campus travel and are prepared to recruit their own preceptors.

MSN for nurses who need flexibility. Three start terms, no set login times, and one specified campus day make the MSN workable around full-time shifts. The 690-hour clinical load is mainstream, and 8-hour weekly clinical days fit most RN schedules.

BSN-DNP for nurses planning independent or entrepreneurial practice. The 1,000-hour requirement and the entrepreneurship, business, and teaching coursework set up graduates for practice ownership or faculty roles. Budget for the 475-hour immersion term, and confirm certification eligibility first, since the DNP is not CCNE-listed.

Certificate for adult and adult-gerontology NPs. A 13-credit route adds pediatric and women’s health training without repeating adult care. Non-NP master’s holders face a longer route that mirrors the MSN.

The honest drawbacks. Preceptor recruitment is the student’s job, and declining a faculty-found site costs a semester. Enrollment depends on living in an authorized state, and non-residents pay $232 more per credit.

Accreditation

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits Ball State’s master’s in nursing program (since 2006) and post-graduate APRN certificate program (since 2020). Both terms run through June 30, 2031, with the next on-site evaluation in fall 2030. That covers the MSN FNP concentration and the Post-Master’s FNP Certificate.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice is not listed in CCNE’s directory of accredited DNP programs or among its new applicants, and Ball State’s 2026-27 catalog names no nursing accreditor for it. This matters most for BSN-DNP students, who earn their first NP preparation in the DNP.

Ball State University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Regional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and credit transfer, and it is the baseline employers and other universities check.

Ball State states that MSN and certificate graduates are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC).

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