Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing FNP Programs

Goldfarb School of Nursing • St. Louis, MO • Mostly Online • $834/credit

Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing offers 3 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • MSN
  • BSN-DNP
  • Postgraduate Certificate

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$44.5K2.3–2.7 years (7–8 terms)50
BSN-DNP$52.6K–$55.8K3 years (9 terms)59
Certificate$20.8K–$34.2K1 year (3 terms)23–39

Tuition estimates use Goldfarb’s 2026–27 graduate rate of $834 per credit plus its published FNP track and per-term program fees.

This is a St. Louis program built inside a hospital system. Goldfarb is the nursing college of BJC HealthCare, sits on the Washington University Medical Center campus next to Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and brings in guest faculty from Barnes-Jewish and Washington University School of Medicine. Coursework is online, with one or two campus visits in skills-heavy courses. The BSN-DNP costs only 9 credits (about $8.1K) more than the MSN, because the MSN already includes the first DNP project course.

Barnes-Jewish College’s trade-off is reach. FNP clinicals run in St. Louis-area primary care settings, applicants need a Missouri or multistate RN license, and the college’s licensure disclosure confirms NP eligibility in only 18 jurisdictions. Nurses outside the metro area should treat this as a commuter program, not a national online one.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN, BSN-DNP, Postgraduate Certificate
FormatMostly Online: online theory, 1–2 campus visits in some skills and assessment courses
Clinical Hours720 minimum (certificate, published); 660–720 MSN/BSN-DNP (derived)
Clinical PlacementSt. Louis-area primary care sites; who secures preceptors is not clearly stated
PopulationFamily/individual across the lifespan
Distinctive CourseworkStandalone 3-credit Skills and Procedures for the Primary Care NP
ConcentrationsNone
RN License RequirementsUnencumbered Missouri RN license or multistate compact license
Tuition$834/credit for all tracks, plus FNP track and per-term fees
AccreditationCCNE (MSN, DNP, post-graduate APRN certificate); HLC
Licensure ReachMeets NP requirements in 18 jurisdictions; undetermined in 33
Start TermsMSN and BSN-DNP: spring or fall. Certificate: summer or fall

MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner at Barnes-Jewish College is approximately $44,535 (50 credits at $834/credit, plus $2,835 in FNP fees). The program can generally be completed in about 2.3 years (7 terms) on Goldfarb’s year-round, three-term calendar.

MSN Curriculum

Foundation first, clinicals last. The first five terms are theory and advanced practice core, delivered online. Clinical work does not start until Term 6, so the specialty sequence is compressed into the final two or three terms.

A DNP course inside the MSN. MSN students take NURS 6240, Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project I. That is unusual for a master’s plan, and it is why the BSN-DNP adds only three courses. Nurses who might want the doctorate later lose little by starting with the MSN.

Procedures as its own course. NURS 6122 gives skills and procedures a full 3 credits rather than folding them into a clinical seminar. This is one of the courses that brings students to campus.

Adult-first clinical sequence. In the 2026–27 catalog, the Primary Care I and II clinicals carry the Adult-Gero Primary Care course titles. Pediatric and women’s health clinical time is concentrated in the final 5-credit family-centered clinical.

  • NURS 5110 Pharmacotherapeutics (3)
  • NURS 5101 Advanced Pathophysiology for Primary Care (3)
  • NURS 5121 Advanced Health Assessment (3)
  • NURS 6122 Skills and Procedures for the Primary Care NP (3)
  • NURS 6240 Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project I (3)
  • NURS 5805 Primary Care I and NURS 5808 Clinical (3 + 3)
  • NURS 5965 Primary Care II and NURS 5968 Clinical (3 + 3)
  • NURS 5971 Family Centered Care for Infants, Children, and Adolescents (3)
  • NURS 5972 Family Centered Care Clinical (5)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The program page lists 7 terms. The catalog sample sequence spreads the same 50 credits across 8 terms, which would mean about 2.7 years.
  • The most recent MSN plan available is the 2024–25 catalog. The 2026–27 certificate plan raised Primary Care II Clinical from 3 to 4 credits, so the current MSN may be 51 credits.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • Clinical credits: NURS 5808 (3), NURS 5968 (3), NURS 5972 (5) = 11 credits
  • Goldfarb’s 2026–27 credit-hour policy sets FNP clinical credit at 60 hours, so 11 credits = 660 hours (derived)
  • If Primary Care II Clinical is now 4 credits, as in the certificate plan, the total is 720 hours
  • Settings: clinics, physicians’ offices, and other primary care settings in the St. Louis area
  • Campus visits: 1–2 times in some courses, such as Advanced Health Assessment and the skills course
  • Simulation: high-fidelity simulation through Goldfarb’s Clinical Simulation Institute

Both possible totals sit inside the 600 to 700-plus range common among FNP programs, well above the 500-hour certification floor. The load is back-loaded: roughly 12 hours a week in Term 6, rising to about 23 hours a week in the 13-week summer term if the final clinical falls there. Working nurses should plan reduced hours for the last year.

You Should Know
  • No published clinical-hour total exists for the MSN; both figures above are derived from the credit-hour policy.
  • Goldfarb does not state whether students find their own preceptors or the college assigns them.
  • Clinicals are described as St. Louis-area only. Distance students should confirm whether out-of-area sites are ever approved.

MSN Admissions

Admission is standard for a BSN-entry MSN, with no RN experience gate, but the license rule is narrower than it looks.

  • BSN from a regionally accredited institution
  • Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Unencumbered Missouri RN license or multistate compact license
  • Current BLS certification
  • Resume or CV, official transcripts, two references, and a personal statement
  • Starts: spring (apply by Nov. 30) or fall (apply by July 30)
You Should Know
  • The 2024–25 catalog lists a Missouri RN license only; the current program page also accepts a multistate compact license.
  • Illinois is not a compact state. Metro East nurses holding only an Illinois license would need a Missouri license.
  • Goldfarb’s November 2025 APRN disclosure says the program meets NP requirements in 18 jurisdictions (AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, DC, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MO, NE, OH, OK, TN, TX) and is undetermined in the other 33.
  • Goldfarb’s SARA page says it can enroll online students from every state except California, yet the APRN disclosure lists California as meeting requirements.

BSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Doctor of Nursing Practice, Family Nurse Practitioner at Barnes-Jewish College is approximately $52,631 to $55,763 (59 credits at $834/credit, plus FNP fees and a DNP course surcharge). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years (9 terms).

BSN-DNP Curriculum

The BSN-DNP is the MSN plus three courses: Healthcare Informatics, Economics, and Financial Principles, and DNP Project II and III. Everything else, including NURS 6240 DNP Project I and the full clinical sequence, is shared. The project runs alongside the clinical terms, finishing in Term 9 after the final family-centered clinical.

  • NURS 6325 Healthcare Informatics, Economics, and Financial Principles (3)
  • NURS 6240 Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project I (3)
  • NURS 6245 Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project II (3)
  • NURS 6250 Systems-Based Practice and DNP Project III (3)
  • NURS 6122 Skills and Procedures for the Primary Care NP (3)
  • NURS 5808 / 5968 / 5972 primary care and family-centered clinicals (11)
  • All MSN core and primary care courses listed above

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The catalog lists an optional “NURS 6250X DNP Project” for students who have not finished the project, with a garbled note about 28 total credits. Its cost and credits are not clearly stated.
  • The catalog sample sequence places Term 9 before Term 8. The intended order appears to be the family-centered clinical in Term 8 and DNP Project II and III in Term 9.

BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements

  • FNP clinical hours: same 11 to 12 clinical credits as the MSN, so 660–720 hours (derived at 60 hours/credit)
  • DNP project or practice hours: not clearly stated
  • Total post-baccalaureate practice hours: not clearly stated
  • Same St. Louis-area settings and campus visits as the MSN

The FNP portion matches the MSN, so the clinical comparison above applies. What is missing is the doctoral side. Most BSN-DNP programs document 1,000 post-baccalaureate practice hours, and Goldfarb does not say how its project courses reach that figure. Ask before enrolling.

BSN-DNP Admissions

Requirements, license rules, and deadlines match the MSN. Starts are offered in fall and spring.

Postgraduate Certificate, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Post-Graduate Certificate, Family Nurse Practitioner at Barnes-Jewish College is approximately $20,817 to $34,161 (23–39 credits at $834/credit, plus FNP fees). The program can generally be completed in about 1 year (3 terms) when the advanced practice core transfers in.

Certificate Curriculum

The certificate is the MSN’s clinical spine. A gap analysis of prior syllabi decides how many of 15 core credits (pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment, health promotion, and professional role) a student must also take. Current NPs adding a family focus usually take only the three clinical terms. Nurses with a non-NP master’s should expect the full 38–39 credits.

  • Term 1: NURS 5805 Primary Care I (3), NURS 5808 Adult-Gero Primary Care I Clinical (3), NURS 6122 Skills and Procedures (3)
  • Term 2: NURS 5965 Primary Care II (3), NURS 5968 Adult-Gero Primary Care II Clinical (4)
  • Term 3: NURS 5971 Family Centered Care (3), plus NURS 5972 Clinical (5) or NURS 5973 Clinical (4)
  • Additional required if not transferred: NURS 5101, 5110, 5121, 6328, 6420 (15 total)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The catalog does not say who takes the 4-credit NURS 5973 instead of the 5-credit NURS 5972. At 60 hours per credit, the 5973 route totals 660 hours, below the published 720-hour minimum.
  • Transfer credit from StraighterLine is no longer accepted after the Fall 2025 term.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

  • Published minimum: 720 hours of direct patient contact
  • Math: NURS 5808 (3) + 5968 (4) + 5972 (5) = 12 credits × 60 = 720 hours
  • Weekly load: about 12 hours (Term 1), 16 hours (Term 2), and 23 hours (summer Term 3)
  • Settings: clinics, primary care settings, and specialty care services

Seven hundred twenty hours in three terms is a heavy, fast sequence, and it sits at the top of the common FNP range. The 13-week summer term carries the most hours. Nurses working full time will struggle to hold that pace.

You Should Know
  • The 2026–27 catalog calls the certificate “a hybrid program, a blend of in-person and online learning.” The program page says theory is taught online. No weekly campus cadence is published.
  • The program page lists summer and fall starts, but the catalog’s full-time sequence begins in fall and ends in summer.

Certificate Admissions

Applicants need a graduate nursing degree; the gap analysis, not the application, sets the workload.

  • MSN, DNP, or PhD in nursing from a regionally accredited institution
  • Cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Unencumbered Missouri RN license or multistate compact license, plus BLS
  • Resume or CV, official transcripts, two references, and a personal statement
  • Prior syllabi for any transfer or gap-analysis credit
You Should Know
  • State boards set their own rules for adding a second APRN population focus. Certified NPs should confirm their board accepts a gap-analysis certificate.

Tuition

Barnes-Jewish College charges a published $834 per credit for 2026–27, the same rate for the MSN, BSN-DNP, and certificate, with no residency difference. FNP track and per-term fees add about $42 to $71 per credit, depending on track and certificate length.

TrackTuitionFNP FeesEst. Total
MSN (50 cr, 7 terms)$41,700$210 + $375 × 7 = $2,835$44,535
BSN-DNP (59 cr, 9 terms)$49,206$230 + $355 × 9 = $3,425$52,631
BSN-DNP with surcharge ceiling$49,206$3,425 + up to $3,132$55,763
Certificate (23 cr core)$19,182$150 + $495 × 3 = $1,635$20,817
Certificate (39 cr full)$32,526$1,635$34,161

All totals are derived from the 2026–27 tuition and fees page.

  • Graduate tuition: $834 per credit
  • MSN FNP: $210 one-time track fee, $375 per term
  • BSN-DNP FNP: $230 one-time track fee, $355 per term
  • Certificate FNP: $150 one-time track fee, $495 per term
  • Background check, drug screen, and immunization tracking: $205–$230, paid to Complio

Be aware that:

  • A DNP course surcharge of $116 per credit applies to some doctoral courses. The catalog caps it at $0–$348 per term (three credits). The $55,763 ceiling assumes the maximum in all 9 terms.
  • The 2026–27 catalog lists a $575-per-term DNP program fee, not the $355 on the tuition page. At $575, BSN-DNP fees rise by $1,980.
  • If the MSN now carries a 4-credit Primary Care II Clinical, MSN tuition rises by $834.
  • An 8-term MSN, as in the catalog sequence, adds one more $375 term fee.
  • Typhon clinical tracking ($115–$195) appears in the catalog fee table; whether it applies to graduate students is not clearly stated.
  • Students pay for travel to clinical sites, parking, health and liability insurance, and their own otoscope/ophthalmoscope and stethoscope.
  • BJC HealthCare employees can apply tuition reimbursement. Goldfarb advises summer or fall starts to maximize it.

Real all-in cost runs about $890 per credit for the MSN and BSN-DNP. The doctorate’s low marginal cost is the key number: about $8,100 more than the MSN at the base fee schedule. For a BJC employee using tuition reimbursement, the net gap is smaller.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

A strong fit for St. Louis nurses, especially BJC employees, who want a hospital-system school and the option to finish a DNP for little extra cost.

Hospital-system setting. Goldfarb is part of BJC HealthCare, on the same campus as Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, which supply guest faculty. For nurses already in the BJC system, that means a school built around their employer and a tuition-reimbursement path.

Low-cost DNP upgrade. The MSN already includes DNP Project I, and the BSN-DNP adds only 9 credits. A nurse unsure about the doctorate can compare both paths on nearly identical coursework, with one extra year of project work as the main difference.

Honest drawbacks. Clinicals are tied to the St. Louis area, the license rule excludes Illinois-only nurses, and NP licensure is confirmed in just 18 jurisdictions. Placement responsibility, DNP practice hours, and the current MSN credit total are not published. The clinical sequence is compressed into the final terms, with heavy summer hours.

Accreditation

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits Goldfarb’s master’s degree program, Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and post-graduate APRN certificate program. All three FNP tracks fall under that accreditation.

Barnes-Jewish College is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), with its next reaffirmation scheduled for 2029–2030. Institutional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and credit recognition by other schools. The college also holds full approval from the Missouri State Board of Nursing.

Graduates of all three tracks are eligible for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC). Goldfarb reports a 100% first-time FNP certification pass rate for 2025.

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