Beal University offers an MSN Family Nurse Practitioner track.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN | $49.7K | 1.7 years (5 semesters) full time; 3.3 years (10 semesters) part time | 62 |
Tuition estimates use Beal’s published program tuition plus its $30 application fee, $120 FNP program fee, and $35-per-credit technology fee.
Beal builds a 15-credit leadership and systems core into its FNP, which brings the MSN to 62 credits. Students take health information management, quality and safety, and healthcare finance alongside 704 clinical hours, with only one on-campus training week.
The trade-off is cost and uncertainty. The extra credits push tuition to $47,425, about $28,000 more than Beal’s 34-credit non-clinical MSN tracks, and Beal does not publish its clinical placement model or FNP-specific admission criteria. Its nursing accreditation is also initial-stage NLN CNEA, and its institutional accreditor is ACCSC, a national rather than regional agency.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN only, full-time (20 months) or part-time (40 months) schedule |
| Format | Mostly Online: online coursework plus one on-campus training week |
| Clinical Hours | 704 across five practica |
| Clinical Placement | Not clearly stated |
| Population | Family; 256 pediatric and 256 adult/older adult practicum hours |
| Distinctive Coursework | 15-credit systems core: leadership, research, informatics, quality and safety, healthcare finance |
| Concentrations | None |
| RN License Requirements | Unencumbered nursing license; no experience minimum published |
| Tuition | $47,425 tuition; $49,745 with mandatory fees |
| Accreditation | NLN CNEA initial accreditation (master’s program); ACCSC institutional |
Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN-FNP) at Beal University is approximately $47,425 (62 credits at a derived $765/credit), or $49,745 with mandatory fees. The program can generally be completed in about 20 months full time or 40 months part time (5 or 10 semesters, derived from Beal’s published average semester costs).
MSN Curriculum
Systems core. Five 3-credit courses cover role transition and leadership, research, health information management, quality and safety, and healthcare finance. Health information management and quality and safety also sit in the core of Beal’s non-clinical MSN, and the finance course comes from its Executive Leadership track. This block is why the FNP runs to 62 credits.
Clinical foundations. Advanced assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and a 4-credit Diagnostic Reasoning and Procedures course (75 contact hours, the only didactic course above 45). That course is the likely home of the on-campus training week, though Beal does not say so.
FNP sequence. Five paired courses (a didactic “a” course and a practicum “b” course) split the population cleanly: two pairs on infants, children, and adolescents, two on adults and older adults, then a lifespan capstone with a 192-hour Advanced Clinical Experience. Pediatrics gets exactly the same practicum weight as adult care.
- NU505 Leadership: Transition to the Advanced Practice Role
- NU540 Health Information Management: Promoting Quality and Safety in Healthcare
- NU555 Diagnostic Reasoning and Procedures (4 credits)
- NU630 The Finance and Economics of Healthcare
- NU615/NP615 FNP 1: Health Promotion and Primary Care of Infants, Children and Adolescents (+ practicum)
- NU625/NP625 FNP 2: Acute and Chronic Conditions in Infants, Children and Adolescents (+ practicum)
- NU635/NP635 FNP 3: Health Promotion and Primary Care of the Adult/Older Adult (+ practicum)
- NU645/NP645 FNP 4: Acute and Chronic Conditions in the Adult/Older Adult (+ practicum)
- NU655/NP655 FNP 5: Capstone, Special Issues Across the Lifespan, and Advanced Clinical Experience
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- No dedicated women’s health, reproductive, or prenatal course appears in the catalog list. Ask where that content is taught, since it is part of the national FNP certification exam.
- Beal does not publish course sequencing or which courses fall in which semester.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- 704 clinical hours: four 128-hour practica (3 credits each) plus a 192-hour Advanced Clinical Experience (4 credits)
- Split: 256 pediatric hours, 256 adult/older adult hours, 192 lifespan hours
- About 43 clinical hours per practicum credit (48 in the final course)
- One on-campus training week (timing and content not published)
- Placement model, preceptor requirements, and site approval process: not clearly stated
704 hours sits slightly above the 600 to 700 range common among FNP programs and well above the 500-hour certification floor. If each 128-hour practicum spans a full 16-week semester, that is about 8 hours a week, rising to about 12 in the final course. Beal’s catalog refers to billing by “modules,” so shorter practicum blocks could double those weekly loads. The bigger unknown is who finds your preceptors, which matters more to a working nurse than the hour total.
You Should Know
- Beal’s program page markets the FNP as “100% Online,” but the same page cites one week of on-campus training, and the catalog fee schedule lists the FNP as Hybrid (meaning it contains residential courses).
- Ask whether Beal arranges preceptors or expects students to source their own, and how early the search must start.
- Some state boards set their own clinical-hour or site rules for APRN licensure. Confirm yours before enrolling.
MSN Admissions
Beal publishes admission requirements only for its MSN as a whole; the FNP page adds that the program is designed for experienced RNs but sets no minimum.
- BSN from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (official transcripts in English)
- A completed 300-level or higher statistics course, or equivalent
- Unencumbered nursing license
- $30 application fee
- Next listed start: November 2 (other start dates not published)
You Should Know
- The 300-level statistics requirement is stricter than usual. Many BSN statistics courses are 200-level, so check your transcript.
- No GPA minimum, RN experience requirement, references, or interview is published for the FNP.
- Unlike Beal’s other online master’s programs, the FNP is not labeled distance education (“-DE”) in the fee schedule. Which states Beal can enroll and place FNP students in is not stated.
Tuition
Beal does not publish a per-credit rate for the FNP. Dividing its published $47,425 program tuition by 62 credits gives a derived rate of about $765 per credit, or about $800 with the $35-per-credit technology fee.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Program tuition (published) | $47,425 |
| Technology fee ($35 × 62 credits) | $2,170 |
| FNP program fee | $120 |
| Application fee | $30 |
| Total tuition and mandatory fees (derived) | $49,745 |
- Beal’s published “Estimated Fees” of $2,320 match the three fees above exactly.
- Average semester cost: $9,950 full time (5 semesters) or $5,000 part time (10 semesters), as published.
- Total tuition is the same on either schedule; part-time study spreads cost, not reduces it.
Be aware that:
- Beal estimates books at $4,000, not included above.
- Rate changes take effect with one month’s notice and apply to future modules, so there is no published price lock.
- Travel and lodging for the on-campus training week, background checks, and clinical tracking software are not listed.
- If you attend part time, Beal adjusts financial aid to the credits you actually take.
At roughly $49,700 all-in, Beal’s FNP costs about $765 per credit in tuition, about $190 more per credit than its $19,550 Nursing Education and Executive tracks. Fifteen of the 62 credits are systems courses rather than clinical training, so you pay for that leadership content whether or not you want it. Visit the Beal tuition and fees schedule for current figures.
Why Choose This FNP Program?
Beal fits Maine nurses who want an online FNP with minimal campus travel, balanced pediatric and adult clinical training, and some leadership coursework built in.
Balanced population training. Equal 256-hour pediatric and adult practicum blocks, plus a 192-hour lifespan finale, suit nurses who expect to see children in family practice, such as rural clinics or community health centers.
Leadership content included. Finance, informatics, and quality coursework is useful for nurses aiming at clinic management or a clinical program director role. It also makes this a long MSN for nurses who only want clinical preparation.
What the credential is worth. The degree leads to national certification eligibility, but several questions remain open: initial-stage NLN CNEA accreditation, a national institutional accreditor, unpublished placement support, and unclear out-of-state availability. Nurses who plan a later DNP at another university should confirm credit transfer first. For a Maine RN who gets clear answers on placement, Beal is a workable route; for anyone else, those answers should come before the deposit.
Accreditation
The Beal University Master’s Degree in Nursing Program holds initial accreditation from the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA). Beal’s statement names the master’s program as a whole without listing tracks, and an earlier Beal announcement described the first accreditation step for its distance-education MSN. Prospective students can ask Beal to confirm the FNP is within scope.
Initial accreditation is the first award for a program, so Beal’s master’s program has a short accreditation history.
Institutionally, Beal is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), a national accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. That recognition supports federal financial aid eligibility. Some regionally accredited universities limit transfer credit from nationally accredited schools.
Beal’s catalog states that graduates are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC).
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