California State University, Bakersfield FNP Programs

School of Nursing • Bakersfield, CA • $740/credit

California State University, Bakersfield offers 1 Family Nurse Practitioner track: a DNP-FNP.

Program highlights:

  • Takes BSN- or MSN-prepared RNs (who aren’t already FNPs) to a doctorate with FNP certification
  • 88 units over three years (eight semesters, including summers), as a full-time cohort
  • Hybrid format — weekly in-person and synchronous online classes, plus asynchronous coursework
  • Mission focus on primary care for the underserved Central Valley, with HRSA ANEW traineeships ($25K/year) available

Launched in Fall 2025, the program is built to address the region’s primary-care provider shortage.

Note that the DNP program is currently pursuing initial CCNE accreditation, which is not yet granted. (CSUB also runs a separate 48-unit MSN-DNP for nurses who are already APRNs, but that path does not lead to FNP certification.)

Program Tracks Overview

Program NameEst. TuitionEst. Duration
DNP FNP~$65K tuition (~$74K with fees)3 years (8 semesters)

CSU Bakersfield’s DNP-FNP is a brand-new, affordable public program built to put doctorally prepared primary-care providers into California’s underserved Central Valley — with traineeship funding for students committed to rural and underserved care.

DNP FNP

The estimated cost for the DNP FNP at California State University, Bakersfield is about $65,000 in tuition (roughly $8,100 per semester across eight semesters), or closer to $74,000 with mandatory campus fees. The program takes three years (eight semesters) full-time.

DNP Curriculum

The DNP-FNP totals 88 units over eight semesters, including summers. It combines a DNP core, the APRN core (the “three Ps” plus diagnostic reasoning), a five-part Person-Centered Care FNP clinical sequence with primary-care simulations, and a four-part DNP project.

DNP Core (28 units)
  • NURS 6410 — Scholarly Writing & Grant Development (2)
  • NURS 6420 — Integrative Healing Practice and Self-Care (2)
  • NURS 6430 — Biostatistics and Epidemiology (3)
  • NURS 6440 — Population and Global Health (3)
  • NURS 6450 — Informatics and Telehealth (3)
  • NURS 6460 — Leadership Role and Interprofessional Collaboration (3)
  • NURS 6470 — Evidence-Based Practice & Quality Improvement (3)
  • NURS 6480 — Human Diversity & Healthcare Ethics (3)
  • NURS 6490 — Healthcare Economics and Policy (3)
  • NURS 6810 — Curriculum Strategies in Nursing Education (3)
APRN Core (16 units)
  • NURS 6510 — Advanced Physiology & Pathophysiology (3)
  • NURS 6520 — Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics I (3)
  • NURS 6530 — Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan: Didactic (2)
  • NURS 6532 — Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan: Clinical (2)
  • NURS 6540 — Diagnostic Reasoning and Clinical Decision Making (2)
  • NURS 6542 — Advanced Diagnostics Simulation (2)
  • NURS 6560 — Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics II & Herbals (2)
FNP Population-Focused Courses (36 units)

NURS 6610 — Person Centered Care I (Didactic)
Introduces the APRN role in primary care, with emphasis on person-centered health promotion, disease prevention, and advanced clinical reasoning. Prerequisite: N6540 (B- minimum). Co-req: N6611, N6612.

NURS 6611 — Person Centered Care I (Clinical)
Provides supervised primary care experience focused on health promotion, disease prevention, and common episodic conditions while strengthening FNP skills.

NURS 6612 — Advanced Primary Care Adult Simulation
Uses realistic adult primary care simulations to build assessment, critical thinking, and decision-making skills for APRN practice.

NURS 6620 — Person Centered Care II (Didactic)
Expands APRN primary care knowledge with a focus on pediatric populations, person-centered care, health promotion, and comprehensive planning.

NURS 6621 — Person Centered Care II (Clinical)
Provides supervised primary care experience focused on pediatric care, age-appropriate interventions, and acute and chronic illness across the lifespan.

NURS 6622 — Advanced Primary Care Pediatric Simulation
Builds pediatric primary care skills through scenario-based simulations that strengthen assessment, clinical judgment, and decision-making.

NURS 6630 — Person Centered Care III (Didactic)
Develops APRN primary care practice with an emphasis on women’s health, comprehensive care, and management of complex conditions.

NURS 6631 — Person Centered Care III (Clinical)
Provides supervised primary care experience focused on women’s health, acute and chronic illness, and age-appropriate interventions.

NURS 6632 — Advanced Primary Care Women’s Health Simulation
Uses simulation to strengthen women’s health assessment, clinical reasoning, and primary care decision-making.

NURS 6640 — Person Centered Care IV (Didactic)
Prepares APRNs for primary care practice in psychiatric and behavioral health, with emphasis on complex problems and social determinants of health.

NURS 6641 — Person Centered Care IV (Clinical)
Provides supervised primary care experience focused on psychiatric and behavioral health across the lifespan.

NURS 6642 — Advanced Primary Care Psychiatric/Mental Health Simulation
Builds psychiatric and mental health primary care skills through realistic simulations that improve assessment and clinical judgment.

NURS 6650 — Person Centered Care V (Didactic)
Culminates APRN primary care preparation by developing entry-level competency, professional confidence, and readiness for practice.

NURS 6651 — Person Centered Care V (Clinical)
Capstone clinical course where students demonstrate APRN-level decision-making and problem-solving while preparing for transition to practice.

DNP Project (8 units)
  • NURS 6710 — DNP Project I: Concept Development (2)
  • NURS 6720 — DNP Project II: Proposal (2)
  • NURS 6730 — DNP Project III: Implementation (2)
  • NURS 6740 — DNP Project IV: Evaluation & Dissemination (2)

More curriculum details are available here.

DNP Clinicals

The FNP sequence delivers about 810 direct clinical hours across five Person-Centered Care practicums, inside a minimum 1,000-hour post-baccalaureate practice requirement. Clinicals begin in the fourth semester.

  • Direct clinical hours: about 810 (Person-Centered Care I–V: 135 + 135 + 90 + 135 + 315)
  • Total practice: a minimum of 1,000 post-baccalaureate clinical practice hours
  • Start: first clinical course in semester 4
  • Schedule: typically 1–2 eight-hour clinical days per week, during business hours (Mon–Fri)
  • Simulations: adult, pediatric, women’s health, and psychiatric/mental health primary care
  • DNP project: a five-chapter scholarly project tied to a regional practice problem

DNP Admissions

Admission is fall-entry only and assumes a BSN, an active California RN license, and two years of RN experience.

  • BSN from a regionally accredited institution
  • Cumulative baccalaureate GPA of at least 3.0
  • Current, unencumbered California RN license
  • Current AHA BLS certification
  • At least two years of full-time RN experience
  • Holistic, blinded committee review (no GRE required)

Applications run through NursingCAS, and admitted students complete a background check, drug test, and mandatory orientation. Preference goes to applicants in the CSUB service area or with rural/underserved or acute-care experience.

Tuition

CSU Bakersfield charges California State University doctoral nursing rates — roughly $8,100 per semester in tuition per the program pages, though the Spring 2026 fee schedule lists about $8,580 in tuition plus mandatory campus fees (about $9,194 total) per semester.

Over eight semesters that’s roughly $65,000–$69,000 in tuition, or about $74,000 including mandatory fees — before clinical fees, books, uniforms, and equipment. As a public program it’s among the more affordable California DNP-FNP options, and HRSA ANEW traineeships of $25,000 per year are available to students committed to rural and underserved primary care.

See the official tuition page for more details: Tuition and Fees.

Accreditation

Important: the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at CSU Bakersfield is currently pursuing initial accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE); applying for accreditation does not guarantee it will be granted. The university itself is regionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. FNP graduates qualify for California Board of Registered Nursing NP certification and an FNP furnishing number, and are prepared to sit for national FNP certification exams.

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