California State University, Long Beach FNP Programs

School of Nursing • Long Beach, CA • Hybrid • $760/credit

California State University, Long Beach offers 1 Family Nurse Practitioner track: an FNP concentration within its BSN-DNP.

Program highlights:

  • Takes BSN-prepared RNs to a doctorate with FNP national-certification eligibility
  • 72 units over three years (eight consecutive semesters), full-time, starting each Fall
  • Hybrid format — 15-week sessions blending face-to-face and online (synchronous and asynchronous)
  • 1,000 clinical hours plus a group DNP doctoral project

FNP is one of five nurse-practitioner specialties offered inside the single BSN-DNP degree (alongside adult-gero primary and acute care, pediatric primary care, and psychiatric-mental health).

As a public CSU program, it’s an affordable doctoral path and prepares graduates for FNP certification through the ANCC or AANP.

Program Tracks Overview

Program NameEst. TuitionEst. Duration
BSN-DNP FNP$60K3 years (8 semesters)

Cal State Long Beach folds FNP preparation into an affordable, hybrid public-university BSN-to-DNP — taking working RNs to a doctorate in three years, with 1,000 clinical hours and national FNP certification eligibility.

BSN-DNP FNP

The estimated cost for the BSN-DNP FNP at California State University, Long Beach is about $60K after fees. The program takes three years (eight consecutive semesters) full-time.

DNP Curriculum

The BSN-DNP totals 72 units in three components: 39 units of core courses (the “three Ps,” health policy, social determinants, leadership, informatics, data management, evidence-based practice, and a nurse-educator sequence), 24 units of FNP clinical specialty courses, and 9 units of doctoral-project coursework.

Delivery is hybrid across eight semesters, including a summer term.

Core Courses (39 units)

  • NRSG 701 — Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
  • NRSG 702 — Advanced Pharmacology (3)
  • NRSG 703 — Health Assessment for Advanced Practice Nursing (3)
  • NRSG 703L — Health Assessment Laboratory (1)
  • NRSG 704 — Health Care Policy and Economics (3)
  • NRSG 705 — Social Determinants of Health (3)
  • NRSG 706 — Leadership and Roles for Advanced Practice (3)
  • NRSG 707 — Humanism in Health and Health Care (2)
  • NRSG 708 — Informatics in Healthcare (3)
  • NRSG 709 — Data Management and Evaluation (3)
  • NRSG 710 — Advanced Evidence-Based Practice (3)
  • NRSG 711 — DNP Proposal Development (2)
  • NRSG 712A — Learning and Instructional Theories Applied to Nursing (3)
  • NRSG 712B — Curriculum Development in Nursing (3)
  • NRSG 795 — National Certification Review Course (1)

FNP Specialty (24 units)

NRSG 720 — Family Nurse Practitioner Specialty Theory I
Builds foundational FNP knowledge for primary care management, including health promotion, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of common acute conditions across the lifespan.

NRSG 721 — Family Nurse Practitioner Specialty Theory II
Expands FNP knowledge for assessing, diagnosing, and managing complex and chronic health problems across body systems and the lifespan.

NRSG 720L — Family Nurse Practitioner Clinical Practicum I
Applies FNP theory in supervised primary care settings, focusing on assessment, diagnosis, management, and evaluation of common acute conditions. Emphasizes role socialization.

NRSG 721L — Family Nurse Practitioner Clinical Practicum II
Applies advanced FNP theory in supervised primary care settings for patients with complex and chronic conditions, with emphasis on leadership and independent decision-making.

NRSG 722L — Family Nurse Practitioner Clinical Residency I
Develops advanced FNP leadership and clinical skills through in-depth patient care experiences and evidence-based interventions to improve outcomes.

Doctoral Project (9 units)

  • NRSG 792A — Integrative Scholarship I: Evidence Based Practice (3)
  • NRSG 792B — Integrative Scholarship II (1)
  • NRSG 792C — Integrative Scholarship III (2)
  • NRSG 792D — Integrative Scholarship IV (3)

More curriculum details are available here.

DNP Clinicals

The program requires a minimum of 1,000 clinical hours in the FNP specialty, delivered through the specialty practicums and residency.

  • Total hours: a minimum of 1,000 clinical hours
  • Structure: FNP Clinical Practicum I and II (8 units each) plus Clinical Residency I (2 units)
  • Population focus: family primary care across the lifespan
  • Format: hybrid, with clinical placements alongside online and in-person coursework
  • DNP project: a group doctoral project across four Integrative Scholarship courses

DNP Admissions

Admission is Fall-entry only and requires a BSN, a California RN license, and a year of RN experience.

  • BSN from a nationally accredited program with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
  • Active, unencumbered California RN license (or eligibility)
  • A college-level statistics course
  • One year of RN clinical experience and verification of current RN employment
  • Three professional letters of reference (within the past year, dated and signed)
  • Statement of purpose (one page), an interview, and an on-site/monitored writing assessment

Applications run through Cal State Apply (October 1–January 15) plus a separate School of Nursing application. Up to 9 units may transfer in; transferring the three Ps requires passing a competency exam.

A background check and mandatory August orientation are required after admission.

Tuition

Cal State Long Beach is a public CSU, making this one of the more affordable doctoral paths in the state.

For 2026–27, California residents pay $18,190 per year in tuition plus about $1,910 in mandatory fees — roughly $20,100 per year all-in. Across the three-year program that’s about $54,600 in tuition, or close to $60,300 including mandatory fees, before books, uniforms, and clinical costs. (Non-residents pay more.)

See the official cost page for current rates and the full cost-of-attendance breakdown: DNP Cost of Attendance.

Accreditation

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at California State University, Long Beach is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the School of Nursing is approved to offer nursing degrees by the California Board of Registered Nursing.

The university is regionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. FNP graduates are eligible to sit for national FNP certification through the ANCC or the AANP.

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