Colorado Mesa University offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner tracks:
- MSN-FNP (49 credits) — master’s, for BSN-prepared RNs
- DNP-FNP (74 credits) — BSN to doctorate, with advanced placement for master’s-prepared nurses
Both run online through CMU’s graduate nursing program, with periodic in-person intensive sessions (GPSIs) and objective structured clinical exams (OSCEs).
A distinctive emphasis runs through both: primary care for rural and underserved populations. Graduates are eligible for FNP national certification. Clinical placements are typically arranged in the student’s home community, with some travel for specialized or rural experiences.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program Name | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MSN FNP | $27K (49 cr × $556/hr, in-state) | 3 years |
| DNP FNP | $41K (74 cr × $556/hr, in-state) | 5 years |
Colorado Mesa offers an affordable, online FNP at the master’s and doctoral levels, with a distinctive focus on rural and underserved primary care — built for nurses who want to stay in their home communities.
MSN FNP
The estimated cost for the MSN FNP at Colorado Mesa University is about $27,000 in-state tuition (49 credits at the online health-sciences graduate rate; see the Tuition section). The program is structured over about three years.
MSN Curriculum
The MSN-FNP is 49 credits — a required core (theory, evidence-based practice, the “three Ps,” health promotion, quality/policy/ethics) plus the FNP cognate (primary care of children, adults, and older persons; rural/underserved care; mental and behavioral health; and a clinical practicum sequence capped by a capstone project).
Required Core
- NURS 500 — Theoretical Foundations (3)
- NURS 501 — Evidence-Based Practice (2)
- NURS 525 — Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
- NURS 526 — Advanced Pharmacology for Nursing (3)
- NURS 527 — Advanced Health Assessment (2)
- NURS 535 — Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (2)
- NURS 536 — Leading Through Quality, Policy, and Ethics (3)
- NURS 577 — Clinical Practicum: Advanced Health Assessment (1)
FNP Cognate
NURS 586 — Clinical Practicum: Procedures and Diagnostic Testing
Explores common primary care procedures and diagnostic tests used by nurse practitioners.
NURS 600 — Advanced Practice Nursing Issues
Examines the nurse practitioner role, including history, ethics, policy, leadership, and collaboration.
NURS 601 — Primary Care of the Infant, Child, and Adolescent
Focuses on primary care for infants, children, and adolescents, including development, health determinants, and common conditions.
NURS 602 — Primary Care of the Adult
Covers adult primary care assessment, diagnosis, treatment, health promotion, and disease prevention.
NURS 603 — Primary Care of the Older Person
Examines primary care for older adults, with emphasis on guidelines, prevention, and interdisciplinary care.
NURS 604 — Primary Care of Rural and Underserved Populations
Addresses primary care for rural and underserved populations through an advanced practice lens.
NURS 605 — Mental and Behavioral Health
Reviews common mental and behavioral health conditions managed in primary care.
NURS 610 — Clinical Practicum: Infant, Child, and Adolescent
Applies primary care concepts in the clinical care of infants, children, and adolescents.
NURS 615 — Clinical Practicum: Mental and Behavioral Health
Applies assessment, diagnosis, and treatment skills in mental and behavioral health care.
NURS 620 — Clinical Practicum: Adult
Builds clinical skills in adult primary care assessment, diagnosis, and management.
NURS 630 — Clinical Practicum: Older Person
Applies advanced primary care concepts in the treatment of older adults.
NURS 640 — Clinical Practicum Capstone: Primary Care of Rural and Underserved Populations
Capstone practicum focused on primary care for rural and underserved populations across the lifespan.
NURS 575 — Capstone Project
Develops a scholarly capstone project that integrates evidence-based practice into clinical care.
More curriculum details are available here.
MSN Clinicals
Clinical preparation runs through a practicum sequence across all primary-care populations, assessed each semester via OSCEs.
- Practicum courses: advanced health assessment, procedures/diagnostics, child/adolescent, mental/behavioral health, adult, older person, and a rural/underserved capstone
- Placement: typically in the student’s home community; some travel for specialized/rural experiences
- Assessment: OSCEs each semester (in person and virtual)
- Population focus: primary care across the lifespan, with a rural/underserved emphasis
- Total clinical-hour count: not separately published (delivered across the practicum courses above)
MSN Admissions
Admission requires a BSN and an RN license, with an April 15 deadline for fall.
- BSN from a regionally accredited college or university
- GPA of 3.0 or better in baccalaureate nursing coursework
- Current, unrestricted RN license in the state of residence
- Three letters of recommendation and a 500-word essay
- $50 application fee via NursingCAS
Applications are due April 15 for fall admission. Additional screening of ethical/critical reasoning may be required.
DNP FNP
The estimated cost for the DNP FNP at Colorado Mesa University is about $41,000 in-state tuition (74 credits at the online health-sciences graduate rate).
The BSN-entry program is structured over about five years. Advanced placement is available for master’s-prepared nurses.
DNP Curriculum
The DNP-FNP is 74 credits — the FNP advanced-practice cognate (same primary-care and clinical-practicum sequence as the MSN) plus a doctoral core (health policy/ethics, quality improvement and leadership, statistics, epidemiology, translational EBP) and a three-part DNP scholarly project with two clinical preceptorships.
Doctoral Core (beyond the FNP cognate)
- NURS 504 — Advanced Health Policy and Ethics (2)
- NURS 505 — Advanced Quality Improvement and Leadership (3)
- NURS 625 — Statistics for Health Sciences (2)
- NURS 626 — Clinical Epidemiology (2)
- NURS 627 — Health Systems in Advanced Nursing Practice (2)
- NURS 700 — Translational Evidence-Based Practice (2)
- NURS 650 — Clinical Preceptorship I (3)
- NURS 652 — Clinical Preceptorship II (3)
- NURS 660 — DNP Scholarly Project: Identification (2)
- NURS 750 — DNP Scholarly Project: Design and Defend (3)
- NURS 760 — DNP Scholarly Project: Implementation and Evaluation (3)
(The DNP also includes the full FNP cognate — the “three Ps,” primary-care courses, and clinical practicums listed in the MSN section.)
More curriculum details are available here.
DNP Clinicals
The DNP includes 1,000 hours of clinical immersion, roughly 80% in primary care and 20% in specialty settings or the scholarly project.
- Total hours: 1,000 clinical immersion hours
- Distribution: ~80% primary care, ~20% specialty/scholarly project
- Placement: mostly home community; travel for specialized/rural experiences
- Capstone: a DNP scholarly project (identification → design/defense → implementation/evaluation) with an oral proposal defense
- Population focus: primary care with a rural/underserved emphasis
DNP Admissions
The DNP-FNP requires a BSN and an RN license; master’s-prepared nurses may receive advanced placement.
- BSN from a regionally accredited college or university
- GPA of 3.0 or better in baccalaureate nursing coursework
- Current, unrestricted RN license in the state of practice
- Three letters of recommendation and an essay
- $50 application fee via NursingCAS
Advanced placement is available for applicants holding a prior master’s in nursing, which can shorten the path. Applications are due April 15 for fall admission.
Tuition
Colorado Mesa charges online health-sciences graduate tuition at about $556 per credit hour in-state (the rate shown for online health-sciences graduate programs on the university’s expense sheet). That puts the 49-credit MSN-FNP near $27,000 and the 74-credit DNP-FNP near $41,000 in tuition, before fees.
As a public university, CMU is among the more affordable FNP options. Confirm current per-credit rates and any program-specific or out-of-state rates with the university.
See the official expenses page for details: Tuition and Expenses.
Accreditation
The baccalaureate, master’s, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs at Colorado Mesa University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The university is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. FNP graduates are eligible to sit for national FNP certification through the ANCC or the AANP. State-by-state licensure eligibility is published on CMU’s website, so out-of-state applicants should confirm their state qualifies.
Explore Other Colorado Family NP Programs
- Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs
- Regis University - Denver
- University of Colorado, Colorado Springs - Colorado Springs
- University of Colorado, Anschutz - Anschutz
- University of Northern Colorado - Greeley