Franciscan University of Steubenville FNP Programs

School of Nursing • Steubenville, OH • Hybrid • $680/credit

Franciscan University of Steubenville offers 3 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • Master of Science in Nursing
  • Post-Master Certificate
  • RN to MSN

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$32.6K6 sem48
Certificate$20.4K4 sem30
RN to MSNNot statedNot stated48 + BSN

Franciscan’s defining advantage is a contracted preceptor network of more than 300 providers, so clinical placement is brokered by the university rather than left to you. The trade-off is reach: this is a hybrid evening program on the Steubenville campus that requires an active Ohio RN license to apply.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN FNP; Post-Master Certificate FNP; RN to MSN entry route
FormatHybrid. Online coursework plus evening classes on the Steubenville campus
Clinical Hours540 minimum, identical for the MSN and the certificate
Clinical PlacementUniversity-brokered. Over 300 contracted preceptors across named regional sites
PopulationPediatrics, women’s health, adult, and geriatric clients across family practice
Distinctive CourseworkNUR 630 Bioethics in Nursing; NUR 685 Human Diversity and Social Issues
ConcentrationsNone inside FNP. The MSN also carries a separate CNS specialization
RN License RequirementsActive unencumbered Ohio RN license, plus licensure in every clinical practice state
Tuition$680 per credit on the official rate table. Program pages quote $600 and $525
AccreditationCCNE, covering the BSN, MSN, and post-graduate APRN certificate
Application DeadlineRolling, no formal deadline. Apply at least one month before your start term
Cohort SizeFNP admits ran 20 to 33 per year across the 2015 to 2020 reporting window

Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner Track

The estimated tuition for the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Track at Franciscan University of Steubenville is approximately $32,640 (48 credits at $680 per credit). The program can generally be completed in about six 15-week semesters, running across fall, spring, and summer terms.

MSN Curriculum

How the 48 credits are built. Franciscan splits the degree into three blocks rather than a single course list: a 22-credit graduate nursing core, a 9-credit advanced practice core, and a 17-credit FNP specialization. That structure matters practically, because the advanced practice core is a hard prerequisite gate. Advanced Pathophysiology, Advanced Assessment, and Advanced Pharmacology must all be finished before you touch any FNP specialty course, and the catalog states that only certain courses run each semester. Your entry term therefore sets your completion date more than your credit load does.

The unusual pieces. Two core courses stand out against typical FNP curricula. Bioethics in Nursing is a full 3-credit standalone course rather than a module folded into a theory class, and it is taught inside an explicitly Catholic moral framework covering the dignity of the person from conception to natural death. Human Diversity and Social Issues carries a further 2 credits. Evidence-based practice is also unusually heavy at 7 credits split across two sequenced courses, which is roughly double what many FNP programs assign. The net effect is a degree with more non-clinical coursework than average, which is one reason 48 credits buys 540 clinical hours rather than more.

The FNP sequence. The specialization is compressed into four courses in the second year. Health Problems I and II run 9 credits combined, Primary Health Care Management adds 4, and the FNP Role Practicum closes the sequence at 4. Franciscan states the program becomes full-time for the final two semesters regardless of how you paced the earlier terms, so the back half is not something you can stretch.

  • NUR 630 Bioethics in Nursing (3 credits)
  • NUR 685 Human Diversity and Social Issues (2 credits)
  • NUR 680 and NUR 695 Evidence Based Practice I and II (7 credits combined)
  • NUR 655 Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
  • NUR 660 Advanced Assessment (3 credits)
  • NUR 670 Advanced Pharmacology and Therapeutics (3 credits)
  • NUR 810 Health Problems I (5 credits)
  • NUR 820 Health Problems II (4 credits)
  • NUR 830 Primary Health Care Management (4 credits)
  • NUR 850 FNP Role Practicum (4 credits)

The remaining core courses are NUR 601 Theoretical Foundations, NUR 620 Health Promotion, NUR 641 Health Care Systems, and NUR 650 Advanced Practice Role. More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • Transfer credit will not shorten the program. Franciscan accepts graduate transfer credit at a B or better and less than ten years old, but states plainly that because of course scheduling, transfers should not be expected to reduce time to completion. Specialization core courses cannot be transferred at all, and requests must be filed by the end of your first semester.
  • The specialization courses carry a higher grade bar than the rest of the degree. A grade below B in an FNP specialty course triggers a single repeat opportunity, and only two specialty courses may be repeated before dismissal is on the table.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • Minimum 540 clinical and practicum hours, stated in the graduate catalog and on the program page.
  • Clinical hours sit inside the FNP specialization sequence: NUR 810, NUR 820, NUR 830, and NUR 850.
  • Placement runs through a contracted network of over 300 preceptors under agreement with the university.
  • Named clinical sites include Trinity Health System Urgent Care, Weirton Medical Center, Wheeling Hospital, Reynolds Memorial Hospital, Minute Clinic, Walgreens Clinics, CHANGE Inc, Doctor’s Urgent Care, and EZCare Walk In Medical.
  • Settings span physician offices, clinics, urgent care centers, and rehabilitation units.
  • Franciscan states clinicals may be completed near campus or in your hometown.
  • Liability insurance for advanced practice is required and billed automatically unless you show proof of existing coverage.
  • A clinical fee is attached to each clinical course. Students provide their own transportation to sites.

At 540 hours, the clinical requirement sits 40 hours above the 500-hour national certification floor and 60 below the 600 to 700 range that is common among FNP programs. That is a meaningful difference in supervised patient contact by graduation, and it is the clearest cost of a curriculum that spends 7 credits on evidence-based practice and 5 on bioethics and diversity coursework. What partly offsets it is the placement model. A contracted preceptor network is a materially different proposition from the student-sourced model most online FNP programs use, where finding a willing preceptor is your problem and a failed search can stall your progression by a full term. Franciscan has standing agreements, which is the single most practical reason a nurse in the Ohio Valley would choose this program over a cheaper distance option.

You Should Know
  • Franciscan does not publish a per-course breakdown of the 540 hours, so the total cannot be verified against its components. Ask the FNP coordinator how the hours divide across NUR 810, 820, 830, and 850 before you plan your work schedule.
  • The 300-preceptor network is concentrated in the Ohio Valley around Steubenville, and several named sites are in West Virginia. If you intend to complete clinicals far from campus, confirm whether the network reaches you, since the hometown option is stated without a defined geographic limit.
  • You must hold a current unencumbered RN license in every state where you complete clinical practice, not just Ohio.

MSN Admissions

Admission is rolling with no formal deadline, and you may enter at the start of any semester, but two gates deserve attention: an Ohio RN license is required at application, and an interview may be requested case by case.

  • BSN from an accredited college or university with a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
  • Active, unencumbered RN license in the state of Ohio.
  • Undergraduate coursework covering nursing research, ethical issues in health care, the philosophical and theoretical foundations of nursing, and computer literacy.
  • Two letters of recommendation from academic or professional sources.
  • Official transcripts sent directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
  • BCI and FBI criminal background check before registering for a first course.
  • Physical exam form from your primary care provider, with annual health requirements thereafter.
  • Drug and alcohol screening before any clinical experience that requires it.
  • English proficiency documentation for international applicants.
  • Free online application. Franciscan asks that you apply at least one month before your intended start date.
You Should Know
  • The Ohio RN license requirement is an admissions gate, not a residency rule. Franciscan participates in NC-SARA and its professional licensure disclosures list no state where the nursing program fails to meet educational requirements. The practical constraint is the Ohio license itself plus evening attendance on campus.
  • For students enrolling after July 1, 2024, federal rules require the program to satisfy licensure requirements in Ohio and in the state where you are located at enrollment or intend to work. Notify your advisor if you plan to relocate mid-program.
  • The Ohio Board of Nursing requires that the pharmacology course be taken within five years of a request for prescriptive authority. Part-time students who stretch the degree should check this timing with the FNP advisor.
  • Applicants who miss a standard may submit written evidence of their capability to the Admissions, Progression, and Graduation Committee for review.

Post-Master Certificate, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Post-Master Certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner at Franciscan University of Steubenville is approximately $20,400 (30 credits at $680 per credit, derived).

The program has no published duration, though four semesters is the arithmetic floor given the prerequisite sequence.

Certificate Curriculum

What it drops and what it keeps. The certificate strips out 19 credits of graduate nursing core that a master’s-prepared nurse has already covered: theoretical foundations, health care systems, advanced practice role, both evidence-based practice courses, bioethics, and human diversity. What survives is the clinical spine. You keep Health Promotion, the full advanced practice core, and the entire four-course FNP specialization untouched. One course is added back that MSN students skip: NUR 621 Health Promotion Clinical, a 1-credit clinical component required of post-master’s and transfer entrants who have not already completed it.

Why this route is efficient. The clinical requirement does not shrink with the credit count. A certificate student completes the same 540 minimum hours as an MSN student while taking 18 fewer credits. On the official rate that is roughly $12,240 of tuition avoided for identical clinical volume and identical specialty coursework. If you already hold an MSN, this is the arithmetically obvious route.

  • NUR 620 Health Promotion (3 credits)
  • NUR 621 Health Promotion Clinical (1 credit)
  • NUR 655 Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
  • NUR 660 Advanced Assessment (3 credits)
  • NUR 670 Advanced Pharmacology and Therapeutics (3 credits)
  • NUR 810 Health Problems I (5 credits)
  • NUR 820 Health Problems II (4 credits)
  • NUR 830 Primary Health Care Management (4 credits)
  • NUR 850 FNP Role Practicum (4 credits)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The published course list sums to 30 credits. Franciscan’s certificate program page states 36 credits. ⚠ The 30-credit figure reconciles two independent ways: the nine listed courses add to 30, and subtracting the 19 core credits the certificate drops from the 48-credit MSN and adding back NUR 621 also yields 30. The 36 figure cannot be reproduced from any published course list.
  • No duration is published. Four semesters is the floor, because the 13 credits of Health Promotion and advanced practice core must clear before the 17-credit FNP specialization begins, and 9 credits is the stated full-time load. Sequential course offerings could extend this.
  • Candidates must confer with the FNP Coordinator to schedule appropriate coursework. Your actual course set may vary depending on what your prior MSN covered, which means your credit total and cost may differ from the figures above.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

  • Minimum 540 clinical and practicum hours, the same figure the MSN carries.
  • NUR 621 Health Promotion Clinical adds a clinical component not required of MSN students.
  • Same contracted preceptor network of over 300 providers and the same named regional sites.
  • Same liability insurance, per-course clinical fee, health screening, and transportation obligations as the MSN.

Holding the certificate at the same 540 hours as the degree is the right call and not universal practice. Some schools trim clinical volume on the certificate route on the theory that a master’s-prepared nurse needs less, which can leave graduates closer to the 500-hour floor than they expected. Franciscan does not do that, so the certificate carries full specialty clinical weight at a lower credit cost.

Certificate Admissions

The certificate has a narrower entry gate than the MSN: it is open only to nurses who already hold a master’s degree in nursing, and the coursework is scheduled individually rather than as a fixed cohort plan.

  • Master of Science in Nursing from an accredited program, with documentary evidence submitted.
  • Must meet the basic admission requirements for both the University and the Graduate Nursing Program.
  • Required consultation with the FNP Coordinator to build the course schedule.
  • Same background check, health examination, drug screening, and RN licensure requirements as the MSN.
You Should Know
  • Because the FNP Coordinator sets your individual plan, neither the credit count nor the cost is fixed at application. Get your specific course list in writing before you commit.
  • Franciscan does not publish whether certificate applicants must already hold an APRN license or NP certification, only a master’s in nursing. Confirm eligibility directly if your MSN was in education, administration, or another non-clinical track.

RN to MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner Track

Tuition for the RN to MSN pathway at Franciscan University of Steubenville is not clearly stated, because the BSN-completion portion has no published credit count. The duration is likewise not clearly stated, and depends on how much undergraduate work remains when you enter.

RN to MSN Curriculum

What the pathway does. This route serves registered nurses without a bachelor’s degree. Franciscan builds it to minimize redundancy between the BSN and the master’s, and the mechanism is a credit double-count: RN to MSN students may apply up to 10 credits of selected graduate-level coursework toward the BSN, and that same coursework then counts toward the MSN. You are awarded the BSN once undergraduate requirements are met, then continue into the master’s in your chosen track, which for FNP applicants means the same 48-credit degree described above.

The admissions advantage. Franciscan states that upon successful completion of the BSN, admission to the MSN program is automatic. That removes the reapplication step and the competitive review that most RN-to-MSN bridge students face at the transition point, which is the practical value of this pathway over completing a BSN elsewhere and then applying.

RN to MSN Admissions

  • Applicants apply using the undergraduate application form, not the graduate one.
  • Active RN license required, consistent with the graduate nursing program standard.
  • Prospective students should meet with an academic advisor to map the pathway before enrolling.
  • Admission to the MSN is automatic on successful BSN completion.
You Should Know
  • Graduate-rate billing has a threshold. Franciscan states that RN to MSN students taking graduate-level courses before earning the BSN pay the graduate tuition rate for those courses only if the semester load exceeds 18 credits. Below that threshold the billing basis is not clearly stated, and this materially affects what the first phase costs.
  • No total credit count, total cost, or completion timeline is published for this pathway. Treat any figure you are quoted verbally as provisional until you have a written plan of study.
  • The graduate catalog record for this pathway is published under the 2024-2025 catalog year rather than the current 2025-2026 edition.

Tuition

Franciscan University of Steubenville charges $680 per credit hour for the Master of Science in Nursing on its official Costs and Fees rate table. This is a private university, so there is no resident and non-resident split. The complication is that Franciscan publishes three different per-credit figures across its own pages, and they do not agree.

SourceRateApplied ToTotal
Official Costs and Fees rate table$68048 credits (MSN)$32,640
MSN program page, tuition block$68048 credits (MSN)$32,640
MSN program page, Associated Costs tab$60048 credits (MSN)$28,800
Certificate page, Associated Costs tab$52536 credits (stated)$18,900

Two of Franciscan’s sources give $680 and one gives $600, and the two conflicting figures sit on the same program page. The $680 rate appears on the university-wide rate table alongside every other graduate program, which is the stronger source. This page uses $680 throughout.

Confirmed costs:

  • MSN: $32,640 published, matching 48 credits at $680 exactly.
  • Per-credit rate of $680 for the MSN, published on the official rate table.
  • Certificate: $20,400 derived, calculated as the verified 30-credit course list at the official $680 rate.

Be aware that:

  • The $600 and $525 rates on the Associated Costs tabs conflict with the official table. The MSN swing between $680 and $600 is $3,840. Confirm your rate in writing with Graduate Admissions before enrolling.
  • The certificate figure of $18,900 rests on a 36-credit count that does not match the published course list of 30. Every certificate total on this page should be treated as an estimate until the coordinator confirms your individual plan.
  • A clinical fee is charged for each clinical course. Franciscan does not publish the amount, and the MSN carries four or five clinical courses depending on track.
  • Advanced Practice Liability Insurance is billed yearly. The only figure Franciscan publishes is $25, quoted as of Fall 2015, which is over a decade old and should not be relied on.
  • Background checks, the physical exam, annual health requirements, drug and alcohol screening, and a picture identification tag are all student expenses with no published amounts.
  • Transportation to clinical sites is your responsibility, which is a real cost given a preceptor network spread across the Ohio Valley.
  • Franciscan’s merit scholarships are restricted to on-ground undergraduate students and explicitly exclude 100% online enrollment. They do not apply to graduate nursing.
  • Full payment is due by the first day of each term. Registration is not complete until payment clears, and no student may attend class with an outstanding balance net of financial aid.

The honest read is that $32,640 is a floor, not a ceiling. Franciscan publishes an unusually complete list of the things that cost money beyond tuition and an unusually incomplete list of what they cost. Compared with public Ohio programs that publish itemized bursar schedules, you are being asked to accept more uncertainty about the final number. The offsetting factor is that the base rate is fixed regardless of where you live, so there is no residency surcharge to model.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for nurses within driving distance of Steubenville who hold an Ohio RN license, want their clinical placement arranged for them, and are comfortable trading distance-learning convenience for evening classes and a named faculty they will actually see.

The placement network is the reason to be here. Over 300 contracted preceptors is not a marketing number, it is a structural difference in how the program works. In most online FNP programs, you source your own preceptor, and a failed search delays graduation by a semester or costs you money paid to a placement broker. Franciscan holds standing agreements with named regional providers including Trinity Health System, Weirton Medical Center, Wheeling Hospital, and Reynolds Memorial Hospital, and states that many of these organizations have hired its graduates. That converts the hardest logistical problem in nurse practitioner education into something the school handles.

The scale cuts both ways. Three FNP faculty members teach this program, all board certified through ANCC, and two earned their own FNP credentials at Franciscan. Reported FNP admissions ran between 20 and 33 students per year across the 2015 to 2020 window Franciscan published. A cohort that size means genuine faculty access, and it is the natural companion to a program that puts you in an evening classroom rather than a discussion board. The same scale limits what the program can offer: no concentrations inside the FNP track, no DNP to progress into, no acute care or emergency add-on, and a single 540-hour clinical model with no higher-volume option.

The cost verdict. Budget $32,640 for the MSN and roughly $20,400 for the certificate, then add an unquantified layer for clinical fees, liability insurance, screenings, and travel. Do not budget from the $600 or $525 figures on the program pages, and do not treat the certificate’s published $18,900 as reliable, because the credit count underneath it does not reconcile. If your MSN is already done, the certificate is the clearly better arithmetic: the same 540 clinical hours and the same specialty sequence for 18 fewer credits. If you need the degree, the honest comparison is against Ohio public programs, where you will often pay less per credit but source your own preceptors. Franciscan is asking you to pay a private rate for placement certainty and small-cohort teaching. Whether that trade is worth it depends almost entirely on how confident you are that you could find a preceptor on your own.

Accreditation

Franciscan University’s nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The published scope reads: “The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, the master’s degree program in nursing, and the post-graduate APRN certificate program at Franciscan University are all accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.” That language covers both FNP credentials on this page, the MSN under the master’s clause and the Post-Master Certificate under the post-graduate APRN certificate clause. CCNE is located at 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001.

The nursing program is also fully approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing, which is the state-level authority governing RN and APRN practice in Ohio and a separate requirement from programmatic accreditation.

Institutionally, Franciscan University of Steubenville is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of the regional accreditors recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Institutional accreditation is what makes federal financial aid available and what allows your credits to transfer if you later pursue a doctorate elsewhere, so it matters independently of the CCNE approval.

Graduates of both FNP tracks meet the educational eligibility requirements to sit for the national FNP certification exam through either the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners or the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Passing that exam is what allows application to the Ohio Board of Nursing, or another state board, for authority to practice. In its most recently published outcomes data, covering 2015 through 2020, Franciscan reported FNP certification pass rates ranging from 77.8% to 95.8%, with the final three years all above 92%.

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