George Mason University offers 3 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:
- MSN (Online)
- MSN (Campus)
- BSN-DNP
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN (Online) | $43.4K (all states) | About 2.5 years (7 semesters) | 49 |
| MSN (Campus) | $41.0K / $88.1K | 2–3 years (semesters not stated) | 49 |
| BSN-DNP | $60.2K / $129.4K | Not clearly stated | 72 |
Tuition estimates use Mason’s 2026–27 per-credit rates plus the $169/credit mandatory student fee (campus tracks) or the $35/credit distance learning fee (online MSN).
Residency decides which George Mason MSN costs less. The online MSN charges every student $885 per credit with fees, so a non-Virginian saves about $44,700 versus the campus version of the same 49-credit, 600-hour curriculum.
Virginians get the opposite result: the campus MSN runs $49 per credit cheaper in fees and tuition, but requires recurring in-person classes in Fairfax. Neither format publishes a clinical placement guarantee, and the online MSN is closed to applicants from seven states.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN (online or campus), BSN-DNP |
| Format | MSN Online: Online. MSN Campus and BSN-DNP: Hybrid. |
| Clinical Hours | MSN: 600. BSN-DNP: 1,000 minimum. |
| Clinical Placement | Not clearly stated; online students get state-specific guidance before enrolling |
| Population | Family/individual across the lifespan |
| Distinctive Coursework | Foundations of Public Health; Community-Oriented Primary Care |
| RN License Requirements | Active U.S. RN license plus 1 year RN experience |
| Tuition | Online $850/credit flat; campus $667 in-state, $1,628 out-of-state |
| Accreditation | CCNE (MSN and DNP); SACSCOC institutional |
| Enrollment Restrictions | Online MSN excludes AZ, IA, NH, NY, OR, TN, WA |
Online Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the online MSN at George Mason University is approximately $43,365 (49 credits at $850/credit plus a $35/credit distance learning fee). The program can generally be completed in about 2.5 years (7 semesters) of part-time study.
Mason runs this pathway through Mason Online with a Risepoint partnership. GMU states the content, objectives, and outcomes match the campus program exactly.
MSN (Online) Curriculum
Sequencing. The published plan of study runs seven semesters. The first three use 8-week courses, two per term. Semesters four and five shift to 16-week courses covering pathophysiology, pharmacotherapeutics, health assessment, and pharmacologic decision-making. The last two semesters pair 8-week FNP didactic courses with 16-week practicums.
Public health emphasis. Mason’s nursing school sits inside Virginia’s College of Public Health. That shows up as two required courses most FNP programs do not include: Foundations of Public Health and Community-Oriented Primary Care. Nurses aiming for community clinics or public health departments get more population-level preparation here than in a clinic-only curriculum.
Population sequence. FNP I covers adults with acute and chronic disease. FNP II covers pediatrics and women’s health. FNP III covers older and frail adults plus vulnerable populations.
- GCH 500 Foundations of Public Health (3)
- NURS 643 Community-Oriented Primary Care (3)
- NURS 757 Nursing Research and Biostatistics I (3)
- NURS 769 Physiology and Pathophysiology in Advanced Practice (3)
- NURS 713 Decision Making and Pharmacologic Management in Practice (3)
- NURS 738/739/741 Family Primary Care I–III (2/4/3)
- NURS 742/744/749 Family Primary Care Practicum I–III (2/4/4)
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- Mason Online lists NURS 741 as 4 credits; the catalog and plan of study list 3. Four would make the program 50 credits, so the catalog’s 3 is used here.
- The nursing site says online students take “one course each 8 weeks,” but its own plan of study shows two to three concurrent courses per term from semester four onward.
- Mason Online states “Duration: 2 years” in its summary and “2 to 3 years” in its FAQ. The nursing site says about 2.5 years. The 7-semester plan supports 2.5.
- Online students must buy their own health assessment kit (otoscope, ophthalmoscope, suture materials) and the CastleBranch compliance tracker.
MSN (Online) Clinical Requirements
- Total: 600 clinical hours (240 in semester six, 360 in semester seven).
- Practicum credits: 10 (NURS 742, 744, 749), or 60 hours per credit.
- NURS 724 Health Assessment Practicum (1 credit) sits outside the 600-hour count.
- Clinicals completed locally with a preceptor; students supply their own transportation.
- Placement model: an engagement specialist explains state-specific placement support before enrollment.
Six hundred hours sits at the low end of the 600–700 range common for FNP programs and 100 above the 500-hour certification floor. The load is concentrated: roughly 15 hours a week in semester six and about 22 a week in the final semester. Working nurses should plan to cut shifts during the last term.
You Should Know
- GMU does not publish a placement guarantee or say who secures preceptors. Ask in writing before enrolling whether you will need to find your own sites.
- Mason Online’s program description says “500+ hours,” while its FAQ and the nursing school both say 600. The course-level arithmetic supports 600.
MSN (Online) Admissions
The online MSN is the only Mason FNP track with three start terms, but it closes to residents of seven states.
- BSN from an accredited program, minimum 3.0 GPA (GPA addendum essay if below)
- Active U.S. RN license and at least one year of RN experience
- Statistics course within five years (provisional admission possible)
- Resume, two recommendation letters, 750–1,000-word goals statement, $75 fee
- No GRE requirement
- Start terms: fall, spring, summer. Deadlines: December 1 (spring), April 1 (summer and fall priority), July 15 (fall standard)
- Up to 9 transfer credits
You Should Know
- Applicants from Arizona, Iowa, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington are not being considered. GMU says the list changes as state boards approve the program.
- Mason’s provost-level SARA page lists all 50 states as authorized. That page covers institutional authorization, not nursing-board approval, so the program-level exclusion list governs.
Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner (Campus)
The estimated tuition for the campus MSN at George Mason University is approximately $40,964 in-state or $88,053 out-of-state (49 credits at $667 or $1,628/credit plus the $169/credit mandatory student fee). The program can generally be completed in about 2 years full-time or 3 years part-time.
This is the Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration, MSN taught on the Fairfax campus, with most in-person classes held in the afternoons and evenings.
MSN (Campus) Curriculum
The campus MSN uses the identical 49-credit catalog curriculum described in the online track, including the public health core and the FNP I–III population sequence. GMU has not posted a campus plan of study (“content will be available soon”), so term-by-term sequencing is not clearly stated.
You Should Know
- A $400 one-time Masters of Nursing Hybrid program fee covers health assessment lab materials and point-of-care supplies used at Mason’s MAP clinics.
MSN (Campus) Clinical Requirements
- Total: 600 directed-care hours with a preceptor, same course structure as the online track.
- Settings named: HMOs, specialty and public health clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, home care, family practice, and community clinics for the medically underserved.
- Placement model: not clearly stated.
Campus students sit inside the large Northern Virginia and D.C. health market, which helps when hunting preceptors. That advantage depends on whether GMU or the student arranges sites, which the school does not say.
MSN (Campus) Admissions
Admission requirements match the online track; the differences are start terms and location.
- Fall start. Deadlines: April 1 priority, July 15 standard.
- Must attend recurring in-person classes in Fairfax.
You Should Know
- The catalog says the traditional MSN admits in fall and spring. Mason’s graduate deadlines page lists fall only. Confirm a spring start before planning around one.
BSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the BSN-DNP at George Mason University is approximately $60,192 in-state or $129,384 out-of-state (72 credits at $667 or $1,628/credit plus the $169/credit mandatory student fee). Completion time is not clearly stated; GMU caps time to degree at eight years.
The BSN to DNP carries the FNP as one of its concentrations.
BSN-DNP Curriculum
Shared FNP spine. The 31-credit FNP concentration uses the same pathophysiology, pharmacology, assessment, and FNP I–III courses as the MSN. The doctoral additions are leadership and policy work: health care administration, evidence-based policy, advanced biostatistics, and an 8-credit, two-semester DNP project.
Public health requirement. GCH 700 Social and Ecological Determinants of Health replaces the MSN’s introductory public health course.
- NURS 758 Nursing Research and Biostatistics II (3)
- NURS 808 Translating Research into Evidence-Based Policy (3)
- NURS 870 Nursing and Health Care Administration I (3)
- NURS 883 Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare (4)
- GCH 700 Social and Ecological Determinants of Health (3)
- NURS 921/922 Clinical Practicum I–II (3/2 for FNP)
- NURS 980/981 Practice Inquiry I–II (4/4)
More curriculum details are available here.
BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements
- Total: 1,000 precepted or mentored practice hours minimum.
- About 600 come from the FNP practicums shared with the MSN; the rest accrue in NURS 921 and 922 (derived).
- Placement model: not clearly stated.
Unlike some BSN-DNP designs that keep clinical hours flat, Mason’s doctorate adds roughly 400 practice hours on top of the MSN’s 600. That extra time buys DNP-level practice experience, not a second population focus.
BSN-DNP Admissions
The DNP requires a two-part goals statement focused on leadership, not just clinical goals.
- BSN, active RN license, one year of RN experience
- Statistics within five years (provisional admission possible)
- Resume, two letters, goals statement answering both prompts
- Start terms: fall and spring. Deadlines: April 1 priority and July 15 standard (fall), November 1 (spring)
- Up to 30 transfer credits from outside Mason
You Should Know
- GMU’s deadlines page lists the DNP modality as “On-Campus or Hybrid.” No online DNP option is published.
- The catalog also lets MSN holders add the FNP concentration to an MSN-to-DNP plan, with credits and clinical hours set individually. No FNP post-graduate certificate is offered.
- GMU has not posted a BSN-DNP plan of study, so semester count and full-time length are unknown.
Tuition
George Mason charges $850 per credit for the online MSN regardless of residency, or $885 per credit with the distance learning fee. Campus tracks cost $667 per credit in-state and $1,628 out-of-state, or $836 and $1,797 with the mandatory student fee. Rates are the 2026–27 figures approved April 30, 2026.
| Track | Per-Credit (with fees) | Credits | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN Online (all students) | $885 | 49 | $43,365 |
| MSN Campus, in-state | $836 | 49 | $40,964 |
| MSN Campus, out-of-state | $1,797 | 49 | $88,053 |
| BSN-DNP, in-state | $836 | 72 | $60,192 |
| BSN-DNP, out-of-state | $1,797 | 72 | $129,384 |
Totals are derived (credits × published rate). Source: GMU Student Accounts.
- Online MSN: $850 tuition + $35 distance learning fee per credit; no mandatory student fee
- Campus tracks: tuition + $169 mandatory student fee per credit
- Campus MSN: $400 one-time Masters of Nursing Hybrid program fee
- All new graduate students: $60 one-time new student fee
- Application fee: $75
Be aware that:
- Online students pay $0 program fee but must buy their own health assessment kit and CastleBranch tracker.
- No DNP program fee appears on the 2026–27 fee schedule; confirm none applies.
- The catalog lists additional possible costs: lab fees, standardized testing, background checks, immunizations, health insurance, CPR, and travel to clinical sites.
- Rates reset each academic year; the online rate held at $850 from 2025–26 to 2026–27.
For Virginians, the campus MSN and online MSN land within about $2,400 of each other, so format should drive the choice. For everyone else, the online MSN at about $43,400 costs less than half the out-of-state campus price, and the BSN-DNP has no online rate to soften the $129,000 non-resident total.
Why Choose This FNP Program?
Best suited for nurses outside Virginia who want a public university MSN at one flat rate, and for Northern Virginia nurses who want an in-person or doctoral route at in-state prices.
Out-of-state nurses: The online MSN is the clear Mason option. It carries the same curriculum, clinical hours, and CCNE accreditation as the campus degree at less than half the non-resident campus cost. Check the excluded-state list first, and get the placement policy in writing.
Virginia residents: Pick by format, not price. The campus MSN suits nurses near Fairfax who learn better in a classroom and can attend afternoon or evening sessions. The online MSN suits those who need three start terms or live elsewhere in the state. The BSN-DNP makes sense for nurses targeting leadership or policy roles who can absorb 23 extra credits and 400 extra practice hours.
The trade-offs: Six hundred clinical hours is a modest total, packed into the last two semesters. GMU publishes no placement guarantee for any track. The campus and DNP tracks have no published plan of study, and several Mason pages disagree on credits, hours, and start terms.
Accreditation
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits George Mason’s master’s and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. That covers both MSN delivery formats and the BSN-DNP. The MSN is also approved by the Virginia Board of Nursing.
The university holds institutional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Regional accreditation keeps students eligible for federal financial aid and supports credit transfer and employer recognition.
Graduates of all three tracks are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC).
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