Georgia Southern offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:
- Post-BSN to DNP
- Post-MSN Certificate
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-BSN DNP | ~$22K (est.) | Not stated | 77 |
| MSN Exit | ~$12K (est.) | Not stated | 43 |
| Post-MSN Cert | Not stated | 2 yrs | Not stated |
Georgia Southern’s defining advantage is the MSN exit option built into its BSN-to-DNP: finish the 43-credit FNP specialty sequence, leave with a certification-eligible MSN, and keep a four-year window to return for the doctorate without penalty. The trade-off is geography — all clinical practicums must be completed in Georgia or South Carolina with student-secured preceptors, and residents of 14 states cannot enroll at all.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | Post-BSN DNP (FNP track) with MSN exit; Post-MSN FNP Certificate |
| Format | Online coursework; DNP requires some live sessions; clinicals in GA or SC only |
| Clinical Hours | 720 (BSN-DNP FNP sequence); 630 (certificate) |
| Clinical Placement | Students secure their own preceptors; school supervises GA/SC sites only |
| Population | Primary care across the lifespan; rural and underserved emphasis at DNP level |
| Distinctive Coursework | Psychodynamics of Health; FNP sequence split into pediatrics, women’s health, adult-gero |
| RN License Requirements | Georgia or South Carolina RN license, or eNLC compact license |
| RN Experience | 1 year full-time clinical employment before NP health assessment course (DNP entry) |
| Start Term | Fall only; applications due March 1 annually |
| Tuition | ~$287/credit derived; ~$8,336/year online graduate tuition + fees (est.) |
| Accreditation | CCNE (DNP, MSN, and post-graduate APRN certificate) |
Post-BSN to DNP, FNP Track
The estimated tuition for the Post-BSN to DNP FNP track at Georgia Southern is approximately $22,100 (77 credits at ~$287/credit, derived estimate), or about $12,300 for students who exit at the 43-credit MSN. Total completion time is not clearly stated; students follow an individualized, year-round program of study, and the MSN exit point arrives after the specialty sequence.
Credit total conflict: the program page states 80 credit hours to completion, while the university catalog lists 77 — and the same catalog page also says “additional 37 credits for DNP” beyond the 43-credit MSN portion, which sums to 80. Confirm the current total with the program before budgeting.
Post-BSN DNP Curriculum
The structure is a stacked design: a 16-credit graduate core, a 10-credit advanced practice core, a 17-credit FNP emphasis, then a 34-credit doctoral core. The FNP emphasis is unusually clean — three didactic courses split by population (pediatrics, women’s health, adult-gerontology), each paired with its own clinical course, so clinical rotations map one-to-one to what you’re studying that semester. The doctoral core shifts from patient care to systems work: biometrics, outcomes management, and a three-course clinical scholarship project you must complete and disseminate. Most coursework is asynchronous, but selected courses require live, real-time sessions — plan your shift schedule accordingly.
- NURS 7123 Psychodynamics of Health (2 cr)
- NURS 7141–7143 Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, Health Assessment (9 cr + 1 cr clinical)
- NURS 8235 FNP I – Pediatrics (3 cr)
- NURS 8236 FNP II – Women’s Health (3 cr)
- NURS 8237 FNP III – Adult and Gerontology (3 cr)
- NURS 8721–8723 FNP Clinicals I–III (6 cr, paired with each population course)
- NURS 8520 Capstone Practice and Professional Issues (2 cr)
- NURS 9931–9933 Clinical Project I–III (9 cr, DNP scholarship project)
More curriculum details are available here.
Post-BSN DNP Clinical Requirements
- 720 clinical hours plus 585 didactic hours across the 43-credit MSN/specialty portion (per the catalog)
- All practicums completed with a qualified preceptor in Georgia or South Carolina — no exceptions
- Students must proactively secure their own preceptors; the school supervises placements but does not guarantee them
- Clinical sites may impose vaccination requirements; inability to place unvaccinated students can delay or block program completion
- Per-course clinical hour breakdown is not published, so the 720 total cannot be independently verified against the course list
720 hours is on the high side — well above the 500-hour certification floor and above the 600–700 range most FNP programs land in. That’s extra hands-on preparation, but combined with self-sourced preceptors it means more placement legwork falls on you. If you don’t already have clinical contacts in Georgia or South Carolina, start building them before you apply, not after.
Post-BSN DNP Admissions
Admission runs on a single fall cohort with a hard experience gate: one year of full-time clinical RN employment is required before the NP health assessment course, and a phone interview may be part of the review.
- BSN including a health assessment course (grade C or better)
- Current Georgia RN license or multistate/compact license; minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA
- Undergraduate statistics or statistically oriented methods course, grade C or better
- Three professional letters of recommendation; possible phone interview
- BLS certification, malpractice insurance proof, health forms
- All materials due March 1 annually for fall entry
- Progression is strict: a grade of C in any graduate nursing course ends eligibility to continue; a B minimum is required in every course
Post-MSN FNP Certificate
The estimated tuition for the Post-MSN FNP Certificate is not clearly stated; credit hours are individualized through a gap analysis, so no per-credit total can be calculated. The program can generally be completed in about two years, beginning each fall.
Note the unusual entry rule: this certificate is not open to every MSN-prepared nurse. Applicants must already hold national certification in another APRN specialty (PMHNP, AGNP, CNM, CRNA, CNS, PNP, WHNP, and similar). It is an APRN-to-APRN add-on credential, not a general post-master’s pathway.
Certificate Curriculum
The curriculum mirrors the DNP-pathway FNP sequence: coursework in pediatrics, women’s health, and adult-gerontology, plus study of the psychodynamics of health, with clinicals in each of those three population areas. Because entering students hold different APRN backgrounds, the school runs a gap analysis and builds an individualized program of study — an ANP adding family scope will take fewer courses than a CRNA, for example. Exact credit counts therefore vary by applicant.
- Pediatrics coursework and pediatric clinical
- Women’s health coursework and clinical
- Adult and gerontology coursework and clinical
- Psychodynamics of health
- Individualized plan of study set by gap analysis
More curriculum details are available here.
Certificate Clinical Requirements
- 630 total clinical hours, split across pediatric, women’s health, and adult-gerontology rotations
- All clinicals completed in Georgia or South Carolina with a qualified preceptor
- Students secure their own preceptors
- Same 14-state enrollment ban and GA/SC licensure requirement as the DNP
630 hours is a full FNP clinical load — notably, only 90 hours fewer than the BSN-to-DNP pathway requires — even for nurses who are already certified APRNs. Some programs discount clinical hours for prior APRN experience; Georgia Southern’s gap analysis individualizes coursework, but the published clinical figure suggests you should budget for the full three-rotation commitment.
Certificate Admissions
Admission is pooled, fall-entry only, and may include an interview; the defining requirement is current national certification in another APRN specialty.
- Current national APRN certification (ANP, CNM, AG-PCNP, AG-ACNP, CRNA, GNP, PNP, PMHNP, WHNP, or CNS)
- MSN from an NLN- or CCNE-accredited program, minimum 3.0 GPA
- Undergraduate statistics and health assessment courses, grade C or better
- No GRE or MAT required
- Georgia RN license or compact license; three recommendation letters; BLS; resume/CV
- Materials due March 1 annually for fall entry
Tuition
Georgia Southern does not publish a simple per-credit rate for these programs; a derived estimate is roughly $287 per credit, based on the university’s fully-online graduate cost figures of $6,888 tuition per year (assuming a typical 24-credit annual load), charged at the same rate for in-state and out-of-state students.
On that basis, the full 77-credit BSN-to-DNP runs approximately $22,100 in tuition, the 43-credit MSN exit approximately $12,300, and the certificate cannot be totaled because its credits are individualized.
- Mandatory fees add $1,448 per year for fully online graduate students, on top of tuition
- Online students pay a USG “Online Learning Fee” as part of mandatory fees
- Rates are reset annually by the University System of Georgia and can change without notice, applying to current students
- Clinical agencies may require background checks and drug testing at the student’s expense
- NOTE: The per-credit figure is derived, not published; the annual tuition figure’s credit-load basis is not stated by the university
The practical takeaway: even with fees and annual increases, a full online DNP in the high-$20Ks all-in is inexpensive for a doctorate, and out-of-state students pay the same online rate as Georgia residents — though the GA/SC clinical rule means few true out-of-state students can actually use it.
Official cost of attendance details are here.
Why Choose This FNP Program?
This program fits nurses in Georgia or South Carolina who want doctoral-level training but aren’t ready to commit to it irrevocably. The MSN exit option is the structural reason to pick Georgia Southern: complete the 43-credit specialty sequence, sit for national FNP certification, start practicing, and decide later — with a four-year, no-penalty window — whether to return for the remaining doctoral credits. Most BSN-to-DNP programs make the doctorate all-or-nothing; this one builds in an off-ramp that doubles as an on-ramp.
The cost profile reinforces the case. At a derived rate near $287 per credit with identical pricing regardless of residency, the full DNP lands well under what many private online programs charge for an MSN alone. The 720-hour clinical requirement also exceeds the typical FNP range, and the rural and underserved-population focus matches the practice settings where Georgia FNPs are most needed.
The trade-offs are real and mostly geographic. You must hold a GA, SC, or compact license, complete every clinical hour in Georgia or South Carolina, and find your own preceptors — and if you live in one of 14 named states, you can’t enroll at all. Add strict progression rules (one C ends your eligibility), a single fall intake with a March 1 deadline, and required live sessions in some courses, and this is a program for planners with local clinical networks, not for nurses who need scheduling slack or placement support.
Accreditation
The Doctor of Nursing Practice program, master’s degree program, and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Georgia Southern University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE); the university is institutionally accredited by SACSCOC. The School of Nursing states that graduates qualify to sit for the national FNP board examinations recognized in all 50 states, D.C., and five U.S. territories (the national FNP certification exam through AANP or ANCC).
Review More FNP Programs in Georgia
- Augusta University - Augusta
- Georgia College & State University - Milledgeville
- Georgia State University - Atlanta
- Georgia Southwestern State University - Americus
- Kennesaw State University - Kennesaw
- Mercer University - Macon
- University of North Georgia - Dahlonega