Harding University FNP Programs

School of Nursing • Searcy, AR • Mostly Online • $950/credit

Harding University offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner tracks:

  • MSN-FNP (45 credit hours) — for BSN-prepared RNs; also available as a “second MSN” for nurses who already hold a master’s (up to 15 hours may transfer)
  • Post-Graduate FNP Certificate (up to 32 credit hours) — for MSN-prepared nurses

Both run through the Carr College of Nursing in a hybrid format — weekly online lectures with three required on-campus intensives over the program — and emphasize Harding’s Christian, mission-focused mission.

Each requires 750 clinical practicum hours and prepares graduates for the national FNP certification exam.

Note state restrictions: the program is not available to residents of Louisiana, New York, or North Carolina.

Program Tracks Overview

Program NameEst. TuitionEst. Duration
MSN FNP$49K2 years (5 semesters); 3 years part-time
Post-Graduate Certificate FNP$34K~2.5 years (up to 5 semesters)

Harding is a faith-based university offering a hybrid MSN-FNP that’s mostly online but anchored by three on-campus intensives — a Christian, mission-minded path to FNP practice for working nurses, at both the master’s and post-graduate certificate levels.

MSN FNP

The estimated cost for the MSN FNP at Harding University is about $48,650 in total tuition and fees (45 credit hours). The program takes about two years full-time (five continuous semesters) or three years part-time.

MSN Curriculum

The MSN-FNP is 45 credit hours, blending an APRN core (the “three Ps,” health assessment, research, role development) with leadership, epidemiology, and a faith/ethics course reflecting Harding’s mission, then a family-focused clinical theory sequence across reproductive, child/adolescent, adult/elder, and family health. Delivery is hybrid, with three on-campus intensives.

NURS 6010 — Leadership, Healthcare Policy, & Economics
Covers leadership strategies, healthcare policy, and economics for collaborative practice in dynamic healthcare settings.

NURS 6030 — Advanced Theory in Nursing Science
Explores the philosophical foundations of nursing science, theories, concepts, and middle-range theory in advanced practice.

NURS 6041 — Healthcare Technology, Teaching, and Evaluation
Focuses on healthcare technology, patient education, adherence, health promotion, and evaluation of teaching and outcomes.

NURS 6051 — Epidemiology and Vulnerable Populations Application
Introduces epidemiology, disease screening, causal inference, and statistical methods for studying health in vulnerable populations.

NURS 6060 — Faith, Ethics, & Interprofessional Collaboration in Advanced Practice
Examines Christian ethics, clinical decision-making, and interprofessional collaboration through cases involving advanced practice and care across the lifespan.

NURS 6100 — Advanced Practice Role Development
Introduces advanced practice roles, opportunities, and challenges within complex healthcare and financial systems.

NURS 6110 — Advanced Pathophysiology
Presents a systems-based view of pathophysiology across the lifespan as a foundation for advanced nursing practice.

NURS 6120 — Advanced Health Assessment & Diagnostics
Develops advanced assessment, differential diagnosis, and documentation skills across the lifespan.

NURS 6140 — Advanced Research Methodology
Reviews qualitative and quantitative research designs and emphasizes evidence appraisal and translation into practice.

NURS 6180 — Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics in Practice
Focuses on medication management across the lifespan, including prescribing and cost-effective drug selection.

NURS 7010 — Reproductive Health and Family Theory
Covers women’s health, pregnancy-related changes, prevention, and management of acute and chronic conditions, with supervised clinical practice.

NURS 7120 — Child/Adolescent Health & Family Theory
Focuses on health promotion, prevention, and management of common pediatric and adolescent conditions, with supervised clinical practice.

NURS 7200 — Adult/Elder Health & Family Theory
Covers health promotion, prevention, and management of common adult conditions, with supervised clinical practice in community and primary care settings.

NURS 7310 — Family Health and Theory
Addresses health promotion, prevention, and management of clients across the lifespan, with emphasis on chronic illness and advanced practice role development.

More curriculum details are available here.

MSN Clinicals

The program requires 750 clinical practicum hours, completed locally with preceptors and demonstrated competencies at the on-campus intensives.

  • Total hours: 750 clinical practicum hours
  • Placement: student travels to primary-care sites; preceptored experiences across the lifespan
  • On-campus: three intensives a year for orientation, skills/competency validation, and a capstone presentation
  • Population focus: family primary care across the lifespan
  • Recent outcomes (2024): 100% certification pass rate, 100% employment rate

MSN Admissions

Admission requires a BSN and an RN license, plus an interview.

  • BSN with an upper-division nursing major from an accredited program; GPA 3.0+ (below 3.0 considered case-by-case)
  • Prerequisites: inferential statistics, health assessment, and nursing research (C or higher)
  • Current, unencumbered compact or state RN license
  • Three academic/professional references and a goals paper (APA format)
  • Background check, immunizations, health insurance, and AHA BLS
  • Personal interview with faculty

Applications run through NursingCAS with a $50 seat deposit; admission is offered in fall, spring, and summer. A “second MSN” path lets nurses with a prior master’s transfer up to 15 hours toward the 45-hour degree.

Post-Graduate Certificate FNP

The estimated cost for the Post-Graduate FNP Certificate at Harding University is about $34,000 in tuition (up to 32 credit hours at $950 each).

It can be completed in about 2.5 years (up to five semesters). Federal financial aid eligibility for the certificate has varied — confirm current status with Harding.

Certificate Curriculum

The certificate is up to 32 credit hours for MSN-prepared nurses, covering the NP core (faith/ethics, role development, the three Ps) and the FNP family-focused theory sequence. A gap analysis sets each plan; nurses already certified in another NP population focus may have core courses (taken within five years) transferred, reducing the total.

  • NURS 6060 — Faith, Ethics, & Interprofessional Collaboration in Advanced Practice (2)
  • NURS 6100 — Advanced Practice Role Development (1)
  • NURS 6110 — Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
  • NURS 6120 — Advanced Health Assessment & Diagnostics (3)
  • NURS 6180 — Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics in Practice (3)
  • NURS 7010 — Reproductive Health and Family Theory (3)
  • NURS 7120 — Child/Adolescent Health & Family Theory (4)
  • NURS 7200 — Adult/Elder Health & Family Theory (6)
  • NURS 7310 — Family Health and Theory (7)

More curriculum details are available here.

Certificate Clinicals

The certificate carries the same family-focused clinical sequence as the MSN, with placements arranged locally and competencies validated at on-campus intensives.

  • Clinical sequence: reproductive, child/adolescent, adult/elder, and family health theory with practicum
  • Placement: local primary-care sites with preceptors
  • On-campus: the same three-times-yearly intensives
  • Population focus: family primary care across the lifespan
  • Scope: final hours and courses depend on the gap analysis

Certificate Admissions

The certificate is for nurses who hold an MSN in another specialty.

  • MSN from an accredited program
  • Current, unencumbered RN license
  • Three references and a goals paper
  • Background check, immunizations, and BLS
  • Gap analysis with the FNP program director to set the plan of study

Already-certified APRNs in another population focus (e.g., acute care or pediatrics) may transfer qualifying core courses, shortening the program. Applications run through NursingCAS.

Tuition

Harding charges $950 per credit hour for graduate nursing (or $8,550 per semester full-time, at 9+ credits). For the 45-hour MSN-FNP, total tuition and fees come to about $48,650 — including a technology fee ($280/semester or $28/credit) and $4,500 in total clinical fees — plus a $185 graduation fee. The post-graduate certificate runs up to about $34,000 at the per-credit rate.

As a private Christian university, Harding offers federal aid for the MSN; aid eligibility for the certificate has varied, so confirm current options.

See the official cost page for details: Cost of Attendance.

Accreditation

The baccalaureate, master’s, and post-graduate APRN certificate nursing programs at Harding University (Carr College of Nursing) are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and have full approval of the Arkansas State Board of Nursing. 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. Note that the program is not available to residents of Louisiana, New York, or North Carolina.

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