Hunter College FNP Programs

Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing • New York, NY • Hybrid • $620/credit

Hunter College offers a Post-Master’s DNP Family Nurse Practitioner Track.

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
Post-Master’s DNP$30.5K 3 years
(6 semesters plus 3 summer/winter sessions)		48

Tuition estimates use Hunter’s current part-time DNP per-credit rates (in-state / out-of-state) for 48 credits plus CUNY’s mandatory part-time graduate term fees.

Hunter’s FNP track is built only for nurses who already hold master’s-level FNP certification. It is a DNP completion program, not a route into FNP practice. Up to 42 master’s credits and your prior clinical hours count toward the 90-credit, 1,000-hour degree, so you complete 48 credits and 500 practicum hours at Hunter.

The trade-off is time and place. Hunter’s sample plan runs three years, including summer and winter sessions, and graduate courses typically meet on campus in Manhattan once or twice a week. There is one Fall start each year, and admission requires a 3.5 graduate GPA and an interview.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesPost-Master’s DNP (FNP specialization)
FormatHybrid: weekly campus meetings in Manhattan; some courses partly or fully online
Clinical Hours500 capstone practicum hours at Hunter; up to 500 credited from your MSN
Clinical PlacementNot clearly stated
PopulationCurrently certified FNPs with a nursing master’s degree
Distinctive CourseworkClinical Genetics; Finance and Management of Advanced Practice Nursing; biostatistics and epidemiology
ConcentrationsNone
RN License RequirementsNew York State RN license with current registration
Admission GateCurrent master’s-level FNP certification, 3.5 graduate GPA, interview
Start TermFall only; February 15 annual deadline via NursingCAS
Enrollment RestrictionU.S. citizens and permanent residents only; F-1 and J-1 applicants ineligible
Tuition$620/credit in-state; $1,000/credit out-of-state (part-time DNP rates)
AccreditationCCNE (DNP program); Middle States (institution)

Post-Master’s DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP) at Hunter College is approximately $30,461 in-state or $48,701 out-of-state (48 credits at $620 or $1,000/credit, plus mandatory fees). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years (6 semesters plus 3 summer/winter sessions) on Hunter’s part-time sample plan, which is derived from a Fall-entry program plan rather than a published program length.

Post-Master’s DNP Curriculum

How the 90 credits are built. The DNP totals 90 credits. Hunter reviews your master’s transcript and credits up to 42 of them for equivalent courses completed with a B or better. The remaining 48 credits are doctoral coursework taken at Hunter: 30 credits of core courses, 6 credits of electives, and a 12-credit capstone sequence.

Sequencing. Year one covers leadership, quality improvement, and analytic methods. These three courses are prerequisites for the first capstone course, so they gate everything that follows. The capstone then runs across four consecutive semesters, from Fall of year two through Spring of year three. Biostatistics must be finished before the implementation phase.

What stands out. There is no new FNP specialty coursework. The credits go to systems leadership, practice finance, clinical genetics, and population data skills. For an FNP, the finance course (NURS 804) is the most directly usable, since it addresses the business side of advanced practice. Epidemiology and biostatistics come from public health, and the sample plan places epidemiology at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health through CUNY’s ePermit system.

  • NURS 800 Leading Systems and Organizations (3 cr)
  • NURS 801 Leadership for Quality Improvement (3 cr)
  • NURS 802 Analytic Methods for Evidence-Based Practice (3 cr)
  • NURS 804 Finance and Management of Advanced Practice Nursing (3 cr)
  • NURS 810 Clinical Genetics (3 cr, online winter session in the sample plan)
  • NURS 850 Health Policy and Population-Focused DNP Practice (3 cr)
  • PH 750 Fundamentals of Biostatistics and PH 752 Fundamentals of Epidemiology (3 cr each)
  • NURS 90001 to 90004 DNP Capstone I to IV (12 cr total)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The graduate catalog record lists the full 90-credit course set, including FNP specialty courses, but those listed courses plus two electives total 87 credits, not 90. The program page’s 48-credit post-master’s plan is the more specific source and is used here.
  • The only published program plan is dated October 2023 for Fall 2023 entry. Its course numbers for biostatistics and epidemiology differ from the catalog’s PH 750 and PH 752.
  • Credit for prior master’s coursework is decided course by course. Students whose master’s courses don’t match Hunter’s equivalents could owe more than 48 credits.
  • The sample plan requires summer and winter enrollment.

Post-Master’s DNP Clinical Requirements

  • Total required for the degree: 1,000 supervised clinical hours.
  • Credited from your master’s program: relevant supervised hours, assessed individually (the plan budgets 500).
  • Completed at Hunter: 500 practicum hours across the four capstone courses (105 + 105 + 210 + 80 = 500).
  • Heaviest term: Capstone Implementation (NURS 90003), 210 hours, about 14 hours per week across a 15-week semester (derived).
  • Other capstone terms: about 5 to 7 hours per week (derived).
  • Placement model, site approval, and supervision rules: not clearly stated.

The 1,000-hour total is the national DNP standard, and Hunter meets it by counting your MSN clinical hours rather than repeating them. Because the new 500 hours sit inside the capstone courses, they are organized around your DNP project rather than a new set of FNP specialty rotations. Most working FNPs can absorb 5 to 7 hours a week. The implementation semester, at about 14 hours a week alongside no other coursework in the sample plan, is the one to plan your job schedule around.

You Should Know
  • Hunter does not publish how many MSN hours it will accept. If your master’s hours are credited below 500, you may need additional practicum hours to reach 1,000.
  • The source does not state whether the capstone practicum can be completed at your current employer.

Post-Master’s DNP Admissions

Admission is limited to nurses who already hold master’s-level FNP certification, and every applicant is interviewed.

  • Master’s degree in nursing from an accredited program
  • Current national FNP certification at the master’s level
  • Graduate GPA of 3.5 or higher
  • New York State RN license and current registration
  • Written descriptions of career goals and capstone project interests
  • Statement of purpose, about 500 words
  • Two letters of recommendation, ideally from nursing faculty or nurse leaders
  • Satisfactory interview
  • U.S. citizenship or permanent residency
  • No GRE required
  • Apply through NursingCAS by February 15 for Fall entry
You Should Know
  • The February 15 deadline recurs each year. The next cycle’s deadline is February 15, 2027, for Fall 2027 entry.
  • The graduate catalog also lists post-BSN admission criteria for this program. The FNP program page and the DNP brochure both restrict the FNP track to certified FNPs, so post-BSN applicants should not expect a path in.
  • Nurses licensed only outside New York must obtain a New York RN license before applying.
  • International applicants who need an F-1 or J-1 visa are not eligible.

Tuition

Hunter’s DNP tuition is $620 per credit for New York residents and $1,000 per credit for out-of-state students. These are the published part-time DNP rates. The sample plan never exceeds 6 credits in a term, so the full-time annual rates ($14,630 resident; $30,000 non-resident, based on 15 credits per semester) do not apply.

ComponentIn-StateOut-of-State
Tuition (48 credits)$29,760$48,000
Fall/spring part-time graduate fees (6 × $90.95)$545.70$545.70
Summer part-time graduate fees (2 × $77.50)$155.00$155.00
Estimated total (derived)$30,460.70$48,700.70

Confirmed costs:

  • DNP tuition: $620/credit (NY resident, part-time) or $1,000/credit (out-of-state)
  • Fall and spring part-time graduate fees: $90.95 per semester (technology $62.50, consolidated $15.00, student activity $12.00, student senate $1.45)
  • Summer part-time graduate fees: $77.50 per session (technology $62.50, consolidated $15.00)
  • Only the 48 credits taken at Hunter are billed; the 42 credited master’s credits are not

Be aware that:

  • Hunter says program-specific and academic excellence fees are not shown in its standard charts. Check the Graduate Tuition and Fees Chart in the catalog before budgeting.
  • No winter session fee is published. The sample plan includes one winter course.
  • A 3-credit course that meets four or more hours carries excess contact hour charges: $65 per hour for residents and $85 for non-residents.
  • New York residents living outside New York City must file a Certificate of Residency with the Bursar by a set date to pay the resident rate.
  • Dropping from full-time to part-time on or after the first day of classes triggers the full-time fee rate. Mandatory fees are non-refundable once classes start.
  • How tuition is billed for the epidemiology course taken by ePermit at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health is not stated.

For a New York resident, the full doctorate costs about $30,500 in tuition and fees. The DNP rate is $150 per credit above Hunter’s own part-time master’s rate ($470), but you pay it on only 48 credits. Out-of-state students, including commuters from New Jersey or Connecticut, pay about $18,240 more for the same degree. Full rates are on Hunter’s graduate tuition and fees page.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

The right fit for New York FNPs who want a doctorate at public-college prices and can attend class in Manhattan while they keep practicing.

Credit for work already done. Hunter does not make you repeat advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology, assessment, or FNP clinical rotations. Up to 42 master’s credits and your supervised MSN hours count toward the degree. What remains is 48 credits of leadership, quality improvement, analytics, finance, and a four-semester capstone.

Cost that suits a part-time budget. At about $30,500 all-in for residents, tuition runs about $7,400 to $11,200 a year on the sample plan. The 6-credit term load keeps you in part-time status and leaves room for a full clinical schedule outside the capstone implementation semester.

Where it fits in your career. This program makes sense once your FNP practice is established and you want the credentials for leadership, quality, faculty, or policy roles. It adds no new clinical scope or certification. If your goal is sharper patient-care skills or a second population focus, a post-graduate certificate will serve you better. If you can’t commit to weekly campus classes and three years of summer and winter terms, an online post-master’s DNP is the more practical choice.

Accreditation

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits Hunter’s baccalaureate, master’s, post-graduate APRN certificate, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. The FNP specialization is part of the accredited DNP program.

Hunter College is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Institutional accreditation is what makes students eligible for federal financial aid and helps ensure credits and degrees are recognized by employers and other schools. Hunter’s next Middle States evaluation visit is scheduled for 2027-2028.

Hunter’s nursing curricula meet New York State Education Department requirements for professional licensure and certification. Licensure disclosures for other states are published separately.

Applicants enter already certified, so the DNP does not prepare you for a new exam. Hunter states that DNP graduates meet the requirements for national certification in their specialty. For this track, that is the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC) you have already passed.

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