Metropolitan State University FNP Programs

College of Nursing and Health Sciences • Saint Paul, MN • Mostly Online • $1,185.31/credit

Metropolitan State University offers 3 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • BSN-DNP
  • ELMSN-DNP
  • MSN-DNP (Individualized Plan)

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
BSN-DNP$92.1K4 years (10 semesters)75
ELMSN-DNP$82.2K3 years (8-9 semesters)67
MSN-DNPSet by planSet by planIndividualized

Tuition estimates use Metro State’s 2026-27 doctoral nursing rate of $1,185.31 per credit plus the $42.30 per credit standard course fee, charged to all students regardless of residency.

Metro State runs three doors into one DNP. BSN holders take a 75-credit track, graduates of Metro State’s own entry-level MSN take a 67-credit version, and nurses with an MSN from elsewhere get a plan built course by course with the program director. All three share the same 1,000-hour clinical ladder and a coordinator-assigned placement model.

The flexibility ends at the front door. Metro State admits one fall cohort a year, offers no part-time option, and locks every course in sequence. The BSN route takes four years, and a single failed course likely costs a full year.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesBSN-DNP, ELMSN-DNP, individualized MSN-DNP plan
FormatMostly Online: asynchronous didactic courses; skills labs require in-person demonstration
Clinical Hours1,000 direct care hours, plus 275-285 DNP project hours
Clinical PlacementAssigned by a dedicated DNP FNP Clinical Coordinator; self-sourced sites allowed with approval
PopulationFamily across the lifespan; urban, rural, and underserved placement settings
Distinctive CourseworkInterprofessional HIV care course taken with medicine, pharmacy, and social work students
RN Experience GateOne year of RN work at 0.6 FTE or higher by program start
RN License RequirementsUnencumbered RN license in a state with eligibility for Minnesota licensure
Start TermsFall only, single cohort, no part-time option
Tuition$1,185.31 per credit plus $42.30 per credit in fees, same rate for all residencies
AccreditationCCNE; Minnesota Board of Nursing approved APRN preparation program

BSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the BSN-DNP track at Metro State is approximately $92,071 (75 credits at $1,185.31/credit plus $42.30/credit in fees). The program can generally be completed in about four years (10 semesters) of full-time study under the published course sequence for the Doctor of Nursing Practice, Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP).

BSN-DNP Curriculum

Year one is all doctoral core. The first two semesters cover biostatistics, leadership, project management, research methods, epidemiology, and health policy. Most FNP programs open with pathophysiology, pharmacology, and assessment. Metro State pushes those to year two, so you will not touch advanced practice content for a full year.

An applied lab gates clinical entry. After health assessment and its lab, students take NURS 638L, which requires presenting patient cases before rotations start. It is a checkpoint many programs skip.

The clinical spine is a five-term ladder. Primary Care I through V each pair a didactic course with its own practicum: acute and chronic care, pediatrics and reproductive health, concentrated family practice, geriatric and complex care, then a culminating specialty term. Each rung is a prerequisite for the next.

The DNP project runs in parallel. Five scholarship courses start in year two and overlap with early rotations, so you manage a project site and a clinical site at the same time.

  • STAT 621 Advanced Biostatistics in Health Research (3)
  • NURS 749 Health Systems Quality, Project, and Resource Management (3)
  • NURS 603 Advanced Integrative Nursing Care (2)
  • NURS 638L Applied Health Assessment for Advanced Practice Nursing Lab (2)
  • NURS 621 Primary Care I: Acute and Chronic Care (3)
  • NURS 724 Primary Care IV: Geriatric and Complex Care (3)
  • NURS 684 Interprofessional Care Collaboration (1)
  • NURS 697 Intensive Review for Certification (1)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • Metro State’s two course lists disagree by one credit. The catalog list totals 75 and includes NURS 634 Scholarly Teaching and Learning (2 credits). The course sequence totals 74 and swaps in NURS 627 Applied Pharmacology (1 credit). Ask which governs your cohort.
  • NURS 616L is a variable 1-2 credit course. Both totals assume 2 credits.
  • Every course requires a B- or better, with a C allowed only in STAT 621 and one other DNP course.
  • The degree must be finished within six years of starting DNP coursework.

BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements

  • 1,000 direct patient care hours across five practicums: NURS 621P (175), 722P (200), 723P (200), 724P (200), and 725P (225).
  • 275-285 DNP scholarship hours across five project courses (10, 40-50, then 75 in each of the last three), for roughly 1,275-1,285 documented hours overall.
  • Rotations run five consecutive semesters, starting in year three.
  • ⚠️ The DNP FNP Clinical Coordinator assigns sites and preceptors, and the program page promises guaranteed placement. The requirements section of the same page says placement cannot be guaranteed in all circumstances.
  • Students may arrange their own sites with coordinator approval.
  • Settings include health systems, community clinics, rural health, urgent care, correctional health, and specialty practices.
  • Approved preceptors include NPs, nurse midwives, physicians (MD or DO), and physician assistants.
  • Pre-practicum documentation must stay valid through every clinical course.

At 1,000 direct care hours, this is double the 500-hour certification floor and well above the 600-700 hours common in FNP programs. That works out to roughly 12-15 hours a week in fall and spring terms, heavier in the shorter summer term. The assigned-placement model removes the most common reason FNP students stall. The cost is 300-500 more clinical hours than a leaner program, carried alongside the DNP project.

You Should Know
  • Get the current placement policy in writing, given the conflicting language on Metro State’s own page.
  • Metro State does not publish a telehealth policy or a cap on virtual clinical encounters.
  • The coordinator network centers on the Twin Cities. Applicants outside Minnesota should confirm local placement before applying.

BSN-DNP Admissions

Two requirements stand out: a pre-start RN work gate and a GPA rule that counts every college course you have taken.

  • Earned BSN or entry-level MSN at application; degrees in progress require a petition.
  • Unencumbered RN license in a state with eligibility for Minnesota licensure.
  • One year of RN work at 0.6 FTE or higher by program start.
  • 3.0 cumulative GPA across all post-secondary work, including courses that did not lead to a degree.
  • Any college-level statistics course, completed before the fall start.
  • NursingCAS application, reviewed on a rolling basis through an annual July 15 deadline. The Fall 2027 cycle is open now.
  • $90 application fee, waivable for active-duty military, veterans, and Metro State alumni.
  • $200 nonrefundable enrollment deposit within 30 days of acceptance, credited to first-semester tuition.
You Should Know
  • An old associate degree or abandoned courses can pull the cumulative GPA under 3.0.
  • Metro State may close the application before July 15 if the cohort fills, so apply early.
  • APRN educational requirements vary by state board. Out-of-state applicants should check Metro State’s licensure disclosures for their state.

Entry-Level MSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the ELMSN-DNP track at Metro State is approximately $82,250 (67 credits at $1,185.31/credit plus $42.30/credit in fees). The program can generally be completed in about three years, about $9,821 less than the BSN-DNP route.

ELMSN-DNP Curriculum

The 67-credit list is the 75-credit list minus three courses. Nothing is added or restructured, and the full clinical ladder and scholarship sequence stay intact.

  • STAT 621 Advanced Biostatistics in Health Research (3) is removed
  • NURS 603 Advanced Integrative Nursing Care (2) is removed
  • NURS 647 Leadership in Health Care Systems (3) is removed

The eight-credit reduction comes entirely from the doctoral core. That is why this track demands a graduate statistics course up front: STAT 621 has to be covered by prior work.

You Should Know
  • Metro State publishes three years but no semester count. The 8-9 semester figure is derived from its fall, spring, and summer term structure.
  • The degree must be finished within five years of starting DNP coursework.
  • This track is for graduates of Metro State’s own entry-level MSN. Outside MSN holders follow the individualized route.

ELMSN-DNP Clinical Requirements

  • The same five practicums and 1,000 direct care hours as the BSN-DNP.
  • The same 275-285 scholarship hours and coordinator-assigned placement model.

The shorter track saves didactic credits, not clinical time. Treat the clinical workload as identical to the BSN route.

ELMSN-DNP Admissions

All BSN-DNP requirements apply, including the work gate, GPA rule, and fall-only start, with one change.

  • An approved graduate statistics course, completed within five years with a B or better, before the fall start. It may be taken the summer before.

MSN to DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner

Metro State publishes no credit total or tuition figure for this route. Nurses with a master’s from another school must meet with the DNP Program Director before fall registration to build an individual progression plan.

MSN-DNP Curriculum

The plan is built against the same course list the other tracks use, so the 75-credit and 67-credit tracks are your reference points. Your outside master’s determines which courses are waived.

You Should Know
  • The planning meeting is a hard prerequisite. Start the conversation well before the July 15 deadline.
  • Tuition and completion time are unknown until the plan is written.

MSN-DNP Clinical Requirements

Clinical volume is set inside the plan. The published ladder totals 1,000 direct care hours, and any credit for prior graduate clinical work is decided at the planning meeting. Get the hour figure in writing, since it drives both schedule and cost.

MSN-DNP Admissions

Standard requirements apply, with a graduate statistics condition.

  • Graduate statistics course within five years, B or better. Timing may be arranged with the DNP Program Director.
  • Progression planning meeting with the DNP Program Director before fall registration.

Tuition

Metro State charges $1,185.31 per credit for doctoral nursing courses in 2026-27. The rate is published and applies to every student regardless of residency.

The rate is not fee-inclusive. A $42.30 per credit standard course fee applies to every credit, including online courses, and its published components reconstruct that figure exactly.

Fee ComponentPer Credit
Technology fee$14.00
Parking fee$13.00
Student Center fee$8.50
Activity fee$4.00
Health services fee$2.00
MSUSA fee$0.80
Total$42.30

That makes the all-in rate $1,227.61 per credit. Applied to the published credit totals:

TrackTuitionFeesDerived Total
BSN-DNP (75 credits)$88,898.25$3,172.50$92,070.75
ELMSN-DNP (67 credits)$79,415.77$2,834.10$82,249.87

Confirmed costs:

  • $1,185.31 per credit, doctoral nursing, Fall 2026 through Summer 2027
  • $42.30 per credit standard course fees on all credits
  • $90 NursingCAS application fee
  • $200 enrollment deposit, credited to first-semester tuition
  • $20 graduation fee
  • The doctoral nursing rate is listed at the same $1,185.31 on all three rate schedules Metro State currently posts (2024-25 through 2026-27)

Be aware that:

  • Both totals are derived. Metro State publishes a rate and credit counts, not a program cost.
  • STAT 621 is a statistics course, and the doctoral rate is labeled for doctoral nursing. If those 3 credits bill at the $590.42 graduate rate, the BSN-DNP total drops about $1,785 to roughly $90,286. Confirm with the business office.
  • Metro State lists a $40 doctoral application fee separate from the $90 CAS fee. Budget for both until confirmed.
  • The $13 parking fee applies to online students by student-government vote, adding $975 over 75 credits.
  • Individual courses can carry extra fees for lab kits, licenses, or subscriptions. The skills labs and certification review course are likely candidates.
  • All tuition is subject to change by the Minnesota State Board. A four-year program crosses at least three rate cycles.
  • Wisconsin and North Dakota residents must file a reciprocity application with their home state every semester.

This is a mid-priced doctorate with predictable arithmetic. The doctoral rate runs about 1.57 times Metro State’s $755.44 MSN nursing rate, so the DNP carries a real premium. But there is no residency multiplier and no program fee hidden behind the advertised rate. The main open question is how STAT 621 bills. Full rates are on Metro State’s tuition and aid page.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

A strong fit for Twin Cities nurses who want placements arranged for them, can keep working through a long full-time sequence, and are entering from a BSN, Metro State’s own ELMSN, or an outside master’s.

One school from career change to doctorate. Metro State’s entry-level MSN takes students with a non-nursing bachelor’s to RN licensure, and its 67-credit continuation carries them to a DNP-FNP. The same faculty evaluate your prior work and teach what comes next.

Placement support you don’t have to build. A dedicated coordinator assigns sites across urban, rural, and underserved settings, and you can still propose your own. For a working nurse, that removes the biggest source of FNP delays, though the policy language deserves written confirmation.

One price, four long years. Every student pays the same rate, and the fee stack is fully itemized. The trade-off is time: one fall intake, no part-time option, a first year with no advanced practice content, and 1,000 clinical hours on top of a DNP project.

Choosing here comes down to your entry door. BSN holders who want the fastest route to practice will find faster programs elsewhere. Metro State ELMSN graduates have an obvious next step at 67 credits. Outside MSN holders get a rare custom plan, which makes the director meeting the most important part of the application.

Accreditation

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Metro State is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). All three FNP routes lead to the same DNP, so that accreditation covers each of them.

The Minnesota Board of Nursing separately approves the DNP as an APRN preparation program. That approval is what Minnesota licensure runs through.

Metro State is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which governs federal financial aid eligibility and credit transfer. Its comprehensive reaffirmation review falls in the 2026-27 academic year, which is routine cycle activity.

Graduates are eligible for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC). The curriculum includes a dedicated certification review course, and the program’s American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation endorsement lets graduates sit for the holistic nurse certification exam with continuing education and practice requirements waived.

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