Mount Carmel College of Nursing FNP Programs

College of Nursing • Columbus, OH • Mostly Online • $1,009/credit

Mount Carmel College of Nursing offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner tracks:

  • Master of Science
  • Post-Graduate Certificate

A third option, the Online (Accelerated) Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate, is listed on MCCN’s site as not currently accepting applications. Applicants who want the certificate should plan on the Traditional track described below.

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$48.4K18 mo48
Certificate$24.2K3–4 sem24

Mount Carmel’s defining advantage is speed with a deliberate ceiling on workload. The MSN moves 48 credits through five back-to-back semesters in 18 months while capping students at two courses at a time. The trade-off is clinical volume: both FNP credentials carry exactly 500 hours, the national certification minimum.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN FNP; Post-Graduate FNP Certificate (Traditional)
FormatMostly Online. Online coursework plus 1 to 2 day on-campus immersions
Clinical Hours500 for both tracks
Clinical PlacementStudent secures own preceptor and site. Clinical Coordinator provides resources only
PopulationFamily/individual across the lifespan, primary care
Distinctive CourseworkNURS 573 Procedures & Diagnostics for the FNP; NURS 525 Role Transition
ConcentrationsNone. Single FNP population focus
RN License RequirementsMSN: unrestricted Ohio RN license or eligibility. Certificate: APRN license plus current specialty certification
Tuition$1,009 per credit hour, 2026–27, master’s and certificate alike
AccreditationCCNE (nursing); Higher Learning Commission (institutional)
Course Load CapNever more than two courses at once, by design
Start TermsMSN: Fall (August) and Spring (January)
Enrollment RestrictionsMust reside in an authorized state to be admitted. Colorado residents cannot be admitted
InterviewRequired for both tracks

Master of Science, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Master of Science, Family Nurse Practitioner at Mount Carmel College of Nursing is approximately $48,432 (48 credits at $1,009/credit, derived). The program can generally be completed in about 18 months across five consecutive semesters.

MSN Curriculum

How the 48 credits are built. The degree divides into three fixed blocks: a 12-credit graduate core, a 12-credit direct care core, and a 24-credit FNP functional area core. There are no electives and no concentration choices. Every FNP student takes the same courses in the same order.

The cohort split in the graduate core. MCCN lists five graduate core courses but counts only 12 credits, because two of them are mutually exclusive by cohort year. Students who entered before Fall 2023 take NURS 503 Theoretical Foundations; students entering after Fall 2023 take NURS 506 Health Care Systems and Health Policy instead. Current applicants should read NURS 506 as their course and disregard NURS 503.

Why the specialty courses are so large. The three Primary Care courses carry 7, 8, and 8 credits. Most FNP programs split didactic content and practicum into separate registrations, which lets students drop one without losing the other. MCCN fuses them. Each Primary Care course is simultaneously the classroom course and the clinical course for that semester, which is how the program fits a full FNP sequence into three semesters of specialty work.

The two-course cap. MCCN states students never take more than two classes at once. That is real, but it works through eight-week and four-week course blocks stacked inside full semesters rather than by reducing total volume. A single fall semester still carries 13 credits under the Spring-start plan.

  • NURS 525: Role Transition, APRN (3)
  • NURS 501: Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice (3)
  • NURS 506: Health Care Systems and Health Policy (3)
  • NURS 520: Advanced Pharmacology (3)
  • NURS 521: Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology (3)
  • NURS 522: Advanced Health Assessment for Nurse Practitioner (3)
  • NURS 573: Procedures & Diagnostics for the FNP (1)
  • NURS 580: Primary Care 1 (7) • 100 clinical hours
  • NURS 581: Primary Care 2 (8) • 200 clinical hours
  • NURS 582: Primary Care 3 (8) • 200 clinical hours ⚠ MCCN’s program FAQ lists these three courses at 2, 4, and 4 credits under different course titles, a 13-credit discrepancy against the published curriculum plan

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • 500 total clinical hours, distributed 100 / 200 / 200 across NURS 580, 581, and 582
  • Clinical hours begin in the third semester of the five-semester plan
  • A clinical site must be secured by the end of the second semester
  • The student is responsible for finding a preceptor for each clinical experience
  • MCCN’s Graduate Clinical Coordinator provides resources, guidance, and help with affiliation agreements, not placement
  • Faculty site visit policy: Not clearly stated
  • Preceptor credential requirements: Not clearly stated

500 hours is the national certification floor for FNP eligibility, and many FNP programs run 600 to 700 or more. MCCN sits at the minimum, which is a direct contributor to the 18-month timeline and also the clearest thing to weigh against it. Within MCCN itself the number is a deliberate choice rather than an oversight: the college’s Adult-Gerontology Acute Care track requires 650 hours. The self-placement model compounds the question. You are sourcing your own preceptors while carrying 8-credit courses, and 200 hours inside a single semester is roughly 13 to 15 hours of clinical time per week on top of coursework.

You Should Know
  • Failing to secure a site by the end of semester two stalls the sequence. Because the plan is five consecutive semesters with no built-in slack, a placement delay likely pushes graduation by a full term.
  • Preceptor availability varies by state. MCCN states clinical availability for graduate programs may vary from state to state, and that applicants in states where it cannot secure appropriate placements may not be eligible for admission.
  • 500 hours meets national certification requirements but a few state boards set higher clinical-hour thresholds for APRN licensure. Confirm your board’s number before enrolling.

MSN Admissions

Two features stand out: a required candidate video or interview, and hard undergraduate prerequisite grades in statistics and research. Clinical experience is recommended rather than required for FNP applicants.

  • BSN from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited program. Master’s and doctoral degrees are also considered for the NP program
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the baccalaureate nursing program
  • Undergraduate statistics and research courses with a grade of C or better in both. A C- is not accepted
  • Current, unrestricted Ohio RN license or eligibility for Ohio RN licensure
  • Two recommendation letters from individuals holding at least a master’s degree
  • One-page statement of purpose
  • Current resume or CV
  • Candidate video or interview
  • One year of recent clinical experience recommended for FNP applicants
  • Application fee: $30
  • Fall start (August): apply December 1 through June 30. Spring start (January): apply July 1 through November 30
You Should Know
  • MCCN offers conditional admission to applicants who miss minimum requirements, but the terms are strict. You must earn a B or higher in each of your first three graduate courses, with no drops, withdrawals, or incompletes permitted absent approved mitigating circumstances. Paired with an 18-month schedule, that is a narrow margin.
  • The Ohio RN license language is worth clarifying with admissions. One MCCN page requires an unrestricted Ohio RN license or eligibility for it; another states RN licensure in your state of residence and/or where clinicals will be completed. Out-of-state applicants should get the requirement confirmed in writing.
  • You must already reside in a state where MCCN holds authorization in order to be admitted. MCCN separately notes it cannot admit students from Colorado.
  • MCCN accepts U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and non-resident aliens, but it is not an I-20 granting institution and cannot support visas requiring I-20 documentation.

Post-Graduate Certificate, Family Nurse Practitioner (Traditional)

The estimated tuition for the Traditional Post-Graduate FNP Certificate at Mount Carmel College of Nursing is approximately $24,216 (24 credits at $1,009/credit, derived). The program can generally be completed in about three to four semesters, depending on how much prior coursework transfers in.

Certificate Curriculum

It is the MSN’s specialty core, lifted out whole. The certificate is the same four courses that make up the MSN’s 24-credit functional area core, with the same credit values and the same 500 clinical hours. Nothing is added and nothing is trimmed. That gives certificate students identical specialty preparation to degree students, at half the credits and half the cost.

Who it is actually built for. Despite being described as a certificate for master’s-prepared nurses, the admissions criteria require a current APRN license, current APRN specialty certification, and a year of advanced practice experience in a similar scope. This is a second-population-focus credential for practicing nurse practitioners, not a general MSN-to-FNP bridge.

  • NURS 573: Procedures & Diagnostics for the FNP (1)
  • NURS 580: Primary Care 1 (7) • 100 clinical hours
  • NURS 581: Primary Care 2 (8) • 200 clinical hours
  • NURS 582: Primary Care 3 (8) • 200 clinical hours
You Should Know
  • The published plan of study is a sample. MCCN states the actual sequence depends on which master’s-level courses you already completed, so your credit count and term count can differ from 24 and three.
  • MCCN’s master’s FAQ indicates applicants who have not previously taken Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology, and Advanced Health Assessment must complete 9 additional credits. That would take the certificate to 33 credits.
  • Pharmacology coursework must have been completed within the last five years to transfer in. Older pharmacology will not count.
  • Both published sample plans contain a summer-term subtotal that omits the 1-credit NURS 573, showing 7 or 8 where the courses listed sum to 8 or 9. The 24-credit program total is correct.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

  • 500 clinical hours, distributed 100 / 200 / 200, identical to the MSN
  • A preceptor and site must be in place before the first clinical course begins
  • MCCN states its FNP programs require 500 direct clinical practicum hours, and that national FNP certification exams require a minimum of 500
  • Applicants already holding a national NP certification have transcripts evaluated for prior clinical hours and coursework
  • A 3.0 GPA must be maintained through the program

The front-loaded placement rule is the operational difference from the MSN. Degree students have two semesters of coursework to line up a site; certificate students must arrive with one. MCCN is explicit that this is because of the program’s pace. If you are already practicing as an NP with an established referral network, that requirement is manageable. If you are between roles or relocating, it is a genuine obstacle to starting on schedule.

Certificate Admissions

The gate here is substantially higher than most post-graduate FNP certificates, which typically accept any MSN-prepared nurse. MCCN requires you to already be a certified, practicing advanced practice nurse.

  • MS or MSN in nursing from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited program
  • Current, unrestricted APRN license or eligibility for Ohio APRN licensure
  • Current APRN specialty certification
  • At least one year of advanced practice experience in a scope similar to the FNP role
  • Cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • Two recommendation letters from individuals holding at least a master’s degree
  • Admissions interview with the faculty program lead
  • Current resume or CV
  • Academic Verification Form, required for post-master’s FNP applicants
  • Official transcripts from all previous institutions
  • TOEFL scores where English is not the applicant’s native language
  • Application fee: $30
You Should Know
  • MCCN’s own pages conflict on the experience requirement. The Traditional certificate page states one year of registered nursing experience; the admissions criteria page states one year of advanced practice experience in a similar scope. Those are very different bars. Confirm which applies to you before assuming eligibility.
  • The license requirements conflict as well. Admissions criteria call for a current APRN license and specialty certification, while the required-documents list asks only for an unrestricted Ohio RN license.
  • Start dates are ambiguous in MCCN’s published material. One page lists a Fall cohort start of August 1 and a Summer cohort start of March 30 under an “Application Deadlines” heading; another states classes typically begin Summer and Fall depending on the individual plan of study. Treat those dates as an annual cycle and verify current-year dates with admissions.

Tuition

Mount Carmel College of Nursing charges $1,009 per credit hour for the 2026–27 academic year. The same rate applies to master’s degree and post-graduate certificate coursework, so both FNP credentials price identically per credit. MCCN publishes no program-level total and no separate technology, program, or clinical fee schedule; the college instructs students to multiply their plan of study by the credit-hour rate.

Derived Program Totals

TrackCreditsRateDerived Total
MSN FNP48$1,009$48,432
Post-Graduate Certificate24$1,009$24,216
Certificate with 9 prerequisite credits33$1,009$33,297

All three totals are derived by multiplying published credit counts by the published per-credit rate. They are not figures MCCN publishes.

Confirmed costs:

  • $1,009 per credit hour, master’s and post-graduate certificate, 2026–27
  • $30 application fee, one time

Be aware that:

  • MCCN states tuition and fees may be adjusted annually. The MSN spans five semesters across two academic years, so the second year will likely bill at a higher rate than $1,009. Ask admissions whether cohort pricing is locked at matriculation.
  • The certificate total can move from $24,216 to roughly $33,297 if you have not previously completed advanced pharmacology, pathophysiology, and health assessment. That is a swing of about $9,081, and it turns on coursework history rather than anything you choose.
  • Pharmacology older than five years does not transfer, which can trigger the prerequisite add-on even for applicants who technically took the course.
  • Books, transportation, meals, clinical compliance costs (immunizations, drug screening, background checks), and uniforms are the student’s responsibility and are excluded from these totals.
  • Immersion travel to Columbus is not priced anywhere in MCCN’s published materials. Budget for at least one trip per immersion, plus lodging if you are not local.

The practical read is that MCCN’s cost structure is unusually easy to model. There is no fee stack to reconstruct and no resident/non-resident split, since this is a private college. What you cannot pin down in advance is the second-year rate and, for certificate applicants, whether nine prerequisite credits apply. Get both answered in writing before you compare MCCN against another program on price.

Full rates are on the MCCN tuition and fees page.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for nurses who want to be practicing as an FNP within two years and can absorb a demanding, fixed sequence in exchange for that timeline.

The pace is the product. Eighteen months from BSN to FNP-eligible is fast for a 48-credit degree, and MCCN gets there by running five consecutive semesters with no gaps and by bundling didactic and clinical content into single large courses. The two-course cap is a real accommodation for working nurses, but understand what it does and does not mean. It limits how many syllabi you are tracking at once. It does not lighten the load, and a 13-credit semester is a 13-credit semester regardless of how it is packaged.

Small scale, and a health system behind it. MCCN reports an average class size of 30 and a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and it is a freestanding nursing college rather than a nursing school inside a large university. Everything institutional is oriented toward nursing. The college is affiliated with Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus, which matters more for local applicants than remote ones, since placement is student-driven.

The honest trade-offs. Three things should give you pause. Clinical volume sits at 500 hours, the certification minimum, so you will finish with less supervised practice than graduates of a 700-hour program. Placement is entirely your responsibility, with the coordinator supplying resources rather than sites. And the certificate is not open to most master’s-prepared nurses, only to those already licensed and certified as APRNs with a year of practice.

Who should look elsewhere. Nurses who need guaranteed clinical placement, nurses who want higher clinical volume before entering practice, nurses who need a part-time or stretched-out schedule, and MSN-prepared nurses without an existing APRN credential who want the certificate route.

Accreditation

Nursing accreditation is held with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. MCCN’s published scope reads: “The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Mount Carmel College of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.” Both FNP tracks on this page fall inside that scope, the MSN under the master’s language and the Traditional certificate under the post-graduate APRN certificate language. MCCN states its master’s program accreditation runs through December 31, 2032. No candidacy, probation, or pending status appears in MCCN’s published materials.

Institutionally, Mount Carmel College of Nursing is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of the regional accreditors recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. That is the accreditation governing federal financial aid eligibility and credit transfer if you later pursue a DNP. MCCN also holds a Certificate of Authorization from the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

On certification, MCCN states the Post-Graduate Certificate meets professional standards set by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, and that graduates are eligible to sit for FNP board certification through either ANCC or AANP. Dual eligibility is standard for CCNE-accredited FNP programs. MCCN reports a 97% first-time pass rate and a 100% overall pass rate on its FNP page, without naming the cohort year or exam body.

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