Pace University FNP Programs

Lienhard School of Nursing • New York, NY • Hybrid • $1,640/credit

Pace University offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • MSN
  • Post-Master’s Certificate

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$80.4K3 years (6 semesters)49
Certificate$45.9K–$60.7K1.5–2 years (3–4 semesters)28–37

Tuition estimates use Pace’s 2026–27 College of Health Professions rate of $1,640 per credit for MS and certificate programs.

Pace runs the same FNP program on two campuses, Lower Manhattan and Pleasantville in Westchester, so New York nurses can choose the commute that fits. Both tracks require 760 precepted clinical hours, delivered through four combined theory-and-practice courses that make up about half of the MSN.

The trade-off is structure and price. The MSN is part-time only, starts once a year in the fall, requires a New York RN license, and costs $80,360 in tuition at the current rate.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN; Post-Master’s Certificate (CAGS)
FormatHybrid: online and on-campus classes; campus cadence not published
Campus OptionsNew York City (Lower Manhattan) or Pleasantville (Westchester)
Clinical Hours760 precepted direct-care hours in both tracks
Clinical PlacementPrecepted primary care sites in the NYC area; placement responsibility not stated
PopulationFamily (lifespan) primary care
Distinctive CourseworkFour Advanced Theory and Practice courses (25 credits) pairing seminar and practicum
ConcentrationsNone
RN License RequirementsActive New York State RN license
Start TermFall only
Tuition$1,640/credit (2026–27); MSN $80,360
AccreditationCCNE (master’s and post-graduate certificate); Middle States (institution)

Master of Science, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the MSN at Pace University is approximately $80,360 (49 credits at $1,640/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years of part-time study (6 semesters, derived from Pace’s fall/spring calendar), with a Family Nurse Practitioner, MS start each fall.

MSN Curriculum

Common core (21 credits). Seven courses shared with Pace’s other NP tracks: the advanced assessment, pathophysiology, and pharmacology sequence, plus four NURS 81x courses on advanced practice foundations, systems-based practice, primary health care, and scholarly inquiry. The primary health care course reflects the school’s stated framework across all graduate programs.

FNP specialty (28 credits). Diagnostic Reasoning (NURS 642) comes first, then four sequential Advanced Theory and Practice courses (NURS 721–724). These four courses total 25 credits, about 51% of the degree, and carry the clinical practicum. There is no separate practicum course. Seminar content and precepted hours run together each term, which keeps classroom topics tied to the patients you are seeing that semester.

  • NURS 640 Advanced Physical Assessment Across the Lifespan (3)
  • NURS 681 Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice Nursing (3)
  • NURS 682 Clinical Pharmacology for Prescribing (3)
  • NURS 813 Advanced Nursing in Primary Health Care (3)
  • NURS 814 Scholarly Inquiry in Evidence-Based Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
  • NURS 642 Diagnostic Reasoning for FNPs (3)
  • NURS 721 Advanced Theory and Practice I for FNPs (7)
  • NURS 722 Advanced Theory and Practice II for FNPs (6)
  • NURS 723 Advanced Theory and Practice III for FNPs (6)
  • NURS 724 Advanced Theory and Practice IV for FNPs (6)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • Pace labels the MSN “Hybrid” and describes a blend of online and on-campus classes. It does not publish how often you must be on campus.
  • The MSN is listed as 3 years, part-time. No full-time plan is published.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • 760 precepted direct-care clinical hours, required for degree conferral
  • Hours are embedded in NURS 721–724; the per-course split is not published
  • Settings: primary care, patients across the lifespan, NYC area
  • Supervision by clinical faculty and preceptors
  • Simulation with standardized patients, task trainers, and high-fidelity manikins in Pace’s accredited simulation center on both campuses
  • Pace staffs a Graduate Clinical Placement and Recruitment office

At 760 hours, Pace requires 260 more hours than the 500-hour certification minimum and sits above the 600–700 range common among FNP programs. If the hours spread evenly across the four practice courses, that is about 190 hours per semester, or roughly 13 hours a week over a 15-week term (derived). That load is workable alongside a full-time nursing job, but it usually means one or two weekday clinical shifts each week.

You Should Know
  • Pace does not state whether it assigns clinical sites or whether students must find their own preceptors. Ask before applying.
  • The weekly estimate assumes one practice course per semester, which Pace does not confirm.

MSN Admissions

Admission is limited to nurses who already hold a New York State RN license, and entry is fall only.

  • BSN from an accredited program
  • Active New York State RN license
  • Undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0
  • Undergraduate statistics course with a grade of C or higher
  • Personal statement, 500–600 words, naming the FNP track, your preparation, and your goals
  • Resume covering at least the past five years of employment
  • Two academic or professional letters of recommendation
  • Official transcripts from every college attended
You Should Know
  • No minimum RN experience is stated for the FNP track. Pace sets a one-year acute care requirement only for its acute care NP track.
  • Application deadlines are not published on the program page.
  • The program is not open to F-1 visa students.

Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the Post-Master’s Certificate at Pace University is approximately $45,920–$60,680 (28–37 credits at $1,640/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 1.5 to 2 years (3–4 semesters, derived), with the exact plan set by a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Certificate gap analysis.

Certificate Curriculum

The certificate is the MSN’s FNP specialty without the four NURS 81x core courses. Nurses who are not already NPs take the full list: the assessment, pathophysiology, and pharmacology sequence, Diagnostic Reasoning, and all four Advanced Theory and Practice courses. Certified NPs from another specialty can usually skip the three foundation courses, which brings the plan down toward 28 credits.

  • NURS 640 Advanced Physical Assessment Across the Lifespan (3)
  • NURS 681 Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice Nursing (3)
  • NURS 682 Clinical Pharmacology for Prescribing (3)
  • NURS 642 Diagnostic Reasoning for FNPs (3)
  • NURS 721 Advanced Theory and Practice I for FNPs (5–7)
  • NURS 722–724 Advanced Theory and Practice II–IV for FNPs (6 each)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • Pace publishes two credit ranges. The program page header and the catalog list 35–37 credits; the program page text says 28–37. The catalog’s full course list totals 35–37, so 28 applies only when foundation courses are waived.
  • Prior pharmacology and physical assessment credit counts only if completed within two years of starting NURS 721. Otherwise you must pass a test-out.
  • Holders of a pre-licensure (direct-entry) master’s may need extra common core courses.
  • If the four practice courses run one per semester, a 1.5-year finish would require a summer or compressed term. Pace does not explain how.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

  • 760 clinical hours listed in the catalog, the same total as the MSN
  • Hours are embedded in NURS 721–724
  • Same precepted primary care model as the MSN

The certificate does not shorten the clinical component. A certified NP from another specialty completes the same 760 family-focused hours as an MSN student, which is well above the 500-hour floor. That protects the credential’s value, but it also means the certificate saves coursework, not clinical time.

You Should Know
  • Pace does not say whether clinical hours from a prior NP program can reduce the 760-hour requirement through the gap analysis.

Certificate Admissions

The certificate is open only to master’s-prepared nurses, including NPs certified in another specialty.

  • Master’s degree in nursing
  • Active New York State RN license
  • Same statement, resume, recommendation, and transcript requirements as the MSN
  • Individualized gap analysis by the program director to set required courses
  • Fall start
You Should Know
  • State boards set their own rules for adding a second APRN population focus. If you plan to practice outside New York, confirm that board accepts a post-master’s certificate for FNP licensure.

Tuition

Pace charges $1,640 per credit for College of Health Professions MS and certificate programs in 2026–27. The rate is the same for all students regardless of residency.

TrackCreditsRateTuition
MSN49$1,640$80,360 (published)
Certificate (NP from another specialty)28$1,640$45,920 (derived)
Certificate (non-NP, full list)35–37$1,640$57,400–$60,680 (derived)

Confirmed costs:

  • Tuition: $1,640 per credit
  • General Institution Fee: $268 per semester at 5–7 credits; $359 at 8–11 credits
  • Technology Fee: $60 per fall and spring semester for part-time students
  • Graduate application fee: $70
  • Graduate tuition deposit: $200

Be aware that:

  • The certificate program page still lists $1,585 per credit and a $44,380–$58,645 total. Those figures equal 28–37 credits at $1,585, which is an older rate. The 2026–27 tuition table sets $1,640.
  • Mandatory fees add an estimated $1,968–$2,514 to the MSN (six fall and spring semesters at 5–11 credits, derived). That brings the MSN to about $82,300–$82,900.
  • Fees for any summer term are not included, and the $75 University Health Care Fee may apply depending on enrollment.
  • Pace notes that rates are subject to change. A three-year MSN will likely cross two rate increases, and these estimates use the current rate only.

Pace’s all-in MSN cost lands near $1,690 per credit once fees are added. The fee stack is small, so the per-credit rate drives the total. For certified NPs, the certificate costs a little over half the MSN and delivers the same 760 clinical hours. For nurses who are not yet NPs, the certificate saves only 12 to 14 credits, or roughly $19,700–$23,000, compared with the full degree.

Official rates: Pace graduate tuition and cost and 2026–27 fee schedule.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for New York RNs who want face-to-face instruction close to home, above-average clinical volume, and a part-time schedule they can keep alongside full-time work.

Two campuses, one program. The MSN and certificate run on both the Lower Manhattan and Pleasantville campuses, about 30 miles apart. Nurses working in the city and nurses in Westchester or the northern suburbs can attend the same program without a long commute. Both campuses house Pace’s simulation center.

Clinical training tied to coursework. The 760 required hours sit inside four large theory-and-practice courses rather than stand-alone practicum blocks. You see patients and discuss the related theory in the same term. The volume is well above the 500-hour floor, which helps new FNPs who want more supervised practice before their first job.

A clear route for certified NPs. NPs certified in another specialty can often complete the certificate in about 28 credits, keeping the full 760 family-focused hours. MSN graduates can also continue into Pace’s DNP, billed at $1,560 per credit in 2026–27.

Before you apply. Confirm three things with admissions: how often your campus sections meet in person, who arranges clinical placements, and when the fall application deadline falls. The New York RN license rule and single fall start are fixed, so plan your timeline around them.

Accreditation

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits Pace’s master’s degree in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs. That covers both FNP tracks.

CCNE issued a show cause directive to the master’s program effective October 16, 2025. The program remained accredited during that period. CCNE’s April 2026 accreditation actions report lists the directive as removed effective April 24, 2026. Pace’s own accreditation pages still display the October 2025 notice.

Pace University is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Institutional accreditation is required for federal financial aid and supports credit transfer to other schools. Pace’s next Middle States self-study evaluation is scheduled for 2026–27.

Pace states that the FNP program meets the requirements for family nurse practitioner certification from both the ANCC and the AANP. Graduates of either track are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC).

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