Southeast Missouri State University FNP Programs

School of Health Sciences • Cape Girardeau, MO • Hybrid • $507/credit

Southeast Missouri State University offers an MSN Family Nurse Practitioner track.

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$21.8K2 years (5 semesters)43

Tuition estimates use SEMO’s 2026–27 graduate rate of $457 per credit plus the $50-per-credit Nursing Graduate program fee.

765 clinical hours sit inside just 8.5 of SEMO’s 43 credits. Each practicum credit carries 90 clock hours, so students get clinical volume above the common 600 to 700 hour range without paying for extra credits. The two primary care practica also carry patient quotas: at least two patients per hour, plus 75 pediatric and 75 women’s health patients before graduation.

The trade-off is geography and legwork. Students find their own preceptors, and every preceptor must be board-certified and licensed in Missouri. Coursework is hybrid, with face-to-face class sessions on the Cape Girardeau campus, so this program fits nurses who live and work within driving distance of southeast Missouri.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesBSN to MSN (FNP only)
FormatHybrid: blended, online, and face-to-face courses; campus cadence not published
Clinical Hours765 (45 + 360 + 360)
Clinical PlacementStudent-arranged; faculty approve each site and assist students who cannot find one
PopulationFamily/individual across the lifespan
Distinctive CourseworkStandalone diagnostics course; separate pediatric and women’s health courses
ConcentrationsNone
RN License RequirementsUnencumbered RN license valid in Missouri (Missouri or multistate)
Preceptor RulePreceptors must be board-certified and licensed in Missouri
Start Terms⚠️ Program page: spring, summer, fall; handbook and plan of study: fall only
Tuition$507/credit for all U.S. students (fee-inclusive)
AccreditationCCNE (MSN); Missouri State Board of Nursing approved

Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the MSN at Southeast Missouri State University is approximately $21,801 (43 credits at $507/credit). The program can generally be completed in about two years (five semesters) on the full-time plan, with part-time plans available.

Official program page: Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Family Nurse Practitioner Program.

MSN Curriculum

Year one builds the foundation. Fall covers informatics, pharmacology, and pathophysiology. Spring adds health assessment with a 45-hour practicum, evidence-based practice, and a separate 3-credit course in advanced diagnostics and clinical reasoning. Summer covers APRN role and health policy. Most FNP programs fold diagnostic reasoning into the primary care sequence; SEMO teaches it as its own course before clinicals start.

Year two is the clinical year. Primary Care I runs in fall and Primary Care II in spring, each paired with a 4-credit, 360-hour practicum. Pediatrics and women’s health run alongside as standalone 2-credit courses, which lines up with the 75-patient quotas in each area. SEMO’s program page says in-person sessions cover hands-on skills such as suturing and women’s health exams.

Two exam gates control progression. A 3P exam (pathophysiology, assessment, pharmacology) at the end of Advanced Health Assessment confirms readiness for primary care. A board-certification predictor exam in the final semester satisfies the Master’s Final Comprehensive Examination (GR698).

  • NS603 Advanced Diagnostics & Reasoning for Primary Care (3)
  • NS625 Advanced Pharmacology (3)
  • NS628 Advanced Health Assessment (3.5) + NS627 Practicum (0.5)
  • NS636 Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
  • NS638 Primary Care I (3) + NS637 Practicum (4)
  • NS648 Primary Care II (3) + NS647 Practicum (4)
  • NS654 Primary Care for the Pediatric Client (2)
  • NS656 Women’s Health in Primary Care (2)
  • NS646 Role of the APRN (3)

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • Pharmacology, pathophysiology, assessment, and both primary care courses require an exam average of 80% or higher, not just a passing grade. Missing it removes the student from sequence until the Graduate Program Committee approves continuation.
  • Failing a practicum means repeating it before any other MSN course and auditing the paired theory course again. A second failing grade in any course ends eligibility permanently.
  • The primary care sequence is term-locked: Primary Care I runs only in fall and Primary Care II only in spring.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • Total: 765 clock hours across 8.5 credits (90 hours per credit)
  • NS627 Advanced Health Assessment Practicum: 45 hours (spring, year one)
  • NS637 Primary Care I Practicum: 360 hours (fall, year two)
  • NS647 Primary Care II Practicum: 360 hours (spring, year two)
  • Patient minimums: two patients per hour, plus 75 pediatric and 75 women’s health patients across NS637 and NS647
  • Placement: students secure their own sites and preceptors; faculty review, approve in writing, and help students who cannot find one
  • Preceptors: board-certified, licensed in Missouri, and at least one year in their current role (NP, PA, MD, or DO)
  • At least 50 hours with each preceptor; strictly one student per preceptor per day
  • No clinicals in the student’s own work department, and no paid hours
  • Hours cannot be banked or rolled into another semester
  • Faculty check in through an early site evaluation after roughly 50 to 100 hours

765 hours clears the 500-hour certification floor by a wide margin and sits above the 600 to 700 hour range common among FNP programs. The load concentrates in year two: 360 hours in a 15- to 16-week semester works out to roughly 22 to 24 clinical hours a week (derived), on top of 5 didactic credits. At two patients per hour, the two primary care practica imply at least 1,440 patient encounters (derived). That volume is strong preparation, but it is hard to pair with full-time RN work.

You Should Know
  • The Missouri preceptor-licensure rule effectively ties clinicals to Missouri or to providers who also hold a Missouri license. Nurses living outside the region should confirm sites before applying.
  • SEMO advises starting the preceptor search six months before each clinical course. Any hours logged before written approval do not count, and starting without approval is grounds for dismissal.
  • The handbook says the program may cap admissions if regional clinical sites become saturated.
  • Students cover their own travel to clinical sites.

MSN Admissions

Admission requires an RN license valid for practice in Missouri, and SEMO’s sources disagree on when you can start.

  • BSN from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited program
  • Minimum 3.25 GPA
  • Undergraduate or graduate statistics with a B or higher
  • NURSYS report showing an unencumbered RN license that allows practice in Missouri (Missouri or multistate)
  • Current BLS certification (professional level)
  • Statement of academic and advanced practice goals
  • Department of Nursing application plus graduate school application
  • RN clinical experience strongly recommended but not required
You Should Know
  • Start terms conflict. The 2026–27 program page lists spring, summer, and fall admission with rolling review. The Summer 2025 handbook says admission is once a year in fall with an April 1 deadline, and the 2025–26 plan of study says the track starts in fall. Because the primary care courses are term-locked, a non-fall start likely extends the program. Confirm with the Director of Graduate Studies.
  • The handbook also requires a health assessment course with a B or higher. The current program page does not list it.
  • Applicants with a 2.90 to 3.24 GPA may be considered for probationary admission if their last 60 undergraduate hours average 3.25, and must then earn a B or better in their first 9 MSN credits.
  • Transfer credit is capped at 12 hours, and the degree must be finished within six years.
  • SEMO’s state-by-state licensure disclosures sit in a separate database not reviewed here. Out-of-state applicants should check it before applying.

Tuition

The MSN costs about $507 per credit for all U.S. students (derived). SEMO’s published graduate rate is $457 per credit, which already includes the $47 general fee. A $50-per-credit Nursing Graduate program fee applies to every 600-level NS course, and all 43 MSN credits carry it.

Component (2026–27)Per Credit43 Credits
Graduate tuition$410$17,630
General fee$47$2,021
Nursing Graduate program fee$50$2,150
Total$507$21,801

Adding the program’s course fees and one-time charges brings the estimate to about $22,093 (derived), or roughly $514 per credit.

  • Tuition and per-credit fees: $21,801
  • Course fees: NS627 $16, NS628 $10, NS647 $16 ($42 total)
  • Graduate Program Fee for GR698 (comprehensive exam): $100
  • New-student enrollment fee: $150

Be aware that:

  • The $457 rate shown on SEMO’s tuition table does not include the $50 nursing program fee. It appears only on the separate program-fee schedule.
  • A student professional liability premium is billed at enrollment in NS627 and NS647. The amount is not clearly stated.
  • CastleBranch compliance tracking and the Missouri criminal background check are student-paid. Amounts are not clearly stated.
  • The cost of the final-semester board predictor exam is not clearly stated.
  • Campus parking runs $180 per year if you drive to on-campus sessions.
  • Non-domestic (international) students pay $832 per credit plus the $50 program fee, about $37,926 for 43 credits (derived).
  • Fees are set annually by the Board of Governors and can change mid-program.

At roughly $22,000 all-in, the true cost runs about 12% above what the $457 headline rate suggests ($19,651), almost entirely because of the program fee. Two factors can lower it further: graduate assistantships (full-time in year one, half-time in year two) that pay a stipend with an adjusted tuition and fee bill, and the Nancy S. Risko Endowed Scholarship of up to $5,000 per year for MSN students with financial need. Neither is guaranteed, and the GA tuition benefit amount is not published.

Official rates: SEMO Cost & Fees and FY27 Program Fees.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for nurses in southeast Missouri who want heavy clinical volume at a public-university price and can carry a demanding second year.

Clinical depth without extra credits. At 90 clock hours per practicum credit, SEMO delivers 765 hours on 8.5 credits. Patient quotas (two per hour, 75 pediatric, 75 women’s health) push students toward full panels rather than shadowing. Paired with a standalone diagnostics course and separate pediatric and women’s health courses, the design suits nurses who want to start practice with broad patient exposure.

Low cost with a long track record. The program is over 25 years old, reports a 100% cumulative board pass rate over six years and a 97% first-time rate, and costs about $22,000 all-in. Faculty include practicing APRNs and physicians.

Plan year two around clinicals. The second year asks for roughly 22 to 24 clinical hours a week alongside primary care coursework, and hours cannot be banked from one semester to the next. Nurses working full-time should expect to cut shifts that year or choose a part-time plan. The other limits are firm: preceptors must be Missouri-licensed, students find their own, and coursework includes in-person sessions in Cape Girardeau. Nurses outside the region, or those who want school-arranged placement, should look elsewhere.

Accreditation

The MSN program at Southeast Missouri State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The MSN offers only the FNP track, so CCNE accreditation covers the full program described on this page.

The nursing program also holds full approval from the Missouri State Board of Nursing.

Southeast Missouri State University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Institutional accreditation supports federal financial aid eligibility and makes credits and the degree recognizable to employers and other universities.

Graduates are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC).

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