St. John Fisher University FNP Programs

Wegmans School of Nursing • Rochester, NY • Mostly Online • $1,240/credit

St. John Fisher University offers 3 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • MS, Accelerated
  • MS, Part-Time
  • Post-Master’s Certificate

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MS Accelerated$58.6K2 years (6 semesters)46
MS Part-Time$58.7K2.3 years (7 semesters)46
CertificateVariesNot clearly statedVaries (gap analysis)

Tuition estimates use Fisher’s 2026-27 master’s rate of $1,240 per credit plus the $20 per-credit comprehensive fee and the $112 per-semester online PCFNP fee.

St. John Fisher gives each FNP patient population its own 150-hour practicum: two adult blocks, one women’s health block, and one pediatric block, for 600 hours total. A placement team helps students secure sites near home, and the accelerated track finishes in as few as 24 months, the only accelerated option in Fisher’s online NP lineup.

A one-year RN experience requirement and New York-only licensure confirmation narrow the audience. Fisher states the program meets NP requirements in New York and has not determined whether it meets them in any other state. One pre-clinical campus immersion in Rochester is also required.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMS (accelerated or part-time); post-master’s certificate
FormatMostly Online: online coursework, one pre-clinical immersion in Rochester
Clinical Hours600 (four 150-hour practica)
Clinical PlacementPlacement team helps secure local preceptors and sites; not a guarantee
PopulationAdults, women, children and adolescents, each with a separate practicum
Distinctive CourseworkInterprofessional SBIRT training; one-credit NP comprehensive exam seminar
ConcentrationsNone
RN License RequirementsCurrent, unencumbered RN license
Experience RequirementAt least one current year of RN experience
State LicensureConfirmed for New York only; all other states undetermined
Tuition$1,240/credit plus $20/credit and $112/semester fees
AccreditationCCNE (Wegmans School of Nursing); MSCHE (institution)

MS in Nursing, Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner (Accelerated Track)

The estimated tuition for the accelerated online Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner MS at St. John Fisher University is approximately $58,632 (46 credits at $1,260/credit, plus six $112 semester fees). The program can generally be completed in about 24 months, the fastest published pace at Fisher.

MS Accelerated Curriculum

Both MS tracks share the same 46 credits. The difference is pace. Fisher publishes a term-by-term sample only for the part-time track, so the accelerated sequence is not clearly stated. The six-semester figure in the overview table is derived from Fisher’s year-round, three-term calendar and the published 24-month length.

Shared core (30 credits). Every Fisher NP student takes the same 21-credit scholarship core and 9-credit direct core (pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment). This is the same foundation used by Fisher’s AGPCNP, AGACNP, and PMHNP programs, and the online courses match the on-campus MS.

FNP specialty core (16 credits). Four 3-credit content courses each pair with a 1-credit clinical course. Two cover adults across the lifespan, one covers women, and one covers children and adolescents. The two adult content courses (GNUR 650 and 651) are also taken by Fisher’s AGPCNP and AGACNP students.

  • GNUR 543 Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology (3)
  • GNUR 570 Advanced Pharmacology (3)
  • GNUR 571 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (3)
  • GNUR 579 IPE: SBIRT (0), interprofessional screening and brief intervention training with pharmacy and counseling students
  • GNUR 650 and 651 Advanced Concepts in the Care of Adults Across the Lifespan I and II (3 each)
  • GNUR 576 Advanced Concepts in the Care of Women (3)
  • GNUR 577 Advanced Concepts in the Care of Children and Adolescents (3)
  • GNUR 558 Capstone Development (2)
  • GNUR 695 NP Comprehensive Exam (1), a seminar on national certification and New York state certification

More curriculum details are available here.

You Should Know
  • The accelerated course sequence is not published. Ask how many credits per term it requires before committing while working full time.
  • GNUR 579 (SBIRT) is typically offered in fall and spring only, and it must be taken with or before GNUR 571. That can constrain when health assessment and the immersion fall.
  • The capstone is a proposal course only (GNUR 558). NP students take the comprehensive exam seminar instead of the implementation course CNS students complete.

MS Accelerated Clinical Requirements

  • 600 clinical hours: GNUR 584 (150), 585 (150), 586 (150), and 587 (150)
  • Split by population: 300 adult hours, 150 women’s health hours, 150 pediatric hours
  • Clinicals completed in the student’s own community
  • Fisher’s clinical placement team works with students to identify, apply for, and secure preceptors and sites in their region
  • Settings may include community health centers, private practices, and hospitals
  • Each clinical course includes periodic small-group faculty seminars; GNUR 584 adds a simulation experience
  • One pre-clinical immersion at the Rochester campus, taken before the first practicum

Six hundred hours sits at the low end of the 600 to 700 hour range common among FNP programs and 100 hours above the 500-hour certification floor. What stands out is the allocation. Many FNP programs report one lump total and leave the pediatric and women’s health mix to whatever sites a student lands. Fisher builds a full 150-hour course around each, which means students need a pediatric preceptor and a women’s health preceptor, not just a family practice site. Spread over a roughly 15-week term, each practicum works out to about 10 clinical hours a week.

You Should Know
  • Placement language is support, not a guarantee. The FAQ says students “won’t have to navigate the process alone,” and the program page says the team helps secure sites.
  • Finding dedicated pediatric and women’s health preceptors is often harder than finding adult primary care sites, especially in rural areas.
  • Immersion length, dates, and travel costs are not clearly stated.
  • How the accelerated track distributes the four practica is not published.

MS Accelerated Admissions

Fisher requires recent RN experience, which rules out new BSN graduates.

  • Bachelor’s degree in nursing
  • Current, unencumbered nursing license
  • At least one current year of nursing experience
  • GPA minimum, references, and start terms: Not clearly stated
  • Fisher RN-to-BS online students with a 3.30 nursing GPA may petition to take GNUR 704 and/or GNUR 707 during their bachelor’s at no added charge
You Should Know
  • Fisher confirms the program meets NP requirements in New York only. Its licensure disclosure lists every other state and DC as undetermined. Out-of-state applicants should confirm with their own board before enrolling.
  • Whether Fisher enrolls or places students in every state is not clearly stated.
  • Fast-track credits from the RN-to-BS program may be affected by future graduate curriculum changes, and they do not guarantee MS admission.

MS in Nursing, Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner (Part-Time Track)

The estimated tuition for the part-time online Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner MS at St. John Fisher University is approximately $58,744 (46 credits at $1,260/credit, plus seven $112 semester fees). The program can generally be completed in about 28 months across seven terms.

MS Part-Time Curriculum

The part-time track uses the same 46 credits and courses as the accelerated track. Fisher publishes a seven-term sample sequence with a steady 6 to 8 credits per term.

  • Terms 1-3 (18 credits): research, pathophysiology, pharmacology, informatics, advanced research, health assessment, and SBIRT, followed by the pre-clinical immersion
  • Term 4 (6 credits): capstone development, Adults I content, and Adults I practicum
  • Term 5 (7 credits): Adults II content, biostatistics and epidemiology, and Adults II practicum
  • Term 6 (7 credits): leadership, children and adolescents content, and pediatric practicum
  • Term 7 (8 credits): policy and law, women’s health content, women’s practicum, and NP comprehensive exam

The first three terms carry no clinical hours, which gives working nurses about a year to settle into graduate coursework before practicum starts. After that, every term pairs a content course with its matching practicum, so classroom material and patient care stay in sync.

You Should Know
  • Fisher labels this a sample schedule. Actual sequence varies by start term, transfer credit, and pace, and is set with an advisor.
  • The part-time track adds one more semester fee than the accelerated track, about $112 more in total.

MS Part-Time Clinical Requirements

  • 600 hours across terms 4 through 7, one 150-hour practicum per term
  • Order in the sample schedule: Adults I, Adults II, children and adolescents, women
  • Same placement support, seminar, and immersion model as the accelerated track

At one practicum per term, clinical load stays constant for the final four terms. That predictability is useful for nurses negotiating a fixed work schedule, but it also means about 16 straight months of combined clinical and coursework obligations.

MS Part-Time Admissions

Admission requirements match the accelerated track.

Post-Master’s Advanced Certificate, Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the post-master’s certificate at St. John Fisher University varies by individual plan of study ($1,260/credit plus $112 per semester). The program length is not clearly stated because each student’s credits are set by a gap analysis.

Certificate Curriculum

Certificate students complete the FNP program’s coursework, minus whatever a gap analysis credits from their prior degree. The certificate is open to nurses with a nursing master’s or a non-clinical master’s.

  • Variable credits, set by individual gap analysis
  • Prior master’s coursework may transfer at the graduate program chair’s discretion
  • Students with a non-nursing master’s may need additional core courses
You Should Know
  • No sample credit range, duration, or delivery format is published for the FNP certificate. The bursar lists a “CERT/MS-PCFNP” online fee, which suggests an online certificate option, but this is not confirmed on a program page.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

  • Required clinical hours: Not clearly stated for the certificate
  • Completion leads to eligibility for state and national certification in the selected NP role
You Should Know
  • National FNP certification requires population-specific clinical hours. Nurses who already hold a different NP certification should expect most or all of the 600 FNP hours unless the gap analysis says otherwise.
  • New York is the only state Fisher confirms. Boards in other states set their own rules for a second APRN population focus.

Certificate Admissions

  • Master’s degree in nursing or a non-clinical master’s degree
  • Gap analysis completed for every admitted student
  • Other requirements: Not clearly stated

Tuition

St. John Fisher charges $1,240 per credit for master’s nursing tuition in 2026-27. With the mandatory $20 per-credit comprehensive fee, the effective rate is $1,260 per credit. Neither figure includes the $112 per-semester online PCFNP fee. See the graduate tuition and fees page.

ComponentAcceleratedPart-Time
Tuition (46 × $1,240)$57,040$57,040
Comprehensive fee (46 × $20)$920$920
Online PCFNP fee ($112/semester)$672 (6 semesters, derived)$784 (7 semesters)
Estimated total$58,632$58,744

Both totals are derived from published rates. Fisher does not publish a program total.

  • Master’s tuition: $1,240 per credit (2026-27)
  • Comprehensive fee: $20 per credit
  • Online PCFNP fee: $112 per semester
  • Rates take effect with the summer semester each year

Be aware that:

  • Tuition rose from $1,193 to $1,240 per credit between 2025-26 and 2026-27, a 3.9 percent increase. Students enrolled across multiple years should expect later terms to cost more.
  • GNUR 543, 571, and 586 carry “additional fees,” but amounts are not published.
  • The accelerated total assumes six semesters, which is derived. Each extra semester adds $112.
  • Travel and lodging for the Rochester immersion are not included.
  • Certificate cost depends entirely on the gap analysis.

Choosing the accelerated track saves only one $112 semester fee, so the real financial difference between tracks is income, not tuition. The accelerated track costs a working nurse more hours; the part-time track costs four more months and likely exposure to one more annual rate increase.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

A strong match for experienced RNs who plan to practice in New York and want pediatric and women’s health training built in as required, credit-bearing rotations.

Choose the accelerated track if you can carry a heavier load and want to be certification-eligible in about two years. Fisher offers this pace only for its FNP program, not its other online NP specialties. Ask admissions for the term-by-term plan first, since it is not published.

Choose the part-time track if you need a predictable schedule. Seven terms at 6 to 8 credits, no clinicals for the first three terms, and exactly one practicum per term after that make it easier to plan shifts months in advance. The cost difference is about $112.

Choose the certificate if you already hold a master’s degree and want to add the FNP population. The gap analysis may shorten the path, but Fisher publishes no credit range, so get the analysis in writing before comparing costs.

The trade-offs. New BSN graduates cannot apply. Nurses outside New York take on licensure risk, since Fisher has not evaluated any other state. Placement help is real but not guaranteed, and the four-population structure means securing pediatric and women’s health preceptors specifically. Nurses interested in a doctorate can continue into Fisher’s DNP, which builds on its master’s programs and is billed at $1,736 per credit.

Accreditation

The Wegmans School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), which covers its graduate programs, including the Primary Care FNP MS. The school received a full 10-year CCNE reaccreditation in 2025.

St. John Fisher University is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), which reaffirmed its accreditation in June 2025. Institutional accreditation is required for federal financial aid and supports credit transfer and recognition of the degree by employers and other schools.

Fisher is also registered with the New York State Education Department, and graduates are eligible for New York State certification as a nurse practitioner in family health.

Graduates are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam (AANP or ANCC), earning either the FNP-C through the AANP Certification Board or the FNP-BC through ANCC.

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