The University of Miami offers 3 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:
- MSN
- BSN-to-DNP
- Post-Master’s Certificate
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN | $46,647 | 1 yr FT | 38 |
| BSN-DNP | $94,000 | 2 yrs FT | 71 |
| Certificate | $27K–$31.5K | Varies | 18–21 |
The University of Miami’s defining advantage is speed with structure: the full-time MSN finishes in three semesters — one calendar year, versus the two years Florida Southern’s six-semester MSN takes — and the school arranges every clinical placement through 200+ partners, including its own UHealth system, with no-fee preceptorships. The trade-off is a campus-based program in Coral Gables at private-university pricing, open only to nurses who hold or can obtain a Florida RN license.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN (FNP); BSN-to-DNP (FNP track); Post-Master’s Certificate (FNP) |
| Format | Campus (Coral Gables); part-time DNP described as hybrid with evening/weekend classes |
| Clinical Hours | MSN: 616. DNP: 1,176. Certificate: not clearly stated |
| Clinical Placement | School-arranged; 200+ partners incl. UHealth and Jackson Health; no-fee preceptorships |
| Population | Family / across the lifespan |
| Distinctive Coursework | Simulation woven through curriculum via 41,000 sq ft S.H.A.R.E. simulation hospital |
| RN License Requirements | Florida RN license required before starting; certificate clinicals must be completed in Florida |
| Background Check | Any infraction on the FBI background report — however resolved — rescinds admission |
| Application Limits | One SONHS program per cycle; $1,500 non-refundable deposit due within two weeks of admission |
| Tuition | Block per-semester billing: $46,647 MSN; $94,000 DNP; certificate $1,500/credit |
| Accreditation | CCNE, full accreditation through 2031 |
MSN — Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner at the University of Miami is approximately $46,647, billed as block tuition per semester ($15,549 full-time, $9,329 part-time) rather than per credit — roughly $1,228 per credit derived across 38 credits. The program can generally be completed in about one year full-time (three semesters starting each fall) or five semesters part-time (starting each spring).
MSN Curriculum
The full-time plan is unusually compressed: the 3 Ps (advanced pharmacology, pathophysiology, and health assessment) run alongside the first 168-hour adult-gerontology clinical in the very first semester, rather than as a clinical-free foundation year. Every subsequent semester carries roughly 200 clinical hours, so students are in patient care continuously from month one.
A mandatory online pre-immersion course before matriculation exists precisely because this front-loaded design gives no on-ramp. The part-time plan reverses the logic — two didactic-only semesters before clinicals begin.
The adult-gerontology sequence (two courses plus the capstone integration practicum) dominates the clinical credits, with single pediatric and maternal/women’s health courses covering the rest of the lifespan.
- NUR 601 Advanced Pharmacology (3 cr)
- NUR 612 Physiology/Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice Nursing (3 cr)
- NUR 613 Advanced Health Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning (3 cr, 28 lab hrs)
- NUR 628 Adult Gerontology I (5 cr, 168 clinical hrs)
- NUR 623 Pediatric Health in Primary Care Practice (3 cr, 56 clinical hrs)
- NUR 627 Maternal Women’s Health in Primary Care Practice (3 cr, 56 clinical hrs)
- NUR 631 Adult Gerontology II (4 cr, 112 clinical hrs)
- NUR 647 Advanced Practice Nursing Integration (6 cr, 224 clinical hrs)
More curriculum details are available here.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- 616 total clinical hours (168 + 224 + 224 across the three full-time semesters; 28 lab hours in health assessment are counted separately)
- The school identifies preceptors and sites; clinical faculty coordinate all rotations
- Students may suggest new sites and preceptors if approved well in advance
- 200+ clinical partners, including the University of Miami Health System
- Simulation training in the S.H.A.R.E. simulation hospital supplements live clinicals
- Typical full-time week: 2 full class days (may run into evenings) plus 1–2 clinical days
At 616 hours, the clinical requirement sits above the 500-hour national certification floor and in the middle of the 600–700+ range common among FNP programs — below UWF’s 780 and USF’s 750, comparable to typical MSN tracks. What matters more is the placement model: the school arranges sites, so students never cold-call preceptors, and the option to propose your own site adds flexibility most arranged-placement programs don’t offer.
MSN Admissions
Two features stand out: no RN work experience is required (new BSN graduates are explicitly eligible), and direct-entry master’s holders are ineligible.
- BSN from a regionally accredited institution (RNs with a bachelor’s in another relevant science field may be considered)
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA
- Introductory statistics course
- Three letters of recommendation, at least one academic
- Statement of purpose and CV/resume
- Current, unrestricted RN license; Florida license required before starting
- Apply via NursingCAS ($80 fee); one SONHS program per application cycle
- Interviews at faculty discretion (in person or virtual, at applicant expense)
- Fall (full-time) deadline: June 1; Spring (part-time) deadline: October 1 — rolling review
- $1,500 non-refundable deposit within two weeks of admission, applied to tuition
- Clean FBI background report required; any infraction rescinds the offer
BSN-to-DNP — Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the BSN-to-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner at the University of Miami is approximately $94,000, billed as block tuition per semester ($15,666 full-time, $7,833 part-time) — roughly $1,324 per credit derived across 71 credits.
The program can generally be completed in about 2 years full-time (6 semesters) or 4 years part-time (12 scheduled semesters), with a single Fall intake.
BSN-DNP Curriculum
The design is doctoral-first: year one is almost entirely DNP core — biostatistics, health economics, policy, evidence evaluation, translational science — plus two practice immersions, while the FNP clinical specialty is concentrated in year two. That’s the reverse of most BSN-DNP programs, which front-load the NP courses. Students who want to practice as an NP quickly should note they won’t touch the FNP clinical sequence until the fourth semester (full-time) or the tenth (part-time). Distinctive courses include Global Health, Technology in Health Care (with 56 embedded clinical hours), and two DNP Scholarly Project seminars carrying 224 practicum hours toward a practice-improvement project.
- NUR 664 Applied Biostatistics for Nursing Practice (3 cr)
- NUR 655 Health Care Management Economics, Financing, and Ethics (3 cr)
- NUR 676 Practice Immersion I: Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (4 cr, 168 hrs)
- NUR 688 Practice Immersion II: Leadership Development (2 cr, 112 hrs)
- NUR 656 Global Health (3 cr)
- NUR 659 Technology in Health Care (3 cr, 56 hrs)
- NUR 672/673 DNP Scholarly Project Seminars 1–2 (6 cr, 224 hrs)
- NUR 628/631 Adult Gerontology I–II (9 cr, 280 clinical hrs)
- NUR 647 Advanced Practice Nursing Integration (6 cr, 224 clinical hrs)
More curriculum details are available here.
BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements
- 1,176 total clinical hours (168 + 112 + 336 + 336 + 224 across full-time semesters two through six)
- Meets the 1,000-hour AACN minimum for DNP programs with room to spare
- Preceptorships carry no placement fee — unusual among private programs
- Clinical partners include UHealth and Jackson Health System
- Simulation integrated into most coursework via the S.H.A.R.E. facility
- Full-time students are strongly discouraged from working
1,176 hours is high for an FNP pathway — more than double the 500-hour certification floor and above the 1,000-hour DNP minimum — and roughly a third of it (the immersions and scholarly project hours) develops systems-leadership rather than direct-care skills. ⚠️ The plan of study lists a 12-semester part-time schedule, but the ninth semester (Summer Year 3) carries zero credits, and the program’s own FAQ calls the part-time plan an “11-semester hybrid.” Since tuition is billed per semester ($7,833 × 12 = $93,996), confirm in writing whether the empty semester is billed.
BSN-DNP Admissions
Requirements largely mirror the MSN; no GRE is required, and admission is case-by-case with faculty discretion to waive requirements.
- BSN from a regionally accredited institution; 3.0 GPA; statistics course
- Three letters of recommendation (one academic), statement of purpose, CV
- Florida RN license required before orientation
- Fall entry only; application opens September 1, deadline June 1
- Same NursingCAS process, deposit, interview, and zero-infraction background policy as the MSN
Post-Master’s Certificate — Family Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the Post-Master’s Certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner is approximately $27,000–$31,500 (18–21 credits at $1,500/credit). Program length varies by the individual gap analysis; the school does not publish a fixed duration.
Certificate Curriculum
The certificate is the MSN’s clinical core with the didactic foundation stripped out: applicants must already have graduate pathophysiology, pharmacology, and health assessment, then complete the four FNP clinical courses. The 18–21 credit range comes from Adult Gerontology II, which flexes between 4 and 7 credits depending on the student’s prior NP preparation. This is a specialty-expansion credential — it requires an existing NP-track master’s and national certification, so MSN-prepared nurses without NP preparation (educators, administrators) are not eligible.
- NUR 623 Pediatric Health in Primary Care Practice (3 cr)
- NUR 628 Adult Gerontology I (5 cr)
- NUR 631 Adult Gerontology II (4–7 cr)
- NUR 647 Advanced Practice Nursing Integration (6 cr)
More curriculum details are available here.
Certificate Clinical Requirements
- Total clinical hours: not clearly stated on the certificate page
- The same four courses carry 560 clinical hours in the MSN plan (56 + 168 + 112 + 224) — treat that as a floor estimate and confirm your individual total
- All clinical experiences must be completed within the State of Florida — no exceptions
- School-arranged placement through the same 200+ partner network
The Florida-only clinical rule is the binding constraint: certified NPs living out of state cannot complete this certificate remotely, which makes it a regional credential despite the post-master’s format.
Certificate Admissions
The entry gate is stricter than most FNP certificates — applicants must already be certified nurse practitioners, not just MSN holders.
- Bachelor’s and master’s from regionally accredited institutions; the master’s must include an NP track
- National certification in a nursing specialty (board-certified APRN)
- 3.0 GPA across both degrees
- 3 graduate credits each in advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology, and health assessment
- Two letters of recommendation (one academic), statement of goals, CV
- Current, unrestricted Florida RN license
- Spring and Fall intakes via NursingCAS; same deposit and background policy as the degree tracks
Tuition
On a per-credit basis, the MSN works out to about $1,228 per credit (derived: $46,647 ÷ 38 credits) and the BSN-DNP to about $1,324 per credit (derived: $94,000 ÷ 71 credits); the post-master’s certificate is billed at a published $1,500 per credit.
The degree programs don’t actually bill per credit, though — both use block tuition per semester: $15,549 full-time or $9,329 part-time for the MSN (total ~$46,647), and $15,666 full-time or $7,833 part-time for the DNP (total ~$94,000).
- Block billing cuts both ways: you pay the full semester rate even if you take fewer courses than scheduled
- A missed, withdrawn, or failed course must wait until the next academic year and is repurchased at the per-credit rate
- Nursing fees: $1,170; Advanced Practice Preparation course fee: $600 (MSN); comprehensive orientation fee: $600 (DNP)
- University fees are additional; the university has proposed a 4.5% tuition-and-fee increase for 2026–27
- $1,500 admission deposit (applied to first-semester tuition); NursingCAS fee $80
- Students supply their own laptop, books, and equipment
- The DNP part-time schedule lists 12 semesters including one with zero credits — confirm whether block tuition applies to that semester
All-in, budget roughly $48K+ for the MSN and $95K+ for the DNP after program fees — and treat the block-billing repeat policy as real financial risk, since one failed course adds a year and a per-credit repurchase.
Why Choose This FNP Program?
This program makes the most sense for South Florida RNs who can prioritize school for one intense year and want a name that carries weight in the Miami-Dade and Broward job markets.
The full-time MSN’s three-semester calendar is its sharpest edge: a nurse who starts in August is eligible for national certification the following summer, roughly a year ahead of Florida Southern’s six-semester plan and most part-time hybrid options. That speed comes with real support — the school identifies preceptors and sites through 200+ partners including its own UHealth system, charges no preceptorship fees, and runs simulation through a five-story, 41,000-square-foot dedicated simulation hospital. New BSN graduates are eligible with no RN experience requirement, which is rarer than it sounds. For nurses set on the doctorate, the BSN-DNP delivers 1,176 clinical hours and faculty that have included national policy figures, though the FNP specialty coursework doesn’t begin until year two.
The costs of admission are literal and structural. At roughly $46,647 for the MSN, Miami charges nearly double what USF (~$25.9K in-state) or UWF ($22.5K) ask for comparable CCNE-accredited FNP degrees — you’re paying for speed, placement, brand, and simulation infrastructure. This is a campus program: expect two class days a week in Coral Gables, so it serves commuting-distance nurses, not distance learners. And two policies deserve eyes-open acceptance before you pay the $1,500 deposit: block tuition means a single failed course costs a full extra year plus a per-credit repurchase, and any infraction on the background check — regardless of how it was resolved — rescinds admission outright.
Accreditation
The nursing practice programs at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies — BSN, MSN, post-graduate APRN certificate, and DNP — hold full accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) through 2031, the maximum accreditation period. The University of Miami is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), verified from the university’s own accreditation page. The school states explicit dual eligibility: graduates of the FNP programs may sit for the national FNP certification exam offered by either the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP, FNP-C) or the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC, FNP-BC).
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