University of Saint Joseph FNP Programs

School of Interdisciplinary Health & Science • West Hartford, CT • $1,111/credit

The University of Saint Joseph offers 3 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • MSN
  • BSN-to-DNP
  • Post-Graduate Certificate

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$52K7 semesters47
Post-BS DNP$72K10 semesters65
Certificate$22K–$36KVaries (gap analysis)20–32

USJ’s defining advantage is a fixed one-evening-per-week class schedule — two courses per semester, both held Tuesdays or Thursdays from 4–6:30 p.m., so working nurses can protect a single day on their calendar for the entire program. It pairs that predictability with 750 clinical hours (well above Connecticut’s typical 500–660) and a fast DNP bridge: MS graduates who return within three years finish the doctorate in just 18 credits over 3 semesters.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN, BSN-to-DNP, Post-Graduate Certificate
FormatHybrid; evening classes 4–6:30 p.m., one day per week (Tue or Thu)
Clinical Hours750 (MSN); 500–750 (certificate, by pathway); DNP not clearly stated
Clinical PlacementDNP: on-site placements in Connecticut; MSN/certificate support not clearly stated
PopulationFamily/lifespan primary care
Distinctive Coursework4-credit mental health diagnosis course; 4-credit gender-related health course
ConcentrationsNone within FNP; PMHNP offered as separate track
Admissions InterviewRequired — faculty/program-director interview before acceptance
RN License RequirementsRN license from the state where clinical work is completed
DNP BridgeMS grads: DNP in 18 credits/3 semesters if enrolled within 3 years
Certification Pass Rate87.5% (2024)
Tuition$1,111/credit (2026–27) + $557 fee per clinical course
AccreditationCCNE (master’s, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificate)

M.S. in Nursing — Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the M.S.—Family Nurse Practitioner at the University of Saint Joseph is approximately $52,217 (47 credits at $1,111/credit), before clinical course fees. The program can generally be completed in about 7 semesters, taking two courses per semester on a single weekday evening.

MSN Curriculum

The 47-credit plan splits into core courses (advanced assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacology, leadership, statistics, health policy, evidence-based practice) and a 23-credit FNP concentration. Two things stand out. First, FNP students take a full 4-credit course in assessing, diagnosing, and managing mental health conditions — the same course PMHNP students take — rather than the brief psych module folded into adult primary care at most FNP programs. That matters in primary care, where behavioral health complaints are constant. Second, gender-related health gets its own 4-credit clinical course instead of being compressed into women’s health content. The sequence ends with a dedicated FNP skills/differential diagnosis course and a comprehensive exam, which is required to graduate.

  • NURS 507 – Advanced Health Assessment (3 credits)
  • NURS 519 – Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
  • NURS 535 – Advanced Pharmacology (3 credits)
  • NURS 508 – Advanced Practice in Pediatric Primary Care (4 credits)
  • NURS 509 – Advanced Practice in Adult and Geriatric Primary Care (4 credits)
  • NURS 544 – Assessment, Diagnosis, and Management of Mental Health Conditions (4 credits)
  • NURS 591 – Advanced Practice in Gender-Related Health (4 credits)
  • NURS 732 – FNP Skills/Differential Diagnosis (3 credits)
  • NURS 511 – Advanced Clinical Practicum, FNP track (4 credits)

More curriculum details are available here.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • 750 direct patient care hours across a variety of health care agencies
  • Clinical hours embedded in the pediatric, adult/geriatric, mental health, gender-related health, and final practicum courses
  • Placement support model not clearly stated; RN license required in the state where clinicals are completed
  • APRN-level malpractice insurance required before clinical coursework begins
  • 100% clinical compliance (CastleBranch/Project Concert) required two weeks before any clinical semester, or you are pulled from the course

750 hours is high for an FNP program — 50% above the 500-hour certification floor and above every major Connecticut competitor (UConn’s MS, SCSU’s 660, Fairfield’s 500, Goodwin’s 600). More hours means more patient encounters before you practice independently, but also more time to arrange with preceptors. Since USJ doesn’t clearly state who secures placements, ask directly in the interview.

MSN Admissions

Admission is selective and includes a program-director interview — plan on more than a paperwork review. ⚠️ USJ’s program page lists deadlines of November 1 (spring) and July 1 (fall), while the catalog lists October 1 (spring) and March 1 (fall); confirm current dates with admissions before planning.

  • BSN from an accredited institution, GPA 3.0+
  • Current RN license from the state where clinical work will be completed
  • Resume, essay on a community health issue, two letters (clinical supervisors/managers and faculty)
  • Interview with the program director after application review
  • Immunization records, background check, and APRN malpractice insurance upon admission
  • Progression is strict: B- or higher in every course, one retake allowed on one course only

BSN-to-DNP — Family Nurse Practitioner Track

The estimated tuition for the BSN-to-DNP FNP track at the University of Saint Joseph is approximately $72,215 (65 credits at $1,111/credit), plus clinical course fees.

The program can generally be completed in about 10 semesters, on the same one-evening-per-week schedule as the MSN.

Post-BS DNP Curriculum

The 65-credit plan contains the entire MSN-FNP clinical sequence — including the mental health and gender-related health courses — plus a doctoral layer: informatics, systems thinking and fiscal analysis, professional issues, and a three-course DNP scholarly project. Students pick FNP or PMHNP at admission; the tracks share the doctoral core. The trade-off versus doing the MSN first: only 18 more credits than the MSN, but you commit to the full doctorate upfront rather than deciding after certification.

  • Full MSN-FNP clinical sequence (NURS 507, 508, 509, 511, 519, 535, 544, 591, 732)
  • NURS 701 – Healthcare Quality and Informatics (3 credits)
  • NURS 704 – Systems Thinking and Fiscal Analysis (3 credits)
  • NURS 708 – Professional Issues (3 credits)
  • NURS 780/781/782 – DNP Scholarly Project I–III (9 credits)
  • NURS 795 – Continuing Scholarly Project Advisement (1 credit, if needed)

More curriculum details are available here.

Post-BS DNP Clinical Requirements

  • On-site clinical placements in Connecticut
  • Total clinical hours not clearly stated; the FNP clinical courses mirror the MSN’s 750-hour sequence, and DNP programs typically require 1,000+ post-BSN hours
  • Same compliance and malpractice insurance rules as the MSN

The stated Connecticut placement footprint makes this a poor fit for out-of-state distance students but a practical one for CT nurses — USJ’s undergraduate clinical partners include Hartford Hospital, Yale-New Haven, and Saint Francis. Confirm the total DNP clinical hour requirement in writing; it is not published on the program page.

Post-BS DNP Admissions

Requirements mirror the MSN — BSN with 3.0 GPA, RN license, essay, two letters — with one difference: the interview is conducted on campus. Note also that DNP progression requires a B (not B-) in every course and a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

Post-Graduate FNP Certificate

The estimated tuition for the Post-Graduate FNP Certificate at the University of Saint Joseph is approximately $22,220–$35,552 (20–32 credits at $1,111/credit, matching the degree rate).

Duration is not clearly stated; each student receives a gap analysis that produces a custom plan of study.

Certificate Curriculum

This is really two programs priced by your starting point. Practicing NPs in another specialty (minimum 1,000 practice hours in the past two years) who completed the 3 Ps with a B or better take only the five FNP clinical courses — 20 credits. RNs with a non-clinical MS, or NPs who don’t meet the practice threshold, must also complete USJ’s 3 Ps and the FNP skills course — 32 credits, with no transfer credit accepted for those courses. The format is lighter than the degree tracks: clinical courses meet on campus once a month and remotely once a month; core courses meet remotely once a month.

  • NURS 508 – Advanced Practice in Pediatric Primary Care (4 credits)
  • NURS 509 – Advanced Practice in Adult and Geriatric Primary Care (4 credits)
  • NURS 544 – Assessment, Diagnosis, and Management of Mental Health Conditions (4 credits)
  • NURS 591 – Advanced Practice in Gender-Related Health (4 credits)
  • NURS 511 – Advanced Clinical Practicum, FNP track (4 credits)
  • 32-credit pathway adds: NURS 507, 519, 535 (3 Ps) and NURS 732 – FNP Skills (12 credits)

More curriculum details are available here.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

  • 500 clinical hours minimum for practicing NPs adding FNP certification
  • 750 clinical hours for RNs entering with a non-clinical MS in nursing
  • Clinical courses meet once a month on campus and once a month remotely

The 500-hour NP pathway sits exactly at the certification floor — efficient for an adult-gero or psychiatric NP adding lifespan scope. The 750-hour RN pathway is essentially the full MSN clinical experience, which is appropriate: a nurse educator with no NP training needs the complete sequence, and certification bodies expect it.

Certificate Admissions

Requirements match the MSN (interview included) with two additions: applicants must hold a master’s in nursing with a 3.0+ GPA, and current NPs submit their APRN license. Deadlines follow the catalog cycle — October 1 for spring, March 1 for fall.

Tuition

Total estimated tuition runs from about $22,220 (20-credit certificate) to $72,215 (65-credit DNP), with the MSN at $52,217 — all at the 2026–27 rate of $1,111 per credit. Fees add materially to the sticker price:

  • $557 graduate nursing fee per clinical course — the MSN and DNP FNP tracks each include six fee-bearing courses, adding roughly $3,342
  • Certificate students pay the fee on each clinical course in their plan (about $2,785 on the 20-credit pathway)
  • $50 non-refundable application fee; students purchase their own APRN-level malpractice insurance
  • USJ alumni enrolling in a graduate program for the first time (Summer 2025 or later) receive a 20% tuition discount on select programs

All-in, budget roughly $55,600 for the MSN and $75,600 for the DNP — the clinical fees push real cost about 5–6% above the advertised per-credit math.

Current rates are posted on USJ’s graduate tuition page.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for Connecticut nurses who want a structured, in-person program they can schedule around a full-time job — and who see clinical volume as an investment rather than a burden.

The scheduling design is USJ’s most practical strength. Two courses per semester, both on one fixed weekday evening, means you never renegotiate your work schedule mid-program — a real contrast with programs that scatter synchronous sessions or require unpredictable intensives. The 750 clinical hours are the most of any major Connecticut FNP option, and the curriculum’s full mental health diagnosis course gives graduates a behavioral health foundation most FNP programs skip. For nurses eyeing a doctorate, the MS-then-DNP path is unusually efficient: finish the MS, start practicing, and return within three years to complete the DNP in 18 credits over three semesters.

The trade-offs are real. This is a hybrid, campus-anchored program in West Hartford — nurses outside commuting range should look at UConn’s or SCSU’s fully online options instead. At roughly $55,600 all-in, the MSN costs more than the state’s public alternatives. The 87.5% certification pass rate (2024) is solid but trails UConn’s reported 94–100% figures. And admissions is genuinely selective: a required interview, two review cycles per year, and strict progression rules (B- minimum in every course, one retake ever) mean this program rewards students who arrive organized.

Accreditation

The master’s degree in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and post-graduate APRN certificate at the University of Saint Joseph are all accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) — full coverage across all three FNP entry points, with no candidacy caveats. USJ states that DNP-FNP graduates may sit for national certification from either the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FNP-C) or the American Nurses Credentialing Center (FNP-BC), and MSN graduates are prepared for the national FNP certification examination.

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