USF FNP Programs

College if Nursing • Tampa, FL • Hybrid • $431.43/credit

The University of South Florida offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • MSN
  • BSN-to-DNP

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$25.9K in-state 2.7 yrs60
BSN-DNP$34.5K3 yrs80

USF’s defining advantage is public-university economics — about $25,900 in-state for a 60-credit MSN — paired with 750 direct clinical hours (well above the typical 600–700) and school-coordinated placements. The trade-off is geography: this is a hybrid program with campus attendance in Tampa about once per month, Florida-only clinical placements, and a single fall intake each year.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN (BSN entry); BSN-to-DNP; post-master’s DNP for certified NPs
FormatHybrid; campus in Tampa about once per month; no summer breaks
Clinical Hours750 direct minimum (program plan totals 780 contact hours)
Clinical PlacementSchool-coordinated; all sites in Florida, may be anywhere in the state
PopulationIndividuals and families across the lifespan, including obstetric care
Distinctive CourseworkAdvanced Cardiac Monitoring; Digital Health & Informatics; obstetric/special populations
ConcentrationsFNP is one of five NP concentrations; one concentration at a time
RN License RequirementsFlorida RN by Oct 30; no experience minimum, but under 12 months triggers a lighter plan
Tuition$431.43/credit in-state; $921.74/credit out-of-state
AccreditationCCNE
Entry TermFall only; lock-step full-time or part-time plan assigned at admission
ApplicationTwo applications required: USF Graduate Admissions + NursingCAS
InternationalF-1 visa holders not eligible for MSN or DNP admission

MSN — Family Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner concentration at the University of South Florida is approximately $25,886 for Florida residents (60 credits at $431.43/credit) or $55,304 for non-residents (60 credits at $921.74/credit). The full-time plan runs 8 consecutive semesters — roughly two years and eight months from an August start, with no summer breaks; a part-time plan is also available.

Credit-count note: USF’s Graduate Catalog states a 57-credit minimum for the MSN, but the FNP components it lists (12 core + 20 foundational + 28 concentration credits) and the official FNP program plan both total 60 credits. This page uses 60.

MSN Curriculum

Foundation sequence. The first three semesters front-load the advanced practice core — pathophysiology, pharmacology, and lifespan health assessment — and add a dedicated diagnostic reasoning and procedures course before any clinical course begins. That sequencing means students enter their first practicum with procedural skills already covered, which not every FNP program guarantees.

Specialty sequence. The clinical year progresses by population rather than by setting: adolescents-to-older-adults, then adults and older adults, then pediatrics, then obstetric and special populations. A standalone obstetric management course is a genuine differentiator — many FNP curricula fold women’s health into a single lifespan course.

Unique coursework. A one-credit Advanced Cardiac Monitoring course (rare in primary care curricula), Digital Health & Informatics for Healthcare Transformation, and a health systems economics and financial planning course give the didactic side more systems depth than a minimal FNP build.

Representative courses:

  • NGR 6143 Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology for Nurse Practitioners (4 cr)
  • NGR 6172 Advanced Pharmacology and Therapeutics (4 cr)
  • NGR 6002C Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan (4 cr)
  • NGR 6064C Diagnostic Reasoning and Procedures for the APRN (3 cr)
  • NGR 6067 Advanced Cardiac Monitoring for the APRN (1 cr)
  • NGR 6207 Primary Care Management of Adolescents to Older Adults (3 cr)
  • NGR 6335 FNP Management of Pediatric Populations (3 cr)
  • NGR 6345 FNP Management of Obstetric and Special Populations (3 cr)
  • NGR 6614L FNP Clinical Practice Immersion (4 cr, 240 hours)

A concentration-specific comprehensive examination is required at the end of the program and must be passed in no more than two attempts. More curriculum details are available here.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • Minimum 750 supervised direct clinical hours, delivered across five courses in a ramping sequence: 60 → 120 → 180 → 180 → 240 hours.
  • The per-course hours on the program plan sum to 780; the catalog clarifies that Clinical Management II includes 90 direct + 30 indirect hours, so 750 is the direct-care minimum.
  • The program ends with a 240-hour Clinical Practice Immersion — a near-full-time capstone semester in practice.
  • Placements are arranged by the College of Nursing based on preceptor and site availability. USF tries to assign sites near a student’s residence but states flexibility is required.
  • All clinical hours must be completed in the State of Florida — anywhere in the state.

At 750 direct hours, USF sits 50% above the 500-hour certification floor and above the 600–700 range common among FNP programs, with the extra volume concentrated in the final immersion. The placement model cuts both ways: students are spared the preceptor hunt that dominates online programs, but the school — not the student — controls where in Florida those hours happen, and a placement across the state is possible.

MSN Admissions

Three things stand out: fall-only entry, a two-part application (USF Graduate Admissions plus NursingCAS), and no RN experience minimum for the FNP concentration — nurses with under 12 months of experience are simply placed on a lighter-load “new graduate” plan rather than turned away.

  • BSN (or foreign equivalent) with a 3.0 (“B”) average and a 3.0 minimum nursing GPA.
  • Current, unencumbered Florida RN license by October 30; a U.S. RN license is required before admission.
  • Three letters of recommendation from a nursing faculty member or clinical instructor, a nursing supervisor, and an advanced provider (APRN, PA, MD, or DO); substitutions allowed if faculty contact has lapsed. Letters from friends or family are not accepted.
  • Current resume or CV; GRE optional (competitive scores from the past five years may be submitted).
  • Annual cycle for fall entry: NursingCAS opens January 1, closes around May 1, and must reach “Verified” status by about May 15.
  • Level 1 and Level 2 background checks, drug screening, and disclosure of prior convictions (including sealed records) are required; a clear background check is mandatory for clinical placement.
  • GPA minimums are firm — USF states exceptions are generally not granted.

BSN-to-DNP — Family Health Nurse Practitioner

The estimated tuition for the BSN-to-DNP Family Health Nurse Practitioner concentration at the University of South Florida is approximately $34,514 for Florida residents (80 credits at $431.43/credit) or $73,739 for non-residents (80 credits at $921.74/credit).

The full-time plan runs 9 consecutive semesters — three years from an August start, again with no summer breaks — making the doctorate only one semester longer than the MSN.

BSN-to-DNP Curriculum

The DNP wraps the identical FNP clinical sequence in a doctoral layer: biostatistics and epidemiology, quality improvement and implementation science, interprofessional practice and health systems leadership, and a DNP qualifying exam at the end of year two. The four-phase DNP project runs in parallel with the entire FNP clinical year, so students carry practicum and project work simultaneously in semesters five through eight. For roughly $8,600 more in-state and two extra semesters versus the MSN, students exit with the terminal practice degree — a strong ratio, since USF does not allow MSN students to convert to the DNP without a full new application.

Doctoral-level additions beyond the MSN coursework:

  • NGR 7846 Biostatistics and Epidemiology for Advanced Nursing Practice (4 cr)
  • NGR 7769 Quality Improvement and Implementation Science (4 cr)
  • NGR 7766 Interprofessional Practice and Health Systems Leadership (3 cr)
  • NGR 7768 Doctor of Nursing Practice Advanced Role (2 cr)
  • NGR 7955C–7958C DNP Project Phases I–IV (12 cr total)

More curriculum details are available here.

Already-certified nurse practitioners should note USF also offers a post-master’s MSN-to-DNP (minimum 31 credits, including at least 8 practicum and 4 project credits, all completed in Florida); it requires APRN licensure by the end of the first semester and national NP certification.

BSN-to-DNP Clinical Requirements

  • Same FNP clinical sequence and minimum as the MSN: 750 direct hours across five courses (60 → 120 → 180 → 180 → 240), ending in the 240-hour immersion.
  • DNP project practicum work (Phases I–IV) runs alongside the clinical courses rather than adding a separate placement block.
  • Placements school-coordinated; all hours completed in Florida, anywhere in the state.

Because the DNP adds project credits rather than extra patient-care hours, the clinical burden is identical to the MSN — the additional workload is scholarly, not clinical. Students who want more direct-care hours than 750 won’t get them here by choosing the doctorate.

BSN-to-DNP Admissions

Requirements mirror the MSN (BSN, 3.0 overall and nursing GPA, Florida RN by October 30, three letters, resume, optional GRE, fall-only entry, dual application) with one addition:

  • An undergraduate statistics course (3 credits) completed with a B or better before the program starts.
  • Applicants may apply to only one degree program — MSN or DNP — per cycle, so the choice must be made up front.

Tuition

USF assesses graduate nursing tuition per credit hour: $431.43 for Florida residents and $921.74 for non-residents (Fall 2025–Summer 2026 rates, all mandatory per-credit fees included).

At those rates, the 60-credit MSN totals an estimated $25,886 in-state or $55,304 out-of-state, and the 80-credit BSN-to-DNP totals an estimated $34,514 in-state or $73,739 out-of-state.

  • Flat fees of $37 per term apply to all students — roughly $296 over the 8-semester MSN and $333 over the 9-semester DNP.
  • No programmatic surcharge applies to FNP students. The $800/credit DNP rate on USF’s tuition sheet is for the Nurse Anesthesiology program only — do not use it for the FNP DNP.
  • Non-residents pay an out-of-state fee of $490.31 per credit on top of resident tuition — more than doubling the per-credit cost.
  • Year-round enrollment (no summer break) means continuous billing across every semester of the plan.
  • USF labels its published rates as estimates subject to change; the College of Nursing awarded over $730,000 in foundation scholarships in 2024–25.

The practical read: at roughly $26,000 all-in, the in-state MSN is among the least expensive routes to a 750-hour FNP credential anywhere — but the out-of-state rate erases most of that advantage, and since clinicals, monthly campus visits, and RN licensure all require Florida anyway, this program only makes financial sense for nurses living in (or relocating to) the state.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for Florida nurses who want maximum clinical preparation at public-university prices and can commit to a structured, campus-connected format.

The value case is straightforward: 750 direct clinical hours, a 240-hour final immersion, school-arranged placements, and a standalone obstetric management course — for about $25,900 in-state at the MSN level. Programs charging two to four times as much routinely deliver fewer clinical hours and leave preceptor-finding to the student. USF is also unusually open to early-career nurses: there is no RN experience gate for the FNP concentration, and new graduates get a lighter-load plan instead of a rejection — a real option for nurses who know early that they’re headed for primary care.

The structure is the trade-off. This is a lock-step, fall-only, year-round program with campus attendance in Tampa roughly once a month; nurses who need fully asynchronous online study or rolling starts should look elsewhere. Placement flexibility runs in the school’s favor — you may be assigned a site anywhere in Florida — and the MSN ends with a two-attempt comprehensive exam. Finally, the MSN-to-DNP door doesn’t open automatically: switching later requires a brand-new application, so nurses with doctoral ambitions should weigh entering the BSN-to-DNP directly, which costs one extra semester and about $8,600 more in-state.

Accreditation

The MSN and DNP programs at the USF College of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the University of South Florida is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). USF states that FNP graduates are prepared to take the certification examination offered by either the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC, FNP-BC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB, FNP-C) — explicit dual eligibility.

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