Wright State University FNP Programs

School of Nursing • Dayton, OH • Mostly Online • $800/credit

Wright State University offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • MSN
  • Post-Master’s Graduate Certificate

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. Tuition (In / Out)Est. DurationCredit Hours
MSN$39.2K Individualized49
Certificate$13.6K1-2 yrs17

Wright State’s defining advantage is that the plan of study is built around your transcript rather than a fixed cohort calendar: MSN students receive an individualized schedule at admission, and post-master’s applicants get a gap analysis that sets both coursework and clinical hours. The trade-off is that no published timeline exists until that plan is written, and both tracks require travel to Dayton for hands-on skills training and standardized patient exams.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMSN FNP concentration; post-master’s FNP graduate certificate
FormatMostly Online. Didactic coursework online, with required Dayton campus visits during clinical courses
Clinical Hours616 total, split 168 / 168 / 280 across three specialty courses
Clinical PlacementNot clearly stated. No placement model, preceptor policy, or faculty site-visit schedule published
PopulationIndividuals and families across the lifespan, primary care focus
Distinctive CourseworkNUR 7106 Advanced Family Nursing, a 2-credit family-systems course separate from the clinical sequence
Experience GateMSN requires two years of full-time post-BSN nursing experience
RN License RequirementsUnencumbered RN license. Certificate applicants must be licensed where clinicals occur
Start TermsFall, spring, and summer. Deadlines: July 31, December 1, April 1
Tuition$800/credit resident, $1,288/credit non-resident (Nursing M.S. part-time rate)
AccreditationCCNE for the master’s program and post-graduate APRN certificate; HLC institutional

M.S. in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration

The estimated tuition for the Master of Science, Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration at Wright State is approximately $39,200 for Ohio residents and $63,112 for non-residents (49 credits at $800 and $1,288 per credit, both derived). Duration is not published, because the concentration director writes each student’s plan of study at admission, including part-time plans.

MSN Curriculum

The 49-credit sequence is heavier than most BSN-entry FNP master’s degrees, which commonly land in the low-to-mid 40s. The extra weight sits in the non-clinical half: leadership, policy, theory, research, biostatistics, health information technology, and population health together account for 23 credits before any FNP-specific content begins. That structure signals a program built to the traditional MSN core rather than a stripped-down specialty track.

Sequencing rule worth knowing: a graduate statistics course must be completed before NUR 7005, Nursing Research and Evidence for Practice. If your transcript does not already carry one, that requirement shapes the order of your first two terms.

Where the program is distinctive: NUR 7106, Advanced Family Nursing, is a standalone 2-credit course on family systems that sits outside the clinical sequence. Many FNP programs fold family-level assessment into a broader assessment or population course. Wright State teaches it separately, which fits a curriculum that treats the family unit, not just the individual patient, as the unit of care.

  • NUR 7001, 7003, 7004, and 7005 – Role Development and Leadership; Health Policy, Politics, and Issues; Theoretical Foundations; Nursing Research and Evidence for Practice (12 credits)
  • HLT 7001 or EDL 7510 – Introduction to Biostatistics or Statistics and Research (3 credits)
  • NUR 7002 and NUR 7105 – Information Technology in Health Care; Population Health (6 credits)
  • NUR 7102 – Advanced Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan (3 credits)
  • NUR 7103 – Applied Pharmacology and Therapeutics (3 credits)
  • NUR 7104 – Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan (3 credits)
  • NUR 7106 – Advanced Family Nursing (2 credits)
  • NUR 7801 – Primary Health Care of Women, Children and Adolescents (6 credits, 168 clinical hours)
  • NUR 7802 – Primary Care of Adults (5 credits, 168 clinical hours)
  • NUR 7803 – Family Nurse Practitioner Practicum (6 credits, 280 clinical hours)

More curriculum details are available here.

MSN Clinical Requirements

  • 616 total clinical hours, all contained within three specialty courses
  • NUR 7801, Primary Health Care of Women, Children and Adolescents: 168 hours
  • NUR 7802, Primary Care of Adults: 168 hours
  • NUR 7803, Family Nurse Practitioner Practicum: 280 hours
  • Campus attendance is required during clinical courses for hands-on skills training and objective structured clinical examinations with standardized patients
  • Placement model, preceptor requirements, and faculty site visits: Not clearly stated

At 616 hours, Wright State sits 116 hours above the 500-hour national certification floor and inside the 600 to 700 range common among FNP programs. The population split is deliberate and even: 168 hours with women, children, and adolescents, and 168 hours with adults, so neither side of the lifespan gets shortchanged. The distribution is back-loaded, though. The final practicum alone carries 280 hours, roughly 46 percent of the total, which means the heaviest clinical term arrives last and requires the deepest planning around work and family.

You Should Know
  • Wright State does not publish whether it secures preceptors and clinical sites or whether students arrange their own. For a program delivered largely online, this is a gap worth resolving before you apply, since securing preceptors is where students in self-placement programs commonly stall.
  • The campus-visit count is stated two different ways. The program page says students come to campus one to two times per semester during clinical courses. The graduate catalog says all students must come to campus five times across the program, for orientation and for final examinations and OSCEs at the end of each term.
  • Nothing published states whether clinical hours may be completed outside Ohio. The catalog’s state authorization notice directs students planning to practice elsewhere to contact that state’s board before beginning.

MSN Admissions

The gate here is experience. Wright State requires two full years of post-BSN nursing practice, which is longer than many FNP programs ask for and screens out nurses who are otherwise academically ready.

  • BSN from an accredited institution
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, covering the baccalaureate degree and any later graduate work
  • Unencumbered nursing license
  • Minimum two years of full-time post-BSN nursing experience
  • Clear BCI and FBI background screening
  • Resume or CV, a meaningful clinical experience essay (2 pages maximum), and a statement of professional goals (250 words maximum)
  • Two references: a current or most recent supervisor, plus a nursing faculty member or previous employer
  • Two-step application. Apply to the Wright State Graduate School first, then to the School of Nursing. Degree application fee is $40
  • Deadlines run on an annual cycle: July 31 for fall, December 1 for spring, April 1 for summer
  • International applicants: TOEFL iBT 79, IELTS 6.0, or Pearson PTE 57, plus an unencumbered U.S. nursing license
You Should Know
  • Three intakes a year sounds flexible, but because the plan of study is individualized, your start term determines your entire sequence. Ask for the written plan before you accept an offer.
  • Degree applications take four to six weeks to process once all materials arrive. An application stays valid for one year; if you do not register or move your term within that window, you reapply.
  • The catalog adds LEAP 4 to the accepted English proficiency tests. The program page omits it. International applicants should confirm which list is current.
  • State authorization: the program is built to qualify graduates for licensure in Ohio. Anyone planning to practice in another state should contact that board before enrolling, since SARA does not create licensure reciprocity.

Post-Master’s Family Nurse Practitioner Graduate Certificate

The estimated tuition for the Family Nurse Practitioner Graduate Certificate at Wright State is approximately $13,600 for Ohio residents and $21,896 for non-residents (17 credits at $800 and $1,288 per credit, both derived). The program can generally be completed in one to two years, with the exact length set by a gap analysis of your master’s transcript.

Certificate Curriculum

The certificate is the MSN’s entire FNP specialty sequence with nothing removed. Same three courses, same credits, same clinical hours. What changes is what sits in front of it. Applicants must show completed graduate pharmacology, advanced health assessment, and advanced lifespan pathophysiology with a grade of C or better, and a gap analysis adds whatever is missing.

One rule that limits your options: for purposes of certification eligibility, all required courses must be taken at Wright State. You cannot transfer coursework in to shorten the 17 credits, even from another CCNE-accredited program.

  • NUR 7801 – Primary Health Care of Women, Children and Adolescents (6 credits, 168 clinical hours)
  • NUR 7802 – Primary Care of Adults (5 credits, 168 clinical hours)
  • NUR 7803 – Family Nurse Practitioner Practicum (6 credits, 280 clinical hours)
  • Catalog total: 17 credits ⚠ The same catalog’s admission paragraph states credit hours are variable from 12 to 19 depending on transcript review, which conflicts with the fixed 17-credit course list

More curriculum details are available here.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

  • 616 clinical hours, derived from the same three courses required in the MSN concentration (168 + 168 + 280)
  • NUR 7803 practicum carries 280 of those hours
  • Campus attendance during clinical courses: implied by course identity with the MSN, but not separately stated on certificate pages
  • Placement model, preceptor requirements, and faculty site visits: Not clearly stated

This detail matters for post-master’s applicants. A certificate carrying the full 616 hours means Wright State does not discount clinical volume for nurses who already hold a master’s degree, and it does not appear to credit prior APRN clinical time toward the FNP total. You are doing the same clinical load as a BSN-entry student, at a third of the credits. That is a fair trade if your goal is a clean certification record, and a real time commitment if you are working full time.

You Should Know
  • The 616-hour figure is derived, not published for the certificate. It follows from the three required courses carrying the same clinical hours they carry in the MSN plan of study. Confirm it in writing.
  • Because the certificate’s coursework cannot be transferred in, a prior APRN certification in another population does not shorten the clinical sequence.
  • State authorization: the catalog states the program prepares students to apply for licensure in Ohio, and directs students planning to work elsewhere to contact that state’s board first.

Certificate Admissions

The certificate has no stated experience requirement, which makes it more open than the MSN on that front, but it adds an interview that the MSN does not require.

  • Master’s-prepared nurse from a CCNE-accredited master’s program, with an official transcript from that program
  • Current unencumbered RN license in the state where clinical experiences are planned
  • Documented completion of pharmacology, advanced health assessment, and advanced lifespan pathophysiology with a grade of C or above
  • Clear BCI and FBI background check
  • Application through the Wright State Graduate School. Certificate program application fee is $10
  • Interview with the program director, scheduled after all materials are received
  • Graduate School processing takes two to six weeks
You Should Know
  • Only CCNE-accredited master’s degrees are named as acceptable. ACEN-accredited master’s programs are not mentioned, so applicants from those programs should confirm eligibility before applying.
  • The RN license must be current in the state where clinicals will happen, not simply anywhere. Out-of-state candidates need to resolve licensure and clinical-site questions before the interview.
  • No application deadlines are published for the certificate. The MSN’s July 31, December 1, and April 1 dates are stated for the concentration only.

Tuition

Wright State bills the FNP programs on the School of Nursing’s own graduate rate, not the general graduate rate. For part-time enrollment of 1 to 10.5 credit hours per term, the published Nursing (M.S.) rate is $800 per credit for Ohio residents and $1,288 per credit for non-residents. Both rates come from the university Bursar’s graduate schedule. Every program total below is derived from them, because Wright State publishes no program-level cost for either FNP track.

Published Rate and Fee Stack

ChargeOhio ResidentNon-Ohio Resident
Nursing (M.S.) tuition, 1-10.5 hours$800/credit$1,288/credit
Nursing (M.S.) tuition, 11-18 hours$8,656/term$13,900/term
Campus Engagement Fee$206/term (fall and spring only)
Counseling and Wellness Fee$20/term
Legal Services Fee$16/term
Application fee$40 degree, $10 certificate
Graduation application fee$35

Derived Program Totals

ProgramCreditsResident (Derived)Non-Resident (Derived)
MSN FNP Concentration49$39,200$63,112
FNP Graduate Certificate17$13,600$21,896

Method: credits multiplied by the published part-time per-credit rate. 49 × $800 = $39,200. 49 × $1,288 = $63,112. 17 × $800 = $13,600. 17 × $1,288 = $21,896.

Confirmed costs:

  • $800 per credit resident and $1,288 per credit non-resident, published on the Bursar’s graduate and professional schedule
  • $242 in mandatory fees per fall or spring term ($206 + $20 + $16), and $36 per summer term, since the Campus Engagement Fee is charged in fall and spring only
  • No technology fee. Wright State’s $20-per-credit technology fee applies to College of Engineering and Computer Science courses only
  • No career services fee. That charge is restricted to undergraduate, degree-seeking students

Be aware that:

  • Both program totals are derived. Wright State publishes no all-in cost for the MSN concentration or the certificate.
  • The flat 11-to-18-hour rate beats the per-credit rate above roughly 10.8 credits per term. A student who completed the MSN in four terms of about 12 credits would pay approximately $34,624 as a resident, around $4,576 less than the part-time derivation. Whether that pace is available depends on the individualized plan, and the three clinical courses alone carry 17 credits.
  • The certificate’s rate basis is unconfirmed. The Bursar’s schedule carries no certificate line. If certificate students bill at the general graduate rate of $700 and $1,188, the resident total falls to $11,900, a swing of $1,700.
  • Student health insurance is charged to graduate students registered for six or more credit hours per term unless proof of coverage is submitted. Published rates are $968 for fall 2026 and $1,404 for spring and summer 2027.
  • Wright State’s international graduate tuition page prices six hours at $7,128 per semester, which works out to $1,188 per credit. That is the general graduate non-resident rate, not the Nursing (M.S.) rate of $1,288. An international FNP applicant budgeting from that page would understate tuition by roughly $4,900 across 49 credits.
  • Ohio law can remove resident status. State-assisted universities must charge non-resident fees to Ohio male students born after December 31, 1959 who are under 27 and have not registered with Selective Service. On 49 credits that is a $23,912 difference.
  • Travel to Dayton for skills training and OSCEs is not included in any published rate, and because the required number of visits is stated two different ways, the cost cannot be calculated in advance.
  • Rates are set annually by the Board of Trustees and have changed year over year.
  • A $100 one-time TK20 assessment fee is published university-wide. Whether nursing graduate students are charged it is not stated.

Add fees, application, and graduation charges to the resident MSN derivation and the figure lands near $40,315 for a student enrolled across six terms. The non-resident picture is where the decision changes. At $488 more per credit, an out-of-state student pays about $23,912 more for the same 49 credits, and Wright State publishes no reduced online or distance rate to offset it.

Full rate details are on the Graduate and Professional Tuition and Fees page.

Why Choose This FNP Program?

Best suited for experienced Ohio nurses who want a schedule shaped around their own transcript and work life, and who can absorb periodic travel to Dayton.

The plan is written for you, not for a cohort. Most online FNP programs publish a fixed plan of study and expect you to fit it. Wright State does the opposite: the concentration director builds an individualized plan at admission, part-time included, and post-master’s applicants get a formal gap analysis that determines both coursework and clinical hours. If you are carrying a full-time nursing job, an unpredictable schedule, or a transcript with unusual graduate credit already on it, that flexibility is worth more than a shorter advertised timeline. Three intakes a year support it.

The clinical training is substantial and evenly balanced. The 616 hours run 116 above the 500-hour certification floor, and the split between the pediatric and women’s course and the adult course is exactly even at 168 hours each. Graduates are eligible for both the ANCC and AANPCB certification exams, so no credentialing door closes based on which body an employer prefers. The 280-hour final practicum is where the real workload concentrates, and it deserves planning well before the term begins.

What to confirm before you commit. The individualized model means Wright State’s published pages cannot answer three questions that decide fit. First, get your plan of study in writing, with term-by-term credit loads, since those loads determine whether you pay $800 per credit or the flat 11-to-18-hour rate. Second, pin down the campus visit count, because the program page and the catalog disagree. Third, ask directly who secures your preceptors and clinical sites, since nothing published says. A program that customizes everything gives you real flexibility, but it also shifts the burden of getting specifics in writing onto you.

Accreditation

Wright State’s university accreditation page states that the baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and post-graduate APRN certificate program are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. That scope covers both FNP tracks on this page.

Worth noting: the School of Nursing’s own FNP program page carries narrower language, naming only the master’s degree program in nursing. The university-level accreditation page is the broader and more current statement, and it explicitly includes the post-graduate APRN certificate.

Institutionally, Wright State is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and has been continuously accredited since 1968. HLC accreditation has no fixed expiration; it is a continuing relationship verified through the university’s own accreditation page. Institutional accreditation is what makes federal financial aid available and what makes your credits recognizable if you later apply to a DNP program elsewhere.

Graduates of both tracks are eligible to sit for the national FNP certification exam through either the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board. National certification is required for advanced practice licensure in most states.

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