Advance your career to Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
No matter where you are in your nursing career, Herzing University offers unique MSN and DNP educational pathways for you to advance towards becoming a family nurse practitioner.
- Program length: 20 months
- Classes: View the curriculum
- Enrollment: View the requirements
- Program length: 24 months
- Classes: View the curriculum
- Enrollment: View the requirements
- Program length: 16-20 months
- Classes: View the curriculum
- Enrollment: View the requirements
- Program length: 32 months
- Classes: View the curriculum
- Enrollment: View the requirements
Herzing University’s online FNP program pathways
| Accreditation | CCNE accredited,1 Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission |
|---|---|
| Program length | 16-24 months, depending on degree choice |
| Options | Options for nurses who hold an ADN/ASN, BSN, or MSN degree |
| Paying for school | Scholarships and financial aid available for those who qualify; transfer credit from prior college coursework to reduce cost and time |
| Clinicals | We pledge your clinical placement |
| Format | Flexible online study with multiple start dates |
| QuickPaths | Transfer credit, stackable credentials, and adaptive learning technology build a faster pathway to a higher education with Herzing University |
Discover your potential
Get in touch to learn more about our school and how we can help you reach your highest career goals.
Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best online graduate nursing programs in 2024
Your clinical placement is our pledge.
We understand securing clinical placement as part of an FNP program is one of the biggest concerns students face. At Herzing, we offer guidance and support through our step-by-step Clinical Guidance Process to ensure you can get the clinical practice experiences you need.
As a Herzing student, we’ll encourage you to find your own preceptor and clinical sites as there are many benefits to doing so. However, we provide extensive support should you find difficulty along the way. With Herzing, you are never on your own.
Because of our strong relationships with healthcare providers across the U.S. and our comprehensive Clinical Guidance Process, we are confident in our ability to help you find clinical placement. So much so that if you are unable to find a clinical site on your own, we pledge to step in and help you secure clinical placement.*
* Subject to terms and conditions outlined in the enrollment documents.
Scholarship Opportunity
You may be eligible for the Herzing University Nurses Circle of Achievement Scholarship.
Eligibility requirements include a minimum GPA earned in your undergraduate nursing program, and maintaining a minimum GPA throughout the MSN program.
You can potentially earn 10% tuition reduction!
Tuition & Cost
Our goal is your career advancement. That’s why we are always working to improve our curriculums and processes to make our nurse practitioner programs as affordable as possible while preparing you best for success in your work.
The cost of tuition for our FNP program options varies by program. Overall cost can be reduced through transfer credit from prior college coursework, scholarships and grants, loans, VA and military benefits, and several additional options for financial aid.
With Herzing University, you are never alone, and we offer many options to help you invest in yourself, earn your master’s degree in nursing and become a leader in nursing.
Pathways to Success
Many of our online programs offer pathways for continued learning, which allow you to move from one degree, such as an associate degree, to a bachelor’s degree, to a master’s degree.
Flexible and Convenient
Earn your degree from the comfort of your own home. There are no designated times you must be online. You can log into your virtual classroom when it’s convenient for you.
Personalized Attention
At Herzing, being online does not mean being alone.You’ll receive the same personalized attention and career-focused education that we offer in our traditional classroom.
Online and/or On-Campus
Get the best of both worlds. Some of our degree programs are offered exclusively online and some programs are offered as a combination of both campus and online classes.
I don’t have a nursing degree. Where do I start?
If you have already earned a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, there are two potential educational pathways in nursing we’ve designed with you in mind:
- Accelerated BSN (ABSN) program. Our on-campus ABSN program, available at select Herzing campuses, allows you to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in as few as 20 months (most students complete in 24 months).
- MSN Direct Entry program. Start working towards a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) right from the start in our online direct entry MSN program. You can graduate in as few as 20 months.
If you have not yet earned an undergraduate degree in any major, you will need to first earn an Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or BSN.
Once you’ve earned an undergraduate nursing degree, you can become eligible to enroll in an MSN, post master’s certificate, or BSN to DNP program with an FNP specialization.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Registered nurses holding an associate degree who enroll in an accelerated RN to MSN (Nurse Practitioner concentration/track) program may skip earning a Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) on their way to earning their MSN.
Those who want to become an NP but only have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree may be eligible to enroll in our online Direct Entry MSN program, which makes it possible to earn a master’s degree in nursing in as few as 20 months without earning a BSN on the way.
Completing the Accelerated RN to FNP option with Herzing takes 24 months. If you choose this path you will not earn a BSN.
If you choose to earn your BSN first, you’ll need 12 months to go from RN to BSN, and another 20 months to go from BSN to FNP in our MSN-FNP program—for a total of at least 32 months. If you choose to eventually go from BSN to DNP-FNP, it would take about 44 months (12 + 32).
It can take roughly 3-5 years to go from non-nurse to NP through our program options but it depends on what education you’ve already earned and how quickly you want to progress.
This depends on the state in which you practice. Qualifying for NP school is not the same as qualifying for NP jobs. You may not need to be a Registered Nurse (RN) to qualify for an NP degree program, but some employers may require a minimum amount of RN experience from NP job applicants.
Nurse practitioner represents an advanced practice role in nursing—it’s not an easy job, and our goal is to prepare you best for success! We strive to keep coursework manageable, but provide you with the knowledge, skills, and valuable clinical experiences to succeed as a nurse practitioner.
Our goal is to help you balance the challenge of an NP curriculum with everything else in your life, including your work, family and friends. You can take courses at the right pace for you, so you can get the most out of going back to school and be ready to practice as a nurse practitioner.
Here’s a selection of the most common types of nurse practitioners:
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
- Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP)
- Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP)
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
- Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP)
Each specialty has its own unique requirements in terms of job experience and certification.
No. To become a nurse practitioner, you will need to earn a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurse practitioners earn an average salary of $128,490 per year ($61.78 per hour). Pay depends on many factors, including your location, what healthcare institution you work for and your level of experience.*
Discover the average nurse practitioner salary by state and find out what nurse practitioners make on average near you.
Sometimes hospitals form partnerships with schools like ours to provide employees with unique benefits should they choose to pursue an advanced nursing degree.
Employees of Herzing partners can potentially earn college credit for prior work or military experience, transfer existing credit, or earn a scholarship to make going back to school more affordable.
If you are currently an RN considering becoming a nurse practitioner, view our educational partnerships or check with your employer for potential possibilities.
Accreditation & Disclosures
1. The master’s degree program in nursing, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at Herzing University Madison are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org). Herzing University is approved to offer programs in an online learning modality through association with the main campus in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Choose your NP pathway
Considering all of your options for nurse practitioner specialties?
Herzing University offers multiple nurse practitioner programs for current nurses holding an associate, bachelor's, or master's degree in nursing.
Our goal is to help you walk your career path no matter where you are, or where you want to go.
Explore Herzing NP programs