Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner Online

In this program, nurses attain the knowledge and training needed to expand their advanced practice nursing skills and help patients achieve optimal health across the entire life span.

Apply by: 12/13/24
Start class: 1/6/25
Apply Now

Program Overview

Discover how our MSN - FNP online program stands out

This MSN – FNP online program prepares you to take your nursing practice from bedside-focused hospital care to caring for the overall health of patients at all points within the lifespan. By developing research, diagnostic and clinical skills, the UTA MSN – FNP program will prepare you to assume responsibility as a family nurse practitioner to provide healthcare in the areas of health promotion, disease prevention, and/or clinical management to patients and families in a variety of settings.

UTA's online MSN - Family Nurse Practitioner includes these key elements:

  • Develop collaborative relationships with other healthcare providers to focus on economic, psychosocial, cultural and environmental factors in the quality improvement of healthcare delivery for varied populations
  • Use research and theoretical principles in the management and quality improvement of healthcare delivery and clinical outcomes in a family nurse practitioner practice
  • Intensive training in evidence-based primary care practice specific to the health management needs of patients and families at each stage of life
  • Specialized knowledge in the areas of pharmacology, diagnostics, health assessment, advanced research and clinical management
  • Clinical experiences in your local area that fully prepare you to assume a role as an advanced practice primary care nurse

The clinical requirements included in the MSN – Family Nurse Practitioner program at UTA are intended to provide students with the experiential learning opportunities to enable them to transition successfully into the role of the nurse practitioner. An essential part of each clinical experience is active, hands-on practice guided by a licensed and certified preceptor with expertise in the therapeutic management of patients and their families.

Care provided by family nurse practitioners includes:

  • Conducting health screenings and advanced patient assessments
  • Ordering lab testing
  • Prescribing therapeutics
  • Conducting health screenings and advanced patient assessments
  • Ordering lab testing
  • Prescribing therapeutics

Family Nurse Practitioner Clinical and Preceptor Overview

Clinical experiences are intended to provide students in the online-enabled FNP program with experiential learning opportunities to enable them to transition successfully into the role of the Nurse Practitioner. You will begin your clinical courses in your second year of the program.

Clinical placement at The University of Texas at Arlington in the graduate nursing department is a collaborative process with each student. Students are asked to locate a preceptor which is aligned with their program requirements; however, the Graduate Nursing Department will provide assistance with clinical placement when a student is experiencing difficulty. Clinical placement policies are available in the Graduate Nursing clinical management system, Exxat, and are available to all students upon admission.

Successful fulfillment of clinicals requires following these steps:

  1. Clinical requirements:
    1. Drug test – not to be performed before 30 days in advance of first clinical course
    2. Background check – not to be performed before 30 days in advance of first clinical course
    3. Verification of immunization records
  2. Identification of preceptors and clinical sites
    1. Guidelines on best practices in recruiting your preceptors, forms to use, and other resources will be made available in Exxat. The graduate nursing department will provide assistance with locating a preceptor for students experiencing difficulty.
  3. Approval of preceptors and clinical sites by the Clinical Coordinator and/or course faculty
    1. All preceptors must sign a Preceptor Agreement using proper forms
    2. Clinical sites may require a written agreement or contract with the UT Arlington College of Nursing

Nurse Practitioner Clinical Overview

An essential part of each clinical experience is active, hands-on practice guided by a licensed and certified preceptor with expertise in the therapeutic management of patients and their families. The expectation is that students will grow and develop accuracy, completeness, and independence in evaluating, diagnosing, and managing patients. Experiences may include, but are not limited to the following:

  1. Provide evidence of clinical skills in performing advanced health assessments that include:
    1. Collecting a complete health history
    2. Examining all body systems
    3. Performing functional assessments to determine ability for self-care and independent living
    4. Collect additional data as needed (ECG, vision and hearing screening, urinalysis, blood sugar determination, hematocrit, pap-smear, wet-mount, hanging drop smear, nose and throat culture and others)
    5. Making appropriate decisions regarding priority needs for episodic data collection
    6. Determining which problems/data collection can be deferred
    7. Making an appropriate and accurate assessment of client's health status (rule outs, differential diagnoses, nursing diagnoses, etc.)
    8. Presenting pertinent data to preceptor in a succinct manner
    9. presenting a cost-effective, clinically sound plan of care which may include:
      1. Advanced nursing management
      2. medical intervention
      3. pharmacotherapeutics
      4. Diagnostic testing
      5. Teaching/counseling
      6. Follow-up plan
    10. Discussing with preceptor personal strengths and needed areas of improvement
    11. Selecting patients that reflect the content being taught in the specific course and program
  2. Show increasing evidence of ability to develop, implement and evaluate an appropriate management plan for common episodic, acute, chronic and rehabilitative health concerns for clients
  3. Show increasing evidence of ability to develop, implement and evaluate an appropriate plan for health maintenance and health promotion of clients
  4. Show evidence of ability to integrate health promotion/disease prevention activities into each client encounter
  5. Provide evidence of advanced nursing activities to promote and maintain health of children
  6. Demonstrate ability to provide quality, culturally sensitive healthcare for individuals of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds
  7. Provide evidence of the ability to formulate and administer advanced nursing care and medical therapeutics in a variety of setting
  8. Integrate current research findings into the development and implementation of healthcare for children and their families
  9. Continue personal development of the various roles of the nurse practitioner as evidenced by didactic and clinical work

General Preceptor Guidelines

  • Preceptors and clinical sites must be approved by the Clinical Coordinator and/or course faculty.
  • All preceptors must sign a "Preceptor Agreement." The agreement must be sent to the Clinical Coordinator no later than the first day of the clinical experience.
  • The UTA College of Nursing and Health Innovation requires that an affiliation agreement be in place with clinical agencies in order for the student to complete clinicals.

Due to the rigorous nature of the graduate nursing program and the time commitment of the coursework and clinical, students can expect to spend a significant amount of time studying and preparing required assignments. Generally, a student will be expected to spend 5 hours per week outside the class room for every 1 credit hour of the course. This means a 3 credit-hour class would require approximately 15 hours per week of student study time. Given this, it is strongly recommended that accepted applicants limit work schedules to keep up with the academic rigor of the program.

Clinical experiences are intended to provide students in the online-enabled FNP program with experiential learning opportunities to enable them to transition successfully into the role of the Nurse Practitioner. You will begin your clinical courses in your second year of the program.

Clinical placement at The University of Texas at Arlington in the graduate nursing department is a collaborative process with each student. Students are asked to locate a preceptor which is aligned with their program requirements; however, the Graduate Nursing Department will provide assistance with clinical placement when a student is experiencing difficulty. Clinical placement policies are available in the Graduate Nursing clinical management system, Exxat, and are available to all students upon admission.

Successful fulfillment of clinicals requires following these steps:

  1. Clinical requirements:
    1. Drug test – not to be performed before 30 days in advance of first clinical course
    2. Background check – not to be performed before 30 days in advance of first clinical course
    3. Verification of immunization records
  2. Identification of preceptors and clinical sites
    1. Guidelines on best practices in recruiting your preceptors, forms to use, and other resources will be made available in Exxat. The graduate nursing department will provide assistance with locating a preceptor for students experiencing difficulty.
  3. Approval of preceptors and clinical sites by the Clinical Coordinator and/or course faculty
    1. All preceptors must sign a Preceptor Agreement using proper forms
    2. Clinical sites may require a written agreement or contract with the UT Arlington College of Nursing

Nurse Practitioner Clinical Overview

An essential part of each clinical experience is active, hands-on practice guided by a licensed and certified preceptor with expertise in the therapeutic management of patients and their families. The expectation is that students will grow and develop accuracy, completeness, and independence in evaluating, diagnosing, and managing patients. Experiences may include, but are not limited to the following:

  1. Provide evidence of clinical skills in performing advanced health assessments that include:
    1. Collecting a complete health history
    2. Examining all body systems
    3. Performing functional assessments to determine ability for self-care and independent living
    4. Collect additional data as needed (ECG, vision and hearing screening, urinalysis, blood sugar determination, hematocrit, pap-smear, wet-mount, hanging drop smear, nose and throat culture and others)
    5. Making appropriate decisions regarding priority needs for episodic data collection
    6. Determining which problems/data collection can be deferred
    7. Making an appropriate and accurate assessment of client's health status (rule outs, differential diagnoses, nursing diagnoses, etc.)
    8. Presenting pertinent data to preceptor in a succinct manner
    9. presenting a cost-effective, clinically sound plan of care which may include:
      1. Advanced nursing management
      2. medical intervention
      3. pharmacotherapeutics
      4. Diagnostic testing
      5. Teaching/counseling
      6. Follow-up plan
    10. Discussing with preceptor personal strengths and needed areas of improvement
    11. Selecting patients that reflect the content being taught in the specific course and program
  2. Show increasing evidence of ability to develop, implement and evaluate an appropriate management plan for common episodic, acute, chronic and rehabilitative health concerns for clients
  3. Show increasing evidence of ability to develop, implement and evaluate an appropriate plan for health maintenance and health promotion of clients
  4. Show evidence of ability to integrate health promotion/disease prevention activities into each client encounter
  5. Provide evidence of advanced nursing activities to promote and maintain health of children
  6. Demonstrate ability to provide quality, culturally sensitive healthcare for individuals of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds
  7. Provide evidence of the ability to formulate and administer advanced nursing care and medical therapeutics in a variety of setting
  8. Integrate current research findings into the development and implementation of healthcare for children and their families
  9. Continue personal development of the various roles of the nurse practitioner as evidenced by didactic and clinical work

General Preceptor Guidelines

  • Preceptors and clinical sites must be approved by the Clinical Coordinator and/or course faculty.
  • All preceptors must sign a "Preceptor Agreement." The agreement must be sent to the Clinical Coordinator no later than the first day of the clinical experience.
  • The UTA College of Nursing and Health Innovation requires that an affiliation agreement be in place with clinical agencies in order for the student to complete clinicals.

Due to the rigorous nature of the graduate nursing program and the time commitment of the coursework and clinical, students can expect to spend a significant amount of time studying and preparing required assignments. Generally, a student will be expected to spend 5 hours per week outside the class room for every 1 credit hour of the course. This means a 3 credit-hour class would require approximately 15 hours per week of student study time. Given this, it is strongly recommended that accepted applicants limit work schedules to keep up with the academic rigor of the program.

State Authorization

Residents of certain states may not be eligible to enroll in all UTA accelerated online programs. See program map for details. Currently enrolled students who reside in ineligible states will need approval to continue uninterrupted in their programs in accordance with applicable state laws. Approval is not guaranteed.

Also available:

UTA offers a wide variety of nursing programs online. Check out all of our online nursing programs.

Not looking for an online program?

We also offer this program on campus!
Total Tuition* $30,084
Duration As few as 32-36 months
Credit Hours 46

Accreditation

CCNE accreditation logo

The baccalaureate, master's and Doctor of Nursing Practice degree programs and the post-graduate APRN certificate program in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at The University of Texas at Arlington are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

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Need more information?

Call 866-489-2810

Call 866-489-2810

Be inspired by an FNP graduate at UTA!

Tuition

Learn how affordable UTA’s MSN – Family Nurse Practitioner is

The University of Texas at Arlington is committed to providing students with a quality, affordable education. That's why this online program offers pay-by-the course options.

To determine the cost of additional course materials required, check with the UTA Bookstore.

Tuition Guarantee

Did you know if you enroll now and complete your program without interruption, you can lock in your tuition rate? Read more

Tuition breakdown:

Total Tuition $30,084*
Per Credit Hour $654
UTA Testimonial Ashley Johnson

“It works perfect for me. I feel like I can still have a life, work full-time and go to school. To me, it would be impossible to work, wake up the next day or on a day off and go to class. I'd rather just open up a laptop and go to class. It's just easier for my work schedule and much more convenient.”

Ashley Johnson

UTA MSN - FNP online graduate

UTA testimonial adrienne villarreal

“For me, the flexibility of being able to study whenever I needed to, after I put the kids to bed, and not having to worry about being in a classroom setting was one of the big reasons why I picked UTA.”

Adrienne Villarreal

UTA online MSN – FNP program graduate

Calendar

See our application deadlines and class schedules

The MSN – FNP online program offers multiple start dates to accommodate your professional and personal schedule.

8-week coursesProgram Start DateApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlinePayment Due
Spring I1/6/2512/13/2412/27/241/3/25
Spring II2/17/251/17/251/31/252/14/25
Spring II3/31/252/28/253/14/253/28/25
Summer I5/19/254/18/255/2/255/16/25
Summer II6/30/255/30/256/13/256/27/25
Fall II8/18/257/18/258/1/258/15/25
Fall II9/29/258/29/259/12/259/26/25
Fall III11/3/2510/3/2510/17/2510/31/25

Now enrolling:

Apply Date 12/13/24
Class Starts 1/6/25

Ready to take the next steps toward earning your degree?

Apply Now

Admissions

Find your fit for our online MSN - FNP program

The College of Nursing and Health Innovation admission process is the first step toward changing your life and enriching the lives of others. Familiarize yourself with these admission requirements, along with information on required documentation.

Admission Requirements

  • Online application
  • Official transcripts
  • Active RN license

Online Admission Requirements

  • Unconditional admission for students with a 3.0 GPA or higher
  • Probationary admission for applicants with 2.8-2.99 GPA
  • An unencumbered RN license
  • Completion of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited program and a regionally accredited school
  • Undergraduate (basic) statistics course with a minimum grade of "C"
  • International students are required to have a TSE score of 40 or higher. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam is required if the applicant's native or first language is not English and if he or she does not hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. institution. TOEFL score requirement includes minimum of 550 on paper-based test, 213 on computer-based test, or 79 on the internet-based test, and achieve the following minimum scores of subtests: Writing, 22; Speaking, 21; Reading, 20; and Listening, 16; or IELTS minimum score of 7.0

Visit Graduate Nursing Advising for a list of AO Graduate advisors.

Transfer Credits

The maximum amount of credit that may transfer from another university is 10 semester hours. The syllabus for the course(s) you wish to transfer will need to be reviewed. You must apply before we can review your syllabus.

Have a question? Call us at 866-489-2810.

Learn more about our admission requirements, review the nursing handbook and policies, and discover tips for success on the UTA College of Nursing and Health Innovation (CONHI) page.

Courses

Read about our online nursing courses

To complete the MSN – FNP online program, students must complete the following courses.

Duration: 5 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A critical examination of the philosophical and theoretical bases for nursing science.
Duration: 11 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course focuses on developing an advanced knowledge base of pathophysiology. Principles of biochemistry, molecular biology and nutrition are applied to disease processes. Clinical Hours: 0 hours
Duration: 11 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Study of clinical pharmacological therapeutics for advanced nursing practice.
Duration: 5 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 2
Apply theoretical foundations and clinical skills in comprehensive health assessment across the lifespan.
Duration: 3 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1
Conduct comprehensive health assessment in the adult-gerontology population.
Duration: 3 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1
Conduct comprehensive health assessment in the pediatric population.
Duration: 5 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Theory and application of the multiple roles of the advanced practice nurse within the healthcare system.
Duration: 5 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course focuses on integration of theoretical and empirical principles of nursing research to generate evidence for nursing practice.
Duration: 5 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course focuses on preparation to implement evidence-based change in practice.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 4
Focuses on advanced concepts and knowledge for nurse practitioner primary care management of designated acute, chronic and complex health problems of individuals and families across the lifespan. Particular emphasis will be on pediatric wellness, women’s health, men’s health, and geriatrics concepts and conditions.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 4
Focuses on advanced concepts and knowledge for nurse practitioner primary care management of designated acute, chronic and complex health problems of individuals and families across the lifespan. Particular emphasis will be on renal, neurological, infectious disease, cardiac, vascular, ophthalmology, and hematology concepts and conditions.
Duration: 8 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 4
Focuses on advanced concepts and knowledge for nurse practitioner primary care management of designated acute, chronic and complex health problems of individuals and families across the lifespan. Particular emphasis will be on adult wellness, psychiatric, cardiometabolic, and ENT/Respiratory concepts and conditions.
Duration: 11 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Clinical Hours: 180 Hours
Duration: 11 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Clinical Hours: 180 Hours
Duration: 13 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 6
Clinical preceptorships in selected health practice sites with opportunities to apply knowledge, skills and concepts in a guided, progressive context of advanced nursing practice. Clinical Hours: 360 Hours

Additional Information

Due to the rigorous nature of the graduate nursing program and the time commitment of the coursework and clinical, students can expect to spend a significant amount of time studying and preparing required assignments. Generally, a student will be expected to spend 5 hours per week outside the class room for every 1 credit hour of the course. This means a 3 credit-hour class would require approximately 15 hours per week of student study time. Given this, it is strongly recommended that accepted applicants limit work schedules to keep up with the academic rigor of the program.

To see which courses are going to be offered on each start date, download the course schedule.

*Per-course tuition based on 3 credit-hour courses.

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