Family Nurse Practitioner

We admit students for the Post-Graduate Certificate program for Spring Semester admission. Please see Application Deadlines.

Please see the posted FNP Plans of Study.

• FNP MS Program is completed in less than 2.5 years (8 semesters) as a full-time student.
• FNP BS-DNP program is completed in a little more than 4 years (12 semesters for Spring admits, 13 semesters for Fall admits). Students are able to receive their MS at less than 2.5 years (8 semesters) into the BS-DNP program and are then eligible to sit for the national certification examination.
• FNP Post-Graduate Certificate program is completed in just over 1 year (5 semesters).

The FNP program is completed full-time in a cohort, meaning in the Fall and Spring, students admitted enroll in the program at the same time, complete all courses in a sequence together, and graduate together.

The courses are offered in an online format with some classes having in-class intensives.

Most students can complete the program at a distance online but will need to be able to attend on-campus intensives. It is advised students contact student affairs to discuss their specific state requirements prior to applying to the program.

Yes. The FNP program requires 14 credits of clinical experience, which equals to 630 clinical hours for the MS.

The University of Colorado College of Nursing is responsible for ensuring adequate and sufficient clinical experiences for students in all programs, including students enrolled in distance programs. Clinical placements are arranged by the College of Nursing for students who live in the Denver Metropolitan Seven-County area (Denver, Jefferson, Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, Broomfield, and Boulder counties.)

For those who live outside of the Denver Metropolitan area, the students are asked to take the primary role in identifying their preceptors. The Specialty Director will assess the preceptor qualifications and student learning needs and will make the final determination regarding student- preceptor match.

In the unusual situation that a rural or out-of-state student is unable to find a clinical preceptor, a student may be required to complete clinical experiences in the Denver Metro (seven counties) area to assure timely academic progression.

This process can take several months to achieve an affiliation agreement, so we highly recommend providing information about an institution to your Specialty Director shortly after program admission. However, if a rural or out-of-state student is unable to find a clinical preceptor(s)/site, the College of Nursing will provide a clinical site, which may NOT be in the geographic location of the student but will provide the student an adequate experience to meet the program outcomes.

Additionally, if there is a concern of a clinical practice, a student may be asked to complete the clinical time in the Denver Metropolitan area for more direct observation and assessment by the College of Nursing faculty/Specialty Director.

​Yes, successful program completion will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and make students eligible to sit for national AGPCNP certification with ANCC or AANP, depending on which examination you choose.

Yes, you may take up to 12 semester credits as a non-degree student prior to being accepted to the program. You must meet all prerequisite requirements of the course. Non-degree students register on a space available basis during open enrollment just prior to the beginning of the semester.