Master of Science in Family Nurse Practitioner (Online)

Career Outlook: Fill the Primary Care Shortage

By 2034, communities nationwide could experience a shortage of 37,800 to 124,000 physicians, including shortfalls in primary and specialty care.¹

At the same time, 27 states and Washington, D.C. now permit FNPs to practice without physician supervision.² This allows you to fill the primary care shortage by building your practice and providing compassionate care to the people who need it most.

The median salary for nurse practitioners and other advanced practice nursing positions is $132,050, with 40% job growth projected through 2033.³ This growth is driven by baby boomers living longer, more active lives.

Fill the demand for primary care providers.

Help others, advance the ideals of health and wellness, and provide care to people of all ages as a Family Nurse Practitioner with an online FNP degree from Utica University.

RANKED NO. 1 IN U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT’S 100 BEST JOBS IN AMERICA, BASED ON SALARY AND PROJECTED JOBS⁴
$132,050 MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY³
40% JOB GROWTH PROJECTED THROUGH 2033³

The online FNP degree supports your preparation for FNP certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners National Certification Board (AANP).

Graduate in as few as 8 semesters prepared to help fill the high demand for patient-centered care, diagnosis, and treatment.

Career Spotlight: Family Nurse Practitioner

$132,050/year

As a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)³, you test, diagnose, treat, and create preventive health care plans for patients throughout their lives. You also create health care policies at the local, state, or government levels. Family Nurse Practitioners are often relied on as the first provider of care for common family health problems and in some states, can practice without physician supervision and operate their own practice.

Key Skills Employers Need

Analyze, design, implement, and evaluate nursing care.
Initiate, maintain, and demonstrate skills in care coordination, delegation, and conflict resolution strategies.
Promote safe, high-quality care through your ability to monitor, analyze, and prioritize outcomes that need to be improved for individuals, families, communities, and clinical populations.
Use critical reflection to translate evidence and integrate scholarship into advanced nursing practice.
Incorporate current technologies to deliver and coordinate care across multiple settings.
Promote health, help shape the health-delivery system, and advance values like social justice through policy processes and advocacy.
Actively collaborate with other health professionals to improve care across systems.
Design and ensure the delivery of clinical prevention interventions and population-based care that promotes health, reduces the risk of chronic illness, and prevents disease.
Facilitate commitment to a culture of nursing excellence through lifelong personal and professional development.
Integrate the arts and sciences, including leadership and ethical principles, with nursing science as a foundation for decision-making within diverse situations, settings, and communities resulting in safe patient care, quality outcomes, and health promotion.
Use critical reflection, innovation, and inter-professional collaboration to promote lifelong learning and continual improvement, integrate current evidence, and inform policy.
Incorporate current technologies to augment professional practice and scholarship.

Sources:

1. Association of American Medical Colleges (2021 June 11). New research shows increasing physician shortages in both primary and specialty care. Retrieved on May 15, 2022, from https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/press-releases/aamc-report-reinforces-mounting-physician-shortage
2. Barton Associates (November 21, 2024). In What States Can Nurse Practitioners Practice Independently? Retrieved on May 15, 2025, from https://www.bartonassociates.com/blog/best-states-for-nurse-practitioner-nps/
3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook, Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners. Retrieved on May 15, 2025, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm
4. U.S. News and World Report (2025). The 100 Best Jobs in America. Retrieved May 20, 2025 from https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/the-100-best-jobs.

Ready to learn more about our Family Nurse Practitioner M.S. program?

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Faculty Spotlights

At Utica University, you’ll work directly with faculty who have years of combined healthcare and nursing education experience. They’ll ensure you’re well prepared to serve as an FNP by sharing their learning from real-world practice.

Utica nursing faculty bring decades of experience in nursing education, research, and practice.

Janice Ceccucci, DNP, FNP-BC

Director of Graduate Nursing Programs (MS, FNP)

Janice Ceccucci, DNP, FNP-BC, Assistant Professor of Nursing in the School of Health Professions and Education, completed her bachelor of nursing and master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner from SUNY Polytechnic Institute in an accelerated program. She earned her doctor of nursing practice at Upstate Medical University.

Janice brings with her more than 20 years of experience in nursing and emergency medicine, including forensic nursing for victims of sexual assault. She has also practiced in primary care and tele-health services.

Professor of Practice, Nurse Practitioner Program Coordinator

Elizabeth received her Master of Science in Family Nurse Practitioner from SUNY Institute of Technology, her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Russell Sage College, and her Associate of Arts and Science in Practical Nursing from Northwest Technical College. Prior to being hired to her current position, Elizabeth taught multiple clinical sections as an adjunct in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Utica College.

Frequently Asked Questions

Advancing your life and career with an online degree comes with lots of questions, and we want to ensure your search for answers is effortless.

To learn more, speak with an enrollment counselor by calling 1-315-792-3333.

Interested in our state authorizations? To learn about state authorizations, click here.

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Utica University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

The master’s degree program in nursing and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Utica University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

You can apply to the online Family Nurse Practitioner program in four steps — click here to get started. Note that you will need a bachelor’s degree in nursing from an accredited nursing program to join this program.

If you would like to review the requirements with a Utica University enrollment counselor, call 1-315-792-3333 or email admissions@utica.edu.

In the Family Nurse Practitioner program, you will complete 775 practicum hours. This part of the program helps you gain experience in a clinical setting. Visit the course curriculum to review details for this program.

With the Family Nurse Practitioner program, you can earn a Master of Science in Nursing degree in as few as 20 months. Plus, you may transfer up to six credits from a regionally accredited institution to complete this program ahead of schedule. Review additional details in our course curriculum catalog.

The online Family Nurse Practitioner program’s cost per credit hour is $850. The program includes 48 credits, and the total estimated tuition is $40,800. To help eligible students reduce their costs, Utica University accepts up to nine credits to this program.

Curriculum

The online FNP degree requires the completion of 16 courses and prepares you for FNP certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners National Certification Board (AANP). Courses are designed to strengthen your nursing skills so you can deliver outstanding patient care, lead nursing teams, help prevent the spread of diseases, and more. After completing NUR 611 Advanced Health Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning, and prior to commencing the practicum, students in the FNP program will be required to attend a three-day in-person immersion experience on the Utica University campus.

See below for a sample plan of study. Please check with your Success Coach for your individualized plan of study.

You’ll begin the FNP degree with core courses in nursing leadership, health care quality improvement, and more.

Next, you’ll build your skills in primary care, including leading nursing teams, preventing the spread of disease, public health and epidemiology, and treating acute injuries and chronic illness.

Explore Courses

Online M.S. in Family Nurse Practitioner Requirements

To apply for the online master’s in Family Nurse Practitioner program at Utica, you’ll need the following:

Completed application
3.0 GPA
Applicants with a GPA below the minimum may be admitted at the department’s discretion. A GPA letter will be required.
Official Transcripts: All students seeking enrollment must have a bachelor’s degree in nursing from an accredited nursing program.
Two letters of recommendation from a current nursing colleague or professional licensed as an RN, physician, or nurse practitioner
2,000 hours of work experience as a registered nurse in the United States, verified by an HR department
Writing Sample:
Detail your personal and professional goals and explain how this program will help you bring them to life. The statement of interest must include well-constructed responses to the following:
- Describe how your professional experiences have prepared you for future education in the role which is the focus of your desired track.
- Describe your plans to alter your work, professional and /or personal obligations in order to have time needed to successfully complete graduate course and clinical work.
- Identify one significant contemporary issue/problem in the current US health care system and discuss how members of the nursing discipline can help address/solve the issue/problem.
3-credit statistics course (grade of B or higher*)
*Students with a B- or lower grade in statistics will be provided the option of completing a self-study module and accompanying exam.
3-credit baccalaureate-level health assessment course including observed laboratory*
*Students with a B- or lower grade in Health Assessment will be required to successfully complete a 3 credit hour course prior to starting the program.
Successful Background Check: Not required for admission. Approved background check and fingerprints required prior to beginning practicum courses. Students shall be drug-screened through arrangements made by the school and the screening agency. Students are responsible for the cost of all screenings. You may be denied participation and placement at a clinical agency based on the background or drug screening findings and the clinical agency’s pre-employment screening policy.
Withdrawal from the program will be necessary if you cannot be placed in a clinical agency to meet program practicum requirements.
Résumé - A detailed work history that highlights any experience that may be relevant to this program
Unencumbered RN license in the state in which you reside (NY or FL).

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Tuition and Financial Aid

This 48-credit Master of Science in Family Nurse Practitioner program costs $850 per credit hour. Utica University is dedicated to making an advanced education accessible and affordable. Learn more about financial aid, including grants, student loans, and other options, on the Financial Aid tab of our Admissions page.

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Sample Plan of Study

Semester:	Curriculum:
Semester 1	NUR 588: Organization Leadership & Role Development of the Advanced Practice Nurse (D1) 3 credits didactic	NUR 603: Quality Improvement & Safety in Health Care (D2) 3 credits didactic
Semester 2	NUR 604: Advanced Pathophysiology (D1) 3 credits didactic	NUR 614: Statistical Analysis & Scholarly Inquiry (D2) 3 credits didactic
Semester 3	NUR 608: Epidemiology & Population Health (D1) 3 credits didactic	NUR 609: Nursing Research & Evidence Based Practice (D2) 3 credits didactic
Semester 4	NUR 611: Advanced Health Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning I (D1) 3 credits didactic	NUR 615: Advanced Pharmacology I (D2) 3 credits didactic	NUR 995: FNP Skills Residency – Immersive Experience 0 credits
Semester 5	NUR 616: Advanced Pharmacology II (D1) 2 credits didactic	NUR 621: Health Promotion & Primary Care I (D3) 2.5 credits didactic, 2.5 credits practicum
Semester 6	NUR 622: Health Promotion & Primary Care II (D3) 2.5 credits didactic, 2.5 credits practicum	NUR 612: Advanced Health Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning II (D2) 2 credits didactic
Semester 7	NUR 625: Health Promotion & Primary Care III (D3) 3 credits didactic, 3 credits practicum	NUR 613: Health Policy & Advocacy (D1) 2 credits didactic	NUR 634: NP Culminating Seminar (D2) 2 credits didactic

Contact Our Admissions Team

Admissions

(315) 792-3333

connect@info.utica.edu