Master of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner Track

Through the Family Nurse Practitioner track, students will learn how to:

• Assess, diagnose, treat and manage acute episodic and chronic illnesses
• Become experts in health promotion and disease prevention
• Teach and counsel patients
• Order, conduct, supervise, and interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests
• Prescribe pharmacological agents and non-pharmacologic therapies

Program Overview

• Begin in Fall or Spring semester
• 47 credit hours
• 18-month and 27-month schedule options
  • Please note that Graduate Nursing does not follow the published NCC Graduate Summer calendar and concludes a week later.  Please plan accordingly.
  • Click here to see the Nursing Graduate Academic Calendar
• Hybrid model including traditional and online courses
  • Didactic courses are taught online, asynchronous
  • Laboratory/simulation courses are taught on campus
• On-site clinical practicums and the completion of 750 clinical hours at various hospitals and clinics, is required

Foundational curriculum content deemed essential for all students who pursue a master’s degree in nursing regardless of the functional focus:

• NURS 500 - Professional Role Development into Advanced Nursing Practice
• NURS 501 - Applied Research and Biostatistics in Evidence-Based Practice
• NURS 502 - Population Health and Healthcare Delivery in a Global Society
• NURS 503 - Healthcare Quality Outcomes, Safety and Informatics

Essential content for students that provide direct patient services at the advanced level:

• NURS 504 - Advanced Pharmacology Across the Lifespan
• NURS 505 - Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan
• NURS 506 - Advanced Physical Assessment, Clinical Reasoning and Diagnosis Across the Lifespan
• NURS 507 Lab -Advanced Physical Assessment Across the Lifespan

Curriculum 

Semester One

Semester Two

Semester Three

Semester Four

Semester Five

Semester Six

Semester Seven

Important Dates

June 24, 2024 - Priority deadline to apply for Fall semester start 

July 22, 2024 - Standard deadline to apply for Fall semester start

Admissions Criteria

Apply using our free North Central application.

• A username and password will be generated and sent to the email you provide. You will have 30 days to complete the online application.

North Central College’s MSN program is committed to holistic admission, which assesses an applicant’s unique experiences alongside traditional measures of academic achievement such as grades and test scores. Admission decisions will be made within two months of the application deadline. Applicants will be invited to participate in an on-campus and/or virtual interview format.

Applicants must have:

• An earned BSN of CCNE or ACEN baccalaureate accredited program
• A current, unencumbered RN license
  • While North Central accepts students from multiple states/territories, applicants outside of Illinois should check with their state regulatory body 
• A cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale for the last 60 hours of their BSN program
• Submitted official post-secondary academic transcripts
• Completed undergraduate statistics (3 credit hours) with a “C” or higher
• Submitted a resume/CV with academic and work history, certificates and services
• Submitted three letters of recommendation--at least one from a professional nurse colleague (supervisor or preceptor) and one from a professor or graduate-level prepared nursing colleague who can address the applicant’s professional and/or academic qualifications
  • Applicants - please send this recommendation submission link to colleagues and supervisors
• Completed a personal narrative including experiences (healthcare experiences, educational background, community enrichment), and attributes (resilience, integrity, intellectual curiosity, ethnicity/race, socioeconomic status, multilingual abilities, geography, faith, perseverance)
• Completed application 

Apply Today!

State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreements

The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions offering distance education to attain authorization from the state where educational services are offered. North Central College is authorized by the state of Illinois to participate in the National Council for State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). The NC-SARA provides oversight of post-secondary distance education, allowing the institution to provide online education to students in participating SARA member states, without obtaining authorization in that state. Regulations vary from state to state. All states EXCEPT California are currently authorized as SARA member states. SARA provides institutional reciprocity for educational offerings only and does not provide reciprocity for professional licensing. Information regarding NC-SARA can be found here.

Professional Licensure

State Board of Nursing requirements vary by state. Therefore, students considering enrollment in online graduate nursing programs, should contact the licensing agency of the state where their educational institution is located prior to beginning their academic program to ensure that the program meets the standards established by their home state’s licensure regulations.

For Fall 2023 admissions, North Central College Graduate Nursing Program, is offering the MSN and Post-Master Certificates to students in the following states and US Territories:

• American Samoa
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Colombia
• Florida
• Guam
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Montana
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• Rhode Island
• Texas
• Virgin Islands
• Virginia
• West Virginia

Onsite Requirements

In addition to on-site practicum experiences local to the student at approved institutional affiliates to meet required practicum hours, students in the graduate nursing program are required to come to Naperville, IL campus for 2-3 campus visits* during the course of their program. The number and length of the visits varies by specialty program. Prospective students may inquire with the Graduate Nursing Program at North Central College to confirm on-campus requirements. Limited assistance to support the visits may be available.

*Dates will be provided prior to the start of the program

Cost of Attendance

When considering the financial cost of attending college, one number doesn't tell the whole story. Cost of Attendance (CoA) provides a more complete picture of total direct and indirect costs of one academic year at North Central College.

Direct costs are expenses that will be included on your semester bill, such as tuition and fees, as well as housing and food if applicable.

Indirect costs are expenses that won't show up on your bill but should be considered. Examples of indirect costs include books, classroom supplies, traveling, and personal expenses.

Note that total CoA is only an estimated number and will change based on your specific lifestyle and living arrangements.

Cost of Attendance for 18-Month Schedule 

Cost of Attendance for 27-Month Schedule

Cost of tuition and fees are subject to change. Please visit northcentralcollege.edu/financial-aid/graduate for more information.

Scholarships and Awards

North Central College offers several scholarships and awards to help you reduce tuition cost by up to 25%, including:

• Alliance Partnership
• Opportunity Award 
• North Central College Alumni 
  • Offer can be extended to family of alumni

Post-Graduate APRN Certificate: Family Nurse Practitioner

The North Central College Post-Graduate APRN Certificate program provides opportunities for registered nurses who already have a master’s in nursing in another discipline to advance their education, and gain the specialized knowledge, skills and abilities to deliver independent care as clinicians.

Students will learn how to perform medical diagnoses and treatment through evidence-based didactic instruction. Problem-based learning, simulation and clinical practice hours will allow students to deepen their clinical reasoning and decision-making skills. Family Nurse Practitioner coursework will provide students with instruction on primary care across the lifespan, focusing on both episodic acute and chronic care.

Launch your certificate in the Spring or Summer semester. 

Admission Requirements

Applicants can apply using our free North Central application. Deadline to apply is December 8, 2023.

North Central College’s program is committed to a holistic admission process which assesses an applicant’s unique experiences alongside traditional measures of academic achievement such as grades and test scores. Admission decisions will be made within two months of the application deadline and the program will begin in the Spring semester. Applicants will be invited to participate in an on-campus and/or virtual interview format.

Applicants must have:

• An earned MSN from a CCNE or ACEN Master accredited program
• A current, unencumbered RN license
  • While North Central accepts students from multiple states/territories, applicants outside of Illinois should check with their state regulatory body
• A cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale for their prior MSN degree course work
• Submitted official post-secondary academic transcripts
• Submitted a resume/CV with academic and work history, certificates and services
• Submitted three letters of recommendation--at least one from a professional nurse colleague (supervisor or preceptor) and one from a professor or graduate-level prepared nursing colleague who can address the applicant’s professional and/or academic qualifications
  • Applicants - please send this recommendation submission link to colleagues and supervisors
• Completed a personal narrative including experiences (healthcare experiences, educational background, community enrichment), and attributes (resilience, integrity, intellectual curiosity, ethnicity/race, socioeconomic status, multilingual abilities, geography, faith, perseverance)
• Completed application 

Apply Today!

Certification Exam

Upon completion of the certificate program, graduates are eligible to sit for a targeted certificate examination offered by one of the national credentialing centers. Once certified, graduates from the FNP track, who have successfully passed their national specialty boards certification can apply for an Advanced Practice license in their state of residence to be eligible to practice independently in their specialty as an FNP-BC.

*Please see specific state requirements for APN licensure

Curriculum

The Post-Graduate APRN Certificate program:

• Offers launch points in the Spring and Summer semesters
• Offers 16-month or 20-month schedule options
• Is 35 credit hours OR 23 credit hours if student holds a NP degree in a different focus from Family Nurse Practitioner
  • Number of credits required is dependent upon the student’s prior advanced practice degree and course work

Year One - Spring Semester

Year One - Summer Semester

Year One - Fall Semester

Year Two - Spring Semester