It's a high calling to help others in their time of need.

If you are a registered nurse (RN) who wants to take the next step in your education and your nursing career, you've come to the right place. At University of the Cumberlands, we developed our Master of Science in Nursing programs to help RNs like you take the next step on the path toward becoming a family nurse practitioner. As a student in this online Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner program, you’ll gain the skills you need to be successful as a family nurse. Our Master of Science in Nursing FNP program coursework covers everything from epidemiology, advanced pharmacology, and healthcare technologies to issues involved in advanced practice.

Anchor: Stats
Anchor: Programs & Requirements
Programs & Requirements

Programs & Requirements

Master of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN-FNP)

A nursing program tailored to registered nurses (RNs) who want to become family nurse practitioners (FNPs), this Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner online degree program give you the chance to further your knowledge and expertise in the medical field while simultaneously making you more hireable and increasing your earning potential throughout your career - as a nurse practitioner and beyond. Cumberlands' Master's of Science in Nursing FNP classes are taught by experienced family nurse practitioner program faculty in small class sizes, ensuring you receive enough personalized feedback to learn the material well and become. If you want to prepare yourself for a role as an FNP, this is the family nurse practitioner program for you.

Course Requirements

The Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner program is comprised of a 48 credit hour curriculum (24 didactic and 18 credit hours blended learning didactic and clinical, and 6 hours for clinical practice internship).

NURS 510 Theoretical Basis for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 hours)

NURS 520 Issues in Advanced Practice (3 hours)

NURS 530 Epidemiology (3 hours)

NURS 532 Healthcare Technologies and Informatics in Advanced Nursing Practice (3 hours)

NURS 550 Advanced Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice (3 hours)

NURS 590 Advanced Pharmacology (3 hours)

NURS 592 Advanced Health Assessment (3 hours)

NURS 594 Advanced Pathophysiology (3 hours)

NURS 670 FNP Advanced Practice I (6 hours)

NURS 672 FNP Advanced Practice Il (6 hours)

NURS 674 FNP Advanced Practice Ill (6 hours)

NURS 690 FNP Advanced Practice Internship (6 hours)

The total number of clinical hours upon completion of the program is 720.

Prior to admission to clinical, students will need to complete their basic online nursing master's program FNP courses: NURS510, NURS520, NURS530, NURS532, NURS550, NURS590, NURS592, and NURS594 (all offered on an 8-week bi-term schedule). 

Students will experience a blended learning approach with both didactic online classwork in the addition of completion of 120 clinical hours per course in the courses NURS670, NURS672, and NURS674.

The course NURS690 will provide a 360 clinical hour concentrated clinical internship.

Anchor: Mission & Goals

Mission & Goals

The mission of the MSN-FNP program at University of the Cumberlands is to prepare RNs for ethical and competent work as family nurse practitioners or in related healthcare roles.

Integrate nursing theory, concepts from humanities, and related sciences into the delivery of advanced nursing care for diverse populations and the advanced practice role
Apply leadership skills and decision making in the provisions of culturally responsive, safe, high quality nursing care
Implement evidence-based plans based on data to quantify the impact of quality and safety and improve health outcomes across the continuum of care, system, and organization
Integrate theory, research, and interprofessional perspectives to improve practice, healthcare delivery and systems, and health outcomes for patient aggregates
Demonstrate the professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct of the advanced practice role
Use effective communication strategies to develop, participate, and lead interprofessional teams to improve healthcare delivery and advance nursing practice
Analyze how healthy policy and advocacy influence the structure of healthcare delivery, financing of health care, and health outcomes
Anchor: Career Outcomes

Family Nurse Practitioner Careers & Outcomes

All stats from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Nurse Practitioner: $125,900

Nurse Practitioner: $125,900

Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners coordinate patient care and may provide primary and specialty healthcare.

Physician or Surgeon: $229,300

Physician or Surgeon: $229,300

Physicians and surgeons diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses and address health maintenance.

Health Education Specialist: $59,990

Health Education Specialist: $59,990

Health education specialists develop programs to teach people about conditions affecting well-being.

Epidemiologist: $78,520

Epidemiologist: $78,520

Epidemiologists are public health workers who investigate patterns and causes of disease and injury.

Medical Manager: $104,830

Medical Manager: $104,830

Medical and health services managers plan, direct, and coordinate the business activities of healthcare providers.

Nursing Professor: $78,580

Nursing Professor: $78,580

Demonstrate and teach patient care in classroom and clinical units to nursing students. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Anchor: FAQs

Common Questions

In addition to UC's overall institutional accreditation statement, the family nurse practitioner - online nursing master's program at University of the Cumberlands is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education , 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791. 

Before you can legally practice as an FNP, you must meet certain requirements. Requirements and licensing differ depending on the state you're wanting to practice in, but the following steps are typically standard in every state: 

  1. Earn a BSN
  2. Pass the NCLEX-RN exam to obtain RN status
  3. Gain clinical experience 
  4. Earn an MSN
  5. Obtain certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center
  6. Acquire a nurse practitioner state license

At University of the Cumberlands, we developed our Master of Science in Nursing programs, including our online MSN FNP programs, to help registered nurses take the next step on the path toward becoming an FNP. As a student in this online master’s in nursing program, you’ll gain the skills you need to be successful as an FNP with coursework that covers everything from epidemiology, advanced pharmacology, and healthcare technologies to issues involved in advanced practice.

A master's in nursing degree allows nursing professionals to further their knowledge and expertise in the medical field. Additionally, a master's degree makes you more hireable and increases your earning potential throughout your career. Two popular job options for someone with a master's in nursing include: 

  • Nurse Practitioner: From acute care to women’s health, the demand for nurses at this educational level is up – this profession is projected to add more than 121,000 new FNP positions in the workforce by 2021. Additionally, in 2021, this career path offered a salary that averaged over $123,780 annually
  • Nursing Instructor: Use your online MSN-FNP degree to lead others to a better healthcare career as a Nursing Instructor. The need for qualified postsecondary instructors is also projected to see double-digit growth – up 12 percent by 2021.

One of the primary benefits of University of the Cumberlands' online family nurse practitioner program is that throughout the degree program, students have the opportunity to learn from experienced instructors and provide feedback for future MSN students. This knowledge-sharing aspect of our online nursing master’s program is what lead to UC students receiving a 91% pass rate on their board exams, well above the national average of 85%. Most state boards of nursing do not regulate post-licensure degrees in which no new license is granted upon completion, however, there may be the occasional exception. Students should verify the master's program offering within their own state.

A family nurse practitioner (FNP) is an advanced practice registered nurse, one with the additional healthcare training and credentials needed to provide primary healthcare services to the whole family. A family nurse practitioner's scope of practice is serving the healthcare needs of adults and children, treating each individual family member to maintain health and wellness for the long haul.

Family nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have furthered their educations, typically with a master’s in nursing, to earn the certifications and gain the expertise necessary to diagnose and treat patient families as the primary care provider. Like the family doctor, FNPs develop long-term, trusted relationships with families and provide preventative care and annual checkups. These skilled healthcare practitioners step up to fill a critical need in our healthcare system.

Cohort 2019 - 83%

Cohort 2020 - 91%

Cohort 2021 - 83%

Cohort 2022 - 83% 

All programs at University of the Cumberlands are offered at some of the lowest rates in the nation – and we even include free textbooks through our One Price Promise! For more information on how affordable this program would be for you, visit our Financial Aid page.

Anchor: Faculty

Faculty Experts in Nursing

Get to know more about our nursing faculty at Cumberlands.

Dr. Cailen Baker

Dr. Cailen Baker

Nursing Program Director / Associate Professor
Forcht School of Nursing

Dr. Cailen Baker

Contact Information

cailen.baker [at] ucumberlands.edu

Laurie Robinson

Adjunct Faculty
Forcht School of Nursing

Laurie Robinson

Contact Information

laurie.robinson [at] ucumberlands.edu
Kyra Gambrel

Kyra Gambrel

Family Nurse Practitioner Online Program Coordinator / Associate Professor
Forcht School of Nursing
Master in Nursing

Kyra Gambrel

Contact Information

kyra.gambrel [at] ucumberlands.edu
Correll Science Building, Office M231

Nursing Program Accreditation

In addition overall institutional accreditation statement, the online RN-BSN degree program at University of the Cumberlands is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791. Accreditation was initially issued in Fall 2015.

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