Master of Science - Family Nurse Practitioner Curriculum

Degree Overview

Credits: 48
Clinical hours: 855
Duration: 2 years (minimum)

MSN-FNP Curriculum

Core Courses

• Advanced Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice Nursing
• Advanced Health Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning (90 practicum hours)
• Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics
• Advanced Roles for the FNP
• Introduction to the Art & Science of Nurse Coaching (90 practicum hours)
• Practice Management for the Advanced Practice Nurse
• Research and Evidence-Informed Practice
• Theories for Advanced Nursing Practice

Practicum Courses

• Family Nurse Practitioner I (135 practicum hours)
• Family Nurse Practitioner II (135 practicum hours)
• Family Nurse Practitioner III (180 practicum hours)
• FNP Residency (225 practicum hours)

Clinical Hours

You’ll complete 855 clinical hours. These clinical experiences take place in outpatient or primary care settings. They cannot be completed at your current workplace, but we’ll support you in finding clinical sites and preceptors.

Online Coursework

Most of your coursework is completed online on your own schedule. We follow a semester format with regular deadlines, but you can access materials and complete assignments when it works for you. The only live requirement is during the nurse coaching course, which requires weekly 1.5-hour sessions at a set time.

In-Person Experiences

The program includes select in-person components that give you the hands-on skills and real-world confidence that set you apart as a practitioner.

Orientation

All students attend a one-day orientation on campus to connect with peers and faculty. Besides giving you a supportive start to your degree, this is your chance to experience firsthand the incredibly welcoming community that makes Texas Wesleyan special.

Skills Intensives

You’ll attend two mandatory skills intensives at our Fort Worth campus. These sessions teach practical skills you’ll actually use in your day-to-day work, including:

• ECG and X-ray interpretation
• Suturing techniques
• Incision and drainage procedures
• IUD placement
• Casting and splinting
• Comprehensive patient evaluations

Community Service Learning Projects

These optional opportunities give students experience working on-site in underserved communities. This hands-on work prepares you to serve populations that often lack access to primary care, which is where family nurse practitioners can make their greatest impact.

For past projects, students have:

• Traveled to the Colonias along the Texas-Mexico border, where migrant day workers live with no electricity or running water, and worked alongside the Sisters of Mercy in Laredo to provide care
• Partnered with Child Care Associates in Fort Worth to offer health education to families and physicals for children in Head Start and Early Head Start programs
• Spent multiple days at Dallas clinics, working with local shelters to provide health screenings for unhoused teens

Learn More

“

In our very first cohort, we had a new grad who was up against two experienced NPs for a job — and our student got the job. It was the advanced clinical skills she gained in our program that set her apart from other applicants and made the difference.”

Denise De La Rosa, DNP, APRN, FNP-C

Director of Graduate Programs in Advanced Nursing Practice, Associate Professor of Advanced Nursing Practice