Master's of Science, Family Nurse Practitioner

We accept applications to the Family Nurse Practitioner program for the Fall Semester.

Fall admission

Small cohort size

Hybrid class format (online and in person)

Didactic and clinical courses in concentration

Advanced Practice courses

The program follows a full time cohort model over 5 semesters. Courses are offered in hybrid format, which includes online and in-person meetings. In person, on-campus class attendance is required every Tuesday evening, 4PM-9PM (1600-2100), with additional days for clinical practicum courses.

The MS FNP Program accepts students who have completed a baccalaureate in nursing and have an unrestricted California RN license.

An undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (B) is required and potential applicants need to demonstrate knowledge and skills in physical and psychosocial assessment developed to the level that the applicant can perform and complete a full history and physical exam. Two years of acute care nursing experience is preferred. 

Visit the SJSU Catalog for full breakdown of the FNP program.

See FNP Curriculum Roadmap.

The goal of the MS FNP program is to provide educational excellence in the science and art of professional nursing to empower our graduates to be responsible and knowledgeable clinicians, leaders, and scholars who strive to meet changing global healthcare needs. The Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) were developed based on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's The Essentials of Master's Education in Nursing (2011) [pdf] [pdf]. PLOs have been identified as preparing the graduate to:

Apply critical thinking and ethical decision-making including the use of the nursing and research processes

Provide theory and research-based culturally competent, safe therapeutic nursing interventions for clients in advanced nursing practice

Employ advanced interpersonal skills in professional relationships with clients, families/caregivers, and multidisciplinary health care team members

Support health promotion and disease prevention activities in developing and monitoring holistic plans of care for well and at-risk clients, considering access, quality and cost

Demonstrate the collaborative and leadership skills required in advanced nursing practice within a multidisciplinary and multicultural (community) health care context

Plan, implement, and evaluate advanced nursing practice that promotes and preserves health and healthy lifestyles of individual clients and aggregates

Plan, implement, and evaluate advanced therapeutic nursing practice in a rapidly changing, multicultural health care environment

Implement care management, including but not limited to case management, resource management, advocacy, and outcome evaluation

Employ information technology in advanced nursing practice to evaluate and improve health care delivery and outcomes

Actualize the advanced nursing practice role by incorporating professional standards, ethical guidelines, legal mandates, and professional activities

The goal of the MS FNP program is to provide educational excellence in the science and art of professional nursing to empower our graduates to be responsible and knowledgeable clinicians, leaders, and scholars who strive to meet changing global healthcare needs. 

PLOs have been identified as preparing the graduate to:

1. Integrate knowledge for advanced nursing practice along with knowledge from other disciplines, including a foundation in liberal arts, natural sciences, and social sciences, to form the basis for clinical judgment and innovation.
2. Employ holistic person-centered care including effective communication with clients, families/caregivers to provide respectful, coordinated, and compassionate care that is developmentally appropriate across the lifespan.
3. Promote overall population health by promotion and disease prevention while taking into consideration health policy and the social determinants of health to provide diverse, equitable, and inclusive health outcomes.
4. Practice advanced scholarship for the nursing discipline by the generation, synthesis, translation, application, and dissemination of nursing knowledge to transform healthcare through evidence-based practice.
5. Demonstrate quality and safety in implementation and improvement science required in advanced nursing practice.
6. Foster interprofessional partnerships required in advanced nursing practice to optimize intentional multidisciplinary collaboration to strengthen healthcare outcomes.
7. Adopt systems-based practice to proactively coordinate resources to provide equitable care in advanced nursing practice to diverse populations.
8. Utilize informatics and healthcare technologies to evaluate and improve health care delivery and outcomes in advanced nursing practice.
9. Represent professionalism by incorporating advanced practice standards, policy and procedures, the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses, legal mandates, and high-quality care.
10. Embody personal, professional, and leadership development techniques that contribute to lifelong learning, support the acquisition of advanced nursing expertise, and sustain strong leadership.