The nurse practitioner MSN and DNP programs are designed to prepare nurses who have the leadership skills and clinical expertise necessary to deliver primary and acute care and improve health outcomes in community settings.
Our convenient MSN and DNP hybrid programs minimize the amount of times you need to come to campus, and we also assist with clinical placements.
In this concentration, you will focus on providing care to those ages 13 and up, with a focus on providing care for frail, vulnerable adults. Nurse practitioners are in a direct-care provider role, and use specialty skills and knowledge in providing care to clients in a variety of primary care settings.
Graduates can be certified to work in clinics such as adolescent health, internal medicine, senior health care, long term care, and sub-acute rehab.
The program is led by Dr. Kara Schrader who has more than 30 years of experience as a registered nurse and more than 20 years as a family nurse practitioner.
In this concentration, you will focus on providing care from newborns to senior citizens. Nurse practitioners are in a direct-care provider role, and use specialty skills and knowledge in providing care to clients of all ages and stages of development in primary care settings.
Graduates can be certified to work in outpatient clinics such as family practice, pediatrics, adolescent health, women’s health, internal medicine, and urgent care.
The program is led by Dr. Kara Schrader who has more than 30 years of experience as a registered nurse and more than 20 years as a family nurse practitioner.
In this concentration, you will address the behavioral needs of patients, as well as the shortage of qualified professionals throughout the country to assess and treat those with mental health needs. You will build knowledge and skills in areas of mental health promotion, mental illness, and substance use disorder prevention, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, recovery, and patient education in the care of individuals across the lifespan.
This program is led by Dr. Kristen Munyan.
Admission is limited to advanced practice registered nurses who:
See the Post-Master’s DNP page for full requirements.
Students who reside outside the state of Michigan who are considering an on-line nursing program should contact the appropriate board in their state of residency to confirm whether the course or program meets requirements for professional licensure in the student’s state of residence prior to beginning a course of study. MSU has an up-to-date, state-by-state summary available online.
Early deadline: December 1
Final deadline: April 1
Contact
CON.Admissions@msu.edu
MSN
54-56 Credits
The MSN nurse practitioner program starts a new cohort with each fall semester. Students can complete the MSN curriculum in two and a half years attending full-time and three and a half years part-time.
Core MSN courses are delivered online while courses with a clinical component are hybrid - combining online coursework and on campus attendance approximately 4-5 days per semester. On campus activities include lectures, seminars, simulation labs, group work, and examinations.
NUR 902: Scientific Foundations for the Advanced Practice Nurse
NUR 903: Healthcare Informatics
NUR 904: Health Policy and Advocacy
NUR 905: Patient Safety, Quality Improvement and Quality Management in Healthcare
NUR 907: Adv. Pathophysiology
NUR 908: Adv. Physical Assessment
NUR 909: Adv. Pharmacology
NUR 914: Biostatistics
Additional course requirements by concentration:
FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER
(Full-time Students Starting Fall 2026 or Earlier, Part-time Students Starting Fall 2025 or Earlier)
NUR 912: Health Promotion – Family
NUR 915: Clinical Diagnosis and Management I - Family
NUR 916: Clinical Diagnosis and Management II - Family
NUR 917: Clinical Diagnosis and Management III - Family
NUR 918: Clinical Diagnosis and Management IV – Family
FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER
(Full-time Students Starting Fall 2027 or Later, Part-time Students Starting Fall 2026 or Later)
NUR 912: Health Promotion and Population Health for the Primary Care NP
NUR 915: Clinical Diagnosis and Management I - Family
NUR 916: Clinical Diagnosis and Management II - Family
NUR 917: Clinical Diagnosis and Management III - Family
NUR 918: Clinical Diagnosis and Management IV – Family
NUR 941: Introduction to Diagnostic Reasoning for the Family Nurse Practitioner
NUR 943: Pediatric and Perinatal Concepts for the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
MSN FNP Curriculum Full-Time (Starting Fall 2026 or Earlier)
MSN FNP Curriculum Full-Time (Starting Fall 2027 or Later)
MSN FNP Curriculum Part-Time (Starting Fall 2025 or Earlier)
MSN FNP Curriculum Part-Time (Starting Fall 2026 or Later)
ADULT-GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER
(Full-time Students Starting Fall 2026 or Earlier, Part-time Students Starting Fall 2025 or Earlier)
NUR 913: Health Promotion – Adult-Gerontology
NUR 925: Clinical Diagnosis and Management I - Adult-Gerontology
NUR 926: Clinical Diagnosis and Management II - Adult-Gerontology
NUR 927: Clinical Diagnosis and Management III - Adult-Gerontology
NUR 928: Clinical Diagnosis and Management IV - Adult-Gerontology
ADULT-GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER
(Full-time Students Starting Fall 2027 or Later, Part-time Students Starting Fall 2026 or Later)
NUR 912: Health Promotion and Population Health for the Primary Care NP
NUR 925: Clinical Diagnosis and Management I - Adult-Gerontology
NUR 916: Diagnosis and Management for the Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
NUR 927: Clinical Diagnosis and Management III - Adult-Gerontology
NUR 928: Clinical Diagnosis and Management IV - Adult-Gerontology
NUR 942: Introduction to Diagnostic Reasoning for the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
NUR 944: Gerontological Concepts for the Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
MSN AGPCNP Curriculum Full-Time (Starting Fall 2026 or Earlier)
MSN AGPCNP Curriculum Full-Time (Starting Fall 2027 or Later)
MSN AGPCNP Curriculum Part-Time (Starting Fall 2025 or Earlier)
MSN AGPCNP Curriculum Part-Time (Starting Fall 2026 or Later)
PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONER
NUR 906: Leadership in Complex Health Systems
NUR 952: Psychopharmacology and Neuropathological Basis of Mental Illness
NUR 953: Clinical Diagnosis & Management I – Psychiatric Assessment and Diagnosis
NUR 954: Clinical Diagnosis & Management II – Evidence Based Therapeutic Interventions
NUR 955: Clinical Diagnosis & Management III – Special Populations and Group
NUR 956: Clinical Management IV – Complex and Collaborative Mental Health Care
MSN PMHNP Curriculum Full-Time
MSN PMHNP Curriculum Part-Time
BSN-DNP
70-75 Credits
This program provides clinical, organizational and systems' leadership at the highest level. The program develops practitioners who design, implement and evaluate high quality and cost-effective health care services for diverse populations including the disadvantaged and underserved.
NUR 902: Scientific foundations for the advanced practice nurse
NUR 903: Healthcare informatics
NUR 904: Health policy and advocacy
NUR 905: Patient safety, quality improvement and quality management in healthcare
NUR 906: Leadership in complex health systems
NUR 907: Advanced pathophysiology for the advanced practice registered nurse
NUR 908: Advanced physical assessment for the advanced practice registered nurse
NUR 909: Advanced pharmacology for the advanced practice registered nurse
NUR 914: Biostatistics
NUR 995: Doctor of nursing practice project I
NUR 996: Doctor of nursing practice project II
NUR 997: Doctor of nursing practice project III
Additional required courses, by concentration:
FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER
(Full-time Students Starting Fall 2026 or Earlier, Part-time Students Starting Fall 2025 or Earlier)
NUR 912: Health promotion – Family
NUR 915: Clinical diagnosis and management I – Family
NUR 916: Clinical diagnosis and management II – Family
NUR 917: Clinical diagnosis and management III – Family
NUR 918: Clinical diagnosis and management IV – Family
NUR 919: Clinical diagnosis and management V – Clinical immersion - Family
FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER
(Full-time Students Starting Fall 2027 or Later, Part-time Students Starting Fall 2026 or Later)
NUR 912: Health Promotion and Population Health for the Primary Care NP
NUR 915: Clinical Diagnosis and Management I - Family
NUR 916: Diagnosis and Management for the Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
NUR 917: Clinical Diagnosis and Management III - Family
NUR 918: Clinical Diagnosis and Management IV – Family
NUR 919: DNP Role Development in Clinical and Community Settings for the Nurse Practitioner
NUR 941: Introduction to Diagnostic Reasoning for the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
NUR 943: Pediatric and Perinatal Concepts for the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
DNP FNP Curriculum Full-Time (Starting Fall 2026 or Earlier)
DNP FNP Curriculum Full-Time (Starting Fall 2027 or Later)
DNP FNP Curriculum Part-Time (Starting Fall 2025 or Earlier)
DNP FNP Curriculum Part-Time (Starting Fall 2026 or Later)
ADULT-GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER
(Full-time Students Starting Fall 2026 or Earlier, Part-time Students Starting Fall 2025 or Earlier)
NUR 913: Health Promotion – Adult-Gerontology
NUR 925: Clinical Diagnosis and Management I - Adult-Gerontology
NUR 926: Clinical Diagnosis and Management II - Adult-Gerontology
NUR 927: Clinical Diagnosis and Management III - Adult-Gerontology
NUR 928: Clinical Diagnosis and Management IV - Adult-Gerontology
NUR 929: Clinical Diagnosis and Management V – Adult-Gerontology
ADULT-GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER
(Full-time Students Starting Fall 2027 or Later, Part-time Students Starting Fall 2026 or Later)
NUR 912: Health Promotion and Population Health for the Primary Care NP
NUR 925: Clinical Diagnosis and Management I - Adult-Gerontology
NUR 916: Diagnosis and Management for the Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
NUR 927: Clinical Diagnosis and Management III - Adult-Gerontology
NUR 928: Clinical Diagnosis and Management IV - Adult-Gerontology
NUR 919: DNP Role Development in Clinical and Community Settings for the Nurse Practitioner
NUR 942: Introduction to Diagnostic Reasoning for the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
NUR 944: Gerontological Concepts for the Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
DNP AGPCNP Curriculum Full-Time (Starting Fall 2026 or Earlier)
DNP AGPCNP Curriculum Full-Time (Starting Fall 2027 or Later)
DNP AGPCNP Curriculum Part-Time (Starting Fall 2025 or Earlier)
DNP AGPCNP Curriculum Part-Time (Starting Fall 2026 or Later)
PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONER
NUR 952: Psychopharmacology and Neuropathological Basis of Mental Illness
NUR 953: Clinical Diagnosis & Management I – Psychiatric Assessment and Diagnosis
NUR 954: Clinical Diagnosis & Management II – Evidence-Based Therapeutic Interventions
NUR 955: Clinical Diagnosis & Management III – Special Populations and Group
NUR 956: Clinical Management IV – Complex and Collaborative Mental Health Care NUR 957: Clinical Management V – Clinical Immersion – Psychiatric Mental Health
DNP PMHNP Curriculum Full-Time
DNP PMHNP Curriculum Part-Time
Admission is competitive (recent averages: 3.48 GPA, 4.5 years experience).
Start Dates
The MSN and DNP programs start each fall. The FNP and AGPCNP certificates start in the spring (January). The PMHNP certificate starts in the summer (May).
Format
NP programs are hybrid: some courses are fully online, and some courses require students to come to campus a few times throughout the semester.
Yes, with approval (transcripts + syllabi required), students can transfer up to 25% of total credits into the MSN or DNP. MSU faculty will review transcripts and course syllabi to make the final determination on transfer credit.
Students should confirm that the program meets licensure requirements in their state before enrolling. A state-by-state resource is available through MSU.
Due to the level of online course work required in the Nurse Practitioner Program, visa holders on F-1 and J-1 visas will not be able to maintain their status. Those interested in these academic programs are ineligible to study in the United States under the F-1 or J-1 visa status.
Tuition varies by residency (see MSU Controller’s Office).
Funding
College of Nursing scholarships are available January–March 1, plus additional opportunities are on the Funding page.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing and doctor of nursing practice program at Michigan State University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.