Purdue Global offers a variety of online graduate programs for registered nurses seeking an advanced degree. Both the family nurse practitioner and adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner concentrations are offered at the MSN and DNP levels.
Purdue Global also offers concentrations in adult-gerontology acute care, nurse education, and executive leadership in these pathways and on-campus post-master’s certificates, as well as an ExcelTracTM format for students who would like quickly complete core MSN courses and then join the online learning community in their chosen population focus.
All of Purdue Global’s NP programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Graduates of these programs may be eligible for national certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).
The MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Program
Purdue Global’s online MSN-FNP program requires 90 credits of coursework, 640 hours of clinical practice, and an evidence-based project proposal. Courses are delivered 100 percent online and clinical practicum hours are supervised by approved preceptors and faculty mentors.
Core courses provide a theoretical base in nursing science, evidence-based decision making, advanced practice issues, health promotion and disease prevention, health policy, financing and organization of the healthcare delivery system, ethics, and biostatistics.
Graduates of the MSN program are prepared to work on interprofessional teams to provide primary healthcare that is culturally relevant to the diverse communities they serve. The MSN-FNP is not currently available to residents of all states, nor to international applicants.
The DNP Family Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Program
Students entering the DNP-FNP online degree program with an MSN in an advanced practice specialty area complete a minimum of 48 credits of coursework and over 500 clinical practice hours. A scholarly project is the final step towards this terminal degree of the discipline.
Additionally, RNs with bachelor’s of science in nursing (BSN) degrees are eligible for the doctoral degree in the family nurse practitioner primary care specialty area. Participants in this track complete all requirements for the MSN before continuing on to the DNP program requirements.
All DNP applicants are required to have at least 1,000 hours of post-baccalaureate clinical practice hours completed by the end of the program of study. At this time, the doctoral program is not open to residents of all states, nor to international applicants.
The MSN Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program
The MSN-AGNP involves 90 credit-hours and 640 clinical practicum hours. Core courses include 30 credits in the same foundational courses as the FNP track: the theoretical foundations of advanced practice nursing, approaches to evidence-based practice, epidemiology, health promotion and health policy, and the ethical and legal perspectives of the healthcare system. The remaining 60 credits cover topics germane to the AGNP specialization, such as primary care of the adolescent and adult, the primary care of women, and the primary care of the frail elderly.
An undergraduate statistics and a nursing research course are required prior to enrollment. These can be taken through Purdue Global if they are not part of the applicant’s baccalaureate program. Please note that graduates of the RN-to-BSN program may have satisfied some core requirements and may pursue a condensed study plan.
The DNP Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program
Advanced practice nurses with doctoral degrees in the AGNP specialization serve as leaders in healthcare improvement efforts and patient advocacy. Coursework for the Purdue Global AGNP-DNP includes 48 credits whether students enter the program through the MSN-DNP path or with an advanced practice degree from a CCNE-, ACEN-, or CNEA-accredited graduate program already in hand.
As with the other DNP concentrations, AGNP-DNP participants are required to have 1,000 hours of post-baccalaureate clinical practice, in addition to completion of a scholarly project. Each DNP student is assigned a faculty mentor that provides guidance and support throughout the program.
