The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and the post-graduate APRN certificate program at Duquesne University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
Provide care across the lifespan as a family nurse practitioner.
Earn an online MSN in Family (Individual Across the Lifespan) Nurse Practitioner and prepare to advance your career as a primary care provider with expertise to diagnose and develop advanced treatment plans for individuals of all ages and in a variety of settings, including independent practice. Courses include clinical hours that will prepare you for the national Family Nurse Practitioner licensure exam.
Apply NowHave you already earned your MSN in a different area of focus but would like to expand your scope of practice as a Family Nurse Practitioner?
Duquesne University is proud to offer a Family Nurse Practitioner Post-Master’s Certificate.
Learn More Now
Study 100% online
3 start dates per year
Prepare for AANPCP or ANCC certification
No GRE required
Tuition discounts are available
Why earn your family nurse practitioner degree online?
Earning a graduate degree takes your delivery of patient care to a new level — a deeper one. Family NPs are more involved with their patients, families and community.
When you really get to know your patients, you discover more about who you are as a nurse practitioner. That’s just one of the many rewarding aspects of becoming an FNP.
100% pass rate on the 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021 AANPCB Family Nurse Practitioner certification examination
The smart choice — a 100% online Family Nurse Practitioner MSN.
- Prepare for certification. As a graduate, you will be eligible to take either the AANPCP or the ANCC Family Nurse Practitioner certification examination.
- Complete coursework online. Only two campus visits required during the pursuit of your degree.
- Learn from faculty mentors. You’ll have the name, number, and email of a campus‑based faculty member to help guide your study.
- Leverage a flexible learning environment. Work when and where it is most convenient for you.
- Study at a respected school. Ranked #38 Best Online Graduate Nursing Program and ranked #5 Master’s in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner by U.S. News & World Report for 2021.
Why choose Duquesne for your online MSN‑FNP degree?
Our online BSN to FNP master’s degree is based upon criteria set by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty (NONPF). In addition, we employ the Synergy Model for Patient Care, developed by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). The Synergy Model is built around the belief that the needs or characteristics of patients and families influence the nurse’s characteristics or competencies.
“We want our nurse practitioners to not only know what to do — but also understand why they’re doing it.”
— Laura Crimm, Director, FNP Program
Our FNP faculty are leaders in advanced practice nursing.
Meet Dr. Laura Crimm.
Dr. Laura Crimm initially joined Duquesne University’s School of Nursing as a visiting instructor in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program for the 2015-16 academic year. She is an alumnus of Duquesne University’s School of Nursing, receiving her BSN in 1990. She then spent five years working at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Presbyterian Hospital as a clinical nurse on the Heart Lung Transplant Unit. Dr. Crimm decided to pursue an MSN as a Family Nurse Practitioner and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1997. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Saint Louis University in 2021, where her area of interest was colorectal cancer screening in underserved populations.
Dr. Crimm has had the opportunity to work in a variety of settings throughout her career including: Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Retail Medicine, and Geriatric and Palliative Care. She was also the primary provider in an Occupational Medicine Practice for several years. Her goal is to share her clinical experiences with her students.
Dr. Crimm is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty and the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society. She is board certified in family practice by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Dr. Crimm assumed the role of the Director of the Family (Individual across the Lifespan) Nurse Practitioner Program in August 2016.
- Education
- DNP, Saint Louis University
- MSN, University of Pittsburgh
- BSN, Duquesne University
- Expertise
- Colorectal cancer screening in underserved populations
- Telehealth
- Family Medicine
- Occupational health
- Online learning
Online Family Nurse Practitioner MSN Curriculum
42 Credit Hours | 12 Courses
Coursework for Duquesne’s online MSN-FNP program is designed to enhance your nursing practice, so you can provide outstanding care for people across the lifespan.
Strengthen your Family Nurse Practitioner MSN degree by adding a concentration to your coursework. We offer concentrations in Forensic Nursing, Nursing Education and Faculty Role, or Transcultural Nursing.
Certification preparation is personalized at Duquesne.
We are known for our personal touch with students. It’s what sets us apart. Our curriculum is built to prepare you for advanced practice certification — and you’ll receive regular, one-on-one support from our FNP faculty throughout the program. We’re on this journey with you. And your success is our highest priority.
Note: If you have previously earned master’s‑level nursing credits with a grade of “B” or higher, you may be able to transfer up to 9 credit hours and apply them toward your MSN at Duquesne.
Study with us, and you can learn to:
Enhance clinical judgment
Build the clinical judgment skills needed to implement care for your patients.
Collaborate at every level
Drive collaborative practice to improve both patient outcomes and satisfaction with care delivery.
Provide transcultural care
Encourage sensitivity in caring for individuals and families of diverse cultures, ethnicities and populations.
Become a patient advocate
Enhance your ability to serve as a moral agent on behalf of your patients and their families.
Refine critical systems
Develop competency in evaluating organizational systems, refining where appropriate and defining where absent.
Recognize synergy
Study and evaluate the interrelationship between how you perform your job and the outcomes you achieve.
Online MSN FNP Admissions
Admission Prerequisites
To qualify for our online MSN program, you must:
- Hold a BSN from an accredited college or university with a GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Have at least 1 year of full-time work experience as an RN (prior to registration in clinical or specialty courses)
- Hold a current, unencumbered RN license
- Complete an undergraduate-level statistics course with a “C” or higher
The faculty admissions committee may look more closely at nursing and science grades when making admissions decisions.
Admission Process
- Resume or curriculum vitae
- Professional goal statement
- Official transcript(s)
- Two electronically submitted references (one academic and one professional in a supervisory role)
- The supervisor reference letters must come from a direct supervisor who is responsible for your performance evaluation
- If you have been out of school more than five years, please speak with your Enrollment Advisor for advice