MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Degree

MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Degree

If you’ve worked as a nurse for a while, you know the rewards of a career in nursing. Maybe you’ve been pondering what the next step for you might be. Maybe you're dreaming of taking on a different role with more responsibility and upward growth. If you’re considering advancing your nursing career, you may find a home in the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Degree at Indiana University Kokomo. Community Howard Hospital has partnered with IU Kokomo to ensure students who complete this program will be well-equipped upon graduation. In our Clinical Simulation Centers, you'll gain advanced knowledge and skills through experiential learning, practicing as a primary health care provider and providing, improving, and enhancing access to health care for the community.

Upon completion of this program, you’ll have the skills to serve in leadership and administrative roles and implement changes in the health care delivery system. You’ll be trained and educated to provide a broad range of health care services and work in a variety of careers and settings.

This degree program is 42 credit hours completed in 7 semesters or approximately 2 and one half years. You will begin your study with classroom-based didactic courses in a hybrid format where you’ll build the theoretical and contextual background necessary for advanced practice in nursing. In the School of Nursing, we provide our FNP students with a safe environment to receive education and training in a hands-on, experiential fashion. You’ll have experience in the clinical simulation lab prior to your clinical immersion in real-world environments. You’ll progress to didactic courses with clinical components to include 75 practice hours per semester.

Courses will take place on Thursdays.

Please note: The final didactic clinical course includes a mandatory 375 practice hours as a primary care provider. 

To begin, you will need proof of graduation from an accredited baccalaureate degree program in nursing. You will need to submit or do the following:

  1. Complete an application via the online portal. Search for IU Kokomo under Add Program to find the MSN tracks.
  2. Undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0* or higher on a 4.0 scale from an NLNAV, CCNE, ACEN, or CNEA accredited program. Students who apply to the IU Kokomo MSN program who have graduated from an undergraduate nursing program that does not use/report grade point average (GPA) will be considered for admission if they meet all other criteria and their transcripts contain other indicators of academic success such as dean’s list, academic honors, and grades from other degree programs, etc. Additional considerations for admission include the following: nursing experience, nursing leadership, writing skill, and personal reference recommendations.
  3. Copy of current Indiana R.N. license: Current unencumbered license as a Registered Nurse (RN) in Indiana. Applicant must also complete a form statement attesting that there is no action pending or have been taken against his/her licensure in Indiana or any other state s/he currently holds or has held a license to practice nursing or other healthcare profession. 

  4. 3 years of recent, relevant RN experience required in medical/surgical, ICU, ER, etc.
  5. All applicants must submit evidence of having completed a 3 credit (16-week semester) undergraduate (300 or 400 level) or higher statistics course with a B- (80%) or higher grade by the application deadline.
  6. A master’s level statistics course is required to graduate from the FNP track. The course may be taken prior (within the last five years) to applying or within the plan of study.
  7. Essential abilities: Applicants must agree to the essential abilities in a variety of areas (judgment, neurological function, emotional coping skills, intellectual/conceptual skills, and other behavioral attributes) as well as meeting all progression criteria.
  8. Computer skills: Verification of ability to use computer technologies including accessing, retrieving, receiving, and communicating information.
  9. Criminal background check. The official IU site for students to use is: www.castlebranch.com and the package code is IA03.
  10. Submit an official college transcript (degree-granting and graduate courses, if applicable).
  11. Applicants must provide three professional references (one from your supervisor) who can speak to your clinical expertise and leadership.
  12. Application fee of $40.
  13. Short essay on the questions below.

You are required to write an essay as part of the admissions process. Within the essay you are to address the following:

  1. What attributes and current work experiences do you bring that will contribute to your success in the FNP program (community engagement, professional committee work, leadership experience).  What are your goals upon completion and graduation?  (Limit to 500 words)
  2. All students can contribute to the creation of a diverse and inclusive environment when diversity* is defined most broadly. Whether by a personal attribute, characteristic, culture, experience, or behavior please tell us how you believe you will contribute to the diversity of Indiana University Kokomo and the nursing profession. (Limit to 500 words)

*The concept of diversity includes the following dimensions: race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, and religious beliefs.   

Please send hard copies of your supporting documents to Stephanie Graves at the following address:

East Building, KE 309
2300 S. Washington Street
Kokomo, IN 46904-9003

If you need a paper version of this application, please reach out to Stephanie Graves at gravesst@iu.edu or 765-455-9308.

Applications must be completed and submitted between March 1 and November 15. You will be notified by November 25 if you were accepted.

Unfortunately, international students are currently not eligible for this program.

Please note: A 3-credit-hour undergraduate statistics course is required for admission. If you do not have an undergraduate statistics course, if accepted you will be required to take the course in the preceding fall semester. R505 Measurement and Data Analysis (graduate level statistics) are required prior to entry or during your FNP course of study.

If you encounter any problems or difficulties when using the online application portal, please reach out to the IT help desk. You can contact them by emailing your issue to kohelp@iu.edu or by calling 765-455-9315. 

Ready to throw on your white coat and get started?

Looking for more details on the kinds of courses you’ll be taking? Visit the most current Academic Bulletin for specifics. If you have questions about the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Degree, let’s chat! Our ready-to-help faculty and staff are standing by to answer your questions and concerns.  

If you’ve decided it’s time to jump in and get started, apply today!

Assessment information for this degree is available from our Assessment landing page.

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