Family Nurse Practitioner

Family Nurse Practitioner

The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) track is a 39 credit hour curriculum designed to prepare registered nurses to deliver health care to clients of all ages. The Baylor LHSON FNP program is designed for current and future missionary nurses and others interested in providing care for underserved populations from a variety of cultural backgrounds in diverse local and global settings. The program has an emphasis on health promotion, disease prevention, management of acute and chronic illnesses, and advanced skills.  Students have the option of completing part of their required clinical hours at an international site with missionary nurse practitioners, doctors, and faculty supervision.

The program of study conforms to educational guidelines from the Texas Board of Nursing and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF).  Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for national Family Nurse Practitioner certification examinations offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).

There are three program study options.  The traditional Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree with a major in Family Nurse Practitioner consists of a 39 semester hour curriculum.  The Post-master’s Nurse Practitioner Study option allows nurses who have completed an advanced nursing degree (master’s or doctorate) to prepare for the nurse practitioner role.  Students must have a graduate nursing degree.  The curriculum averages 30-hours in length with the option of receiving a second master’s degree.  The Advanced Placement for Certificate Nurse Practitioners option also averages 34-hours in length and is designed for certificate-educated nurse practitioners to acquire a graduate nursing degree.  Students must have successfully completed a certificate nurse practitioner program and hold current certification as a nurse practitioner. 

Admission requirements for the FNP track include:  licensure as a registered nurse in the United States or a US territory; Bachelors degree in any field; undergraduate overall and nursing GPA of 3.0 or higher; one (1) year of full time experience as a practicing professional nurse (additional work experience may be required by faculty); acceptable score on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE), acceptable writing sample, and undergraduate statistics course.  If the nursing GPA is greater than 3.5 the MAT or GRE requirement may be waived.

Financial Assistance
Students admitted to the Graduate Program in Nursing are eligible for significant scholarship funds.  We anticipate that University scholarship assistance combined with employer reimbursement will cover 50-80% of tuition.  Students are responsible for books and fees.  Scholarship funds are limited and are awarded as students are admitted.  Students are urged to seek early admission.  With this generous support, the cost of a Baylor education is comparable to that of public universities.  Federal assistance in the form of educational loans is available through the Baylor University Financial Aid Office.

To begin the admission process to the Family Nurse Practitioner program:
1.   Send all undergraduate and graduate transcripts to the Graduate School, Baylor University, P.O. Box 97264, Waco, TX, 76798-7264.
2.   Complete the online graduate school application.
3.   Send MAT or GRE scores (taken within the last 5 years) to the Graduate School in Waco. 
4.   Schedule a personal interview after all application material has been submitted.

Application Deadlines
For the recommended fall start date applicants should plan to complete all admission materials on or before:

• Early admission applications and interview must be complete by February 1.
• Final admission applications and interview must be complete by May 1.