Master of Science: Family Nurse Practitioner
Program Highlights:
 To provide community focused primary health care for families and individuals across the life span in
rural or urban areas.
Admissions Requirements:
 Graduate School application (Online)
o Transcripts
 Official transcripts of all college work
 Baccalaureate degree in Nursing (BSN)
 Undergraduate GPA 3.0 or greater (calculated on the final 60 hours of study at the BSN
level)
 Academic credits from an accredited school in: nursing research, statistics, leadership,
community health, and health assessment
 (We have waived statistics course in the recent past)
o Test Scores
 Official scores from GRE or MAT
 There is not a specific GRE score needed to apply to the program. Most students admitted
to the program have achieved a score of at least 1000 on the GRE (if taken prior to
August 1, 2011). Applicants who have taken the GRE after August 1, 2011, will be
evaluated using the new scoring system. A total score (verbal and quantitative) of 300 is
considered roughly equivalent to 1000 with the older scoring system.
 There is not a specific MAT score needed to apply to the program. Most students
admitted to the program have achieved a score of a least 400 on the MAT.
o Recommendations
 3 recommendation letters (preferred from former nurse faculty members, current
employers or former employers) – list email addresses for references on application
o Additional Requirements
 Personal Essay/Statement – (show career goals and what you want to accomplish with
degree)
 Resume or CV
 1 year professional experience as a registered nurse (we prefer students to have this by
the time they apply, but if they will have a solid year before the program begins then they
will be considered, especially if they are applying part time).
 Current unrestricted NC registered nurse license or registered nurse license from one of
the affiliated compact states
 Submit Demographic Data form to Debra Simpson (simpsond@uncw.edu)
Application Deadline:
 March 1st
 Student needs to make sure all documents have been received by the Graduate School by March 1st.
 Applications must be complete for consideration.
 Admission decisions will be finalized by May 1st.
Program Information:
 Ideally admit 42 students each cohort.
 Fall semester cohort start date only.
 Courses are offered completely online in Fall and Spring semesters only.
 Students will come to campus 4-5 times a semester for a full day (for seminars, skill labs, check offs,
guest speakers, etc.).
o These dates are established prior to the beginning of each semester.
 Total of 46 credit hours required to complete MSN-FNP program.
 Full time students: complete in 5 semesters (Full Time Program of Study).
 Part time students: complete in 7 semesters (Part Time Program of Study).
Competitiveness:
 In 2014, 170 applicants and 45 students were admitted (20 full time, 21 part time, 4 post-masters)
o 20-25 students put on waitlist (we move through the waitlist as students either decline our offer
of admission or go to another program).
 The admissions committee ranks each applicant on:
o 10%: Resume and References
o 20%: Personal Essay/Statement
o 70%: Grades, GPA, GRE/MAT, leadership, community services, work and volunteer experience,
scholarly works (research, publications, or grants), etc.
Clinical Assignments:
 Complete total of 600 clinical hours:
o 120 in pediatrics
o 120 in women’s health
o 120 in adult health
o 240 in complex family health
 4 semesters of clinical hours.
o In the final semester of clinical hours, students will complete 80 hours in an area of interest.
 Location:
o Only in North Carolina
o We try our best to match students with clinical sites that are in their home communities or within
a 1-hour drive (maybe 1-1 ½ hours away). We will try to split semesters with one close clinical
site and one far away clinical site.
 In the first semester of clinicals, students typical will go to the site one full day per week. In the second
semester, students will go to the site two full days per week.
 The hours will vary per clinical site. Typically, they are Monday through Friday from 8:00am-5:00pm.
Common Questions:
Admissions
1. Are transfer students or transfer credit accepted?
a. We do not accept transfer students; they apply to the program regularly.
b. Only 6 credit hours of graduate level transferred credit may be accepted.
2. Does ADN experience count in the admissions requirements?
a. When students have ADN experience, the BSN experience requirement is waived because they
do have experience as a professional registered nurse.
3. Can you apply without having earned a BSN yet?
a. Yes, but student needs to earn BSN by May of the year applying. If accepted, their admission
would be contingent upon successful completion of BSN degree. Student is more competitive the
longer they have been worker as a BSN registered nurse.
4. Is there a time limit on previous courses taken and which courses are accepted?
a. No, we assume practicing nursing have been out in the work force for some time and are using
some of those skills.
b. We make the assumption that if the student has gone to a school that is accredited, those courses
will be accepted.
5. Can the GRE be waived?
a. The GRE is not waived.
Program:
1. Average time spent on course work:
a. 30 hours/week for full time students.
b. Once both full time and part time students start the clinical sequence, the time involved is the
same for both set of students.
2. What are the Attrition Rate, Job Placement Rate, and PASS rate for FNP Boards?
a. Attrition Rate: 5%
b. Job Placement Rate: 80-95%
c. FNP Boards: 100%
3. Will UNCW offer a DNP program?
a. UNCW is planning to offer a DNP program starting in Fall 2015. At this time, acceptance into
that program requires a MSN. However, UNCW will eventually phase out the MSN program,
and allow students with a BSN degree to directly apply to the DNP program.
4. Is there a final presentation/exit exam?
a. The final course will be a research project/presentation. It is a 15 page synthesis. Students will
come to campus on final day to present.
Reapplying to Program:
1. If a student did not get accepted, can they resubmit their application to the program for another cohort?
a. They will need to resubmit their application to reapply.
b. Due to huge volume of applications that we receive, it is impossible to review them all to provide
individual feedback regarding how to improve a student’s chances of being accepted. We simply
do not have enough spaces for all applicants.
2. What are the re-application instructions:
a. Please contact Ms. Kimberly Harris at harrisk@uncw.edu if you have additional questions.
b. Create a new account/application https://app.applyyourself.com/?id=UNCW-GRAD
c. Click ‘CONTINUE’ if you wish to start a new application.
d. Complete the graduate application.
e. Upload a Word document outlining which documents you wish to recycle from your previous
application.
f. Submit prior to the published program deadline & pay the application fee (UNCW
faculty/staff/dependent submit waiver through HR).
Post Master Certification: Family Nurse Practitioner
Program Highlights:
 To prepare nurses who already hold a MSN degree for a career as a Family Nurse Practitioner.
 Program of study will be tailored individually for current nurse practitioners who want the FNP
certificate.
Admissions Requirements:
 Graduate School application (Online)
o Transcripts
 All official transcripts (undergraduate and graduate)
 Baccalaureate and Master’s degree in Nursing (BSN and MSN)
 Graduate GPA 3.0 or greater
o Recommendations
 3 recommendation letters (preferred from former nurse faculty members, current
employers or former employers) – list email addresses for references on application
o Additional Requirements
 Personal Essay/Statement – (show career goals and what you want to accomplish with
degree)
 Resume or CV
 Current unrestricted NC registered nurse license or registered nurse license from one of
the affiliated compact states
 Submit Demographic Data form to Debra Simpson (simpsond@uncw.edu)
 ** NOT required to take GRE or MAT
Application Deadline:
 March 1st
 Student needs to make sure all documents have been received by the Graduate School by March 1st.
 Applications must be complete for consideration.
 Admission decisions will be finalized by May 1st.
Program Information:
 Program is individualized once student is admitted based on which courses they still need to take
(Program of Study).
o If student has already taken the equivalent of: Advanced Pharmacology (NSG 512), Advanced
Pathophysiology (NSG 514), and Advanced Health Assessment (NSG 510), then they will only
need to take the first 2 courses as outlined in the Post Master Certificate program of study:
 Advanced Practice Roles/Issues (NSG 506)
 Families in Rural and Urban Communities (NSG 503)
o If they have not, then they will need to take those courses along with Advanced Practice
Roles/Issues (NSG 506) during the 1st semester in order to start the clinical sequence in the 2nd
semester (Spring semester).
o They will take Families in Rural and Urban Communities (NSG 503) in 3rd semester.
 Courses are offered completely online in Fall and Spring semesters only.
 Students will come to campus 4-5 times a semester for a full day (for seminars, skill labs, check offs,
guest speakers, etc.)
o These dates are established prior to the beginning of each semester.
 Total of 26 credit hours required to complete Post Master Certification program.
Clinical Assignments:
 Complete total of 600 clinical hours:
o 120 in pediatrics
o 120 in women’s health
o 120 in adult health
o 240 in complex family health
 4 semesters of clinical hours.
o In the final semester of clinical hours, students will complete 80 hours in an area of interest.
 Location:
o Only in North Carolina
o We try our best to match students with clinical sites that are in their home communities or within
a 1-hour drive (maybe 1-1 ½ hours away). We will try to split semesters with one close clinical
site and one far away clinical site.
 In the first semester of clinicals, students typical will go to the site one full day per week. In the second
semester, students will go to the site two full days per week.
 The hours will vary per clinical site. Typically, they are Monday through Friday from 8:00am-5:00pm.