18 Best Indiana FNP Programs (Online & Campus) – 2025

Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH

Indiana’s family nurse practitioners play a vital role in keeping Hoosiers healthy! As a graduate of one of the FNP programs in Indiana, you’ll be part of healthcare’s front line, providing primary care services to the many, many people who need them and may currently be doing without. You’ll have ample employment opportunities to choose from, and those opportunities will rise by 46 percent over the coming decade. You’ll earn a salary of $122,380 annually, commensurate with the high regard in which FNPs are held in the Hoosier State. Interested in learning more? Read our guide to the 18 best FNP programs in Indiana.

FOLLOWING ARE THE 18 BEST FNP PROGRAMS IN INDIANA (ONLINE & CAMPUS) FOR 2025

(Based on our Ranking Methodology, we have ranked the 18 best campus-based and online FNP programs in Indiana.)

1. Purdue University - West Lafayette

Programs Offered: MSN and BSN-to-DNP (Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner)

MSN Program Details: Purdue University's Master's of Science in Nursing (MSN)/Family Nurse Practitioner track requires 14 MSN core credits, 17 advanced practice RN credits, and 18 population-specific credits for a total of 49 credit hours. While most of the coursework is accessible online, courses like "Advanced Health Assessment," "Informatics in Nursing," and "Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice Nursing" will require you to visit the university's campus in West Lafayette. You'll be able to complete this FNP program in Indiana in six semesters (two years) as a full-time student. (The program only admits part-time students on a "space-available" basis.)

You must complete 645 practicum hours. Purdue University-West Lafayette maintains clinical affiliations with a range of hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, and community agencies throughout northern Indiana, including Riggs Community Health Center, St. Elizabeth Medical Center, and Wabash Valley Hospital.

This program admits new students in the fall, spring, and summer semesters, but remember that they use a rolling admissions system: If Purdue University-West Lafayette is your top choice, it's prudent to apply early. Applicants must be licensed as RNs in Indiana and have a BSN from an accredited nursing program with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: Purdue's Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN)-to-Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)/FNP program is a blend of classroom and online learning. You'll visit the university's West Lafayette campus for courses like "Theoretical Constructs in Nursing" and Research and "Evidence Based Nursing Practice" and spend one week during the summer participating in a "Systems Approaches in Healthcare" course. Most of your coursework, however, will use a distance learning format.

This degree requires a minimum of 1,000 clinical hours. You'll also participate in a two-semester DNP Practice Inquiry for which you'll apply nursing research to address a challenge you've encountered during your practicums, thereby improving health outcomes. This program accepts new cohorts in the spring, summer, and fall semesters and takes nine semesters (three years) to complete.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• U.S. News & World Report ranks Purdue's MSN program 22nd best in the nation.
• Purdue University-West Lafayette also offers a 10- to 34-credit (300 to 645 clinical hours) post-master's Family Nurse Practitioner certificate.
• Purdue's FNP education demonstrates a strong interdisciplinary focus. The curriculum integrates learning from medicine, pharmacy, human development, and other healthcare disciplines, reflecting the program's holistic, patient-centered approach to nursing.

2. Indiana University Indianapolis - Indianapolis

Programs Offered: BSN-to-DNP and Post-MSN Graduate Certificate

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: Like many other FNP programs in Indiana, Indiana University's 66-credit (1,035 clinical hours) BSN-to-DNP/Family Nurse Practitioner track offers a combination of degree-specific courses and courses designed to teach you the specific skills you'll need to address the health issues of at-risk and chronically ill patients across the lifespan. Core DNP courses include "Analytical Thinking for Evidence Based Practice," "Population Health Surveillance & Management," and "Advanced Leadership in Complex Systems." The curriculum culminates with a three-semester DNP Project designed to provide solutions to issues of patient care, systems optimization, or the implementation of new healthcare policies.

The program is a hybrid track that involves online and campus components. You will visit the university's Indianapolis campus for hands-on skills intensives at the state-of-the-art Fairbanks Simulation Center. You'll also participate in clinical practicums at top-notch healthcare facilities like Indiana University Health and the Richard R. Roudebush VA Medical Center, so all applicants must have RN licensure in Indiana or a compact state. You'll spend 750 hours on supervised patient care experiences and 285 hours planning, implementing, and evaluating your DNP project.

Indiana University accepts a new cohort into its BSN-to-DNP/FNP track each fall. Expect to spend three years completing this program as a full-time student. (The program does not offer part-time enrollment.) All applicants must have at least one year of professional nursing experience working with patients across the lifespan.

Post-MSN Graduate Certificate Program Details: Want to broaden your nursing portfolio with a new set of clinical skills? Indiana University's 18-credit post-MSN graduate FNP certificate will take you two years of part-time study to complete. You'll receive an individualized plan of study when you enroll based on your previous academic work, but for the most part, this program's curriculum mirrors the population-specific portion of the BSN-to-DNP/FNP curriculum with a three-part "Family Nurse Practitioner" course and 600 hours of supervised patient care.

Coursework is offered online, but clinical rotations must be completed in person at a healthcare facility in Indiana. This program admits new cohorts in the spring, summer, and fall.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Indiana University-Indianapolis is the first nursing program in the nation to be singled out by the National League for Nursing as a Nursing Center of Excellence in two categories.
• Students enrolled in Indiana University's FNP programs will have the opportunity to foster interdisciplinary professionalism by working closely with students at the Indiana University School of Medicine, the largest medical school in the U.S.

3. Purdue University Northwest - Hammond

Programs Offered: MSN and Post-Master’s Certificate

MSN Program Details: Purdue University Nortwest's 47-credit MSN/Family Nurse Practitioner track is among the best FNP programs in Indiana for working RNs because, except for clinical rotations and immersive skills labs associated with "Advanced Health Assessment," the program is offered entirely online. Your core MSN coursework will include classes like "Theoretical And Ethical Reasoning In Advanced Practice Nursing" and "Sociocultural Influences On Health." The six-semester (32 months) track culminates with a capstone practicum that will enable you to apply nursing research and theory to a challenge arising in a primary care setting.

PNW's MSN/FNP pathway involves 750 clinical hours, which you can complete at a healthcare facility in your own community so long as the facility is approved by Purdue University West's School of Nursing. This program offers spring and fall start dates.

Post-Master’s Certificate Program Details: When you enroll in PNW's post-master's Family Nurse Practitioner certificate, the exact number of credits you'll need to take will vary depending upon your previous academic record and clinical experience. However, you must take a minimum of 14 credits and a maximum of 30. The number of clinical hours you'll be responsible for finishing also varies: If you're not an advanced practice RN, then you'll need to log 645 practicum hours; if you are an APRN, you'll need to complete a minimum of 300. This program is only available to MSN-educated applicants with one or more years of professional nursing experience.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Purdue University Northwest's MSN/FNP program only accepts applicants from Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
• PNW is the site of the Indiana Center for Evidence Based Nursing Practice.

4. University of Indianapolis - Indianapolis

Programs Offered: MSN (Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner) and BSN-to-DNP, and Post-Master APRN certificate (Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner)

MSN Program Details: Although the University of Indianapolis's MSN/FNP program is predominantly online, a one-time campus visit is required for a clinical intensive that covers crucial hands-on skills, such as health assessments, sutures, and incisions and drainage. You'll take foundational MSN courses like "Primary Care Transition to Advanced Practice" and "Advanced Practice Across the Lifespan." Didactic courses are taught using asynchronous technology, but classes with clinical components rely on a synchronous platform.

The 46-credit curriculum was designed with the convenience of working RNs in mind. You'll enroll part-time and complete the curriculum in eight semesters (31 months.) You'll also participate in 750 clinical hours, which you'll complete at a hospital or clinic in your own locale.

New cohorts can begin this program in the spring and fall semesters. Applicants must have a BSN with an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or higher, a valid RN license in the state where they'll be doing clinical rotations, and at least one year of professional RN experience on a med-surg ward, an ICU, a step-down unit or an emergency room.

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: Do you want to be part of the solution to Indiana's primary healthcare provider shortage? The University of Indianapolis's BSN-to-DNP/FNP track will prepare you to deliver comprehensive healthcare services, such as diagnosing, treating, and managing illnesses and chronic medical conditions across the lifespan. As a full-time student, you'll be able to finish this FNP program in Indiana in just 10 semesters (40 months.) UIndy also offers part-time enrollment options.

The 62-credit curriculum includes didactic coursework, 1,050 to 1,250 clinical hours, and a DNP project focusing on a practical improvement you can make to healthcare delivery that's based on your own scholarly research and what you've learned in your didactic coursework. UIndy admits new students into this program in the spring and fall. Only BSN-educated RNs with at least one year of professional nursing experience qualify for admission into this program.

Post-Master APRN certificate Program Details: Are you an MSN-educated RN looking for ways to expand your professional expertise? The University of Indianapolis offers a post-master's Family Nurse Practitioner certificate that only involves two visits to the university's campus in Indianapolis.

This track requires 36 credits, but when you first enroll in the program, the university will do a gap analysis to see how much of your previous academic and professional experience will satisfy curriculum requirements. You'll also complete 750 clinical hours. UIndy will assist you in finding a practicum site within easy driving distance of where you live.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• With an average student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1, University of Indianapolis nursing students benefit from strong mentoring relationships with their instructors.
• UIndy's world-class Nursing Simulation Center, where FNP students come to learn essential hands-on skills, is equipped with sophisticated high-tech manikins that facilitate learning.

5. Indiana Wesleyan University - Marion

Programs Offered: ASN-to-MSN, MSN (Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner), BSN-to-DNP, and Post-Graduate Certificate (Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner)

ASN-to-MSN Program Details: Indiana Wesleyan University offers a groundbreaking ASN-to-MSN/FNP track that empowers RNs lacking nursing bachelor's degrees to become family nurse practitioners. You'll graduate from this 68-credit FNP program in Indiana in just 36 months.

Twenty courses like "Knowledge of Nursing Practice and Person-Centered Care," "Utilization of Research for Evidence Based Practice," and "Professional Role Development for the Advanced Practice Nurse" will fill you in what you would have learned in a traditional BSN program and impart the foundational knowledge associated with a conventional nursing master's program. A three-part population-specific "Primary Care Across the Lifespan" course will prepare you to deliver family-centric nursing care to patients of all ages.

Except for clinical rotations, this FNP program is 100 percent online. You'll complete a minimum of 700 clinical hours at a hospital, clinic, or physician's private practice in your own community. IWU offers six start dates throughout the year. Applicants must have at least one year of professional nursing experience, a valid RN license, and an associate degree from an accredited nursing program.

MSN Program Details: Indiana Wesleyan University's 49-credit MSN/FNP track includes 13 courses designed to teach you the essentials of advanced RN practice as well as the knowledge and competencies you'll need to provide primary care for patients across the lifespan. You'll participate in at least 700 hours of practicum for a total of 645 supervised patient encounters; a minimum of 300 encounters must be with adult patients, 150 with pediatric patients, and 40 must be related to women's health issues.

This program admits new cohorts at six points throughout the year. Most students graduate after 28 months if they pursue the program full-time, but if they decide to enroll part-time, they'll have up to 48 months. Applicants must have a BSN from an accredited program and at least one year of RN experience—500 hours of which must have been logged the year before admission.

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: Interested in earning the highest practice degree you can without devoting time to earning a nursing master's? Indiana Wesleyan University's BSN-to-DNP/FNP track involves 70 credits and a minimum of 1,000 clinical hours. The DNP curriculum expands upon the MSN/FNP study plan to include courses like "Critical Inquiry and Data Management" and "Systems and Organizational Leadership" that focus on the critical significance of evidence-based practice and nursing leadership.

While the majority of your coursework will be available online, you must participate in clinical rotations in person, and you will be required to visit the university's campus in Marion three times for orientation, presentation, and defense of your DNP project. You will also be expected to participate in interactive online discussions and workshops.

This program is only open to BSN-educated RNs who maintained a grade point average of 3.25 or higher in their undergraduate studies and have a valid nursing license in the state where they will pursue clinical rotations. It has multiple start dates throughout the year.

Post-Graduate Certificate Program Details: Indiana Wesleyan University's 20-credit FNP certificate is specifically designed for MSN-educated RNs who want to seek employment in family practice and community healthcare settings. It comprises four courses that emphasize hands-on competencies, which you can complete in just 12 months. You'll complete a minimum of 700 clinical hours, too, at healthcare facilities near your home, and RNs entering this program who aren't already APRN-certified must complete an onsite course in advanced health assessment. For acceptance into this program, you must have at least 500 hours of direct patient care within the year prior to your admission.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Indiana Wesleyan is a private, evangelical Christian university. While the university welcomes students from a variety of faiths, Christian principles and beliefs are strongly reflected in its nursing curriculum.
• RNs with a bachelor's degree in a field other than nursing may apply to this program as long as they have 10 or more years of professional nursing experience.
• IWU offers a dual MSN/Master's of Business Administration track with a focus on health systems leadership.

6. University of Southern Indiana - Evansville

Programs Offered: MSN, BSN-to-DNP, and Post-Master’s Certificate

MSN Program Details: The University of Southern Indiana's online MSN/FNP track has start dates in the spring, summer, and fall to accommodate the needs of working RNs who need flexibility in their educational goals. The 42-credit curriculum includes core MSN courses in nursing theory like "Theoretical Foundations for Advanced Practice Nursing," clinical APRN-related courses like "Advanced Health Assessment," and a two-part population-specific course called "Primary Care Nursing of Families."

You'll also have to complete 630 supervised hours of direct patient care, which you can do at a healthcare facility in the area where you live. You'll be responsible for identifying your own preceptor and clinical site, but USI will help you secure them. You may also be required to visit the university's campus in Evansville three to four times for skills workshops at USI's Clinical Simulation Center.

Most RNs who pursue this FNP program in Indiana enroll part-time and graduate in two and a half to three years. Applicants must have a BSN from an accredited nursing program with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Professional nursing experience is not required, but RNs with one year or more of professional experience within the last five years will be given preference for acceptance.

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: The 78-credit BSN-to-DNP/Family Nurse Practitioner at the University of Southern Indiana enables you to learn the critical skills necessary to deliver primary care to a wide variety of patients within a broader context of nursing leadership and research. You'll take classes and seminars like "Resource Utilization in Healthcare," "Systems Leadership and Interprofessional Collaboration," and "Analytical Methods for Population-Based Care." You'll also complete 1,000 clinical hours—665 of them providing supervised care for patients across the lifespan and 335 working on your DNP project and other practice hours integrated into the DNP-specific curriculum.

The curriculum is mostly online, though some campus visits may be required for skills intensives. Full-time students should be able to complete this program in 36 months, while it will take part-time students between 48 and 60 months.

Post-Master’s Certificate Program Details: Looking for professional development opportunities beyond the MSN you've already earned? USI's 24-credit post-master's FNP certificate is offered entirely online except for clinical rotations so that you can integrate it easily into your existing job and family responsibilities. This FNP requires the completion of 630 clinical hours, which you can do at a hospital or clinic in your own hometown. This program starts once a year in the fall semester and is open to RNs with MSN degrees. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their nursing master's studies and have taken an "Advanced Health Assessment" course within the last five years.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• The University of Southern Indiana's first-time pass rate on the family nurse practitioner certification exam has averaged 98 percent over the last five years.
• 100 percent of USI's family nurse practitioner grads find employment within six months of matriculating from the program.

7. Indiana University Kokomo - Kokomo

Programs Offered: MSN

MSN Program Details: You'll need to complete 44 credits and 600 clinical hours to earn an MSN with a concentration in family nurse practice at Indiana University-Kokomo. With the needs of working nurses in mind, this FNP program in Indiana is designed to be taken part-time and utilizes a hybrid format. You'll meet with instructors and classmates via Zoom on two or three Thursdays each semester.

The curriculum includes MSN core classes like "Leadership for Advanced Nursing Practice" and "Assessment of Individuals, Families, and Communities" and clinical courses that teach practicum skills like "Primary Care I, II, & III." You'll be able to complete practicums in your own Indiana community. Indiana University-Kokomo admits a new cohort into this program each spring, and you'll graduate at the end of seven semesters (28 months.) Applicants must have a BSN with a cumulative grade point average of 2.8 or higher and a nursing license in the state where they'll be doing clinical rotations (which, in most cases, will be Indiana.)

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Indiana faces a significant primary healthcare provider shortage, particularly in rural areas like Howard County and north central Indiana, where Indiana University-Kokomo is located. The university's MSN/FNP program was expressly set up to address challenges in regional healthcare growth.
• Indiana University-Kokomo cannot accept MSN/FNP students from Kansas or Washington State.

8. Goshen College - Goshen

Programs Offered: BSN-to-DNP

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: Goshen College's 48-credit MSN/FNP track is a campus-based program that meets one day a week—Tuesdays from 3:30-7:30 p.m.—throughout the program's eight-semester (36 months) duration. Foundational MSN courses like "Foundations for Leadership" and "Promoting Health in Vulnerable Populations" comprise 25 credits, while the remaining 23 credits are coursework specifically related to the FNP population track.

This FNP program in Indiana also includes 672 practicum hours. Goshen College maintains clinical partnerships with a number of healthcare facilities where you can do clinical rotations, including Goshen Health System, Beacon Health System, and Oaklawn. All RNs applying to this program must be licensed in Indiana or Michigan.

New students start in the fall semester. If Goshen College is your choice, it's best to apply early. The college uses a rolling application process, so admissions close once the desired number of qualified applicants is reached. Successful applicants will have at least one year of professional nursing experience.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Goshen College is affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA, a Christian denomination with roots in the 16th-century Anabaptist movement. While the college admits students of all religious backgrounds, its nursing curriculum reflects the principles and values of the Mennonite faith.
• 96 percent of Goshen College's Family Nurse Practitioner graduates pass their FNP certification examination on the very first attempt.
• Goshen College has been designated a Hispanic-serving institution in Indiana.

9. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College - Saint Mary Of The Woods

Programs Offered: MSN and Post-Master’s Certificate

MSN Program Details: Currently, no full-time nurse practitioner provides primary healthcare in Parke, Clay, Greene, and Sullivan Counties, the four Indiana counties adjacent to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Is it any wonder, then that the college's MSN/FNP program focuses upon preparing RNs to address the healthcare needs of patients living in rural and medically underserved communities?

This program may be one of the best FNP programs in Indiana for RNs whose schedules are in flux because it's so flexible. You can attend classes at the college's campus in Saint Mary of the Woods community or access coursework over a synchronous or asynchronous distance learning platform. The program entails 44 credits with courses like "Research for Evidence-Based Practice," "Healthcare Advocacy and Policy," and "Mental Health Considerations for Outpatient Primary Care." You'll take one or two classes every eight weeks during the spring and fall semesters during your first year and during the spring, summer, and fall semesters starting in your second year.

You'll also complete a minimum of 750 clinical hours. MSN/FNP students are responsible for identifying their own clinical preceptors and sites, and distance-learning students may be able to arrange practicums outside Indiana.

The program admits new students in the fall semester. Most students complete the course in eight semesters (32 months.) The program is only open to BSN-educated nurses with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher and an unencumbered license in the state where they'll perform their clinical rotations.

Post-Master’s Certificate Program Details: If you're an MSN-educated nurse who wants to become proficient in primary healthcare delivery, the post-master's FNP certificate at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods is an excellent option. The 24-credit (500 clinical hours) curriculum includes the population-specific portion of the college's MSN/FNP curriculum plus upper-level courses in pharmacology, pathophysiology, and assessment, and it will take you five semesters (20 months) to graduate.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is affiliated with the Catholic Sisters of Providence, but there are no religious requirements for admission or enrollment. While the college's educational materials reflect Catholic values, Catholic precepts per se are not reflected in its nursing curriculum.
• U.S. residents do not have to pay a fee to apply to this program.

10. Saint Mary's College - Notre Dame

Programs Offered: BSN-to-DNP

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: Students who enroll in Saint Mary College's 84-credit BSN-to-DNP/FNP program travel to the college's campus in Notre Dame for one weekend each semester to participate in immersive clinical skills workshops. Most of your coursework, however, will be available online. Like most other FNP programs in Indiana, Saint Mary's College's BSN-to-FNP/Family Nurse Practitioner track frontloads your study plan with foundational classes like "Philosophical and Ethical Foundations for the Advanced Nursing Practice Role" and "Quality, Effectiveness and Safety in Organizational Systems" that emphasizes the importance of nursing leadership and evidence-based practice. You'll begin population-specific coursework in your third year.

This program includes 1,180 clinical hours—780 hours of supervised direct patient care, and 400 DNP Project hours. Your clinical training can be completed at a healthcare center in your own community. You'll work on your DNP project over six semesters in the third and fourth years of the program. During your final semester, you'll give an oral presentation about your project's status on campus.

Most students will complete this BSN-to-DNP/FNP curriculum in 11 semesters (44 months.) Saint Mary's College accepts new students into this family nurse practitioner track each fall. This program is only open to BSN-educated students who graduated from an accredited nursing program with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and a valid RN license in the state where they'll be doing clinical rotations.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• While Saint Mary's College is a Catholic institution of higher learning, it provides a well-rounded nursing education and admits students from many different faith backgrounds.
• Saint Mary's College's BSN-to-DNP/FNP students have the option of specializing in a unique geriatric neuropsychiatry concentration that focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of elderly patients with dementia, delirium, depression, and similar conditions.

11. Valparaiso University - Valparaiso

Programs Offered: BSN-to-DNP

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: What makes Valparaiso University's BSN-to-DNP/Family Nurse Practitioner track stand out from other FNP programs in Indiana? Its flexibility! The majority of your coursework will be presented in an asynchronous format online so that you can learn at your own pace and structure your studies around your existing personal and professional commitments. Most students can complete this program in three years—and during that time, you'll only have to visit the university's campus in Valparaiso twice: once to participate in an immersive simulation workshop and once to present your DNP project.

The 70-credit BSN-to-DNP/FNP curriculum includes classes like "Procedural Techniques for Advanced Nursing Practice," "Foundations of Research and Evidence-Based Practice," and "Ethical Issues of Advanced Nursing Practice." A four-semester DNP project will evaluate your ability to use research and apply evidence-based practice to solve clinical challenges. The program also includes 1,000 clinical practicum hours, which you can complete at hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities in your own state.

This Family Nurse Practitioner program accepts new students in the fall semester. The program is only available to BSN-educated students with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher. Applicants must submit a portfolio describing their professional nursing experience along with three professional references and a two-page statement of purpose with their application.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• 100 percent of Valparaiso University's Family Nurse Practitioner grads pass their FNP certification exam the very first time they take it.
• 100 percent of Valparaiso University's FNP grads find employment in their own field within six months of matriculating from the university.

12. Ball State University - Muncie

Programs Offered: MSN, BSN-to-DNP, and Post-Master’s Certificate

MSN Program Details: Except for clinical rotations, Ball State University's MSN/FNP program is offered 100 percent online. The 48-credit track utilizes asynchronous technology, so you'll be able to advance through the curriculum at the speed with which you're most comfortable. Most students take two courses a semester and graduate in six to eight terms.

Courses such as "Data Analysis in Nursing Research," "Advanced Practice Nursing and Role Theory," and "Nursing Concepts in Health Promotion/Disease and Injury Prevention in Populations" will impart the essentials of APRN practice and get you up to speed on nursing research. Between courses, homework, and studying, you can expect to spend six to 10 hours on your didactic coursework and another eight to 12 hours a week on clinical courses. You'll be responsible for completing 690 clinical hours, and you can choose a site and preceptor in the area where you live.

This FNP program in Indiana accepts new students in the spring and fall. This program is only open to students with a Bachelor's of Science degree from an accredited nursing university and an unencumbered nursing license.

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: If you want to earn the nursing profession's highest clinical degree at the same time that you qualify for family nurse practitioner certification, then Ball State University's 78-credit BSN-to-DNP/FNP track may be exactly what you're looking for. In addition to the coursework in the university's MSN/FNP pathway, you'll take DNP core courses like "Health Care Business and Economics" and "Research for Evidence-Based Practice." You'll also participate in a three-semester DNP project that will evaluate your ability to apply nursing theory to real-life challenges you encounter in the patient care setting.

Graduating from this program requires completing 1,000 post-baccalaureate clinical hours. You can schedule your clinical rotations at a hospital, clinic, or other healthcare facility in your geographic location. Ball State University accepts a new cohort into its BSN-to-DNP/FNP program each fall. This program is open to BSN-educated applicants with a valid RN license in the state where they'll be doing clinical rotations.

Post-Master’s Certificate Program Details: Are you an RN with a nursing master's degree looking for ways to add a primary care specialty to your nursing skillset? Ball State University's post-master's Family Nurse Practitioner certificate has two tracks. MSN-educated RNs who aren't nurse practitioners must complete at least 23 credits (630 clinical hours); MSN-educated RNs who are already NPs only need to complete 15 credits (390 clinical hours.) Additionally, all students in this track may be required to take advanced health assessment, clinical pharmacology, and pathophysiology courses if they haven't already.

You'll start Ball State University's FNP certificate in the fall. The length of the program will depend upon the number of credits you must complete.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• U.S. News & World Report ranks Ball State University's graduate nursing programs as the 37th best in the U.S.
• Ball State University will let you complete your clinical practicums in the healthcare facility where you're employed so long as it isn't the same unit where you work and your preceptor is not your manager.

13. University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne

Programs Offered: DNP (BSN-to-DNP and MSN-to-DNP)

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: You'll have to visit the University of Saint Francis's campus in Fort Wayne twice a semester for lectures, group work, simulations, patient visits, and other curriculum enrichments while you're pursuing a BSN-to-DNP/FNP degree there. For the most part, though, the coursework for this 73- to 75-credit program will be available online using a combination of synchronous and asynchronous technology. This FNP program in Indiana offers full-time and part-time enrollment.

You'll take classes like "Frameworks and Models for Examining Nursing Practice," "Healthcare Policy and Advocacy," and "Epidemiology and Applied Statistics for Outcome Evaluation." You'll also complete a three-part DNP project: a comprehensive identification, implementation, and evaluation of a solution to a challenge you've encountered during practicums that requires integrating research into practice. You'll be responsible for completing clinical rotations at a healthcare facility near your home.

MSN-to-DNP Program Details: The University of Saint Francis also offers its DNP/FNP track for RNs who've already invested in earning a nursing master's degree. This curriculum mirrors the BSN-to-DNP/FNP curriculum minus those courses that focus on the DNP project and imparting APRN-specific skills.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• The University of Saint Francis is a Catholic university. While the university is liberal and accepts nursing students from all religious backgrounds, Catholic values are reflected in its nursing curriculum to some extent. For example, all DNP students must take a course called "Advanced Health Ethics and Spiritual Care" that examines the significance of spiritual issues on patient care.
• FNP grads from the University of Saint Francis have a 100 percent first-time pass rate on their Family Nurse Practitioner board certification exams.
• The University of Saint Francis offers a unique post-ADN-to-DNP pathway for RNs who don't have a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing degree. Students begin this track with a two-semester bridge course that covers essential BSN content. They will earn a BSN degree before joining the cohort enrolled in the BSN-to-DNP/FNP cohort.

14. Indiana University South Bend - South Bend

Programs Offered: MSN and Post Master’s Certificate

MSN Program Details: Indiana University-South Bend accepts new students into its MSN/FNP track each spring. This 44-credit program includes classes like "Leadership for Advanced Nursing Practice," "Advance Health Assessment Across the Lifespan," and "Nursing Research Methods," as well as 600 clinical hours, which you'll be able to complete at a medical center near your home. Your nursing instructors will assist you in securing clinical preceptors and sites.

Most of your MSN/FNP education will be delivered online. Some classes will meet synchronously up to four times a semester, but most will be taught asynchronously. Coursework is designed for part-time enrollment to best meet the needs of working RNs, and most students graduate after seven semesters (28 months.) Indiana University-South Bend's MSN/FNP track accepts a new cohort each spring. Applicants must have a BSN from an accredited nursing program with a grade point average of 2.8 or higher. While two years of professional nursing experience is not required for MSN/FNP applicants, it is preferred.

Post Master’s Certificate Program Details: For MSN-educated nurses eager to add primary healthcare across the lifespan to their repertoire of clinical competencies, Indiana University-South Bend offers a post-master's FNP certificate. The number of credits you'll have to complete to earn this certificate depends upon the courses you completed when you pursued your nursing master's, but most RNs enrolled in this program will finish 18 credits (600 clinical hours) and graduate in four semesters (16 months.) Classes begin in the spring semester.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Indiana University-South Bend, along with Indiana University-East, Indiana University-Kokomo, Indiana University-northwest, and Indiana University-Southeast, are members of the Indiana University Regional MSN Consortium. The consortium was set up to help address the Hoosier State's severe shortage of primary healthcare providers by improving access to nursing master's programs throughout the state.
• As a public university, Indiana University-South Bend offers FNP students one of Indiana's most affordable tuition rates.

15. Marian University Indianapolis - Indianapolis

Programs Offered: BSN-to-DNP

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: What puts Marian University-Indianapolis among the best FNP programs in Indiana? A unique transition-to-practice practicum immersion at the very end of the program that will provide you with high-quality training and the experience you need to use your new DNP-acquired skills to their best advantage. All in all, Marian University offers BSN-to-DNP/FNP students 1,035 clinical hours—750 direct patient care hours and 285 hours dedicated to planning, implementing, and evaluating your DNP project.

Marian University's BSN-to-DNP/FNP program entails 71 credits and includes courses like "Scientific Foundations for the Family Nurse Practitioner Role," "Epidemiology for Advanced Practice," and "Policy, Organization and Finance of Health Care." You'll also spend three semesters working on a DNP project that will showcase your new research and evidence-based practice skills. The program is offered in a hybrid format; you can access most of your coursework online, but you will have to visit the university's campus for skills immersions and simulation experiences.

This program opens its doors to new students at the beginning of the spring, summer, and fall semesters. It will take full-time students eight semesters (32 months) to complete. The program is open to RNs with a BSN from an accredited nursing program and an unencumbered nursing license in the state where they'll be doing practicums.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Though Marian University is a Catholic university following the Franciscan tradition, it welcomes students of all religious denominations. Catholic values like service and social justice are part of the university's identity, but its nursing curriculum doesn't explicitly reflect Catholic principles.
• Marian University's Hill-Rom Simulation Center is a state-of-the-art facility outfitted with sophisticated hospital equipment, high-tech manikins, and lifelike task trainers where you can learn essential hands-on clinical skills without harming or inconveniencing patients.

16. Indiana State University - Terre Haute

Programs Offered: MSN, BSN-to-DNP, and Post-Master’s Certificate

MSN Program Details: Depending upon the culminating experience you choose, Indiana State University's MSN/FNP track is a 48- to 51-credit track. You can complete this program online without visiting the university's campus once. Most of your classes will utilize asynchronous technology, and you'll be notified in advance when synchronous meetings are planned so that you can integrate them into your work schedule. Courses like "Health Care Perspectives," "Health Assessment and Health Promotion for Advanced Nursing Process," and "Theoretical Foundation in Family Health Care" will teach you MSN core essentials as well as the clinical expertise you'll need to succeed as a primary healthcare provider.

You'll be responsible for completing 675 practicum hours, which you can do at a healthcare center close to your home. Choose among three culminating MSN experiences: a master's thesis, an evidence-based plan for implementing a clinical change, or a paper or a poster.

Indiana State University accepts new students into this program in the fall and spring. Full-time students should be able to complete the track in two and a half years, but the university also offers part-time enrollment. Students in their last semester of baccalaureate nursing, as well as BSN-educated RNs, may apply to this program.

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: Indiana State University's BSN-to-DNP/FNP offers more autonomy to you as a primary healthcare provider than its shorter MSN/FNP track. If you want to be a nursing leader or innovator in the field of primary nursing care, this is the program for you.

The 78-credit program can be completed in as few as seven semesters (28 months) and is delivered 100 percent online. You'll access your coursework through asynchronous technology for the most part—though courses involving presentations may be scheduled synchronously. The curriculum includes 1,100 clinical hours, 750 of which will be precepted patient care hours and 350 of which will be devoted to researching and implementing your DNP project.

Courses will include "Nursing Theory Development," "Community Health Planning," and "Advanced Diagnostics and Procedures." You'll work with clinical preceptors and sites in your own community. Your DNP project will be spread out over four semesters of planning, implementation, and evaluation. New cohorts are accepted into this program in the spring and fall.

Post-Master’s Certificate Program Details: If you're an RN with a nursing master's looking for an opportunity to expand your skillset into primary care across the lifespan, Indiana State University's 27-credit post-master's FNP certificate is well worth checking out. All courses apart from clinical rotations can be accessed online, and you'll graduate in just 16 months.

The program accepts new students in the spring and fall. To apply, you must already have completed courses in advanced assessment, pharmacology, and pathophysiology.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Indiana State University only accepts students from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin into its online Family Nurse Practitioner tracks.
• Indiana State University ensures that FNP students will benefit from the individualized attention they need by keeping class sizes small. DNP project groups, for example, are never larger than eight students.

17. Indiana University Northwest - Gary

Programs Offered: MSN

MSN Program Details: Indiana University Northwest's 44-credit MSN/Family Nurse Practitioner track was developed to improve regional healthcare delivery throughout northwestern Indiana and the Chicago area by creating more primary healthcare providers. The program is set up for the convenience of working RNs; most part-time students will be able to graduate in seven semesters (28 months), but you have up to 48 months to complete the curriculum.

Courses like "Leadership in Advanced Practice" and "Research Methods" will lay the foundations for learning advanced practice RN competencies. Most of the time, you'll use asynchronous technology to access your coursework and educational materials online, but three or four times a semester, you'll attend class meetings via Zoom.

You must log 600 hours of supervised practicum. Whether you complete practicum experiences in healthcare facilities throughout Gary, your own Indiana community, or Chicago, you must have an Indiana or Illinois RN license. This program accepts new students in the spring.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Indiana University Northwest focuses on teaching students how to deliver primary healthcare in urban, medically underserved areas.
• As part of the Indiana University system, IU Northwest offers competitive tuition rates significantly lower than those private universities in Indiana charge for family nurse practitioner programs.

18. Indiana University East - Richmond

Programs Offered: MSN

MSN Program Details: At Indiana University East, MSN/FNP students begin their studies with core MSN coursework like "Population Health" and "Assessment of Individuals, Families, and Communities," which build the nursing theory foundation for more clinical advanced practice RN studies. This 44-credit FNP program in Indiana includes 600 clinical hours divided into four segments. Though coursework is delivered chiefly via asynchronous distance learning, you may be asked to journey to the university's campus two or three times a year for skills intensives.

You must have at least two years of full-time professional nursing experience to apply to this program. You must also have a BSN from an accredited nursing program with an undergraduate GPA of 2.8 or higher. New students will start the program in the spring, and it will take you approximately seven semesters to graduate. The program was designed for part-time enrollment.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Indiana University East's curriculum is designed to educate family nurse practitioners to serve the needs of the region where the university is located—namely, rural, medically underserved populations.
• Indiana University East's MSN/Family Nurse Practitioner program doesn't admit students from Kansas or Washington State.


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WHAT IS THE AVERAGE FNP SALARY IN INDIANA?

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FNP SALARY IN INDIANA VS. OTHER SALARIES

FNP SALARY IN INDIANA VS. FNP SALARY IN THE NATION

FNP SALARY IN INDIANA VS. FNP SALARIES IN OTHER STATES

FNP SALARY IN INDIANA VS. OTHER NURSE SALARIES IN INDIANA

FNP SALARY IN INDIANA VS. SALARIES OF OTHER CLOSELY RELATED OCCUPATIONS IN INDIANA

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ANSWERED

1. Who Accredits FNP Programs In Indiana?

S.No.	Accrediting Agency
1	Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
2	Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

2. How Many Accredited FNP Schools Are There In Indiana?

18

3. On Average, How Much Does A Family NP Make Per Hour In Indiana?

$58.84

4. On Average, How Much Does A Family NP Make Per Week In Indiana?

$2,353

5. On Average, How Much Does A Family NP Make Per Month In Indiana?

$10,200

6. On Average, How Much Does A Family NP Make Per Year In Indiana?

$122,380

7. What Is The Job Outlook For FNPs In Indiana?

10-Year Job Outlook (2022-2032)

+ 45.80%

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