DNP-FNP Program
The Department of Nursing at California State University, Bakersfield is pleased to offer the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) - Family Nursing Practitioner (FNP) Degree Program starting in Fall 2025.
Program Information
The purpose of the DNP-FNP program is to produce doctorally prepared nurse practitioners to address the critical shortage of primary care providers in the region and to meet the emerging educational and scholarly standard for nurse practitioners. This three-year, eight-semester, program is designed for registered nurses (RNs) who have a Bachelor of Science (BS) or Master of Science (MS) in Nursing, and who are not Family Nurse Practitioners and aspire to become doctorally prepared nurse practitioners. Currently, our DNP-NP program only offers the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) concentration. Admission to the program is every fall semester.
Graduates of the FNP Program are:
- Qualified to be certified as NPs by the State of California.
- Qualified to earn an FNP furnishing number from the State of California.
- Prepared to take National FNP Certification exams.
Lectures
Our program is designed to provide a comprehensive learning experience through a combination of course formats such as:
- Weekly in-person and synchronous online courses
- Asynchronous courses
- Hybrid courses
- Other days/times that may be required as scheduled by faculty
Off Campus Clinical Hours
- A minimum of 1000 clinical hours is required.
- First clinical course starts in the 4th semester.
- Typically, 1-2 eight-hour clinical day(s) per week will be required during the regular work week (Monday-Friday, during normal business hours).