The Master of Science - Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Program is designed to prepare registered nurses for advanced practice roles in primary care. This program equips nurses with the clinical expertise, leadership skills, and evidence-based knowledge necessary to provide comprehensive healthcare to individuals and families across the lifespan. Graduates will be prepared to assess, diagnose, and manage acute and chronic conditions while promoting health and disease prevention
This hybrid program integrates both synchronous and asynchronous online coursework with in-person intensive sessions at San José State University. Didactic courses include self-directed learning components (asynchronous) and scheduled live virtual class meetings (synchronous) to enhance engagement with course materials. In-person intensive sessions provide essential hands-on training, faculty interaction, and peer collaboration.
Students are assigned clinical preceptors throughout the Bay Area to support their training. Students complete a minimum of 540 direct patient care hours, distributed over three semesters (summer, fall, spring), providing hands-on experience in diverse healthcare settings.
Additional information is available on the department website: https://www.sjsu.edu/nursing/.
FNP MS Program Coordinator and Advisor: Jennifer Aldred.
Hybrid Program (Special Session)
Special Session Program Information
Academic Programs offered through Special Session are operated by Professional and Continuing Education. Registration and enrollment in a Special Session course or program are subject to special session fees and course schedules. Note that regular session students seeking to enroll simultaneously in a special session course or the program will trigger a separate and additional set of fees. This may require an additional enrollment appointment from the Registrar and it may have implications for financial aid status or requirements.
Applicants must submit a complete graduate application by applying through the CSU Cal State Apply system and meet all the university admission requirements .
Advancement to Candidacy
The university requirements for advancement to candidacy for the master’s degree are outlined in the Graduate Policies and Procedures section. Students should seek advancement to candidacy as soon as possible for their given program and on the advice of their graduate program coordinator. Graduate students may submit a Petition for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy form to the Graduate Admissions & Program Evaluations (GAPE) office after satisfying the following: achieved classified status; completed a minimum of nine letter-graded units with all grades “C” or higher; fulfilled the Campus Graduate Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (CGGWAR) requirement; achieved a minimum cumulative and program 3.0 GPA, and, graduate within the seven-year time limit for degree completion. Graduate students must submit their petition no later than one semester prior to graduating. Courses that satisfy the CGGWAR are listed in the course requirements for the program.
Department Requirements
Advancement to candidacy for the MS - Nursing program also requires that the candidate must have:
- Earned at least a “B” (3.0) average in a minimum of 9 letter-graded semester units of 100-level and/or 200-level coursework completed while in graduate standing at San José State University and in any coursework completed while in graduate standing at other institutions before enrollment here.
- Classified standing.
- MSN Project Plan approved by the Nursing Graduate Coordinator.
Students must complete all residency, curriculum, unit, GPA, and culminating experience requirements as outlined in the Graduation Requirements section of the Graduate Policies and Procedures . Students must comply with all other graduate requirements contained in this catalog.
Culminating Experience
Plan B (Project)
Candidates for the degree complete a written capstone project over two semesters as part of their 40-unit regular degree requirement. This project is an investigation of an evidenced-based nursing topic. It shall identify a clinical problem and question(s), state the major theoretical perspectives, explain the significance of the undertaking, relate it to relevant, scholarly and professional literature, set forth the appropriate sources for and methods of gathering and analyzing the data, and offer a conclusion or recommendation.
Completion of Clinical Hours: Practice
All students are required to complete a minimum of 540 supervised direct patient care hours.
