Program Details
- Next Start Date: January 11, 2027
- Est. Program Length: 3-4 Years
- Credit Hours: 77
- Course Length: 8 Weeks
- Cost Per Credit: $800
Program Overview
Advance your career as an evidence-based clinician with Aurora University’s online Doctor of Nursing Practice, Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP) program. Designed for registered nurses in Illinois, this program meets the highest standards of academic rigor and excellence while preparing you to become an innovative primary care provider across the lifespan.
Through a flexible online format, you can balance your personal and professional commitments while progressing toward your degree. In addition to online coursework, the DNP-FNP program includes diverse clinical practicums in settings such as emergency departments, family practice, internal medicine, and women’s health. Aurora University coordinates your clinical placements, ensuring you gain meaningful, hands-on experience that prepares you for real-world impact.
Clinicals
Practicum sites with highly qualified preceptors are arranged by the Clinical Coordinator in the School of Nursing at Aurora University.
Curriculum Overview
Taught by experienced nursing faculty, the DNP-FNP program includes online coursework, practicum hours, weekend intensives, and residency requirements. You’ll gain hands-on skills in evidence-based practice, quality improvement, informatics, policy, advocacy, and population health.
Skills Gained in the DNP-FNP Program
The DNP-FNP program learning outcomes align with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials for DNP programs. As a graduate of this program, you’ll be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability to integrate scientific knowledge and research evidence to improve healthcare outcomes for individuals, families, and populations, while developing new practice approaches to enhance care delivery and the advancement of nursing practice.
- Apply clinical scholarship and analytical methods to critically appraise existing literature and design evidence-based interventions for complex clinical problems.
- Demonstrate leadership skills in healthcare policy advocacy, emphasizing quality improvement, safety, and equitable care delivery within diverse healthcare systems.
- Apply, use, and evaluate information systems and healthcare technologies to enhance patient care delivery, optimize health outcomes, and ensure patient safety.
- Appraise and synthesize health policy to influence changes through advocacy, negotiation, and collaboration to improve the healthcare system’s quality and accessibility.
- Implement population health strategies through collaboration with the inter-professional teams to promote health, prevent disease, and manage chronic conditions across diverse populations.
- Execute advanced clinical judgment, cultural competence, systems thinking, accountability, and ethical principles in clinical practice to provide compassionate and culturally sensitive care to diverse patient populations across the lifespan.
Why Choose AU?
At Aurora University, you’ll learn from practitioner-based faculty members who are focused on teaching an industry-aligned curriculum. Our online programs are designed for working professionals and built with maximum flexibility in mind, so you’ll have the support you need to balance your studies with your busy schedule. Imagine what you can accomplish at a university that offers:
- No GRE/GMAT
- No application fee
- A full suite of Career Services and Resources.
- A student-first educational experience.
- Programs accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
- The personal attention and support you expect from a small college.
Program Details
- Next Start Date:January 11, 2027
- Est. Program Length:3-4 Years
- Credit Hours:77
- Course Length:8 Weeks
- Cost Per Credit:$800
DNP Core Courses (20 Credits)
- NUR7100 Foundations of Scholarly Writing – 2 credits*
- NUR7110 Leadership, Policy, and Inter-Professional Collaboration: Effecting Change in Complex Health Systems – 3 credits*
- NUR7200 Information Systems for Patient Safety and Quality – 3 credits*
- NUR7210 Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Evidence-Based Practice – 3 credits*
- NUR7220 Translational Research and Evidence-Based Practice – 3 credits*
- NUR7300 Evidence-Based Practice Methods – 3 credits*
- NUR7320 Health Care Economics and Financial Planning for Clinical Programs – 3 credits*
APRN Core Courses (14 Credits)
- NUR7310 Transition to the APN Role – 3 credits*
- NUR7400 Advanced Health Assessment for Advanced Practice Nursing Across the Lifespan – 3 credits*
- NUR7400Z Advanced Health Assessment for Advanced Practice Nursing Across the Lifespan Lab – 1 credit^
- NUR7410 Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Principles Across the Lifespan – 4 credits*
- NUR7420 Advanced Pharmacology Across the Lifespan – 3 credits*
FNP Concentration Courses (32 Credits)
- NUR7120 Health Promotion and Population Health – 3 credits*
- NUR7500 Pharmacotherapeutics in Primary Care – 3 credits*
- NUR7510 Primary Care for the Adult/Gerontology Population – 3 credits*^
- NUR7510Z Clinical Practice in Primary Care of the Adult/Geriatric Population – 5 credits**
- NUR7600 Primary Care of the Pediatric Population – 3 credits*
- NUR7600Z Clinical Practice in Primary Care of the Pediatric Population – 2 credits**
- NUR7610 Primary Care of Women Across the Lifespan – 3 credits^
- NUR7610Z Clinical Practice in Primary Care of Women Across the Lifespan – 2 credits**
- NUR8100 Primary Care Family Practice Residency I – 4 credits**
- NUR8200 Primary Care Residency II – 4 credits**
DNP Practicum/Project Courses (11 Credits)
- NUR8110 DNP Proposal Development for Translating Evidence to Practice – 3 credits*
- NUR8120 DNP Project Planning and Implementation – 4 credits*
- NUR8210 DNP Project Evaluation and Dissemination – 4 credits*
*Online coursework with required synchronous Zoom meetings
**Includes direct patient care hours
^Includes a weekend intensive
Note: Certain courses may incur lab, clinical, testing, practicum, or other fees. Please consult the course catalog for individual course fee information. Tuition and fees are subject to change without prior notice.
Candidates must meet the following requirements:
- A minimum of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from an accredited nursing program, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale for the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework
- A current, unencumbered RN license from the state of Illinois
- A personal interview with program faculty
All candidates must submit:
- A completed Graduate Application for Admission
- A curriculum vitae or resume highlighting past education, clinical experience, scholarly endeavors, professional activities, and community service
- A substantive 2-3-page personal essay describing the candidate’s educational and career goals
- Two professional letters of recommendation: one from the candidate’s current direct supervisor and one from an academic or professional reference qualified to assess the candidate’s potential to succeed in the program
- Official transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate institutions attended, sent to transcripts.aurora@risepoint.com
- While not required for admission, candidates must complete a criminal background check and a drug screen before beginning clinical practicums. Failure to do so may prohibit completion of the program.
Graduate-level course credit is transferable, allowing students to earn their degree faster than ever. Graduate-level credit earned at regionally accredited institutions of higher education graded “B” or better may be transferred to Aurora University and applied toward a master’s or other post-baccalaureate programs prior to enrollment at Aurora University.
Online Doctor of Nursing Practice – Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP) Career Outcomes
You can graduate from the DNP-FNP program in as few as three years with eligibility to sit for the FNP certification exam and become a family nurse practitioner. The median pay for nurse practitioners is $129,210 per year,1 and they work in a diverse range of settings, including:
- Academic institutions
- Acute or urgent care centers
- Acute care hospitals
- Correctional facilities
- Insurance companies
- Primary care clinics
- Retail clinics
- Skilled or long-term care facilities
Source
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook. “Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners.” August 28, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm.
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