Overview
If you are interested in elevating your nursing degree (BSN) and becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), this program is for you! This program prepares nurses for an advanced practice role, with an emphasis on integrating preventative and self-care measures, as well as the diagnosis and management of commonly occurring acute and chronic health conditions. This program also includes participation in and use of research, development, and implementation of health policy, and education of individuals and groups.
MCN's FNP sequence is known for providing an outstanding experience for students. The program is a mix of online and on-campus education. We offer students highly skilled FNP faculty certified in their specialty and active in their practice area, excellent on-campus and online learning environments, student-centered approaches to learning, and reasonable tuition rates at a state university known for exceptional programs.
After completing our program, you will be eligible to sit for FNP certification and apply for licensure.
Sample Schedule
Our program is a hybrid. The following courses are held on campus: NUR 431, NUR 433, NUR 437, NUR 471, NUR 473, NUR 475 and NUR 477. Most classes have class on campus one day per week. For NUR 431 and NUR 437, you’ll be on campus two days per week. Thursdays and Fridays are typically the days used for campus courses. Then, of course, you would also have clinicals. Below is more information on the in-person classes.
This is the current plan, which is designed to give you an idea of what to expect. However, please be aware that it is subject to change, so be prepared for some flexibility!
NUR 431 –On campus for lecture on Thursdays and lab on Fridays
NUR 433 –On campus for lecture on Thursdays
NUR 437 –On campus for lecture on Thursdays
NUR 471 – On campus for a lecture on Thursdays plus clinicals 1 to1.5 days/week
NUR 473 –On campus for a lecture on Thursdays plus clinicals 1.5 to 2 days/week
NUR 475 – On campus for a lecture on Thursdays plus clinicals 1.5 to 2 days/week
NUR 477- On campus for a lecture on Thursdays plus clinical two days/week
Work/Life Balance
This is very individualized and a decision that needs to be made by the students after consideration of their personal responsibilities/time commitments. Most of our students work part-time and have the flexibility to adjust their work schedule to facilitate their course and clinical schedule.
Perceptors
We do place students who live within about an hour of campus. If you think of Bloomington-Normal in the middle, we place students who live as far west as Peoria, south to Springfield/Decatur, east to Champaign-Urbana, and north to Pontiac or some surrounding towns.
You can find a placement outside our region. A majority of your hours must be in primary or urgent care, not specialty settings. We cannot guarantee placement outside our area.
You can complete your clinical hours at your place of employment under the following conditions:
- Complete hours outside of work hours
- Preceptor meets our precepting requirements
- Preceptor is not your direct supervisor
- You receive approval from our clinical coordinator
View all preceptor requirements.
Clinicals must be done in the state of Illinois.
This application is now closed for the fall 2025 admission term, as the priority deadline has passed and target enrollment numbers have been met. Should additional space in the program become available, we welcome applications to the Fall 2025 FNP Waitlist. If you are interested in applying to the Fall 2025 FNP Waitlist, please contact Melissa Moody at mkmoody@ilstu.edu. The waitlist is for the fall 2025 term only. Applicants who are not admitted from the waitlist by July 15, 2025, should reapply for fall 2026 consideration; a new application and fee would be required.
