CUW's FNP dual degrees: a second master's, the same 750 clinical hours
Concordia University Wisconsin added two FNP dual degrees in its 2026-27 catalog: the MSN FNP with an MBA at 68 credits and with a Master of Public Health at 71. The business or public health courses lengthen the plan, but the clinical core stays put: NURS 7151, NURS 7152 and NURS 7153, 750 hours, with every preceptor secured by you and approved by CUW's graduate faculty.
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Two degrees on one catalog page
Both dual degrees are new in the 2026-27 academic catalog and sit on the same MSN nurse practitioner page as the stand-alone FNP. The FNP + MBA totals 68 credits and the FNP + MPH totals 71, against 41 for the FNP on its own. Admission follows the MSN: a BSN, an RN license and the July 1 (fall) or November 1 (spring) application deadline.
Both course lists pair the FNP clinicals with NURS 7013 Diagnostic Skills for APRN. The MPH version also carries PH 7200, a Culminating Integrative Learning Experience. That capstone belongs to the public health degree and is listed apart from the FNP clinical hours, so keep its hours, logs and paperwork separate from your NP clinical records.
The FNP half of each degree runs like the stand-alone program: online courses, the on-campus Advanced Health Assessment days in Mequon, and three primary care clinicals. The extra credits are what change your calendar, and the calendar is what changes your preceptor search.
The clinical core is the FNP sequence
The catalog sets the 750 hours as a minimum across the FNP clinicals. CUW's February 2024 progression plans, written for the MSN, put 250 hours in each course. The dual degrees have no published hour split of their own, so 250 a course is the sensible working figure until your faculty say otherwise.
Everything about the clinicals follows the FNP rules: a primary care practice as the main site, preceptors approved for appropriateness by graduate faculty, and Advanced Health Assessment finished before Clinical I. The MSN FNP guide walks through the sequence course by course.
| Route | Credits | Semesters in catalog plan | Clinical courses | Clinical hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSN FNP | 41 | 8 | NURS 7151, NURS 7152, NURS 7153 | 750 |
| MSN FNP + MBA | 68 | 11 (NURS 7153 in semester 11) | Same three courses | 750 |
| MSN FNP + MPH | 71 | 8 | Same three courses | 750 |
How the longer plan changes preceptor timing
The MBA route stretches to 11 semesters in the catalog plan and places NURS 7153 in the eleventh. Long gaps between clinicals carry a quiet risk: a preceptor who agreed to Clinical I may have changed jobs, cut hours or taken another student by the time Clinical III comes around. Recheck every commitment a full semester before the course, not the week before.
The MPH route runs eight semesters like the stand-alone FNP, but fits 30 more credits into the same span. Heavier terms leave fewer open weekdays for clinic, which makes a preceptor with a steady weekly schedule especially valuable. Map your course load and your clinic days on one calendar before you ask anyone to commit.
The MSN catalog page also carries a five-year limit for finishing all degree requirements. Ask your academic advisor how that limit applies to your dual-degree plan before you let any clinical slip a term. The clinical deadline calendar shows how far ahead each piece of paperwork has run in CUW's archived process.
Choosing sites that serve both degrees
The FNP courses already reach past the exam room. The catalog describes Clinical II as primary care with community-level prevention built through community partnerships, which sits comfortably beside public health coursework. An MPH student might start with community health centers and public health clinics that deliver primary care, provided the preceptor and setting clear CUW's faculty review.
MBA students often want to see how a practice is run. A multi-provider primary care group lets you watch scheduling, staffing and quality reporting from the clinical side while your hours stay patient-centered. CUW's 2014-15 handbook allowed at most 8 hours a semester of orientation, shadowing or approved conference time, so the business view comes alongside patient care rather than in place of it.
The main site stays primary care in both routes. CUW's 2022 blog on MSN clinicals ruled out hospital, emergency and surgical settings for the primary care tracks. Specialty and secondary-site rules are gathered on primary care sites.
State rules for dual-degree students
CUW's Distance Education Disclosures list no dual degree by name. The table for the Master of Science in Nursing - Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, the program whose clinical sequence both routes share, marks 26 states as meeting requirements and 24 as not. Because the dual degrees are new, ask admissions or the Graduate Clinical Coordinator which table applies to you before planning clinicals outside Wisconsin.
The catalog puts the eligibility check on the student whenever clinicals take place in another state, and it asks MSN students to keep an unencumbered RN license throughout. The state-by-state table, with its program differences, is on licensure disclosures.
Washington is a special case. CUW's FNP page says the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission approved CUW to run practice experiences there for the MSN/FNP track. That statement does not mention the dual degrees, so Washington residents in either route should get CUW's confirmation that the approval covers them.
How we support dual-degree students
A second degree leaves little time for calling practices, which is exactly the work our placement desk takes on. We map all three FNP clinicals against your 8- or 11-semester plan, search primary care practices near home that fit each course, and time every approach so the preceptor is confirmed well before the proposal is due.
Each preceptor we bring you arrives with the license, board certification, CV and site details CUW's graduate faculty review, plus an early read on whether the practice already has a clinical contract with CUW. When the gap between clinicals is long, we reconfirm the next preceptor ahead of time so the new term opens on schedule. Use the form below and pick the dual-degree option.
Questions CUW students ask
Do CUW's FNP dual degrees require more clinical hours than the MSN FNP?
No. Both the MBA and MPH versions use the same three FNP clinical courses, NURS 7151 to NURS 7153, and the same 750-hour minimum. The added credits are business or public health coursework. The MPH's PH 7200 culminating experience is a requirement of its own and sits apart from the NP clinical hours.
Can my MPH culminating experience count as FNP clinical hours?
Plan on keeping them separate. The catalog lists PH 7200 as the MPH's Culminating Integrative Learning Experience, apart from the FNP clinicals, and FNP hours come from approved primary care preceptors. If one organization could host both, ask your course faculty before planning any overlap, and keep separate logs for each.
When do the clinicals fall in the FNP + MBA plan?
The catalog plan runs 11 semesters and lists NURS 7153 in semester 11. No separate hour split is published for the dual degree, so plan on the MSN's 250 hours a course, and ask your academic advisor where Clinicals I and II land in your own plan so each preceptor search starts on time.
Are CUW's FNP dual degrees online?
Yes, apart from Advanced Health Assessment. Its on-campus experience in Mequon is described as 2-3 days in the catalog and three days on the FNP page. Clinical hours happen with approved preceptors near home, and international students on F-1 visas are not eligible for CUW's online formats.
Do I need a different preceptor for each FNP clinical?
Not always, but usually more than one. CUW's 2014-15 handbook capped any one preceptor at 400 program hours, so one clinician could cover Clinical I and part of II but not all 750 hours. Clinical III's pediatric and women's health emphasis often points to a second practice. Confirm current limits with the Graduate Clinical Coordinator.
Does the FNP + MBA take longer than the MSN FNP?
In the catalog's sample plans, yes: 11 semesters for the MBA route against 8 for both the stand-alone FNP and the MPH route. CUW's MSN progression plans already stretch the FNP alone to three, three and a half or four years, so ask your academic advisor to map your exact semesters before you start the first preceptor search.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-26
We check these pages against CUW's own academic catalog, program pages and published nursing documents. Your course faculty and the Graduate Clinical Coordinator have the final word.
- Concordia University Wisconsin Academic Catalog 2026-27: MSN Nurse Practitioner (includes the FNP dual degrees)
- Concordia University Wisconsin: MSN Family Nurse Practitioner
- Concordia University Wisconsin Academic Catalog: graduate NURS course descriptions
- Concordia University Wisconsin: Distance Education Disclosures
CUW asks you to secure your preceptors. We make the search the easy part.
Tell us your CUW track, your city and your next clinical course. We line up preceptors who fit the NURS course, gather the license, board certification and site details CUW's graduate faculty review, and flag early whether the site needs a new clinical contract.
- Preceptors matched to the course: primary care for FNP and AGPCNP, mental health settings for PMHNP, an agency mentor for DNP projects
- Preceptor license, certification, CV and site details ready for CUW's approval
- All three clinical courses planned together, close to home in a state CUW's disclosure lists for your program
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