Graduate Nursing Overview
Austin Peay State University's Graduate Nursing program offers a supportive, online learning environment for students pursuing advanced practice roles in healthcare. Concentrations include Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Nurse Educator (NE), and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), catering to RNs at various career stages.
With low student-to-faculty ratios, personal advising, and frequent faculty access, students benefit from a collaborative academic community. FNP and PMHNP students also participate in fun, interactive on-campus intensives to practice hands-on skills, engage in simulations, and network with peers, faculty, and experts.
Why APSU?
There are many reasons to consider APSU's Graduate Nursing Program:
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Low Faculty-to-Student Ratio: We get to know students personally, ensuring dedicated support throughout their studies.
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Affordable, High-Quality Education: APSU offers the lowest graduate tuition per credit hour in Tennessee, with in-state students able to earn their MSN for under $25,000 (tuition only), resulting in low debt and strong outcomes.
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No GRE Required for admission.
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Student Involvement: Students can join graduate nursing committees starting in their first semester.
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On-Campus Intensives (OCIs): Hands-on learning in a supportive, engaging environment for advanced skills like assessment and procedures.
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Synchronous Videoconferencing: Real-time participation from any location.
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Asynchronous Classes: Courses are primarily online, allowing students to complete lectures, quizzes, assignments, and discussions at their own pace.
On-Campus Intensives
On-Campus Intensives (OCIs) are required visits to APSU's Clarksville, Tennessee,
campus for FNP and PMHNP students. These intensives offer a fun, supportive environment
for practicing skills learned online, with opportunities to socialize with peers and
faculty. Dates are provided well in advance. Nurse Educator Students are not required
to attend OCIs.
The MSN program (FNP & PMHNP concentrations) requires two on-campus visits and a virtual clinical intensive.
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Assessment OCI: Held at the end of the Advanced Health Assessment course (NURS 5008), students meet in small groups to practice and refine skills through open labs and check-offs.
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Virtual Clinical Intensive: FNP students engage in an advanced virtual skills session, practicing essential procedures like suturing, biopsies, x-ray interpretation, and wound care. PMHNP students dive into virtual simulations focusing on cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing, with a reflective discussion on applying these skills to real-world practice.
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Final OCI: This final on-campus session, held during your last semester, is a celebration of your achievements! NP students will demonstrate their mastery of program outcomes, including working with a "live" patient in a simulated clinical environment. It’s the perfect culmination of your hard work and a stepping stone to your future as a practitioner.
Tuition & Fees
APSU offers high-value, low-cost education with the lowest graduate tuition per credit hour in Tennessee. Students can earn their MSN for under $25,000 (in-state, tuition only), graduating with minimal debt and strong outcomes.
See Current Tuition and Fee Rates
Scholarships
APSU Nursing Scholarships
There are several scholarships available to APSU Graduate Nursing students. Applications can be submitted from October 1- February 1. Students must be admitted to APSU in order to apply. Awards are decided each spring for the following academic year starting in fall semesters.
Tennessee Graduate Nursing Loan Forgiveness Program
The Graduate Nursing Loan-Forgiveness Program is designed to encourage Tennessee residents who are registered nurses to become teachers and administrators in Tennessee nursing education programs.
Learn More About Tennessee's Graduate Nursing Loan Forgiveness Program
Army Nurse Corps Association Scholarships
The purpose of the ANCA's scholarship program is the support of nursing education through scholarship funding to worthy students who are US citizens in an accredited nursing and anesthesia programs.
Veterans Benefits
Thank you for your service! The APSU Office of Veterans Education Benefits supports active duty service members, veterans, reservists, Guardsmen, and family members in navigating the VA's education benefits and maximizing campus resources.
National Graduate Nursing Scholarship Opportunities
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Federal HRSA Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs provide funding to help students offset the cost of their education. Scholarship programs provide tuition, fees and living stipend assistance to students enrolled in a qualified nursing program. Loan repayment programs provide funding to graduates employed full-time at a critical shortage facility with qualifying educational loans.
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Faculty Loan Repayment Program provides up to $40,000 to health professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds in exchange for two years of service on the faculty at an accredited health professions college or university.
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U.S. Public Health Services’ SRCOSTEP Program provides pay and benefits to selected applicants in the final year of full-time academic study in exchange for work for the sponsoring agency as a Commissioned Corps Officer after graduation. The service obligation is equal to twice the time sponsored; that is, for 9 months of financial support, a SRCOSTEP participant commits to 18 months of employment with the division or organization that provided the support.
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BestNursingDegree.com—$1,000 Honor's in Nursing scholarships available for BSN or MSN students.
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National Health Service Corps, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, offers a scholarship program to Nurse Practitioners students (post graduate degree with clinical practice focus) at an accredited U.S. school.
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Nurse Practitioner Health Association offers a variety of scholarships ($1,000 to $4,000 awards) to students in Nurse Practitioner graduate programs for outstanding research, leadership and academic achievements.
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GradSchools.com is offering a $2,000 scholarship for minority nurses to help fund their graduate school degree.
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American Indian Education Fund offers a series of scholarships for eligible American Indian and Alaskan Natives.
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American Red Cross awards the Jane Delano Student Nurse Scholarship to both undergraduate nursing students and graduate nursing students who are a volunteer or employee of the American Red Cross Unit.
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DiversityNursing.com, a niche website for Nurses from student Nurses up to CNO's, is offering a $5,000 Education Award. You must be enrolled as a full-time or part-time student in an accredited School of Nursing in a professional registered nurse program (baccalaureate, graduate, associate degree or diploma) OR work Full-Time, Part-Time or Per Diem as a Registered Nurse, LPN, Nurse Practitioner or Nurse Leader/Administrator at a U.S. based organization.
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ExceptionalNurse.com offers scholarships to both graduate and undergraduate nursing students with disabilities.
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Indian Health Service (IHS) offers scholarships to American Indian and Alaska Native health professions students in both undergraduate and graduate programs.
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Live It Up Nursing Scholarship offers scholarships to both undergraduate and graduate nursing students.
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Live It Up Best Greens Powder Women in Healthcare Scholarship offers scholarships to women pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in the healthcare field.
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National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) members enrolled in accredited undergraduate and graduate nursing programs are presented scholarships based on their demonstration of professional contributions to the nursing profession and have the potential to be role models to aspiring nursing students.
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NURSE Corps Scholarship Program (NCSP), helps students complete their nursing education by paying tuition, fees, other education costs, while providing a monthly living stipend. The program is open to full-time nursing students accepted or enrolled in diploma, associate, baccalaureate or graduate nursing programs at accredited schools located in the U.S. Upon graduation, scholarship program members fulfill a service commitment at a Critical Shortage Facility.
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Tennessee Nurses Foundation supports the education of nurses who are members of the Tennessee Nurses Association by providing scholarships for those seeking higher education. The Maureen Nalle Memorial Graduate Nursing Scholarship Program offers up to a $5,000 award. Applications are due March 1.
Out of State
APSU's Graduate Nursing Program welcomes out-of-state and military-affiliated applicants. Many students complete their clinicals outside Tennessee, but some states' Boards of Nursing restrict clinical placements or have state-specific APRN licensure requirements. As a result, APSU cannot guarantee clinical placements or that graduates will be approved for APRN licensure in all 50 states.
If you're an out-of-state applicant, planning to complete clinicals outside Tennessee, or anticipate relocating during the program, please email graduatenursing@apsu.edu to discuss your specific needs.
Licensure and Certification Disclosures
Frequently Asked Questions
Each student is assigned a graduate nursing advisor who provides a course plan for each semester.
NE students are not required to attend campus, but FNP and PMHNP students must attend two on-campus intensives (OCIs) during their program. Each OCI lasts 1-2 days, with dates provided well in advance. These fun events offer valuable learning and socialization with peers and faculty.
Many of our students continue to work while in our program; however, each student has varying needs related to study time, work-life balance, and clinical practicum availability.
No. The MSN program accepts applicants with a BSN degree who have passed the NCLEX. While no specific work experience is required, students should consider their readiness to pursue advanced education while starting a new profession.
Nurse Educators find fulfilling careers in teaching or administrative roles at nursing schools and medical facilities. An MSN in Nursing Education allows experienced nurses to blend their clinical expertise with a passion for teaching, making a meaningful impact on the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Student Learning Outcomes
End of Program Student Learning Outcomes (EPSLOs) define the knowledge, skills, and behaviors students should demonstrate upon program completion. These outcomes align with professional practice standards, program goals, and competencies.
Graduates of the MSN program will be able to:
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Exhibit advanced professional acumen by applying critical thinking and reflective practice, alongside leadership skills that foster accountability, stewardship, and integrity.
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Integrate communication, coordination, and collaboration with individuals, families, and interprofessional teams to promote safe, high-quality care.
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Critically evaluate nursing knowledge and evidence, including information literacy, to guide advanced nursing practice.
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Synthesize theoretical and evidence-based research to inform and support efficient decisions that enhance quality improvement in the advanced nursing role.
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Demonstrate ethical decision-making in the advanced nursing role.
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Analyze data related to the determinants of health, to promote outcomes for diverse individuals and populations.
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Integrate advocacy principles to influence nursing practice and policies at the systems level.
Role-specific Professional Competencies
RCs outline measurable performance expectations, integrating knowledge, skills, and behaviors for each concentration:
Graduates of the MSN Nurse Educator (NE) Concentration will also be able to:
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Evaluate the process of implementing, monitoring, and managing curricula using relevant theories, teaching and learning strategies, and technological innovation.
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Appraise various strategies to monitor and evaluate programs, curricula, and mastery of student learning.
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Integrate professional values and evidence-based teaching strategies in educational practice.
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Practice advanced, evidence-based, contemporary, and person-centered nursing care.
Graduates of the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Concentration will also be able to:
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Demonstrate independence and accountability in managing primary healthcare needs, applying comprehensive knowledge and clinical judgement to assess, diagnose, prioritize, manage, and evaluate person-centered care.
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Utilize evidence-based practice guidelines and healthcare technologies to provide safe, compassionate, quality, and personalized care to diverse patients.
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Promote health and prevent disease across the lifespan through education, screening, and interventions.
Graduates of the MSN Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Concentration will also be able to:
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Demonstrate independence and accountability in managing mental health care needs, applying comprehensive knowledge and clinical judgement to assess, diagnose, prioritize, manage, and evaluate person-centered care.
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Utilize evidence-based practice guidelines and healthcare technologies to provide safe, compassionate, quality, and personalized care to diverse patients.
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Promote mental health and reduce risk for psychiatric disorders across the lifespan through education, screening, and interventions.
APSU Graduate Nursing Program Outcome Data
To comply with our ACEN accreditation requirements and inform the public and stakeholders of the APSU Graduate Nursing program outcomes, the program collects data on an ongoing basis.
Program Outcomes
NP Certification Rates
The annual certification pass rate for all first-time test-takers are assessed by calendar year.
| Year | FNP Certification | PMHNP Certification |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 95% | 90% |
| 2024 | 95% | 100% |
| 2023 | 91.4% | No test-takers |
Program Completion Rates
Completion rates are assessed by calendar year.
ACEN requirement for calculating completion rates:
Program completion rate is the calculation of the percentage of students who enter a program of study and complete the program of study in the advertised program length (i.e., on-time).
| Year | Program Completion Rate* |
|---|---|
| 2025 | In Progress |
| 2024 | 51% |
| 2023 | 50% |
| 2022 | 50% |
| 2021 | 52% |
*The % reported here does not reflect all students who actually graduate from the program, but only those who meet the ACEN definition of “On Time”.
Job Placement Rates
Job placement rates are assessed 12 months after a cohort graduates via emailed survey. The % reported below only reflects graduates who returned the survey.
| Year | Total Graduates | FNP | PMHNP | Nurse Educator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 83.3% | 87% | 100% | 67% |
| 2023 | 95% | 95% | No Graduates | None Reported |
MSN EPSLO/RC Outcomes
EPSLO/RC outcomes are assessed by academic year for all MSN graduates.
2024-2025 Program Graduates
| FNP | N=25 |
| PMHNP | N=13 |
| NE | N=3 |
| Total | N=41 |
End of Program Student Learning Outcomes (EPSLOs)
Role-Specific Professional Competencies
EPSLO and RC Overall Achievement: MET
Fall 2025 Program Graduates
| FNP | N=16 |
| NE | N=4 |
| PMHNP | N=1 |
| Total | N=21 |
End of Program Student Learning Outcomes (EPSLOs)
Role-Specific Professional Competencies
EPSLO and RC Overall Achievement: MET
EPSLO’s and RC’s updated and new measures began for Summer 2026 Graduates
Summer 2026 Program Graduates
| FNP | N=19 |
| PMHNP | N=3 |
| Total | N=22 |
