Frontier Nursing University
Frontier Nursing University (FNU) has been educating nurses and midwives for over 70 years. Its innovative community-based distance education programs enable registered nurses to advance in their chosen specialty while earning their master's or doctoral degrees online.
Frontier offers:
- Clinical experience with practitioners in your own community
- New classes starting throughout the year
- Full-time and part-time study options
- Entry with either a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Associate Degree in Nursing or Bachelor's degree in another field
- Distance education courses via a rich, web-based community of faculty and learners
Distance Education
Frontier Nursing University is committed to providing education via distance learning allowing students to remain in their communities during their graduate education. Students are required to attend 2-3 on-campus sessions during their course of study. These sessions include a three-day initial orientation session and an eight-day advanced skill building session prior to starting the clinical experience. On-campus sessions are held on the beautiful historic campus in Hyden, Kentucky. Students complete all other coursework and their clinical experience in their home community. Frontier recognizes that students learn at different rates and with different styles. The MSN curriculum is designed in a modular format and can be completed in a series of 12-week terms where students develop a timeline with their faculty advisor that works for them. The full-time option for students entering with a BSN degree takes only two years to complete.
The faculty provides students with guidance via computer forums, e-mail and phone. Support, explanations and information are as close as your computer and phone line. We also foster interaction with the university community through our web-based communications portal. Many assignments are designed to encourage interaction in the community in which students live. Clinical preceptors are sought within the student's own community whenever possible, allowing students to learn in their home area. We have over 1000 preceptor sites across the United States with more added on a regular basis.
ADN-MSN Bridge - Nurse-Midwifery (Online)
The ADN-MSN bridge is an entry option to the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program for nurses with an associate degree in nursing and no bachelor's degree in any field. ADN-MSN students bridge directly into the MSN program and no bachelor degree is conferred.
DNP - Nursing Practice (Online)
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is conceived as the highest degree for clinical nursing practice. The Frontier School DNP program is designed as a post-master's degree program for nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives who want to improve their skills in the areas of leadership, clinical scholarship, evidence based practice and clinical evaluation. All students entering the DNP program must be registered nurses who have completed a Master of Science in Nursing and hold national certification as either a nurse-midwife, family nurse practitioner or women's health care nurse-practitioner. The DNP program will build upon and expand the competencies of the masters' prepared advanced practice nurse.
The DNP program is 33 semester credits. These include eight credits (360 hours) of clinical practicum. The curriculum is delivered using distance education strategies over the course of five, 12-week terms. There are two required on-campus experiences. The first is a three-day orientation to the program called DNP bound. The second on-campus experience is at the midpoint of the program, when students will attend a three-day residency during which they will present their proposed projects to their student colleagues and faculty. During terms four and five, students spend approximately 20 hours per week in a clinical site.
The DNP curriculum has been carefully constructed to incorporate the eight essential competencies delineated by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). The DNP completion program is a full-time plan of study designed for students to take two courses per term. Students will be accepted into a cohort and progress through the program with their cohort group.
MSN - Nurse-Midwifery (Online)
In Frontier's Community-based Nurse-Midwifery Education Program (CNEP), students complete an on-line course of study with either a fulltime or part time option. The classroom is the community in which the student lives. During the clinical practicum, CNEP students work closely with certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) in their community.
The CNEP curriculum has a strong academic and clinical basis. In addition, the CNEP curriculum is unique in that it educates students not only to be nurse-midwives, but also to be entrepreneurs focusing on community assessment, market research, birth center development, and budgeting for a successful practice. The CNEP also has a strong primary care component which prepares students to take care of women across the life span. The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree and a post-master's certificate are offered in the nurse-midwifery specialty track.
Post-Master's Certificate - Nurse-Midwifery (Online)
The Post-Master's certificate is for RNs who already hold the MSN degree in Nurse-Midwifery.