Family Nurse Practitioner, Graduate Certificate

Prepare for FNP licensure

Take your master’s in nursing to the next level. Our program will help you prepare to fulfill the family nurse practitioner academic requirements, so you can advance your career and broaden the scope of your professional impact.

Offered Hybrid Online and Face-to-Face in Commerce.
No thesis required
No foreign language credits required

To be considered for admission, one of the following is required

a master’s of science in nursing (MSN) with an overall GPA of 2.75 or higher.
an unencumbered, unrestricted license to practice as a registered nurse (RN) in the state of Texas or a compact state.

Take Nursing to the Next Level!

Are you an RN with a master’s degree looking to advance your career? Becoming a family nurse practitioner is within your reach!

Nurse practitioners play a crucial role in providing primary and specialized care to patients of all ages. They can diagnose and treat illnesses, prescribe medications, order and interpret diagnostic tests and provide health education and counseling. With advanced training and a holistic approach to patient care, nurse practitioners make significant and meaningful contributions to improving health outcomes and promoting wellness.

Looking for our master’s program? Explore our Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN) program.

Spring 2026 Graduate Flex Term.

What you need to know

Portrait of female successful African American woman doctor standing in her office at clinic and smiling to camera. Woman hospital worker looking at camera and smiling

What Are My Job Opportunities?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, “overall employment of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners is projected to grow 45 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations, primarily because of an increased emphasis on preventive care and demand for healthcare services from an aging population.”

The majority of our graduates work in various health settings and provide nursing care for individuals, families and communities. Others pursue further graduate studies with the goal of a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree or a Ph.D. to teach in higher education or conduct research.

Careers and Salaries

Healthcare diagnosing or treatment practitioners (National Median)

$ 106,230

Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners (DFW Metro Area)

$ 100,455

Current Median Salaries from US DOL Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2022

Course Delivery and Resources

Courses for the Nurse Practitioner Certificate program are completely online, with clinical days in various healthcare settings.
Please check the schedule of classes for locations and times. Locations and times are subject to change.

Admission

Your Path to Becoming a Lion

The ApplyTexas application deadline for fall admission is August 1.
Applicants must hold a Master of Science in nursing from a regionally accredited institution and a nationally accredited nursing program with a minimum overall GPA of 2.75 and minimum 3.0 GPA for the last 60 hours.
Applicants must also hold an unencumbered, unrestricted license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the state of Texas or a compact state.
This program is not currently open to International Students.

Submit Application

Create an account or login if you already have one
Complete your profile section first once you log into your account
Select “School Search” and select East Texas A&M
Choose the semester you wish to begin

Select “Family Nurse Practitioner, MSN” as your “Program”

Pay the $50 application fee.

Wait to receive an application confirmation email before proceeding to the next step.

Within two business days of your application, the Graduate School will send a confirmation email to the personal email account you used for ApplyTexas.

Submit the following documents after you receive an application confirmation email.

Upload your documents at myLeo > Apps > Check Admissions Application Status & Test Scores or email your documents to your graduate coordinator unless otherwise specified below.

Your Graduate Coordinator

DeRene Sutton Graduate Student Services Coordinator: College of Education and Human Services, College of Science and Engineering, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, College of Innovation and Design

Domestic Transcripts

Contact your previous institution(s) and request that they send your official transcripts to your Graduate Student Services Coordinator. We accept transcripts officially via email (directly from the institution), through Parchment, and any other official transcript providing agency. If your university does not offer an electronic transcript service, you may request them to be sent via regular mail to:

East Texas A&M University
Attn: Graduate School

2600 S. Neal St.
Commerce, Texas 75428

If your degree is from East Texas A&M University, you do not have to order a transcript.
We will access your transcript.

If we already have your transcript, we will reuse it for a new application as long as it is still on file.

International transcripts

WES ICAP evaluations will be required for certain countries; those are listed below:

Transcripts/Degrees from universities in Nigeria
Transcripts/Degrees from universities in China that do not come from CSSD (formerly CHESICC)
Any country where the official transcript is not in English

For all other countries, an evaluation is not initially required. Original official transcripts are required for admission consideration.
Please know that upon receipt of your official transcript, the Graduate School reserves the right to require an external evaluation at that time.

Contact your previous institution(s) and request that they send your official transcripts to:
East Texas A&M University
Attn: Graduate School
2600 S. Neal St.
Commerce, Texas 75428

We will need official/original documents.

If those documents are the only copies you have, the Graduate School can mail them back to you upon request. Contact your graduate coordinator for more information.

To be considered for admission you must have the following:

an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with at least 2.75 overall GPA or 3.0 GPA on the last 60 hours,
a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from a nationally-accredited nursing program and
a current license to practice as a Registered Nurse

If your institution is unable to submit a digital copy, hard copies may be mailed to:

East Texas A&M University
Attn: Graduate School
PO Box 3011
Commerce, Texas 75429-3011

We will need official/original documents. If those documents are the only copies you have, the Graduate School can mail them back to you upon request. Contact your graduate coordinator for more information.

Request three individuals to complete the recommendation form attesting to the applicant’s readiness and academic performance.

Please email completed forms to your graduate coordinator.

If you are unable to submit a digital copy, hard copies may be mailed to:

East Texas A&M University
Attn: Graduate School
PO Box 3011
Commerce, Texas 75429-3011

Submit a letter detailing your reasons for pursuing the master’s degree in nursing, including your professional goals.

Submit a resume or curriculum vitae (CV) which includes your academic and professional history and achievements.

You do not need to submit GRE scores if you have a minimum 3.00 GPA on the last 60 hours of nursing courses.

If you do not meet the GPA exemption criteria, request that your GRE® scores be sent to East Texas A&M University (6188) when you register for the test. If you have already taken the GRE®, you can order additional score reports.

Look for application updates in myLeo > Apps > Check Application Status

Once an admission decision has been made, you will receive an email to your student email account at myLeo > Apps > Leomail.

Apply for scholarships and graduate assistantships once you are admitted.
Apply for financial aid by submitting a FAFSA and sending it to school code 003565.
Contact your financial aid advisor with any questions.