Thomas Jefferson University’s Jefferson College of Nursing offers two Pediatric Nurse Practitioner pathways:
- MSN – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (Primary Care)
- Post-Graduate Certificate – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (Primary Care)
Both pathways prepare graduates for the PNCB CPNP-PC exam. Jefferson does not offer an acute care PNP track. The MSN requires a one-day on-campus orientation in Philadelphia; the certificate is listed as online.
Program Tracks Overview
Tuition estimates multiply Jefferson’s 2026–2027 College of Nursing rate ($1,390/credit) by the credit total for students admitted Summer 2025 or later. Fees are listed separately in the Tuition section.
- Why choose it: A 750-hour primary care MSN you can complete in two to five years, with one required campus day and a lower estimated total than the Drexel and Penn PNP MSNs.
- Trade-off: Primary care only, and students share responsibility for finding clinical sites. Villanova arranges MSN placements and costs less.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN; Post-Graduate Certificate |
| Population Focus | Primary Care (CPNP-PC) for both pathways. No acute care track. |
| Format | MSN: Mostly Online (one-day campus orientation). Certificate: Online. |
| Clinical Hours | MSN: 750, minimum 16 hours/week. Certificate: not published. |
| Clinical Placement | Joint student–faculty responsibility; students help secure sites. |
| Distinctive Coursework | Three 6-credit pediatric diagnostic reasoning courses; digital health course in the core. |
| Transfer Credit | Up to 6 MSN credits, with Chair approval. |
| RN Experience Required | Not published |
| Tuition | $1,390/credit (2026–2027), plus departmental and per-term IT/library fees |
| Accreditation | CCNE (master’s and post-graduate APRN certificate) |
MSN – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the MSN Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner is about $62,550 (45 credits × $1,390/credit). Jefferson lists a completion range of 2–5 years, and students may take more than two courses per term. The MSN prepares BSN-educated nurses for primary care practice and the PNCB CPNP-PC exam.
A published conflict worth knowing about. Jefferson’s catalog lists the three pediatric clinical courses (NU 640–642) at 3 credits each, which produces a 36-credit MSN. The program’s curriculum page shows that structure applied to students admitted Fall 2021 through 2025, and raises each course to 6 credits for students admitted Summer 2025 or later, for 45 credits. This page uses 45, which matches the program page and the current cohort. The difference is $12,510 at the current rate.
MSN Curriculum
All Jefferson NP tracks share one 12-course, 45-credit structure: an 18-credit graduate core, a 9-credit APRN core, and an 18-credit specialty sequence. The pediatric content sits entirely in three 6-credit diagnostic reasoning courses, which also carry the clinical hours. Students should expect more than half the program to be shared with adult, family, and psychiatric NP students.
Pediatric Specialty Sequence (18 credits)
- NU 640 – Diagnostic Reasoning and Clinical Decision-Making for Pediatric APN I (6 cr.)
- NU 641 – Diagnostic Reasoning and Clinical Decision-Making for Pediatric APN II (6 cr.)
- NU 642 – Diagnostic Reasoning and Clinical Decision-Making for Pediatric APN III (6 cr.)
APRN Core (9 credits)
- NU 570 – Pathophysiology of Human Disease (3 cr.)
- NU 673 – Comprehensive Assessment for Clinical Decision-Making (3 cr.)
- NU 560 – Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics (3 cr.)
Graduate Core (18 credits)
Six 3-credit courses covering health and social policy (NU 717), research, evidence-based practice methods, the APN role, leadership, and NU 713 Digital Transformation in Healthcare.
More curriculum details are available on the program curriculum page and in the Jefferson catalog.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- 750 clinical hours at program completion
- Minimum 16 clinical hours per week during each of the three clinical courses (NU 640–642)
- Placement: a joint responsibility of the student and faculty
- Per-course hours, required settings, and geographic limits: not published
At 750 hours, the MSN sits at the top of the typical 600–750 range for a single-population PNP program and 250 hours above the PNCB minimum. Sixteen hours a week means two full clinical days for three terms, which is hard to fit around full-time RN shifts.
Joint placement means students should expect to identify and approach pediatric preceptors themselves, with faculty support. Applicants without pediatric practice contacts carry more placement risk here than at programs that arrange sites.
MSN Admissions
Jefferson publishes few MSN admission criteria. The mandatory on-campus orientation is the one firm requirement beyond the nursing degree.
- Bachelor’s degree in nursing; accelerated BSN graduates’ transcripts are evaluated for transfer credit at matriculation
- Up to 6 MSN credits transferable from a regionally accredited institution, with approval from the Chair of Graduate Nursing Programs
- Mandatory one-day on-campus orientation before the first term, where each student builds an individual plan of study
- GPA, RN license, RN or pediatric experience, deadlines, and start terms: not published on the program pages
- Jefferson runs virtual information sessions for its Neonatal and Pediatric Primary Care NP programs
Post-Graduate Certificate – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Post-Graduate Certificate is about $37,530 (27 credits × $1,390/credit). Jefferson does not publish a completion time. The certificate is open to nurses with a master’s or doctoral nursing degree and prepares them for the CPNP-PC exam.
A published conflict worth knowing about. The certificate overview page lists 18 credits. The certificate curriculum page shows 18 credits only for students admitted Spring 2025 or earlier; from Summer 2025, each pediatric clinical course rose to 6 credits, for 27. This page uses 27. Gap analysis can lower the total for NPs with prior coursework, but Jefferson publishes no minimum.
Certificate Curriculum
The certificate uses the MSN’s pediatric specialty sequence plus three advanced practice foundation courses. NPs adding pediatrics as a new population may receive credit for prior didactic and clinical work based on a gap analysis of their academic and practice portfolio.
- NU 570 – Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology (3 cr.)
- NU 665 – Comprehensive Assessment for Clinical Decision-Making for the Mother and the Neonate (3 cr.)
- NU 667 – Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics for Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (3 cr.)
- NU 640 – Diagnostic Reasoning and Clinical Decision-Making for Pediatric APN I (6 cr.)
- NU 641 – Diagnostic Reasoning and Clinical Decision-Making for Pediatric APN II (6 cr.)
- NU 642 – Diagnostic Reasoning and Clinical Decision-Making for Pediatric APN III (6 cr.)
The published plan lists neonatal-focused assessment (NU 665) and pharmacology (NU 667) courses rather than the MSN’s NU 673 and NU 560. Jefferson does not explain the substitution. See the certificate curriculum page.
Certificate Clinical Requirements
- Clinical hours: not published
- Clinical work sits in NU 640–642, the same courses that carry 750 hours in the MSN
- Placement policy: not separately published for the certificate
Because the certificate uses the same three clinical courses at the same credit values, a total near the MSN’s 750 hours is a reasonable expectation. Jefferson does not state it, so certificate applicants should not plan around a specific number.
Certificate Admissions
- Master’s or doctoral degree in nursing
- Gap analysis of the academic and practice portfolio sets the required courses
- Listed format: online, Center City campus
- GPA, licensure, NP certification, experience, and deadlines: not published
Tuition
Estimated tuition runs from about $37,530 for the certificate to $62,550 for the MSN.
| Program | Est. Tuition |
|---|---|
| MSN – PC (45 cr.) | $62,550 |
| Cert – PC (27 cr.) | $37,530 |
Calculated estimates, not university-published totals.
Both figures use Jefferson’s 2026–2027 College of Nursing rate of $1,390 per credit, which applies to all nursing programs except nurse anesthesia.
Key Cost Takeaways
- Departmental fee: $1,096, listed without a billing period. If it is charged each term, it adds several thousand dollars over a multi-year MSN.
- IT and library fees: charged per term by credit load: $142 (under 5 credits), $285 (5–8.999 credits), or $570 (9+ credits). Not charged in summer.
- Pace: a five-year plan does not change tuition but spreads per-term fees over more terms.
- Gap analysis: each 3-credit foundation course credited toward the certificate saves $4,170.
- Older figures: the 18-credit certificate and 36-credit MSN still appear on some Jefferson pages. They apply only to earlier cohorts.
- Travel: MSN students must attend the one-day orientation in Philadelphia.
As a private university, Jefferson charges one rate regardless of residency. Its estimated MSN total falls below the Drexel and Penn PNP MSNs and above Villanova’s, based on those schools’ profiles on this site. See the official tuition page for current charges.
Why Choose This PNP Program?
Best suited for: Philadelphia-area BSN nurses who want primary care PNP preparation at their own pace and can help line up their own pediatric clinical sites.
Flexible Pace With a High Clinical-Hour Total
The 2–5 year range and the option to take more than two courses per term let students set their own load. The 750 required hours are at the top of the single-population range, so the flexibility does not come with thinner clinical training.
Minimal Campus Travel
The only published campus requirement is a one-day orientation before the first term. Jefferson labels the MSN hybrid but publishes no recurring campus schedule, so this page classifies it as Mostly Online.
Placement Responsibility You Share
Jefferson calls placement a partnership between student and faculty. Nurses already working in pediatric settings may find this workable. Nurses without pediatric contacts should weigh it against programs that assign sites.
Potential Drawbacks
- No acute care or dual PC/AC option; Drexel and Penn offer acute care
- Students share responsibility for securing clinical sites
- GPA, experience requirements, deadlines, and start terms are not published
- The departmental fee’s billing period is not stated, which leaves the full cost unclear
- Certificate clinical hours are unpublished, and its plan lists neonatal-focused foundation courses
The Verdict
Jefferson suits a working Philadelphia-area nurse who wants a primary care PNP credential, values pacing control, and has pediatric contacts to help with placement. The 750-hour requirement is strong for a primary care program, and one campus day keeps travel low.
Nurses aiming for inpatient or PICU practice should look at Drexel or Penn, which offer acute care. Cost-focused applicants who want placements arranged for them should compare Villanova first. Applicants who need firm admissions criteria before applying will find Jefferson’s published information thinner than most.
Accreditation
Jefferson College of Nursing’s baccalaureate, master’s, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE); Jefferson’s accreditation page does not list the term. Thomas Jefferson University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Jefferson states that graduates of both pathways meet the academic requirements for the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board’s CPNP-PC exam.
Other PNP Programs in Pennsylvania
- Drexel University - Philadelphia
- University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia
- Villanova University - Villanova