The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing offers 5 Pediatric Nurse Practitioner pathways:
- MSN – Primary Care
- BSN-DNP – Primary Care
- Post-Graduate APRN Certificate
- MSN – Acute Care
- BSN-DNP – Acute Care
- Post-Graduate APRN Certificate
All five run part-time in what UAB calls a distance-accessible format: online coursework with on-campus intensives in Birmingham. Every pathway requires an unencumbered RN license in the state where you complete clinical practicum, and UAB can only admit applicants who live in Alabama or in a state where the School of Nursing holds current authorization to operate.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN – PC | $33.5K | 6–7 semesters | 45 |
| MSN – AC | $33.5K | 6–7 semesters | 45 |
| DNP – PC | $58.8K | 9–10 semesters | 79 |
| DNP – AC | $58.8K | 9–10 semesters | 79 |
| Cert – PC or AC | $20.1K+ | 4 semesters | 27+ |
Tuition estimates multiply UAB’s 2026-2027 distance-accessible graduate nursing rate of $744 per semester hour by the credit total for each pathway. UAB charges that same rate to residents and non-residents, so there is no separate out-of-state column. The $235-per-course educational support and technology fee is not included above; see the Tuition section.
- Why choose it: Pediatric acute care at MSN, DNP, and certificate level, at $744 per credit for every student.
- Trade-off: Acute care requires a year of full-time pediatric RN experience, and UAB does not publish clinical clock hours.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN, BSN-to-DNP, Post-Graduate APRN Certificate |
| Population Focus | Primary care (CPNP-PC) and acute care (CPNP-AC) offered at all three credential levels |
| Format | Mostly Online – online coursework with on-campus intensives |
| Campus Attendance | MSN and DNP require intensives; DNP adds an on-campus orientation and an annual intensive |
| Clinical Hours | Not published as clock hours. 10 practicum credits across three courses in each pathway |
| Clinical Placement | School assists in securing sites and preceptors from more than 5,000 clinical affiliates |
| RN License Required | Yes, unencumbered, in the state where practicum is completed |
| RN Experience Required | One year full-time pediatric direct care – acute care pathways only |
| Enrollment Restriction | Admission limited to Alabama residents and states where UAB Nursing is authorized |
| Start Terms | Summer or fall for MSN and DNP; summer only for the certificate |
| Tuition | $744 per credit, identical for residents and non-residents (2026-2027) |
| Accreditation | CCNE, through June 30, 2030 |
Clinical Education at UAB
All five pathways share one clinical model, so it is worth understanding before comparing tracks. UAB states that the School of Nursing provides support and assistance to MSN and DNP students in securing clinical placement sites and qualified preceptors, drawing on more than 5,000 clinical affiliates. That is meaningfully better than the self-arranged model many distance NP programs use, where the student cold-calls practices to find a preceptor. UAB does not describe it as a guarantee, and the certificate page does not repeat the commitment, so treat it as structured assistance rather than assigned placement.
Clinical work happens where you live, not in Birmingham, which is why the license and state-authorization rules matter. You must hold an unencumbered RN license in the state where the practicum occurs, and both UAB and the School of Nursing must be authorized to operate there. UAB maintains a state authorization page listing where its distance programs are available; checking it before applying is the single most useful thing an out-of-state applicant can do.
Each pathway runs the same three-course practicum sequence worth 10 credit hours total. UAB publishes those credits but never converts them to supervised clinical clock hours, and no plan of study, catalog entry, or program page states a total. Pediatric NP certification requires a minimum of 500 supervised direct patient care hours, and most single-population programs land between 600 and 750. Because UAB does not publish the figure, applicants cannot verify where it sits without asking.
A published conflict worth knowing about. Each program page states that the MSN consists of 35 didactic credits and 10 clinical practica credits, but the sample program of study on the same page lists the three practicum courses at 4, 4, and 5 credits, which totals 13. The graduate catalog lists them at 3, 3, and 4 credits, totalling 10, and that reconciles exactly with the 35-plus-10 split UAB states. This page uses the catalog figures. The total degree requirement is 45 credits either way, so tuition is unaffected.
General Admissions
Requirements below apply to all five pathways. Pathway sections cover only what is different.
- BSN from a regionally accredited institution and a CCNE- or CNEA-accredited nursing program (MSN and DNP); MSN and current APRN certification and licensure (certificate)
- Unencumbered, unrestricted RN license in the state where clinical practicum will be completed
- Minimum 3.0 GPA, cumulative or on the last 60 semester hours
- GRE or GMAT required if GPA is below 3.2 – minimum 297 combined GRE verbal and quantitative, or 480 GMAT, within the past five years
- Test waiver available for applicants who completed a prior graduate degree with a 3.0 or higher; international, non-native English speaking, and dual-degree applicants are not eligible for the waiver
- Three letters of professional reference
- Official transcripts from every college attended, sent to the UAB Graduate School
- Resume or CV (DNP)
- Proof of a descriptive statistics course equivalent to UAB’s MA-180 before starting
- Application deadlines: October 8, 2026 for summer 2027 entry; February 11, 2027 for fall 2027 entry
Two rules deserve attention. The GPA-triggered test requirement is a real barrier for applicants between 3.0 and 3.2 who do not hold a prior graduate degree, because it adds a test with a minimum score rather than a submit-if-you-have-it option. And the statistics prerequisite is verified after admission but before enrollment, so an applicant without it needs to complete a course in the gap between acceptance and the first semester.
MSN Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
Estimated tuition for the MSN Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner specialty is approximately $33,480, based on 45 credits at $744 per credit. The program runs part-time over six or seven successive semesters depending on entry term, with fall entrants finishing in six and summer entrants in seven. Graduates are prepared for the CPNP-PC credential and for ambulatory pediatric practice.
MSN Primary Care Curriculum
The 45 credits divide into 35 didactic and 10 practicum. The first year is entirely advanced practice core and support coursework with no pediatric specialty content at all, which means the first two or three semesters look identical to UAB’s family, adult-gero, and neonatal MSN tracks. Pediatric specialization starts in year two and runs as three paired courses, each didactic course taken alongside its matching practicum in the same semester. That pairing is the structural feature worth noting: theory and clinical advance together rather than front-loading classroom work.
- NUR 737Q Interprofessional Leadership Roles and Financial Considerations of Professional Practice – 3 credits
- NUR 612Q Advanced Pathophysiology – 3 credits
- NUR 614Q Advanced Health Assessment and Introduction to Diagnostic Reasoning – 3 credits
- NUR 613Q Pharmacology and Therapeutics – 3 credits
- NPE 618QL Focus on Advanced Nursing Specialization – 3 credits
- NPE 621Q Nurse Practitioner Pediatric Primary Care I – 5 credits, paired with NPE 685QL Practicum I – 3 credits
- NPE 622Q Nurse Practitioner Pediatric Primary Care II – 4 credits, paired with NPE 686QL Practicum II – 3 credits
- NPE 623Q Nurse Practitioner Pediatric Primary Care III – 5 credits, paired with NPE 692QL Practicum III – 4 credits
Full course descriptions are in the UAB graduate catalog.
MSN Primary Care Clinical Requirements
- 10 practicum credits across three courses, taken in the final three semesters
- Practicum supervised by pediatric primary care advanced practice providers
- Clinical setting is ambulatory and community pediatrics
- Placement arranged with School of Nursing assistance
- Clinical clock hours not published
Because the practicum sits entirely in the last three semesters, the clinical load is concentrated rather than spread across the program. A student working while enrolled will find the first year manageable and the final year demanding, which is the opposite of programs that begin clinical hours early and taper. Plan employment around year two, not year one.
MSN Primary Care Admissions
No requirements beyond the general admissions list. Summer and fall entry are both available.
MSN Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Estimated tuition for the MSN Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner specialty is approximately $33,480, the same 45 credits at $744 per credit as the primary care MSN, over six or seven semesters. Graduates are prepared for the CPNP-AC credential and for inpatient, critical care, emergency, and pediatric subspecialty practice. This pathway carries an experience requirement the primary care track does not.
MSN Acute Care Curriculum
The core and support sequence is identical to the primary care MSN, credit for credit. The difference is entirely in the specialty block, where NCC-prefixed acute care courses replace the NPE primary care ones and the specialization course shifts to NCC 618QL. The acute care sequence covers assessment, diagnosis, and management of acute and chronic complex health problems across the continuum of care settings rather than episodic primary care presentations.
- NCC 618QL Focus on Advanced Nursing Specialization – 3 credits
- NCC 621Q Advanced Pediatric Nursing I – Acute Care, paired with NCC 685QL Practicum I
- NCC 622Q Advanced Pediatric Nursing II – Acute Care, paired with NCC 686QL Practicum II
- NCC 623Q Advanced Pediatric Nursing III – Acute Care, paired with NCC 692QL Practicum III
Because the two MSN tracks share an identical core, a nurse genuinely undecided between populations has the same first year either way. The choice still has to be made at application, though, since admission is to a named specialty.
MSN Acute Care Clinical Requirements
- 10 practicum credits across three courses, matching the primary care structure
- Practicum supervised by pediatric acute care advanced practice providers
- Clinical settings span the continuum of acute care rather than ambulatory pediatrics
- Clinical clock hours not published
Acute care placement is harder to arrange than primary care placement almost everywhere, because qualified CPNP-AC preceptors cluster in children’s hospitals and academic medical centers. A nurse living far from one should raise placement geography with UAB before committing, even given the school’s placement assistance.
MSN Acute Care Admissions
- At least one year of full-time RN experience in direct care of a pediatric population by the start of the first semester – UAB names pediatric urgent care, pediatric emergency departments, pediatric specialty clinics, pediatric inpatient floors, pediatric intermediate care, and pediatric critical care as qualifying settings
- Applicants are encouraged to have at least two of their three references come from supervisors or providers on a pediatric unit
- All general admissions requirements also apply
The experience requirement is measured at the start of the program, not at application, so a nurse currently accumulating pediatric hours can apply before reaching a full year. The qualifying settings are broad, covering general pediatric floors and pediatric urgent care rather than restricting to PICU, which is more permissive than acute care tracks that demand critical care experience specifically.
BSN-DNP Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
Estimated tuition for the DNP Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner specialty is approximately $58,776, based on 79 credits at $744 per credit. The program runs part-time over nine or ten successive semesters, roughly three to three and a half years, and prepares graduates for the CPNP-PC credential at the doctoral level. UAB revised this curriculum effective summer 2025 to maintain compliance with CCNE standards.
DNP Primary Care Curriculum
The 79 credits break into 59 didactic and 20 practicum. The pediatric specialty sequence is the same three paired didactic-and-practicum courses as the MSN, just numbered in the 700s. Everything else, 34 additional credits, is DNP core: health policy, informatics, clinical data management, quality improvement, project design, and a multi-semester DNP project. Specialty content does not begin until year three, so the first two years are doctoral coursework with no pediatric clinical work.
- NUR 745Q Foundations of Nursing Theory and Scholarly Writing – 3 credits
- NUR 740Q Politics and Contemporary Issues in Health Policy – 3 credits
- NUR 733Q Health Information Technology for Advanced Level Nursing – 3 credits
- NUR 742Q Improvement and Program Evaluation Strategies – 3 credits
- NQI 702Q Clinical Data Management and Application for Improvement – 3 credits
- NUR 743Q Project Design and Management – 3 credits
- NUR 738Q DNP Project Planning – 3 credits, followed by NUR 739Q DNP Project Seminar across two semesters – 7 credits
- NPE 721Q, 722Q, and 723Q Advanced Pediatric Nursing I–III Primary Care, each paired with NPE 785QL, 786QL, and 792QL Practicum I–III
- NUR 701QL Writing for Publication – 3 credits
DNP Primary Care Clinical Requirements
- 20 credit hours identified by UAB as clinical practica, within 79 total credits
- Three pediatric practicum courses worth 10 credits, the same sequence as the MSN
- On-campus orientation required at program start
- Annual on-campus intensive required for every year of enrollment
- DNP project development and implementation
- Clinical clock hours not published
One point deserves care. UAB counts 20 credits as clinical practica, but the pediatric practicum courses in the catalog account for 10 of those; by our reading of the plan of study, the remaining 10 correspond to the DNP project seminar and writing-for-publication coursework rather than additional pediatric patient care. If that reading holds, the DNP delivers the same direct pediatric clinical volume as the MSN and adds doctoral project work on top. UAB does not state the split explicitly, so confirm it if clinical volume is what is driving your choice between the two.
The campus requirements are the practical difference between the degrees. An orientation plus an annual intensive over three or four years means three or four trips to Birmingham, and UAB itself budgets $800 a year for that travel.
DNP Primary Care Admissions
No requirements beyond the general admissions list. A resume or CV is required, and the statistics prerequisite applies.
BSN-DNP Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Estimated tuition for the DNP Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner specialty is approximately $58,776, the same 79 credits at $744 per credit, over nine or ten semesters. Graduates are prepared for the CPNP-AC credential at the doctoral level. As with the MSN, this pathway requires a year of pediatric RN experience that the primary care DNP does not.
DNP Acute Care Curriculum
The DNP core is identical to the primary care doctoral track. The specialty block substitutes NCC 721Q, 722Q, and 723Q Advanced Pediatric Nursing I through III – Acute Care and their paired practicum courses NCC 785QL, 786QL, and 792QL, with NCC 618QL as the specialization course. Content shifts to management of acute and chronic complex problems across inpatient and critical care settings.
DNP Acute Care Clinical Requirements
- 20 credit hours identified as clinical practica, structured identically to the primary care DNP
- Three acute care pediatric practicum courses
- On-campus orientation plus an annual intensive
- Clinical clock hours not published
UAB publishes no additional campus skills or procedural lab requirement for the acute care track beyond the orientation and annual intensive that all DNP students attend. That is worth flagging in the applicant’s favour, since acute care tracks at many schools add procedural intensives the primary care track does not have. It also means procedural competency development rests on the clinical placement rather than a campus lab.
DNP Acute Care Admissions
- One year of full-time RN experience in direct care of a pediatric population by the start of the first semester, in the same qualifying settings listed for the MSN acute care track
- Two of three references encouraged to come from pediatric unit supervisors or providers
- All general admissions requirements also apply
Post-Graduate APRN Certificate
Estimated tuition for the Post-Graduate APRN Certificate starts at approximately $20,088, based on the 27-credit minimum at $744 per credit, and can run considerably higher. The certificate takes four semesters and is available in pediatric primary care and pediatric acute care, making UAB one of the few schools offering a CPNP-AC certificate route. It is built for practising APRNs adding a second population focus, not for nurses entering advanced practice.
Certificate Curriculum
The published plan is 27 credits: a specialization course plus the same three paired didactic-and-practicum courses the MSN students take, in the specialty of choice. What makes the certificate unpredictable is the gap analysis. After admission but before enrollment, UAB reviews prior advanced practice core coursework against its current requirements and adds back anything that does not meet them.
- NXX 618Q Focus on Advanced Nursing Practice Specialization – 3 credits
- NXX 621Q Advanced NP Nursing I – 4 credits, with NXX 685QL Practicum I – 4 credits
- NXX 622Q Advanced NP Nursing II – 4 credits, with NXX 686QL Practicum II – 4 credits
- NXX 623Q Advanced NP Nursing III – 3 credits, with NXX 692QL Practicum III – 5 credits
The six courses subject to gap review are leadership, population health, evidence-based practice, advanced pathophysiology, advanced health assessment, and pharmacology, at 3 credits each. An applicant required to repeat all six would reach 45 credits and roughly $33,480 in tuition, matching the full MSN. Most applicants will land somewhere between the two figures, which is why UAB will not quote a price until the analysis is done.
Certificate Clinical Requirements
- Three specialty practicum courses in the chosen pediatric population
- Practicum credits are listed higher than the MSN equivalents on UAB’s plan, at 4, 4, and 5
- Clinical clock hours not published
Certificate Admissions
- MSN from a regionally accredited institution, plus current APRN certification and licensure
- Minimum 3.0 graduate GPA
- Summer entry only – deadline October 8, 2026 for summer 2027
- Pharmacology currency rule: NUR 613Q or an equivalent must have been completed within two years of starting specialty coursework, unless the applicant is a practising NP who can evidence current prescribing in the population of interest
Two rules decide eligibility here. The single summer intake means a missed deadline costs a full year, with no fall fallback the MSN and DNP applicants have. And the pharmacology currency rule catches experienced APRNs whose pharmacology coursework is old and who are not currently prescribing in the relevant population, which is a common position for a nurse moving into pediatrics from adult practice. Both are worth resolving before applying rather than after.
Tuition
UAB charges $744 per semester hour for distance-accessible graduate nursing coursework in 2026-2027, and the rate is the same for MSN, DNP, and post-graduate certificate students. The notable feature is that residents and non-residents pay the identical rate. For a public university that is unusual, and for an out-of-state applicant it is the strongest financial argument UAB makes: a nurse in another state pays the same $58,776 for the DNP that an Alabama resident pays.
Estimated Total Tuition
| Pathway | Credits | Est. Tuition (all students) |
|---|---|---|
| MSN – Primary Care | 45 | $33,480 |
| MSN – Acute Care | 45 | $33,480 |
| DNP – Primary Care | 79 | $58,776 |
| DNP – Acute Care | 79 | $58,776 |
| Post-Graduate Certificate | 27 minimum | $20,088 and up |
Figures are calculated from UAB’s published per-credit rate and credit totals. They are not university-published totals.
Key Cost Takeaways
- The $235 per-course technology fee is the big one. UAB charges an educational support and technology fee on every course, not every credit. At 13 courses the MSN adds about $3,055; at 24 courses the DNP adds about $5,640. Real tuition-plus-fee totals land nearer $36,500 for the MSN and $64,400 for the DNP.
- DNP students should budget campus travel. UAB estimates $800 a year for travel and lodging for the annual on-campus intensive, so roughly $2,400 to $3,200 across the program. The MSN and certificate tuition tables list no comparable travel line.
- Certificate pricing is not knowable in advance. The gap analysis happens after admission, and a full add-back takes the certificate from 27 credits to 45, and from about $20,100 to about $33,500.
- No out-of-state premium. Non-residents pay the same $744 per credit, which makes UAB competitive nationally rather than only regionally.
- Rates reset annually. UAB states tuition is subject to annual change by the Board of Trustees, and a nine- or ten-semester DNP will cross three or four rate cycles, so the calculated total is a floor.
- Other budgeted costs: books at about $600 per term, an annual background check at about $92, and student hospitalization insurance estimated at $270 per month unless waived with proof of equivalent coverage.
Current rates are on the UAB tuition and fees page.
Why Choose This PNP Program?
Best suited for: a working pediatric nurse who wants acute care preparation without relocating, or an out-of-state applicant who would otherwise pay a non-resident premium elsewhere.
Both pediatric populations at every credential level
UAB runs primary care and acute care at MSN, BSN-to-DNP, and certificate level. That matters most for two groups: nurses who want CPNP-AC and find few distance options, and practising APRNs who want to add pediatric acute care through a certificate rather than a second degree. The certificate route into acute care is genuinely scarce nationally.
Flat tuition regardless of residency
The $744 per-credit rate applies to everyone. At most public universities a non-resident pays a substantial premium, and for a 79-credit DNP that gap routinely runs into tens of thousands of dollars. UAB removes the question entirely, which reframes it from an Alabama school into a national option, subject to state authorization.
Placement assistance rather than self-arranged preceptors
UAB states that it supports MSN and DNP students in securing sites and preceptors from more than 5,000 clinical affiliates. For distance NP education this is a meaningful differentiator, since the most common failure point in online NP programs is a student unable to secure a preceptor and forced to delay a term. It is assistance, not a guarantee, but it is more than many competitors offer.
Potential Drawbacks
- Acute care is closed without a year of pediatric bedside experience, measured at the start of the first semester.
- Clinical clock hours are not published for any pathway, so you cannot compare supervised hours against other programs without contacting the school.
- Admission depends on where you live. UAB can only admit applicants in Alabama or states where the School of Nursing holds current authorization.
- Everything is part-time. The MSN takes six or seven semesters and the DNP nine or ten. There is no full-time accelerated option.
- Certificate cost and length are undetermined at application, because the gap analysis runs after admission.
- DNP students travel to Birmingham annually for an intensive, plus an orientation at the start.
- Applicants between a 3.0 and 3.2 GPA without a prior graduate degree must sit the GRE or GMAT and hit a minimum score.
The Verdict
UAB is the strongest option on this list for a pediatric nurse who wants acute care preparation at a distance, and for any out-of-state applicant weighing a public university, since the flat per-credit rate erases the usual non-resident penalty. The placement assistance and the identical core across both populations make it a low-friction choice for someone already working in pediatrics. It is a poor fit for a nurse without pediatric experience who wants acute care, for anyone needing to finish quickly, and for applicants in states where UAB lacks authorization. The unpublished clinical hours are the one genuine information gap, and a candidate choosing between UAB and a program that publishes 750 supervised hours should ask before deciding.
Accreditation
The baccalaureate, master’s, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at the UAB School of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. CCNE granted the maximum ten-year term following a 2019 review with no compliance concerns, extending accreditation through June 30, 2030. UAB is institutionally accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Primary care graduates are prepared to sit for the PNCB CPNP-PC examination and acute care graduates for the CPNP-AC examination. UAB states that Post-Graduate APRN Certificate completers are prepared to apply to sit for certification in their specialty area. UAB revised the BSN-DNP nurse practitioner curriculum effective summer 2025 to maintain compliance with CCNE standards; students already enrolled continue under the plan of study they started.
Other PNP Programs in Alabama
- University of South Alabama - Mobile