University of Missouri-Kansas City offers the pediatric nurse practitioner credential in four formats, across both primary care and acute care foci:
- MSN PNP — Primary Care (46 cr) or Acute Care (52 cr)
- BSN-DNP PNP — Primary or Acute Care (75 cr; applications open in 2027)
- MSN-DNP — post-master’s doctoral completion (31 cr)
- Post-MSN Certificate PNP — Primary Care or Acute Care
UMKC graduated the region’s first DNP class in 2008 and ranks among the most affordable online graduate nursing programs in the country. Coursework is delivered largely online — with only short, twice-per-year on-campus residencies in Kansas City during clinical terms — and online nursing tuition is charged at the same flat rate regardless of residency, which makes it attractive to out-of-state nurses in the 48 SARA states it serves.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program Name | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MSN PNP (Primary Care) | ~$37K | ~2 years |
| MSN PNP (Acute Care) | ~$42K | ~2.5 years |
| BSN-DNP PNP | ~$60K | ~3–4 years |
| MSN-DNP | ~$25K | ~2 years |
| Post-MSN Certificate PNP (Acute Care) | ~$17K | ~1–1.5 years |
| Post-MSN Certificate PNP (Primary Care) | Varies | ~1–1.5 years |
Figures are base tuition (credits × $803, charged regardless of residency). Clinical credits add $308.25 each and simulation courses $88 each, so actual totals run higher — see the Tuition section.
“UMKC pioneered the region’s first DNP and now delivers pediatric nurse practitioner training almost entirely online — at the same tuition rate whether or not you live in Missouri.”
MSN PNP
The estimated base tuition for the MSN Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at UMKC is about $37,000 for the 46-credit primary care track and about $42,000 for the 52-credit acute care track, with most full-time students finishing in roughly 2 to 2.5 years.
MSN Curriculum
The MSN pairs a graduate nursing core with the pediatric specialty, including the three APRN sciences (pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment), diagnostic reasoning, ethics, and a child-focused clinical sequence. The acute care track adds roughly six credits of acute-care clinical coursework over the primary care track.
- Health Promotion Across the Lifespan; Cultural Diversity & Values
- Advanced Health Assessment Skills; Advanced Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan
- Pharmacology Across the Lifespan for Advanced Nursing Practice
- Diagnostic Reasoning/Advanced Assessment – Children
- Primary Care of Children I; Chronic Child Health Care (Clinical II)
- Advanced Nursing Practice: Synthesis Practicum
- Ethics in Advanced Practice & Research; Clinical Institute I
More curriculum details are available here.
MSN Clinicals
Clinical experiences are completed with preceptors in community, inpatient, and outpatient settings through the pediatric clinical course sequence. An on-campus intensive of two to three days is required once per semester during clinical courses (three to four total). The provided MSN pages do not summarize a single total clinical-hour figure.
- Preceptor-based clinicals in community, inpatient, and outpatient settings
- Primary track sequence: Primary Care of Children I, Chronic Child Health Care, Synthesis Practicum; acute track adds acute-care clinicals
- On-campus intensive (2–3 days) once per semester during clinical courses
- Total clinical-hour figure not stated for the MSN on the official pages
MSN Admissions
Applicants need a BSN (or MSN) from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited program and an unencumbered RN license in the state where clinicals will be completed; full-time NP students begin in summer.
- BSN or MSN from a CCNE/ACEN-accredited program
- GPA 3.2 (last 60 hours of the BSN, or 3.2 for the MSN)
- Current unencumbered RN license in the clinical state
- Prerequisites: graduate statistics and an undergraduate health assessment course (B minimum), completed by the first summer or fall
- Experience: 1 year of full-time pediatric RN experience (Primary Care) or 2 years (Acute Care), within the past 3 years
DNP PNP
The estimated base tuition for UMKC’s Doctor of Nursing Practice pediatric tracks is about $60,000 for the 75-credit BSN-DNP and about $25,000 for the 31-credit post-master’s MSN-DNP, with the BSN-DNP running roughly 3 to 4 years and the MSN-DNP about 2.
The BSN-DNP is not currently open — UMKC plans to accept applications in 2027 and directs earlier applicants to the MSN then MSN-DNP route.
DNP Curriculum
The BSN-DNP (75 credits) combines a 55-credit nurse practitioner core — health promotion, leadership, policy, ethics, the three APRN sciences, diagnostic reasoning, theory, research, epidemiology, economics, the evidence-based DNP project sequence, and clinical institutes — with a 20-credit pediatric option (Primary Care of Children I, Chronic Child Health Care, Clinical III, Synthesis Practicum).
The MSN-DNP (31 credits beyond the master’s) is a doctoral-completion curriculum focused on policy, systems leadership, theory, economics, epidemiology, and the DNP project, with no new specialty clinical unless a student is adding an NP role.
The MSN-DNP has three entry pathways:
- Post-MSN APRN to DNP;
- Post-MSN Non-APRN to DNP (leadership, informatics, or research backgrounds);
- Post-MSN to Advanced Practice DNP, which adds a new or second NP role via a certificate alongside the DNP
More curriculum details are available here.
DNP Clinicals
The BSN-DNP requires a minimum of 1,031.25 clinical hours plus 330 DNP project hours. The MSN-DNP completion requires 600 project hours, since APRNs enter with existing clinical hours.
Both follow UMKC’s preceptor-based model and on-campus residency schedule.
- BSN-DNP: minimum 1,031.25 clinical hours + 330 project hours
- MSN-DNP: 600 project hours (existing APRN clinical hours apply)
- Preceptors in community, inpatient, and outpatient settings
- On-campus residency (2–3 days) once per semester during clinical courses; MSN-DNP completion without a new NP role has no such residencies
DNP Admissions
The BSN-DNP requires a BSN or MSN from a CCNE/ACEN-accredited program; the post-master’s DNP adds master’s-level prerequisites. A personal interview is required for both.
- BSN or MSN from a CCNE/ACEN-accredited program; GPA 3.2; unencumbered RN license
- BSN-DNP prerequisites: graduate statistics and an undergraduate health assessment course (B)
- Post-MSN DNP prerequisites: MSN theory, MSN research, and graduate statistics (B)
- Personal interview required
- Experience: 1 year pediatric RN (Primary Care) or 2 years (Acute Care), within the past 3 years
- Note: BSN-DNP applications open in 2027
Post-MSN Certificate PNP
The estimated base tuition for UMKC’s post-master’s pediatric certificates is about $17,000 for the 21-credit acute care certificate, while the primary care certificate’s credit count varies by prior coursework; most students finish in roughly 1 to 1.5 years.
Certificate Curriculum
These certificates are for nurses who already hold an MSN or DNP and want to add a pediatric population. The Acute Care certificate is a fixed 21 credits; the Primary Care certificate is individualized to prior coursework, with pharmacology taken in-program.
- Graduate Pharmacology Specialty (2)
- Acute Care of Pediatric Clinical I (7)
- Acute Care of Pediatric Clinical II (7)
- Primary Care of Children I (5)
More curriculum details are available here.
Certificate Clinicals
Clinical hours accrue through the pediatric clinical courses and are set against the student’s prior training, following the same preceptor-based model and on-campus intensives. Completion leads to PNCB certification eligibility.
- Acute care clinicals: Acute Care of Pediatric Clinical I and II, plus Primary Care of Children I
- Clinical hours individualized to prior coursework
- Leads to Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) eligibility
Certificate Admissions
Applicants must hold an MSN or DNP from a CCNE/ACEN-accredited program and complete a personal interview.
- MSN or DNP from a CCNE/ACEN-accredited program; GPA 3.2; unencumbered RN license
- Prerequisites: advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment, and diagnostic reasoning (some completed in-program)
- Personal interview required
- Experience: 1 year pediatric RN (Primary Care) or 2 years (Acute Care), within the past 3 years
Tuition
UMKC charges online graduate nursing tuition at a flat $803 per credit hour regardless of residency.
Plus a clinical fee of $308.25 per clinical credit hour and an $88 per-credit simulation fee on applicable courses, with equipment and materials fees varying by course.
Because clinical-heavy courses carry the added fees, total program cost runs above the base per-credit estimates shown above.
Students not enrolled in the online subplan instead pay residency-based rates ($803 resident/metro, $1,204.50 Midwest Student Exchange, $1,597 non-resident).
See the official tuition page for more details here.
Accreditation
UMKC’s School of Nursing and Health Studies describes its programs as accredited and requires incoming degrees from CCNE- or ACEN-accredited institutions, but the provided pages do not explicitly name UMKC’s own programmatic nursing accreditor.
The school graduated the region’s first DNP class in 2008. Pediatric NP graduates of the MSN, DNP, or certificate are prepared to sit for the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) exam, and UMKC reports its curriculum meets licensure-education requirements in all U.S. states and territories.
Review Other Missouri Pediatric NP Programs
- University of Missouri-St. Louis - St. Louis
- University of Missouri - Columbia