University of Kentucky offers the pediatric nurse practitioner credential in both acute care and primary care, all at the doctoral level or beyond:
- BSN-DNP – Acute Care
- BSN-DNP – Primary Care
- Postgraduate APRN Certificate – Acute Care
- Postgraduate APRN Certificate – Primary Care (gap-analysis based)
UKY launched the first DNP program in the United States in 2001 and ranks in the top 9% of DNP programs nationally; it is also home to Kentucky’s only acute care pediatric NP program.
Coursework is delivered online with periodic on-campus immersions in Lexington, and the BSN-DNP admits primarily for a fall start.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program Name | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration |
|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP PNP (Acute or Primary Care) | $82K (resident) | 3 years |
| Postgraduate Certificate PNP (Acute or Primary Care) | $25K–$35K (resident) | ~2 years |
Kentucky’s first-in-the-nation DNP program is the only place in the Commonwealth to train pediatric acute care nurse practitioners — and it now prepares both acute and primary care PNPs at the doctoral level.
BSN-DNP PNP
The estimated cost for the BSN-DNP with a Pediatric Acute Care or Pediatric Primary Care specialty at University of Kentucky is about $82,000 in tuition for Kentucky residents (74 credits at the Professional Practice Doctoral rate).
The full-time plan of study runs three years; 4-year and 5-year part-time plans are also published.
DNP Curriculum
Both pediatric specialties are 74-credit programs built on a shared DNP core, with the acute care and primary care tracks differing in their APRN specialty seminar and clinical sequence.
The core spans the advanced practice sciences, research and evidence-based practice, biostatistics and epidemiology, informatics, leadership, health policy, quality and safety, finance, and a multi-semester DNP project.
- NUR 921 Advanced Physiology & Pathophysiology
- NUR 922 Advanced Pharmacology for Advanced Practice Nurses
- NUR 923 Applications of Advanced Health Assessment
- NUR 925 Research Methods; NUR 915 Evaluating Evidence for Evidence-Based Practice
- NUR 903 / 906 Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiology
- NUR 902 / 912 Nursing Leadership; Complex Systems Leadership and Innovation
- NUR 907 Population Health Assessment, Planning & Policy
- NUR 909 / 910 / 918 DNP Project sequence
- APRN specialty seminars and pediatric clinical practica (acute or primary care)
Note: The public sample plans list the DNP core and APRN seminars/clinicals but do not name distinct pediatric-specialty didactic courses; full course descriptions are in the UK registrar catalog.
More curriculum details are available here.
DNP Clinicals
The 74-credit plan includes 1,020 total clinical hours, of which 780 are direct patient care, accrued across the APRN clinical practica and the DNP project. Delivery is hybrid: online coursework with on-campus immersions in Lexington.
- 1,020 total clinical hours; 780 direct patient care
- Accrued through APRN clinical practica and DNP project hours
- Hybrid delivery: online coursework plus Lexington campus immersions (DNP core about one hour per semester; specialty courses one to six days per semester)
- Settings: pediatric intensive care, progressive care, hospital units, and specialty clinics (acute care focus)
DNP Admissions
Applicants apply through NursingCAS and select one specialty; admission is competitive and includes an interview.
- BSN from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited program; undergraduate GPA 3.0 (provisional admission possible below this)
- Three references (preferably a doctorally-prepared nursing faculty member and a current supervisor; no more than one peer)
- Personal interview(s)
- Current, active, unencumbered RN license; clinical nursing experience before the first DNP clinical course
- Personal statement, a scholarly writing sample, and a current CV/resume
- $80 NursingCAS application fee; BSN-DNP admits primarily for fall (a part-time spring option is also listed)
- Note: Application deadlines are stated inconsistently across UKY’s own pages (e.g., Jan 15, Feb 15, April 30, and May 15 all appear) — verify the current deadline directly
Postgraduate Certificate PNP
The estimated cost for the Postgraduate APRN Certificate in Pediatric Acute Care or Primary Care at University of Kentucky is roughly $25,000 to $35,000 in tuition for Kentucky residents.
Estimate reflects a gap-analysis-driven range of 23 to 32 credits at the Professional Practice Doctoral rate; most students finish in about two years.
Certificate Curriculum
The postgraduate APRN certificate is for nurses who already hold an advanced practice graduate degree (MSN, DNP, or PhD) and want to add a new population focus.
A gap analysis of the student’s transcripts determines which courses transfer in and which must be completed, so the total runs 23 to 32 credits.
The Primary Care plan of study is built on the APRN seminar sequence plus repeated practicum (NUR 930) courses that carry the clinical hours.
- Prerequisites/co-requisites: NUR 921 Advanced Physiology & Pathophysiology; NUR 922 Advanced Pharmacology; NUR 923 Applications of Advanced Health Assessment
- NUR 927 Special Topics in Pharmacology (1)
- NUR 955 / 956 / 957 APRN Seminar I, II, and III (3 each)
- NUR 950 APRN Specialty Clinical I and II (3 each)
- NUR 930 Problems in Advanced Practice Nursing (repeated; carries the practicum hours, including a required immersive experience)
Hybrid immersion format: up to six days on the Lexington campus each semester. (Course list reflects the Primary Care plan; the Acute Care certificate follows a comparable structure.) More curriculum details are available here.
Certificate Clinicals
The Primary Care certificate requires 780 clinical clock hours, accrued across the practicum (NUR 930) and APRN specialty clinical courses, including a required immersive experience. Graduates are eligible to sit for the corresponding PNCB certification exam.
- 780 clinical clock hours (60 + 180 + 180 + 240 + 120 across the practicum sequence)
- Total hours may flex with the gap analysis of prior APRN preparation
- Leads to PNCB certification eligibility (CPNP-AC or CPNP-PC)
Certificate Admissions
Only nurses who already hold an advanced practice graduate nursing degree are eligible.
- MSN, DNP, or PhD from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited nursing program
- Current, unencumbered RN license (and APRN license, if applicable)
- Gap analysis of transcripts to build the individualized plan of study
- Certificate application opens September 15 and closes January 15 for fall/spring enrollment
Tuition
University of Kentucky bills DNP and postgraduate certificate students at the Professional Practice Doctoral rate.
For 2026–27, that rate (mandatory fees included) is $1,103 per credit hour for Kentucky residents and $2,912.50 per credit hour for non-residents, or $10,047.50 versus $26,319.50 per semester at full-time enrollment of nine or more credits.
Applying the resident per-credit rate to the 74-credit BSN-DNP yields roughly $82,000; the non-resident equivalent is far higher, near $216,000.
Because the published per-credit figure already folds in mandatory fees that are partly assessed per semester rather than per credit, these totals are approximate.
See the official tuition page for more details here.
Accreditation
The baccalaureate, master’s, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and postgraduate APRN certificate programs at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Graduates of the pediatric acute care and pediatric primary care tracks are eligible to sit for the corresponding Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) exam (CPNP-AC or CPNP-PC).
More Pediatric NP Programs to Consider
- University of Louisville - Louisville