NSU offers two primary care pediatric nurse practitioner pathways:
- MSN
- Post-Master’s Certificate
As a public regional university, NSU pairs low resident tuition with full- or part-time scheduling, and its pediatric clinical sequence is built around Louisiana’s rural and underserved communities.
The program is CCNE-accredited and admits nurses with a 2.5 undergraduate GPA, making it one of the more accessible pediatric NP routes in the state.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program Name | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MSN – Primary Care Pediatric NP | ~$16K–$18.5K (resident) | ~2–3 years |
| Post-Master’s Certificate – Primary Care Pediatric NP | Varies (fewer credits) | ~1–2 years |
At Northwestern State, the pediatric primary care track is built for Louisiana’s rural and underserved communities — affordable, flexible, and grounded in hands-on preceptorship.
MSN – Primary Care Pediatric NP
The estimated cost for the MSN Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner concentration at Northwestern State University is roughly $16,000 to $18,500 in tuition for Louisiana residents (40–45 credits).
Most students finish in about two to three years depending on full- or part-time pace.
Curriculum
The MSN combines a graduate nursing core, a nurse practitioner functional-role sequence, and the pediatric primary care specialty courses. The core (12 credits) covers research in nursing, social forces and nursing practice, nursing theory, and advanced human physiology and pathology.
The NP functional role adds advanced clinical assessment, pharmacotherapeutics, and the role of the NP in clinical and business practice.
The pediatric specialty is a four-course clinical sequence:
- NURG 5850 Primary Care PNP I: Care of the Well Child — well-child care, development, communicable diseases, and common respiratory, GI, and urinary conditions from birth to school age
- NURG 5860 Primary Care PNP II: Care of the Child with Acute and Chronic Illness — cardiovascular, hematologic, immune, endocrine, musculoskeletal, neurologic, and eye conditions through high-school age
- NURG 5870 Primary Care PNP III: Care of the Adolescent — well-adolescent care, psychosocial concerns, and acute and chronic illness in adolescents and vulnerable populations
- NURG 5880 Primary Care PNP IV: Clinical Preceptorship — precepted practice in rural and urban Louisiana sites, with continuous enrollment until clinical hours are complete
Completion requires a minimum of 40 to 45 semester credits, plus a paper in lieu of thesis and a satisfactory comprehensive examination.
More curriculum details are available here.
Course descriptions are available here.
Clinicals
Clinical training follows a preceptorship model across the PNP I–IV sequence, with the bulk concentrated in the PNP IV preceptorship.
Each specialty course pairs classroom instruction with substantial weekly lab and clinical contact hours, and placements emphasize underserved Louisiana communities.
- Precepted clinical placements in rural and urban Louisiana sites
- Students must complete in-person direct-care hours; NP clinical hours are currently obtained in Louisiana
- Continuous enrollment in PNP IV until all clinical hours are completed and approved
- Note: A single published total clinical-hour figure is not clearly stated in NSU’s materials
Admissions
Admission is open to working nurses and offers a GPA alternative through the GRE.
- BSN from a nationally accredited nursing program
- Current unencumbered, unrestricted Louisiana RN license, or a compact license that includes Louisiana
- Undergraduate GPA of 2.5 overall, or 2.75 in the last 60 hours; or a GRE score of 284 if the GPA requirement is not met
- Full- or part-time study available
Post-Master’s Certificate – Primary Care Pediatric NP
For nurses who already hold a graduate nursing degree, NSU’s Post-Master’s Certificate adds the primary care pediatric NP population.
Tuition is billed at the same per-credit graduate rate, but the total is lower than the MSN because credits are set by the courses needed to add the specialty.
Curriculum
The certificate builds on the same pediatric specialty sequence as the MSN (Primary Care PNP I–IV), with any foundational gaps — advanced pathophysiology, pharmacotherapeutics, or advanced physical assessment — added based on the student’s prior graduate preparation.
- Primary Care PNP I–IV specialty and preceptorship courses
- Foundational courses added only where prior preparation does not already cover them
- Note:The certificate’s specific credit total is set individually and is not clearly stated as a fixed number
Clinicals
As with the MSN, clinical hours are completed in Louisiana through the precepted PNP IV preceptorship, with placements in rural and urban underserved settings.
Admissions
The certificate is designed for master’s-prepared nurses adding an advanced practice population. Applicants need a master’s degree in nursing and a current unencumbered Louisiana (or compact) RN license; full- and part-time options are available.
Tuition
Northwestern State University bills graduate nursing students by the credit hour. Based on NSU’s published resident schedule, graduate tuition runs about $412 per credit hour, plateauing into a per-semester band at full-time loads.
Applied to a 40–45 credit MSN, that works out to roughly $16,000 to $18,500 in resident tuition, with registration, health, and other mandatory fees added on top. Out-of-state students pay a substantial additional fee.
NSU publishes multiple rate tables by campus and delivery mode (for example, internet-only versus Natchitoches campus), so confirm the current figure for your enrollment pattern on the official schedule here.
Accreditation
The baccalaureate, master’s, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at Northwestern State University of Louisiana are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Graduates of the primary care pediatric concentration are prepared to sit for primary care pediatric NP certification through the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB CPNP-PC).
Compare NSU to Other Louisiana PNP Programs
- Grambling State University - Grambling
- LSU Health New Orleans - New Orleans
How to choose the best Louisiana Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program