Rasmussen University, now part of American Public University System, offers 2 pediatric nurse practitioner pathways, both preparing graduates for primary care:
- MSN – Nurse Practitioner (Primary Care)
- Post-Graduate Certificate – Nurse Practitioner, (Primary Care)
Both pathways are competency based, run online in 11-week quarters, and require one on-campus weekend before practicum courses begin. Practicums are completed in the student’s own community. Applicants need an unencumbered US RN license issued by the state where their clinical hours will be completed, and neither pathway meets licensure requirements in Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland or Pennsylvania.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN – PC | $51,680 | 27 mos (full-time) | 69 |
| Cert – PC | $29,670 | 21 mos (full-time) | 53 |
Tuition figures are the university’s own 2026 estimates: 28 core credits at $295 and 41 specialization credits at $925 plus $5,495 in fees for the MSN; 53 credits at $475 plus $4,495 in fees for the certificate. All credits are quarter credits.
- Why choose it: Competency-based coursework with no weekly deadlines, plus a practicum coordinator who helps locate and secure clinical sites.
- Trade-off: Primary care only, at private-school prices, with two pediatric entry points a year.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN-NP specialization and post-graduate APRN certificate |
| Population Focus | Primary care only (CPNP-PC) in both pathways. No acute care or dual option. |
| Format | Mostly Online. All coursework online; one required on-campus weekend before practicums. |
| Course Model | Competency-based Empowered Learning courses, 11-week quarters, no weekly deadlines within a term |
| Clinical Hours | Not published. Four practicum courses totaling 24 quarter credits, about 720 catalog clock hours. |
| Clinical Placement | Local community sites; a practicum coordinator helps locate and secure them |
| Preceptors | Master’s- or doctoral-prepared nurses |
| RN License | Unencumbered US RN, issued by the state where clinical hours will be completed |
| RN Experience | None published |
| Start Terms | Two per year for pediatrics: January and July |
| State Restrictions | Does not meet licensure requirements in AL, ID, KS, LA, MD, PA |
| Tuition | MSN: $295 core, $925 specialization per credit. Certificate: $475 per credit. |
| Accreditation | CCNE for the master’s and the post-graduate APRN certificate; HLC institutionally |
Clinical Education at Rasmussen
Both pathways use the same clinical structure, so the real differences between them sit in coursework and price rather than clinical training.
- Four sequential practicum courses (Practicum I–IV) at 6 quarter credits each, 24 practicum credits in total
- Practicum I covers well-child care; II runs birth through preschool with increasing complexity; III covers school age through young adult; IV is a chosen pediatric sub-population or area of interest
- Sites are in the student’s own community and can include the student’s current workplace
- Preceptors must be master’s- or doctoral-prepared nurses
- A dedicated clinical practicum coordinator helps locate and secure sites
- A virtual immersion sequence using simulation, telehealth and standardized patient encounters comes before the first rotation
- One on-campus weekend, the Pre-Clinical Immersive Experience, is required before any practicum course begins
- Proof of current immunizations and CPR certification is due 14 days before the practicum quarter; individual sites may add drug screening and other requirements at the student’s expense
Rasmussen does not publish a clinical hour total for either pathway. Its catalog defines one quarter credit of practicum as 30 clock hours, which puts four rotations at 720 clock hours; since the same catalog defines a clock hour as 50 minutes, that works out to roughly 600 standard hours. Both numbers are calculated from catalog definitions rather than stated by the program, but either sits above the 500-hour floor for national certification and inside the 600 to 750 range that is normal for a single-population NP track. Ask admissions to confirm the figure in writing before enrolling.
Placement support is the practical draw. The university describes the coordinator’s role as helping to identify and secure sites, not as a guaranteed placement, so applicants in areas with few pediatric practices should ask how far that network actually reaches in their region. The required campus weekend is a small but real cost: Rasmussen does not publish which campus hosts it, so travel and lodging cannot be budgeted in advance.
Master of Science in Nursing – Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Primary Care
The estimated cost of the MSN-NP with the Pediatric Primary Care specialization is about $51,680: 69 quarter credits split between 28 core credits at $295 and 41 specialization credits at $925, plus $5,495 in fees. Full-time students finish in roughly 27 months across nine 11-week quarters. The pathway prepares primary care pediatric practice only and requires a conferred BSN, so it is the route for BSN-prepared RNs rather than nurses who already hold a graduate degree.
A published conflict worth knowing about. The MSN-NP program page describes the degree as having four start dates a year, but the same page lists only January 4, 2027 and July 6, 2027 for the pediatric specialization, and the certificate page states two start dates per year. Plan around two pediatric intakes annually; the four-per-year figure appears to describe the MSN-NP program across all four specializations.
MSN Curriculum
The degree splits into a 28-credit MSN core and a 41-credit pediatric specialization, all delivered as competency-based courses. The core carries the advanced practice foundation plus research and leadership content; the specialization is where pediatric coursework and all four practicums sit. Applicants who have not taken college-level statistics must complete STA1625 or STA3215 as a prerequisite or corequisite, in a 5.5-week format, and the catalog states that course is not eligible for financial aid.
Core courses (28 quarter credits)
- NGR5013 Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice
- NGR5056 Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan
- NGR5101 Research and Evidence-Based Practice
- NGR5149 Advanced Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan
- NGR5172 Advanced Pharmacology Across the Lifespan
- NGR5800 Leading Healthcare Transformation
- NGR6900 MSN Capstone
Pediatric Primary Care specialization (41 quarter credits)
- NGR6021 Foundations of Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Practice (3)
- NGR6330 Principles of Pediatric Primary Care (4)
- NGR6340 Advanced Primary Care of the Pediatric Patient I (4)
- NGR6350 Advanced Primary Care of the Pediatric Patient II (4)
- NGR6465, NGR6466, NGR6467, NGR6468 Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Practicum I–IV (6 each)
- One 2-credit elective: Advanced Diagnostic Techniques, Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Advanced Practice Nursing, or Practice Management for the Nurse Practitioner
More curriculum details are available here.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- 24 practicum credits across four rotations, roughly 720 catalog clock hours (about 600 standard hours), calculated rather than published
- All rotations in ambulatory and community pediatric settings; no inpatient or acute care requirement
- No pediatric or specialty RN experience required to enroll
- The one-weekend on-campus immersion must be completed before the first practicum course
Clinical volume is in line with other single-population pediatric primary care programs. The practical caution is that the self-paced model has a limit: coursework can be accelerated within a quarter, but practicum hours depend on a preceptor’s calendar, so the flexibility that makes the didactic year manageable does not carry fully into the clinical year.
MSN Admissions
- Conferred BSN from an institutionally accredited college or university
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Current, unencumbered RN license issued by the state where clinical hours will be completed, maintained throughout the program
- Two professional recommendation forms, a professional essay and a completed application packet reviewed by the MSN Program Director
- Cleared criminal background check through the university’s third-party vendor
- College-level statistics as prerequisite or corequisite
- No GRE
Two requirements deserve attention. The license must come from the state where clinical hours will be done, which complicates plans for nurses licensed in one state and living or working in another. And if every current license a candidate holds is not unencumbered, including prior disciplinary action, the application does not move forward.
Post-Graduate Certificate – Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Primary Care
The estimated cost of the Post-Graduate Certificate with the Pediatric Primary Care specialization is about $29,670: 53 quarter credits at a flat $475 plus $4,495 in fees. Full-time students finish in roughly 21 months. It is open to nurses who already hold a graduate nursing degree (MSN, MSN-NP or DNP) and prepares primary care pediatric practice, making it the standard route for an NP adding a pediatric population focus.
Certificate Curriculum
The certificate is 53 credits, not 41, because it carries the same pediatric specialization block as the MSN plus three advanced practice core courses: NGR5056 Advanced Health Assessment, NGR5149 Advanced Pathophysiology and NGR5172 Advanced Pharmacology, 12 credits in all. Many applicants will have completed equivalents during their own master’s. Rasmussen publishes the requirement as the full 53 credits and handles transfer credit under a separate nursing policy, so budget the full $29,670 unless an advisor confirms a substitution in writing.
The pediatric specialization block is identical to the MSN’s, listed above: four didactic courses, the four practicums and one 2-credit elective. That makes this 12 courses in total for pediatrics.
More curriculum details are available here.
Certificate Clinical Requirements
Clinical requirements match the MSN exactly: the same four practicum courses, the same 24 practicum credits, the same local placement model and the same required on-campus weekend before rotations start. A practicing NP does not get a shorter clinical sequence here for holding a different population focus already.
Certificate Admissions
- Graduate degree in nursing (MSN, MSN-NP or DNP) from an accredited institution
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Current, unencumbered RN or APRN license valid in the United States
- Two professional letters of reference and a professional essay
- Current curriculum vitae or resume
- Cleared criminal background check before practicum placement
- No GRE
Tuition
Rasmussen bills by quarter credit, at different rates depending on the program. MSN students pay $295 per core credit and $925 per specialization credit. Certificate students pay a flat $475 per credit across all 53 credits. That means the same three core courses cost more per credit inside the certificate than inside the degree, while the pediatric specialization costs roughly half as much.
| Pathway | Tuition | Fees | Est. Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN – PC (69 credits) | $46,185 | $5,495 | $51,680 |
| Cert – PC (53 credits) | $25,175 | $4,495 | $29,670 |
Totals are the university’s published estimates for full-time study with no transfer credit. They cover tuition and fees only.
Key Cost Takeaways
- Fees are published as lump sums, $5,495 for the MSN and $4,495 for the certificate, with no itemization of what they cover
- Applicants without college statistics must add STA1625 or STA3215, which the catalog states is not eligible for financial aid
- Travel and lodging for the required on-campus weekend are unbudgeted, since the host campus is not published
- Immunizations, CPR certification, the background check and any site-required drug screening are the student’s cost
- Both programs became eligible for Title IV federal student aid on February 9, 2026, effective with the Winter 2026 quarter; terms completed before then cannot be covered retroactively, which matters for anyone resuming an interrupted program
- A 10% tuition grant is available to active-duty service members, National Guard, Reserve, retired military and veterans, and cannot be combined with other Rasmussen grants or scholarships
The gap between the two pathways is the number worth holding onto: $22,010. For an MSN-prepared nurse adding pediatrics, $29,670 is competitive with other private post-graduate certificates and comes with placement support. For a BSN-prepared nurse, $51,680 is a high price for a master’s degree, and worth weighing against public universities offering online PNP tracks at lower resident rates. Rasmussen’s cost of attendance page carries the current figures.
Why Choose This PNP Program?
Best suited for: working RNs who need scheduling flexibility and help finding a preceptor more than they need a research university’s name, and MSN-prepared nurses adding a pediatric primary care credential.
Pacing that survives shift work
Competency-based courses with no weekly deadlines inside the quarter are unusual in NP education, where most online programs still run on fixed weekly discussion posts. Nurses working three twelves, nights or an unpredictable rotation can concentrate coursework into the days they have. The pacing is bounded by the quarter, not the week.
Placement help instead of preceptor hunting
A dedicated practicum coordinator who helps locate and secure sites addresses the problem that derails more online NP students than coursework does. It is support rather than a guarantee, but it is more than many distance programs offer, and it is worth testing with specific questions about your zip code before you apply.
A certificate that costs well under half the degree
At $475 per credit flat, the post-graduate certificate is the better-value half of this school. An MSN-prepared NP gets the full pediatric specialization, the same four practicums and the same placement support for $29,670, against $51,680 for the degree route.
Potential Drawbacks
- Not available to residents of Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland or Pennsylvania, where the programs do not meet licensure requirements
- Only two pediatric intakes a year, in January and July
- Primary care only. There is no acute care track and no dual PC/AC option, so hospital-based pediatric practice is out of scope
- No published clinical hour total, which is unusual and makes comparison shopping harder
- The MSN price sits well above public online PNP programs for the same credential
- Certificate applicants pay for three core courses they may already have taken
- No subspecialty rotation guarantees, children’s hospital affiliation or employer partnership of the kind larger pediatric programs offer
The Verdict
Rasmussen is built around a specific nurse: one who is working full time, lives outside a university town, and needs the program to bend around a schedule rather than the other way round. Competency-based pacing and an assigned practicum coordinator deliver on that. What it does not offer is depth of pediatric specialty access, an acute care option, or a competitive price on the degree route. The certificate is the stronger buy by a wide margin, and an MSN-prepared nurse adding pediatrics has a clear case for it. A BSN-prepared nurse should price the MSN against public online PNP programs first, and should confirm the clinical hour total and the placement coordinator’s reach in their own region before committing.
Accreditation
The master’s degree program and the post-graduate APRN certificate program are both accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Institutional accreditation runs through American Public University System, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission; Rasmussen combined with APUS and Hondros College of Nursing on August 4, 2026, and catalog and accreditation statements now sit under the APUS name. Both programs are approved by the Minnesota State Board of Nursing, and the university publishes a state-by-state licensure determination showing six states where the programs do not meet requirements.
Rasmussen states that graduates are prepared to apply for advanced practice licensure and to sit the national certification examination associated with the specialization, without naming the certifying body. For pediatric primary care that exam is the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board’s CPNP-PC. Note that Rasmussen’s “PPCNP” label is its own specialization name, not a reference to the ANCC pediatric primary care exam, which has been closed to new candidates since January 1, 2020.