The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Nursing offers 5 pediatric nurse practitioner pathways:
- Post-BSN to DNP
- Primary Care
- Acute Care
- Acute/Primary Care Dual Certification
- Post-Graduate Certificate
- Primary Care
- Acute Care
All five are anchored to Little Rock. UAMS describes the post-BSN-to-DNP as a hybrid program: coursework runs through Blackboard, on-campus classes are telecommunicated across the state, and laboratory sessions take place on the Little Rock campus or at a UAMS Regional Campus.
Clinical rotations are arranged at sites throughout Arkansas.
DNP applicants need an unencumbered Arkansas or compact-state RN license, and certificate applicants need an Arkansas license specifically. Nurses who already hold APRN certification can enter either the DNP for a second population focus or the post-graduate certificate.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (Resident) | Est. Duration | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNP – PC | $37.8K | 3 yrs (FT) / 4 yrs (PT) | 72 |
| DNP – AC | $37.8K | 3 yrs (FT) / 4 yrs (PT) | 72 |
| DNP – Dual | $46.7K | ~3.5–4 yrs (FT) | 89 |
| Cert – PC | $9.5K | ~18 mos | 18 |
| Cert – AC | $9.5K | ~18 mos | 18 |
Tuition estimates multiply the FY 2026–2027 UAMS graduate and DNP rate ($525 per credit resident, $888 per credit non-resident) by each plan of study’s credit total. Residents of Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas are charged the resident rate. Certificate totals assume no additional gap-analysis coursework.
- Why choose it: A dual primary and acute care plan of study prepares graduates for both CPNP-PC and CPNP-AC exams with 1,750 clinical hours, and resident tuition extends to nurses in seven states.
- Trade-off: The post-BSN-to-DNP is full-time, with at least 36 hours a week of coursework and up to 24 clinic hours a week, and there is no part-time dual plan.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | Post-BSN to DNP and post-graduate APRN certificate |
| Population Focus | DNP: Primary Care, Acute Care, or Dual PC/AC. Certificates: Primary Care or Acute Care. |
| Format | Hybrid, all pathways. Labs on the Little Rock campus or at a UAMS Regional Campus. |
| Clinical Hours | 1,120 for single-population DNP tracks, 1,750 for the dual track. Certificate hours not published. |
| Clinical Locations | Sites throughout Arkansas |
| Clinical Placement | Responsibility not clearly published. Preceptors are recruited through specialty coordinators. |
| RN License Required | Arkansas or compact-state RN for the DNP. Arkansas RN for the certificates. |
| RN Experience Required | 2,000 verified hours before Advanced Health Assessment. Two years recommended, not required. |
| Distinctive Coursework | Three-course Acutely Ill/Hospitalized Child theory sequence. Both single-population tracks cross over. |
| Start Terms | August and January cohorts. Deadlines March 1 and September 1. |
| Tuition | $525/credit resident, $888/credit non-resident, FY 2026–2027 |
| Accreditation | CCNE through December 2035, DNP and post-graduate APRN certificates |
Clinical Education at UAMS
The DNP practicum sequence is the same shape in every specialty. Three specialty practicum courses run across the last three semesters, and a fourth course, Advanced Nursing Clinical Practice, carries the doctoral practice hours in the final spring.
- Single-population tracks: 280 + 140 + 350 specialty practicum hours, plus 350 hours of Advanced Nursing Clinical Practice – 1,120 total
- Dual certification track: 210 + 140 + 350 in each population, plus 350 hours of Advanced Nursing Clinical Practice – 1,750 total
- Clinical sites are located throughout Arkansas
- Preceptors must be a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or physician with at least one year of experience in that role
- Clinical hours and evaluations are tracked in Typhon
- Students are in clinic up to 24 hours per week once specialty courses begin
A published conflict worth knowing about. The pediatric NP FAQ page states that students complete 180 hours in Practicum I, 180 in Practicum II, 360 in the Integrated Practicum and 360 in Advanced Nursing Clinical Practice, for 1,080 hours. The DNP plans of study, revised February 2025, list 280, 140, 350 and 350 for 1,120 hours, and the plans of study state that 1,120 total directly. This page uses the plans of study. They are the more recent document, they reconcile to their own stated total, and their 770 specialty practicum hours fall inside the 750 to 1,000 range UAMS quotes to preceptors, while the FAQ’s 720 would not.
Either way, the pediatric specialty hours alone clear the 500-hour PNCB floor by a wide margin and sit above the 600 to 750 hours most single-population PNP programs require. Read the total carefully, though: 350 of the 1,120 hours come from Advanced Nursing Clinical Practice, the doctoral practice course, not from pediatric preceptored practice. The pediatric number is 770 for a single population and 1,400 for the dual track.
UAMS does not publish who is responsible for finding clinical sites and preceptors. The preceptor hub asks interested clinicians to contact the specialty coordinator directly, which suggests faculty involvement in matching, but the college stops short of promising placement. Anyone weighing UAMS against a program that guarantees placement should ask about this before committing, since it is the single most common source of delay in a pediatric NP plan of study.
General Admissions
Requirements are shared across the three DNP tracks. The certificate rules differ and are covered in those sections.
- BSN from a CCNE- or NLNAC-accredited program
- Cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher; applicants are ranked on the last 60 undergraduate hours, or on graduate coursework for those holding a graduate nursing degree
- Unencumbered Arkansas or compact-state RN license
- 2,000 verified RN experience hours before enrolling in Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning; two years of clinical experience recommended but not required at admission
- Basic statistics course with a grade of C or better
- Evidence of an academic or ANCC-COA approved health assessment course
- Official transcripts from every institution attended; electronic transcripts accepted only through eScrip-Safe
- Letter of good standing from any previous graduate nursing or health professions program
- Individual interview and essay may be required; no GRE or MAT
- Annual criminal background check and drug screen
- Deadlines: March 1 for the August cohort, September 1 for the January cohort
- Already-certified APRNs adding a pediatric population must also submit evidence of national certification and an unencumbered APRN license
Two rules disqualify applicants outright and are easy to miss. UAMS will not consider anyone who earned a C or NC in any two graduate nursing courses, or a D, F, WD or WF in any single graduate nursing course. That reaches back to a master’s degree completed years earlier and applies regardless of the rest of the file. Separately, admission is competitive and ranked primarily on GPA and interview score, so a 3.00 clears the filing requirement without making anyone a likely admit.
The 2,000-hour experience requirement is a progression gate rather than an entry gate. A new graduate can apply in the final semester of a BSN, but must have roughly a year of full-time RN work behind them before Advanced Health Assessment in the fall of year two.
A published conflict worth knowing about. Three UAMS pages give three different application pictures. The DNP program page states that the deadline was extended to March 1 and that new students begin in both August and January, with a September 1 deadline for the January cohort. The DNP FAQ names March 1 for fall admission only. The post-BSN-to-DNP overview still says fall-only admission with a February 1 deadline. This page follows the DNP program page, which is the most specific and the only one describing the current two-cohort structure. Confirm the cycle before building an application timeline around it.
PNP Pathways at UAMS
Post-BSN to DNP – Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Estimated tuition for the UAMS Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner DNP is about $37,800 for residents and $63,936 for non-residents, based on 72 credits at $525 and $888 per credit. The plan of study runs three years full-time across eight semesters, or four years part-time across eleven. Graduates are prepared for the PNCB CPNP-PC exam and for ambulatory, community and specialty clinic practice.
Primary Care DNP Curriculum
The first four semesters are identical for all seven UAMS nurse practitioner specialties: research methods, advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment, epidemiology, informatics, economics and evidence-based practice, 33 credits in total. Pediatric content does not begin until the spring of year two, which is late compared with programs that front-load specialty theory, and it arrives all at once alongside the first practicum.
The distinctive element is that the primary care plan of study includes Acutely Ill/Hospitalized Child Theory I, a course built around inpatient management. Most primary care PNP curricula do not require an inpatient theory course. It gives graduates a working vocabulary for the hospital side of pediatrics without preparing them for acute care certification, and it makes a later move to the dual track less of a jump.
- NURS 51273: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Theory I (3)
- NURS 52233: Acutely Ill/Hospitalized Child Theory I (3)
- NURS 52293: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Theory II (3)
- NURS 53293: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Theory III (3)
- NURS 71253: DNP Pediatric Primary Care Nursing Practicum I (4) – 280 hours
- NURS 72253: DNP Pediatric Primary Care Nursing Practicum II (2) – 140 hours
- NURS 73256: DNP Integrated Practicum for Primary Care PNPs (5) – 350 hours
- NURS 74004: Advanced Nursing Clinical Practice (5) – 350 hours
See the full plan of study for details.
Primary Care DNP Clinical Requirements
- 770 pediatric primary care practicum hours across three courses
- 350 additional hours in Advanced Nursing Clinical Practice, for 1,120 total
- Practicum hours run over the final three semesters, ending with the 350-hour integrated capstone
770 pediatric hours is roughly a semester’s worth of extra clinical time over a 600-hour program, and it is concentrated in the capstone term rather than spread evenly. Students carrying 350 hours in a single fall semester are effectively working two to three clinical days a week alongside coursework, which is why UAMS is direct about the program being full-time.
Post-BSN to DNP – Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Estimated tuition for the UAMS Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner DNP is about $37,800 for residents and $63,936 for non-residents, based on the same 72 credits as the primary care track. Duration is also the same, three years full-time or four part-time. Graduates are prepared for the PNCB CPNP-AC exam and for inpatient, critical care and pediatric subspecialty practice.
One point matters more than any other here: UAMS does not publish a PICU, pediatric ED or acute inpatient RN experience requirement for this track. Admission requirements are the same 2,000 verified RN hours that apply to primary care. Many acute care PNP programs gate entry on prior critical care experience, so this is an unusually open door for a nurse moving into acute care pediatrics from a different background.
Acute Care DNP Curriculum
The acute care track replaces the primary care theory sequence with a three-course progression in the acutely ill and hospitalized child, covering pathophysiology and epidemiology of complex childhood illness, evidence-based management in hospital settings, and clinical reasoning for critically ill patients and their families. It keeps Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Theory I, the primary care foundation course, so the crossover runs both directions at UAMS.
- NURS 51273: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Theory I (3)
- NURS 52233: Acutely Ill/Hospitalized Child Theory I (3)
- NURS 52243: Acutely Ill/Hospitalized Child Theory II (3)
- NURS 52303: Acutely Ill/Hospitalized Child Theory III (3)
- NURS 71203: DNP Pediatric Acute Care Practicum I (4) – 280 hours
- NURS 72203: DNP Pediatric Acute Care Practicum II (2) – 140 hours
- NURS 73206: DNP Integrated Practicum for Acute Care PNPs (5) – 350 hours
- NURS 74004: Advanced Nursing Clinical Practice (5) – 350 hours
Acute Care DNP Clinical Requirements
- 770 pediatric acute care practicum hours, plus 350 in Advanced Nursing Clinical Practice – 1,120 total
- Required practice settings are not separately published for the acute care track
- No campus skills or procedural intensive is published for this track beyond the college-wide lab requirement
Two gaps are worth noting. UAMS does not publish which settings count toward acute care hours, so applicants outside Little Rock cannot tell from the website whether a community hospital pediatric unit will satisfy the requirement or whether a children’s hospital rotation is expected. It also does not publish a procedural or skills intensive for the acute care track, which is unusual, since acute care programs commonly add campus time for line placement, intubation and similar procedures. The general hybrid lab requirement may cover this, but the college does not say so.
Post-BSN to DNP – Acute/Primary Care Dual Certification
Estimated tuition for the UAMS Acute/Primary Care Dual Certification PNP DNP is about $46,725 for residents and $79,032 for non-residents, based on 89 credits. UAMS states that adding the second population extends the plan of study by two to three semesters, which puts completion around three and a half to four years full-time. Graduates are prepared for both the CPNP-PC and CPNP-AC exams.
The choice does not have to be made at application. UAMS says the timing of the decision determines how much the plan of study changes, so a student who commits early absorbs the extra semesters more efficiently than one who switches late.
Dual Certification Curriculum
The dual plan is genuinely additive rather than blended. It runs the complete primary care theory sequence and the complete acute care theory sequence, six pediatric theory courses in total, and two full practicum progressions with their own integrated capstones. Seventeen credits separate it from a single-population track, which is close to the 18 credits a post-graduate certificate in the second population would cost on its own.
- Pediatric NP Theory I, II and III (9 credits)
- Acutely Ill/Hospitalized Child Theory I, II and III (9 credits)
- NURS 71253 / 72253 / 73256: Primary care practicum sequence (11 credits) – 210, 140 and 350 hours
- NURS 71203 / 72203 / 73206: Acute care practicum sequence (11 credits) – 210, 140 and 350 hours
- NURS 74004: Advanced Nursing Clinical Practice (5) – 350 hours
One quirk in the published plan: Practicum I drops from 280 hours to 210 in each population for dual students while keeping the same four credits. The credit-to-hour ratio is more favorable on the dual track, and total pediatric hours still nearly double, from 770 to 1,400.
Dual Certification Clinical Requirements
- 1,400 pediatric practicum hours, split evenly between primary and acute care
- 350 hours in Advanced Nursing Clinical Practice, for 1,750 total
- Two separate integrated capstone practicums, one per population
1,750 hours is a heavy number by any measure, and the practical question is whether a student can line up two distinct preceptor networks, one ambulatory and one inpatient, in the same region. That is the real constraint on the dual track, not the coursework. Nurses already working inside a system with both a pediatric clinic and an inpatient pediatric service are in much better shape here than nurses in a rural setting.
Post-Graduate Certificate – Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Estimated tuition for the UAMS Primary Care PNP Post-Graduate Certificate is about $9,450 for residents and $15,984 for non-residents, based on 18 specialty credits. UAMS states that most of its own prior graduates complete the certificate in roughly 18 months. A gap analysis at admission determines whether any foundational coursework is required on top of the 18 credits, so the figure is a floor rather than a fixed price.
Primary Care Certificate Curriculum
The certificate takes the same four pediatric theory courses as the DNP track and compresses the practicum side into two courses instead of three. The integrated capstone practicum is not part of the certificate.
- NURS 51273: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Theory I (3)
- NURS 52233: Acutely Ill/Hospitalized Child Theory I (3)
- NURS 52293: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Theory II (3)
- NURS 53293: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Theory III (3)
- NURS 71253: Pediatric Primary Care Practicum I (3)
- NURS 72253: Pediatric Primary Care Practicum II (3)
See the post-graduate certificate plans of study.
Primary Care Certificate Clinicals and Admissions
Clock hours for the certificate practicum courses are not published. The two courses carry three credits each, while their DNP counterparts carry four and two for 280 and 140 hours, so the DNP figures cannot simply be borrowed. Because certification eligibility depends on meeting the PNCB’s 500-hour minimum, this is worth confirming in writing before enrolling.
- Master’s or DNP in nursing from a CCNE- or NLNAC-accredited institution
- Current, unencumbered Arkansas RN license; the compact option stated for the DNP is not offered here
- Gap analysis of prior transcripts determines any additional required coursework
- Individual interview and essay may be required
- Admission on a space-available basis
- Apply through the MNSc application, indicating post-graduate certificate status in the supplemental questions
Space-available admission is the practical risk. Certificate applicants are placed after degree-seeking students, so a strong file is no guarantee of a seat in a given term. The Arkansas-only licensure requirement is the other filter, and it is stricter than the DNP rule that accepts a compact license.
Post-Graduate Certificate – Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Estimated tuition for the UAMS Acute Care PNP Post-Graduate Certificate is the same as the primary care version, about $9,450 for residents and $15,984 for non-residents across 18 credits, with the same roughly 18-month timeline for prior UAMS graduates. Admission requirements, the gap analysis, the Arkansas licensure rule and space-available seating are identical to the primary care certificate.
Acute Care Certificate Curriculum
This is the pathway for a certified primary care PNP who wants to move into inpatient pediatrics, and the course list shows why it works cleanly: the three-course acutely ill child sequence is exactly what a primary care graduate is missing. Clock hours are not published for the two practicum courses, the same gap that applies to the primary care certificate.
- NURS 51273: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Theory I (3)
- NURS 52233: Acutely Ill/Hospitalized Child Theory I (3)
- NURS 52243: Acutely Ill/Hospitalized Child Theory II (3)
- NURS 52303: Acutely Ill/Hospitalized Child Theory III (3)
- NURS 71203: Pediatric Acute Care Nursing Practicum I (3)
- NURS 72203: Pediatric Acute Care Nursing Practicum II (3)
A UAMS primary care graduate who already took Acutely Ill/Hospitalized Child Theory I in the DNP should expect the gap analysis to shorten this further, which is most of the reason UAMS quotes 18 months to its own alumni rather than to all applicants. Nurses coming from another school’s primary care program should plan on the full 18 credits.
Tuition
UAMS charges graduate and DNP tuition at $525 per credit for residents and $888 per credit for non-residents in FY 2026–2027. The single most valuable rule on this page is the border-state waiver: residents of Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas pay the Arkansas resident rate. For a 72-credit DNP that is a $26,136 difference, and on the dual track it is $32,307.
| Pathway | Credits | Est. Resident | Est. Non-Resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNP – Primary Care | 72 | $37,800 | $63,936 |
| DNP – Acute Care | 72 | $37,800 | $63,936 |
| DNP – Dual Certification | 89 | $46,725 | $79,032 |
| Certificate – Primary Care | 18 | $9,450 | $15,984 |
| Certificate – Acute Care | 18 | $9,450 | $15,984 |
These totals are calculated from published per-credit rates and credit counts. UAMS does not publish program totals.
Key Cost Takeaways
- Fees add roughly $1,158 in each fall and spring semester and about $319 in summer, which works out to near $7,600 across a three-year DNP. That is close to 20% on top of resident tuition.
- The largest single fee is the $500 University Services Fee, charged fall and spring to graduate students taking five or more hours. The $260 Graduate Program Fee covers standardized patients, Typhon tracking, Osmosis and Enflux.
- Several institutional fees are reduced or waived for students in UAMS-designated 100% online programs. The DNP is hybrid, not 100% online, so budget the full amounts.
- A $150 enrollment deposit is due at acceptance. It is non-refundable but credits toward first-semester tuition if you enroll within a year.
- Travel to Little Rock or a Regional Campus for lab sessions is not in any published figure and is a real cost for anyone outside central Arkansas.
- Certificate totals assume the gap analysis adds nothing. If foundational coursework is required, the $9,450 figure rises at the same per-credit rate.
What makes UAMS unusual on price is not the rate itself but its reach. A $37,800 doctorate is already at the low end nationally, and the border-state waiver hands that price to nurses in six other states without requiring residency. Very few public nursing schools extend in-state pricing that far.
See current UAMS College of Nursing tuition and fee rates.
Why Choose This PNP Program?
Best suited for: nurses in Arkansas or a bordering state who want a doctoral pediatric credential at public-school pricing and can commit to full-time study, particularly those who want both primary and acute care certification from one degree.
Both Pediatric Credentials From One Degree
Dual primary and acute care preparation is rare, and UAMS runs it as a full second sequence rather than a few added courses. A graduate can move between a pediatric clinic and an inpatient service without going back for a certificate later, which matters most in smaller markets where a single employer needs coverage on both sides. The seventeen extra credits cost about $8,900 at resident rates, less than the 18-credit certificate would cost afterward, and without a second admissions cycle.
An Acute Care Track Without an Experience Gate
Acute care PNP programs frequently require prior PICU or inpatient pediatric RN experience. UAMS publishes no such requirement; the acute care track carries the same 2,000-hour general RN requirement as primary care. For a nurse whose background is adult critical care, the emergency department or general pediatrics, that removes the usual barrier to entering acute care pediatrics.
Resident Pricing That Crosses State Lines
The border-state waiver covers Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, which is a large population of nurses paying $37,800 rather than $63,936 for the same degree. Anyone in those six states comparing UAMS against an in-state option should run the arithmetic before assuming the home-state school is cheaper.
What Hybrid Actually Means Here
UAMS uses the word hybrid rather than online, and the distinction is meaningful. Coursework is delivered through Blackboard, and campus classes are telecommunicated to Regional Campuses so students can stay near home, but laboratory experiences happen in person and clinicals are at Arkansas sites. The college does not publish how many campus days a semester involves. Treat this as a program you can live 200 miles from, not one you can live in another region from.
Potential Drawbacks
- Full-time by design. UAMS tells applicants to plan on at least 36 hours a week of coursework and up to 24 clinical hours a week during specialty terms.
- Clinical placement responsibility is not published, and neither are required acute care practice settings.
- Certificate clinical hours are not published at all, which is a problem when certification eligibility turns on a 500-hour minimum.
- Certificate applicants need an Arkansas RN license, not a compact license, and are seated only when space allows.
- Two C or NC grades in graduate nursing courses, or one D, F, WD or WF, disqualifies an applicant regardless of everything else in the file.
- UAMS publishes conflicting clinical-hour totals and three different versions of its application cycle.
- Pediatric coursework does not start until the spring of year two, so applicants unsure about population focus spend a year in generalist content first. That is a scheduling reality, though it also leaves room to choose the dual track later.
The Verdict
UAMS is a strong choice for a nurse in Arkansas or one of the six border states who wants a doctoral pediatric NP degree, can go full-time, and values breadth of preparation. The dual certification track is the standout, and the clinical volume behind it is real rather than nominal. The acute care track deserves attention from nurses who have been shut out of acute care pediatrics elsewhere for lack of PICU experience. Where UAMS is weaker is documentation: placement responsibility, acute care setting requirements and certificate clinical hours are all unpublished, and the college contradicts itself on practicum hours and deadlines. Nurses who need a genuinely distance-based program, or who must keep working full-time, will find the hybrid format and full-time expectation limiting and should compare programs that state a campus-day count and a placement guarantee up front.
Accreditation
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The UAMS College of Nursing’s Doctor of Nursing Practice and post-graduate APRN certificate programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) through December 2035. The Arkansas State Board of Nursing approval published by the college covers its prelicensure BSN programs rather than the graduate pathways.
Certification is administered by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board. Primary care graduates sit for the CPNP-PC, acute care graduates for the CPNP-AC, and dual certification graduates are eligible for both. Eligibility follows the population focus of the plan of study, so the decision made during the program determines which exam is open afterward.