UCSF Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Programs

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing offers a BSN to DNP — Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Acute Care (PNP-AC).

Key highlights include:

  • Hybrid delivery — majority of courses online; in-person requirements limited to clinical, lab, and select on-campus sessions
  • All clinical placements arranged by UCSF — no self-sourcing required; sites include UCSF Health, Stanford Health Care, Kaiser Permanente, and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
  • 11-quarter program (approximately 3 years) completing both a specialty NP certification track and the terminal DNP degree

Program Track Overview

BSN to DNP — Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Acute Care (PNP-AC)

The estimated cost for the UCSF BSN to DNP PNP-AC program is approximately $148,475 for California residents and $185,210 for non-residents in tuition and fees, and would take approximately 3 years (11 quarters) to complete on a full-time basis.

Practice experience requirement: Applicants must have a minimum of 2 years of clinical practice in an acute pediatric setting prior to beginning clinical rotations. This is one of only two UCSF DNP specialties with a mandatory prior experience requirement (the other being AGACNP). Prospective applicants should contact the Specialty Coordinator to confirm their experience qualifies before applying.

DNP PNP-AC Curriculum

The program spans 11 quarters across two years of study (with an optional summer start in Year 2). The curriculum integrates foundational DNP core courses in Year 1 with specialty-specific acute care pediatric coursework and clinical residency in Year 2.

Students complete an evidence-based DNP Scholarly Project, developed over multiple quarters beginning in Year 2 and formally presented at program completion. The specialty clinical residency (N415.13B) requires a minimum of 20 units and 600 direct patient care hours.

  • N200A – Foundations of Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (1 u)
  • N283A – Pediatric Physiologic Development (2 u)
  • N245.06 – Health Promotion for Chronically-Critically Ill Children (3 u)
  • N413.11 – Advanced Practice Nursing Skills Lab in Pediatrics (2 u)
  • N270 – Advanced Health Assessment (2 u)
  • N208 – Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology (2 u)
  • N200A – Foundations of Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (0 u — continuing)
  • N246.06 – Symptom Assessment and Management of Sick Children (3 u)
  • N217F – Racism, Health Care and Social Justice (2 u)
  • N294D – Essentials of Human Genomics for Nurses (1 u)
  • N415.13A – Pediatric Specialty Care Clinical Residency (2 u — 60 direct patient care hrs)
  • N200A – Foundations of Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (0 u — continuing)
  • N232.05A – Pediatric Primary Care Pathophysiology (1 u)
  • N283.23 – Peds Complex Illness Pathophysiology and Pharmacology (3 u)
  • N262 – Advanced Scholarship in Research (3 u)
  • N415.13A – Pediatric Specialty Care Clinical Residency (3 u — 90 direct patient care hrs)
  • N234C – Evidence-Based Project Proposal Development (2 u)
  • N415.13B – Acute Care PNP Clinical Residency (3 u)
  • N200B – Interprofessional Practice (0.5 u)
  • N283.20 – Advanced Acute Care Pediatric Nursing and Pharmacology I (4 u)
  • N234C – Evidence-Based Project Proposal Development (2 u) — if not taken summer
  • N415.13B – Acute Care PNP Clinical Residency (4 u)
  • N283.21 – Advanced Acute Care Pediatric Nursing and Pharmacology II (4 u)
  • N415.13B – Acute Care PNP Clinical Residency (5 u)
  • N211 – Policy and Leadership (3 u)
  • N283.22 – Advanced Acute Care Pediatric Nursing and Pharmacology III (4 u)
  • N415.13B – Acute Care PNP Clinical Residency (4 u)

See the official curriculum page for more details.

DNP PNP-AC Clinicals

The PNP-AC program requires a minimum of 1,000 post-baccalaureate practice hours for DNP degree conferral (per CCNE requirements), with at least 600 hours of direct patient care completed through the specialty clinical residency (N415.13B, 20 units). All clinical placements are arranged by UCSF’s Office of Clinical Placements — students do not self-source sites. Clinical rotations are located throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

  • N415.13A – Pediatric Specialty Care Clinical Residency (Year 1, winter + spring): approximately 150 direct patient care hours; each N400-level unit = 30 hours direct patient care
  • N415.13B – Acute Care PNP Clinical Residency (Year 2): minimum 20 units / 600 direct patient care hours; units may vary by quarter based on clinical hours completed
  • All placements arranged by UCSF; no self-sourcing required
  • Clinical sites include UCSF Health, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford Health Care, Kaiser Northern California, Sutter Health, Alameda Health Systems, Dignity Health, John Muir Health, SFDPH/ZSFGH, and Veterans Affairs
  • Majority of clinical training in Years 2 and 3; Year 1 clinical requirements are more limited
  • DNP Scholarly Project may be completed at the student’s workplace; faculty will assist in identifying an alternative site if the employer does not support the project

DNP PNP-AC Admissions Requirements

  • BSN from an accredited college or university (official transcript required)
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0
  • California RN license required; non-California applicants must obtain licensure by endorsement before starting the program
  • Minimum 2 years of clinical practice in an acute pediatric setting required before beginning clinical rotations — contact Specialty Coordinator to verify your experience qualifies
  • Statistics course completed within 5 years of program start (September 2026); must be college-level, taken for credit at a regionally accredited institution; online and community college courses accepted
  • Résumé or CV (2–5 pages in PDF format)
  • 3 letters of recommendation:
    • One from current/recent employer or supervisor (preferably an advanced practice nurse in the specialty)
    • One from a faculty member who can assess your academic performance (may substitute a second employer/supervisor letter if faculty letter is unavailable)
    • One from an individual (not a relative) well-acquainted with your professional preparation and experience
  • Goal statement: max 500 words, double-spaced, PDF format — focus on career rationale, specialty choice, and future goals; AI-generated content strictly prohibited
  • Personal statement: discuss personal background and its influence on pursuing graduate study
  • No GRE required
  • Application fee: $120 (U.S. citizens/permanent residents); $140 (international applicants); fee waivers available for demonstrated financial need
  • English proficiency required; TOEFL minimum 92 (iBT) or IELTS minimum 7.0 for non-native English speakers who do not meet the prior education waiver criteria
  • Health clearance and background check required after admission
  • Application deadline: February 15, 2026 for fall 2026 entry; applications reviewed on a rolling basis — earlier submission is strongly encouraged
  • Admission decisions issued within 8–10 weeks of application completeness confirmation; 2 weeks to accept an offer
  • F-1 visa holders are not eligible for this hybrid program
  • Once admitted to a specialty, students remain in that specialty for the duration of the program; specialty changes are not permitted after admission

Tuition

UCSF does not publish a flat per-credit-hour rate for this program. Tuition is presented as annual cost-of-attendance estimates.

For AY 2026–2027, the published figures are $41,037 in tuition and fees (fall through spring) plus $12,682 in summer fees, totaling approximately $53,719 for a full year of enrollment.

Non-resident students pay an additional $12,245 per year in supplemental tuition.

Regular-status UC employees may be eligible for a two-thirds reduction in student services fees and tuition (available through spring 2031). The UCSF Student Affairs office recommends starting financial aid applications early, even before formal acceptance. Scholarships and loan options are available through the School of Nursing Student Funding Office.

More tuition details are available here.

Accreditation

The UCSF DNP program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The BSN Entry to DNP, Advanced Practice pathway is currently under review by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). Graduates of the PNP-AC specialty are eligible for the California BRN Nurse Practitioner certificate and Furnishing certificate, a national DEA license, and the Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care (CPNP-AC) national certification examination offered by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB). Students planning to practice outside California should verify that program completion meets licensure requirements in their intended state.