Johns Hopkins Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Programs

The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in Baltimore offers three pediatric nurse practitioner pathways:

BSN to MSN – Primary Care, CPNP-PC
BSN to DNP – Primary Care, CPNP-PC
BSN to DNP – Dual Primary and Acute Care, CPNP-PC and CPNP-AC

All three are taught online with required onsite immersions in Baltimore, run on a fixed full-time plan with no part-time option, and admit once a year for fall. Each also accepts an entry-level nursing master’s degree in place of the BSN. The MSN is the newest option, with published costs for students entering in Fall 2027, and its clinicals are held in the Baltimore-Washington, DC region.

Program Tracks Overview

Program	Est. Tuition	Est. Duration	Credit Hours
MSN – PC	$102K	5 semesters	41.5
DNP – PC	$144K	3 yrs	68.5
DNP – Dual	$159K	3 yrs	76

Tuition estimates multiply the program-page credit total by the university’s published per-credit rate: $2,098 for the DNP tracks (2026-2027) and $2,450 for the MSN (2027-2028, for students entering in Fall 2027).

Few pediatric NP programs put both board credentials into one plan of study. Hopkins does it in the dual DNP track, which pairs 440 hours of pediatric primary care practicum with 520 hours of acute care practicum (960 in total) and qualifies graduates for both the CPNP-PC and CPNP-AC exams. That track admits only nurses who will have a full year of acute pediatric RN experience with physiologically unstable patients by the first day of classes.

Every pathway is full-time with a fixed sequence, so there is no way to stretch the plan around a full-time job. The DNP tracks run three years, and the school’s own FAQ says holding inflexible employment beyond the first year will be difficult. Preceptors typically work weekday schedules, and placements are drawn from the school’s partner network, generally within 100 miles of the student’s address.

Johns Hopkins offers a new pediatric primary care MSN, a primary care DNP, and a dual primary and acute care DNP that requires a year of acute pediatric RN experience before enrollment.

Quick Facts

Population Focus	MSN: Primary Care (CPNP-PC) \| DNP-PC: Primary Care (CPNP-PC) \| DNP Dual: Primary and Acute Care (CPNP-PC and CPNP-AC)
Format	Online coursework with required onsite immersions in Baltimore
Campus Attendance	MSN: 2 immersion semesters \| DNP-PC: 3 \| DNP Dual: 4
Clinical Hours	MSN: 760 \| DNP-PC: 760 plus 240 project hours \| DNP Dual: 960 plus 160 project hours
Clinical Placement	Clinical Placement Team and assigned coordinator; partner network, generally within 100 miles of home
Clinical Restrictions	No clinicals in Louisiana or New York; MSN clinicals in the Baltimore-Washington, DC region
RN Experience	MSN and DNP-PC: one year preferred \| DNP Dual: one year of acute pediatric experience required
Start Term	Fall only (deadlines Nov 1 and Jan 15)
Tuition	DNP: $2,098 per credit (2026-2027) \| MSN: $2,450 per credit (2027-2028)
Accreditation	CCNE (MSN and DNP)

Clinical Education

All three pathways use the same placement model. Each advanced practice student is assigned a placement coordinator on the school’s Clinical Placement Team. Students choose a preceptor from facilities already under contract with the school; a site outside that network requires working with the team to identify the preceptor and secure a contract, and no student-identified site is guaranteed. Placements are generally made within 100 miles of the address a student keeps on file, and the Track Director gives final approval.

Students submit clinical requests and upload school and site compliance documents in the school’s placement software before each clinical semester; compliance is due at least three weeks before a rotation starts
Students are expected to fit their availability to the preceptor’s schedule, usually Monday through Friday; refusing an appropriate placement can affect progression
Students pay for travel, parking, housing near sites, background checks, drug screens, and any site-specific compliance
Clinical courses run at a ratio of up to six students per clinical instructor, with each student assigned a preceptor
Additional RN licenses in neighboring states may be needed to secure a rotation; a multistate compact license substitutes where it applies

For a DNP student living outside Maryland, this means clinicals can usually happen near home rather than in Baltimore, apart from Louisiana and New York, where the school cannot place students. Washington residents are covered by a Washington State Board of Nursing approval. The MSN is different: the program page places its clinicals in the Baltimore-Washington, DC region, so an applicant living elsewhere should plan on relocating or commuting for the clinical semesters.

General Admissions

These requirements apply to all three pathways. Differences appear in each pathway’s section below.

BSN or entry-level nursing master’s degree from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited school
Scholastic GPA of at least 3.0
Current RN license, maintained throughout the program
Undergraduate statistics with a grade of B or better (B- is not accepted)
Three letters of recommendation: at least one from a current or recent direct supervisor and one from an academic faculty member
Goal statement, resume or CV, and official transcripts from all colleges attended
GRE accepted but not required; faculty interview if the admissions committee advances the application
TOEFL or IELTS for applicants whose native language is not English
Application through NursingCAS; Hopkins charges no separate school application fee
Fall entry only, with deadlines of November 1 and January 15

Up to six credits may transfer in from outside the School of Nursing, approved individually after admission. None of the pathways qualifies for F-1 or J-1 student visa sponsorship.

MSN: Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

The MSN Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track requires 41.5 credits and 760 clinical hours over five consecutive semesters. At the 2027-2028 rate of $2,450 per credit, tuition comes to about $101,700 (41.5 × $2,450). It prepares graduates for the PNCB Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner-Primary Care (CPNP-PC) exam. Its published cost sheet covers students entering in Fall 2027, and clinicals take place in the Baltimore-Washington, DC region.

MSN Curriculum

The MSN uses the same pediatric specialty sequence as the DNP tracks (four Diagnostic Reasoning courses paired with Clinical Management practicums) but drops the DNP project, leadership, finance, and informatics coursework. That compression moves clinical work earlier: practicum starts in the second semester, and each of the final two semesters carries 280 clinical hours.

Pharmacology for Advanced Practice I and II (2 credits each)
Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology I and II (2 credits each)
Advanced Health Assessment and Measurement for Advanced Practice Nurses (3), immersion semester
Human Growth, Development and Supervision Birth through Adolescence (2)
Diagnostic Reasoning I-IV: newborn and young child, common acute conditions, children and adolescents (including behavioral and mental health), and chronic, complex, multi-system illness (3 credits each)
Introduction to Clinical Management (1) and Clinical Management I-III: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (1.5, 3.5, 3.5)
Diagnostics and Procedures Didactic (1); Advanced Health Policy (2); Biostatistical and Research for Nursing Inquiry Methods (2)

See the official MSN plan of study.

MSN Clinical Requirements

760 clinical hours: 80 in Spring I, 120 in Summer I, 280 in Fall II, 280 in Spring II
Onsite immersions in Fall I (health assessment) and Fall II (a primary care immersion shared with DNP students)
Clinical sites in the Baltimore-Washington, DC region

At 760 hours, the MSN sits above the typical 600-750 range for a single-population pediatric track. The final two semesters average about 20 clinical hours a week (est., 280 hours over an assumed 14-week term), which is why the school notes that most students move to part-time or PRN work once clinicals begin.

MSN Admissions

General admission requirements above
One year of full-time RN experience preferred
Maryland RN license, or a multistate compact license, strongly encouraged by the program start

DNP: Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

The DNP Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track requires 68.5 credits, 760 clinical hours, and 240 DNP project practicum hours over a three-year full-time plan. At $2,098 per credit for 2026-2027, tuition comes to about $143,700 (68.5 × $2,098). It prepares graduates for the PNCB CPNP-PC exam. One year of RN experience is preferred, and the school says its strongest applicants bring at least a year of pediatric nursing.

A published conflict worth knowing about. The 2026-2027 JHU Academic Catalogue lists this track at 74.5 credits, 840 clinical hours, and 160 project practicum hours, with six elective credits. The program page lists 68.5 credits, 760 clinical hours, and 240 project hours, with no electives, and its semester-by-semester plan adds up to that total. This page uses the program page because it carries the revised plan offered to incoming applicants and matches the course structure of the new MSN. At the catalog’s 74.5 credits, tuition would be about $156,300, roughly $12,600 more.

DNP-PC Curriculum

The first year is mostly advanced practice core and the first Diagnostic Reasoning course. Clinical work starts in the first summer and continues through the final spring, with one Clinical Management practicum each term. DNP project coursework begins in the second spring and runs as four paired seminar-and-practicum courses, with the project placed in a clinical setting that partners with the student.

Pediatric Specialty Sequence

Diagnostic Reasoning I-IV in Pediatric Primary Care (3 credits each)
Clinical Management I-V: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (1.5, 2, 2, 2, 2 credits; 120-160 clinical hours each)
Human Growth, Development and Supervision Birth through Adolescence (2)
Diagnostics and Procedures Didactic (1)

DNP Core and Project

Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology I-II, Pharmacology for Advanced Practice I-II, Advanced Health Assessment and Measurement
Healthcare Finance for Advanced Nursing Practice (2); Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Healthcare (2); Advanced Health Policy (2)
Advanced Clinical Data Management (2); Clinical Data Management and Analyses (2); Advanced Applications of Information Technology in Healthcare Delivery (2)
DNP project sequence: Scholarly Problem Discovery, Evidence-Based Practice and Research Translation, Health Policy, Advocacy, and Legislation, and Quality, Safety, and Systems Improvement, each with a practicum

See the catalog entry and the program page plan of study.

DNP-PC Clinical Requirements

760 clinical hours: 120 in Summer I, then 160 in each of Fall II, Spring II, Fall III, and Spring III
240 DNP project practicum hours (40, 40, 80, 80), for 1,000 total practice hours, the school’s DNP minimum
Onsite immersions in Spring I (health assessment), Fall II, and Fall III
Placement model described under Clinical Education above

The 760 clinical hours put this track just above the 600-750 range for a single-population pediatric program. They are spread across five terms, so the weekly load is lighter than in the MSN: roughly 11-12 hours a week (est., 160 hours over an assumed 14-week term).

DNP: Pediatric Dual Primary/Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

The DNP Pediatric Dual Primary/Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track requires 76 credits, 960 clinical hours, and 160 project practicum hours over three years full-time. At $2,098 per credit, tuition comes to about $159,400 (76 × $2,098). Graduates are eligible for both the PNCB CPNP-PC and CPNP-AC exams. Unlike the primary care track, it requires one year of full-time acute care pediatric RN experience by the program start.

A published rate conflict worth knowing about. The dual track’s program page lists tuition at $2,057 per credit, while the School of Nursing’s 2026-2027 DNP Advanced Practice cost-of-attendance sheet and the primary care track page list $2,098. This page uses $2,098 because it comes from the current-year cost sheet. At $2,057, the 76-credit total would be about $156,300, roughly $3,100 lower.

DNP Dual Curriculum

The first two years mirror the primary care track: the same core, all four Diagnostic Reasoning courses, and Clinical Management I-III in pediatric primary care. The acute care sequence starts in the second summer and fills the third year, with two advanced topics courses and three acute care practicums. The dual track has no elective credits.

Diagnostic Reasoning I-IV in Pediatric Primary Care (3 credits each)
Clinical Management I-III: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (1.5, 2, 2 credits; 440 primary care hours)
Advanced Topics for the Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner I and II (3 credits each)
Pediatric Acute Care Practicum I-III (1.5, 2.5, 2.5 credits; 520 acute care hours)
Diagnostics and Procedures Didactic (1)
DNP core and four-part project sequence shared with the primary care track

See the catalog entry and the program page plan of study.

DNP Dual Clinical Requirements

960 clinical hours: 440 primary care (120, 160, 160) and 520 acute care (120, 200, 200)
160 DNP project practicum hours (40 in each of four terms), for 1,120 total practice hours
Onsite immersions in Spring I, Fall II, Fall III, and Spring III, one more than the primary care track
Placement model described under Clinical Education above

At 960 hours, the dual track sits in the lower half of the 900-1,200 range typical for dual PC/AC preparation. The final two terms carry 200 acute care hours each, about 14 hours a week (est., 200 hours over an assumed 14-week term). Acute care rotations depend on inpatient pediatric sites, so students outside large metro areas should expect longer travel within the 100-mile placement radius.

DNP Dual Admissions

General admission requirements above
One year of full-time pediatric RN experience in direct care of physiologically unstable patients in an acute care setting (intensive or critical care, intermediate care, Level 1 pediatric ED, telemetry, hematology, or oncology), required by the program start
Current Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification

The experience gate is a requirement, not a preference, and it has to be complete by the first day of the program rather than at application. A nurse who starts a PICU or pediatric intermediate care job in the fall can apply by the January 15 deadline and still qualify for the following fall. Pediatric med-surg is not among the listed settings.

Tuition

Johns Hopkins is private, so every student pays the same per-credit rate regardless of state. The DNP Advanced Practice rate for 2026-2027 is $2,098 per credit. The MSN nurse practitioner rate for 2027-2028, covering students who enter in Fall 2027, is $2,450 per credit. For summer 2027 DNP terms, the cost sheet projects a 2% increase, and the tuition page advises planning for 2-3% a year.

The DNP cost sheet shows full-time tuition of $18,882 per semester and says tuition is billed at the per-credit rate up to nine credits. $18,882 is exactly nine credits at $2,098. If semesters above nine credits are billed at that flat full-time amount, total DNP tuition would be lower than the per-credit estimates: about $134,300 for the primary care track and $144,800 for the dual track (est., applying $18,882 to each semester of nine or more credits in the published plans). The MSN’s semesters are all nine credits or fewer, so its estimate is unaffected.

Estimated Total Tuition

Pathway	Est. Tuition
MSN – Primary Care (41.5 credits)	$101,675
DNP – Primary Care (68.5 credits)	$143,713
DNP – Dual PC/AC (76 credits)	$159,448

Calculated from published per-credit rates and program-page credit totals; these are not university-published totals.

Fees Beyond Tuition

$500 nonrefundable enrollment deposit, credited to the student’s account
$500 one-time matriculation fee for new degree students
Health services fee of $950 a year on the 2026-2027 cost sheets and catalog (the tuition page lists $900)
Health insurance required; the university plan is optional if comparable coverage is shown ($3,293 a year in the 2026-2027 budget)
Diagnostic equipment purchased during the first year of NP study
Travel and lodging for onsite immersions in Baltimore, plus clinical travel, compliance, and additional RN licenses where needed
$55 per semester for an alternate payment plan

The tuition page also posts a 2026-2027 cost sheet for a Post-Master’s Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate (12.5 credits at $2,095 per credit, $26,191 in tuition). The school’s post-degree program listing and the 2026-2027 catalog do not include this certificate, so it is not profiled here as a pathway.

See the official tuition and fees page.

Why Choose This PNP Program?

Best suited for: pediatric nurses who can commit to a fixed full-time schedule, and for the dual track, PICU, pediatric ED, or pediatric intermediate care nurses who want both board credentials from one program.

Both Pediatric Credentials in One Plan

The dual track leads to CPNP-PC and CPNP-AC eligibility in three years for about $15,700 more than the primary care DNP (est., the 7.5-credit difference at $2,098). Adding acute care later through a separate post-graduate certificate would mean a second admission, a second tuition bill, and another round of clinicals.

MSN or DNP for Primary Care

Both primary care pathways carry 760 clinical hours and the same Diagnostic Reasoning and Clinical Management sequence. The MSN finishes in five semesters for about $42,000 less (est.), but its clinicals are tied to the Baltimore-Washington region and its earliest listed entry is Fall 2027. The DNP adds the project and systems coursework, takes three years, and places students near home in most states.

Placement Support With Limits

Each student gets an assigned placement coordinator and access to the school’s contracted partner network, which is more support than programs that leave preceptor searches entirely to students. Placement is not guaranteed at a student-chosen site, and preceptors’ weekday schedules set the pace.

Drawbacks to Weigh

No part-time plan on any pathway
DNP tuition near $144,000-$159,000 before fees
Two to four onsite immersion semesters in Baltimore, depending on track
No clinical placements in Louisiana or New York
Dual track closed to nurses without a year of acute pediatric experience

The Verdict

The strongest case is for an experienced acute care pediatric nurse who wants dual certification and can leave full-time work for three years; the dual DNP delivers both credentials with 960 clinical hours and placement support near home. Primary care applicants in the Baltimore-Washington area have a shorter, cheaper route through the new MSN. Nurses who need to keep working full-time, live in Louisiana or New York, or want a lower total cost should compare other programs.

Accreditation

The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing’s MSN and DNP programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Graduates of the MSN and DNP primary care tracks are eligible for the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) CPNP-PC exam. Graduates of the dual track are eligible for both the PNCB CPNP-PC and CPNP-AC exams. Details are in the JHU Academic Catalogue.

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