“St. Kate’s PNP-PC DNP is designed around the working nurse — classes meet one day a week, a dedicated coordinator arranges all clinical placements, and there’s no GRE or application fee.”
St. Catherine University offers 2 Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care tracks:
- BSN-DNP PNP-PC
- Post-Graduate Certificate PNP-PC
Both tracks are delivered in a hybrid format with asynchronous and synchronous online coursework supplemented by in-person intensives.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration |
|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP PNP-PC | $81,600 | 3 years |
| Post-Master’s Certificate PNP-PC | $25,200 | 2 years |
The DNP is the primary entry point for BSN-prepared nurses and leads to a terminal practice degree; the certificate is designed for APRNs who already hold a graduate nursing degree and want to add pediatric primary care as a second specialty.
Either path leads to eligibility for CPNP-PC certification and suits nurses who need a program built around a full work schedule.
BSN-DNP PNP-PC
The estimated cost for the BSN-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care at St. Catherine University is $81,600, and the program takes 3 years to complete on a full-time basis (a 4-year option is also available).
DNP Curriculum
The BSN-DNP PNP-PC spans 68 total credits and is structured in three phases:
- DNP core and APRN foundation courses
- pediatric-specific clinical coursework,
- a four-semester DNP project sequence focused on quality improvement
Core coursework covers biostatistics, evidence-based practice, informatics, leadership, healthcare economics, health policy, and advanced outcomes measurement.
APRN foundational courses build competency in pharmacology, physiology and pathophysiology, health assessment, and clinical reasoning.
Pediatric specialty courses progress from health promotion and well-child care through common and acute conditions, immunologic and infectious challenges, and chronic and complex pediatric conditions.
Four clinical courses are woven throughout the specialty phase, accumulating 810 clinical hours.
The DNP project runs across four practicum courses — from leading QI through strategic planning, implementation, data analysis, and dissemination.
- NURS 7140 – Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice
- NURS 8150 – Leadership for Advanced Nursing Practice
- STAT 7000 – Introduction to Biostatistics
- IPE 7000 – Evidence Based Practice: Interprofessional Perspectives and Competencies
- NURS 7080 – Informatics for Advanced Nursing Practice
- NURS 8300 – Advanced Outcomes Measurement and Evaluation
- NURS 6223 – Advanced Pharmacology across the Lifespan
- NURS 6160 – Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan
- NURS 6143 – Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan
- NURS 6260 – Clinical Reasoning, Diagnostics, and Procedures
- NURS 6125 – Health Promotion in Primary Care: Pediatric
- NURS 6410 – Primary Care I: Common and Acute Health Challenges in Pediatrics
- NURS 7410 – Primary Care II: Immunologic and Infectious Challenges in Pediatrics
- NURS 7810 – Primary Care III: Chronic and Complex Conditions in Pediatrics and Their Families
- NURS 6435 – Primary Care Clinical I: Pediatrics (1 cr)
- NURS 7415 – Primary Care Clinical II: Immunologic and Infectious Challenges in Pediatrics (3 cr)
- NURS 7815 – Primary Care Clinical III: Chronic and Complex Conditions in Pediatrics and Families (3 cr)
- NURS 8035 – Primary Care Clinical IV: Pediatrics (2 cr)
- NURS 8536 – Healthcare Economics and Finance
- NURS 8523 – Advanced Evidence-based Practice
- NURS 8543 – Health Care: Power, Policy and Politics
- NURS 8515 – DNP Practicum I: Leading QI (2 cr)
- NURS 8516 – DNP Practicum II: Strategic Project Planning (2 cr)
- NURS 8517 – DNP Practicum III: QI Implementation and Data Analysis (2 cr)
- NURS 8518 – DNP Practicum IV: Sustaining and Disseminating QI (2 cr)
DNP Clinicals
The DNP PNP-PC requires 810 hours of in-person clinical experience, all arranged by a dedicated clinical placement coordinator — students are not responsible for sourcing their own preceptors. Clinical experiences span well-child care, acute and common pediatric conditions, immunologic and infectious challenges, and chronic and complex pediatric conditions.
- Total clinical hours: 810
- NURS 6435 – Primary Care Clinical I: Pediatrics (1 cr)
- NURS 7415 – Primary Care Clinical II: Immunologic and Infectious Challenges (3 cr)
- NURS 7815 – Primary Care Clinical III: Chronic and Complex Conditions (3 cr)
- NURS 8035 – Primary Care Clinical IV: Pediatrics (2 cr)
- St. Kate’s has partnerships with leading regional healthcare organizations that provide access to diverse clinical settings
DNP Admissions
The BSN-DNP PNP-PC requires a BSN from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited nursing program; no GRE and no application fee are required.
- BSN or comparable master’s-level nursing degree from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited program required
- Current unencumbered RN license
- Undergraduate GPA: 3.0 or higher; no grade below B- in any nursing course
- No GRE required
- No application fee
- Priority deadline: June 1 for Fall enrollment; rolling review thereafter on a space-available basis
- Currently accepting applications for Fall 2026
- State restrictions may apply for applicants residing outside Minnesota — contact the program to confirm eligibility
- TOEFL minimum: 550 paper / 80 iBT; IELTS minimum: 6.5; Duolingo minimum: 105 (waived for U.S. degree holders)
Post-Master’s Certificate PNP-PC
The estimated cost for the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Post-Graduate Certificate at St. Catherine University is $25,200 (21 credits at $1,200/credit), and the program takes approximately 2 years (6 semesters) to complete.
Certificate Curriculum
The PNP-PC post-graduate certificate totals 21 credits and is built entirely around pediatric specialty coursework — no DNP core courses are repeated.
The curriculum progresses from health promotion and well-child care through acute and common conditions, immunologic and infectious challenges, and chronic and complex pediatric conditions, with four clinical courses distributed across the sequence.
Prior clinical hours from a previous APRN program may be applied through a Gap Analysis Process upon admission, potentially reducing the clinical credit requirement.
- NURS 6125 – Health Promotion in Primary Care: Pediatric (3 cr)
- NURS 6410 – Primary Care I: Common and Acute Health Challenges in Pediatrics (3 cr)
- NURS 7410 – Primary Care II: Immunologic and Infectious Challenges in Pediatrics (3 cr)
- NURS 6435 – Primary Care Clinical I: Pediatrics (1 cr)
- NURS 7810 – Primary Care III: Chronic and Complex Conditions in Pediatrics and Their Families (3 cr)
- NURS 7415 – Primary Care Clinical II: Immunologic and Infectious Challenges in Pediatrics (3 cr)
- NURS 7815 – Primary Care Clinical III: Chronic and Complex Conditions in Pediatrics and Families (3 cr)
- NURS 8035 – Primary Care Clinical IV: Pediatrics (2 cr)
Certificate Clinicals
The certificate requires 810 clinical hours across four practicum courses, covering the full range of pediatric primary care settings. Clinical hours from a prior APRN program may be credited toward this requirement through the program’s Gap Analysis Process.
Certificate Admissions
Admission to the PNP-PC post-graduate certificate requires an existing master’s or doctoral degree in an APRN program along with active APRN certification; no GRE and no application fee are required.
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution required
- Master’s or DNP degree in an APRN program accredited by ACEN or CCNE required
- Undergraduate and graduate GPA: 3.0 or higher; no grade below B- in any nursing course
- Current unencumbered RN and APRN license
- At least 1 year of clinical experience as an RN or APRN
- Admission essay (2 pages, double-spaced)
- Admission video (5–7 minutes, submitted via YouTube)
- 1 professional recommendation from a clinical setting
- Current resume
- Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions
- No GRE required; no application fee
- Accepted on a space-available basis for Summer and Fall semesters — contact admissions before applying to confirm capacity
- TOEFL minimum: 550 paper / 80 iBT; IELTS minimum: 6.5; Duolingo minimum: 105
Tuition
St. Catherine University charges $1,200 per credit for DNP and post-graduate certificate nursing programs (2025–26 rates), with no distinction between resident and nonresident students. Tuition rates are subject to change each June 1.
Nurses employed by a St. Kate’s corporate or community partner may qualify for a 10% partner scholarship. All DNP applicants are automatically reviewed for additional DNP scholarships.
See the official tuition and fee page for more details.
Accreditation
The DNP program and post-graduate certificate at St. Catherine University are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
Graduates of both tracks are eligible to sit for the CPNP-PC certification examination.
Compare Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Programs in Minnesota
St. Catherine University is one of only two Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs currently available in Minnesota. Compared to the University of Minnesota PNP program, St. Kate’s places heavier emphasis on flexible scheduling, faculty-arranged clinical placements, and working-nurse accessibility.
The University of Minnesota may appeal more to nurses seeking a larger academic medical center environment, stronger research integration, and broader specialty pediatric exposure.