The University of South Alabama College of Nursing offers nine graduate pathways that lead to or build on Pediatric Nurse Practitioner preparation, with primary care and acute care available at every entry level:
- MSN – Primary Care NP
- BSN-to-DNP – Primary Care NP
- MSN-to-DNP – Primary Care
- Post-Graduate Certificate
- MSN – Acute Care NP
- BSN-to-DNP – Acute Care NP
- MSN-to-DNP – Acute Care
- Post-Graduate Certificate
- MSN-to-DNP for Advanced Practice Roles – doctoral completion for nurses already prepared as PNPs
Coursework is delivered online across all pathways, with one mandatory Clinical Skills Intensive on the Mobile campus. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, hold an unrestricted RN license, and complete two years of RN experience in the pediatric population they intend to practice in before starting nurse practitioner clinical courses.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN – PC | $27K | Not published (5-yr limit) | 45 |
| MSN – AC | $27K | Not published (5-yr limit) | 45 |
| BSN-DNP – PC | $42K | 10 sem (FT), 12 (PT) | 69 |
| BSN-DNP – AC | $42K | 10 sem (FT), 12 (PT) | 69 |
| MSN-DNP + new specialty | $37K–$42K | Not published (7-yr limit) | 60–69 |
| Cert – PC or AC | $15K–$20K | Up to 2 yrs | 24–33 |
| MSN-DNP (roles) | $22K | Not published (7-yr limit) | 36 |
Tuition estimates multiply the university’s published graduate nursing rate of $609 per credit hour, charged at the same figure to residents and non-residents, by each pathway’s credit total. Fees are not included.
- Why choose it: Both pediatric populations at every degree level, acute care with the same 600 clinical hours as primary care, and one $609 rate for residents and non-residents.
- Trade-off: Requires two years of RN experience in the matching pediatric population, and students must line up their own clinical site with no placement guarantee.
Quick Facts
| Program Types | MSN, RN-to-MSN, BSN-to-DNP, MSN-to-DNP, post-graduate certificate |
| Population Focus | Primary Care (CPNP-PC) and Acute Care (CPNP-AC), both offered at every entry level |
| Format | Mostly Online – all coursework online, one required on-campus Clinical Skills Intensive |
| Campus Attendance | One Clinical Skills Intensive in Mobile, fall term of the first specialty courses |
| Clinical Hours | 600 for MSN and certificate; 1,140 for BSN-DNP and MSN-DNP adding a specialty |
| Clinical Placement | Student identifies site and preceptor; faculty assist; no guarantee of placement |
| Clinical Locations | Home community or Mobile through USA Health; no placements in Washington, DC |
| RN License Required | Unrestricted U.S. RN license; U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
| RN Experience Required | Two years in the matching pediatric population before NP clinical courses |
| Start Terms | MSN and DNP: fall, spring, summer. Certificate: spring and summer only |
| Enrollment Restrictions | Applications not accepted from New York or South Dakota residents |
| Tuition | $609 per credit hour, identical for residents and non-residents |
| Accreditation | CCNE – baccalaureate, master’s, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs |
Clinical Education at South Alabama
Every PNP pathway uses the same placement model, campus requirement, and geographic rules, so the differences between tracks come down to hour totals and required settings rather than how clinicals are arranged.
Placement responsibility is worth reading carefully. The BSN-to-DNP pathway page states that faculty assist students in locating appropriate practice sites. The admission criteria are more specific: documentation of clinical placement is required for full admission, applicants without it may be admitted conditionally for a maximum of nine credit hours of support coursework, and the college states that no guarantee of approved placement is offered. In practice the student leads the search and the college helps. A student who cannot secure an acceptable site may be offered one elsewhere, which they are expected to accept, or may end up transferring their completed credits to another institution.
- Clinicals may be completed in the student’s home community or in Mobile through the USA Health system
- A formal letter of commitment verifies placement for future rotations
- Admission is contingent on an approved clinical site by the end of the first semester of enrollment
- Students not accepted by an agency near home may have to travel to another area
- No clinical placements are available in Washington, DC; Louisiana placements are approved by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing
- Registration requires a negative drug screen, an acceptable background check, and completed health documentation
One on-campus Clinical Skills Intensive in Mobile is mandatory for both populations, scheduled in the fall term when students take their introductory specialty courses. The session covers hands-on assessment and procedures relevant to the chosen setting, and students sign up for a preferred date roughly three months ahead. DNP application materials also reference a fall onsite orientation when clinical specialty courses begin. Since the specialty sequence starts in fall, spring and summer admits complete support and core coursework first.
General Admissions
These requirements apply across the MSN, DNP, and certificate pathways. Track-specific rules appear in each pathway section below.
- U.S. citizen or permanent resident, residing in the United States
- Current unrestricted RN licensure; any restriction, including a voluntary disciplinary alternative program, disqualifies
- Two years of RN experience in an area appropriate to the specialty track before enrolling in NP clinical courses
- 3.0 minimum GPA on BSN coursework for MSN pathways; 3.0 graduate GPA for certificate and MSN-to-DNP applicants
- Prior nursing degree from a regionally accredited institution with CCNE, ACEN, or NLN CNEA program accreditation
- Two applications: a primary application through NursingCAS and a supplemental application with a $100 non-refundable fee
- CV or resume documenting all RN experience, certifications, and employment history
- Personal goal statement, 450 to 500 words in APA format, evaluated as a scholarly writing sample
- Letters of reference are not required; the published criteria list no entrance examination
- MSN and DNP deadlines: November 1 for spring, April 1 for summer, July 15 for fall. Certificate: November 1 and April 1 only
- Decision letters issued at least eight weeks after the deadline
Two rules deserve attention before applying. The experience requirement is population-specific, not general: an acute care applicant needs two years in pediatric acute care and a primary care applicant needs two years in pediatric primary care, which effectively closes both tracks to nurses without a pediatric background. Second, applicants whose writing sample suggests they need support are directed to take NU 597 Introduction to Scholarly Writing, a three-credit course in the first semester that adds roughly $1,827 to the cost of the program.
The three Ps, NU 518, NU 545, and NU 578, transfer only if they were three separate courses of at least three semester credits each. Courses taken inside a generalist entry-to-practice BSN or MSN program are not accepted for graduate transfer credit.
MSN Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
The MSN Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner requires 45 credit hours, an estimated $27,405 at $609 per credit. It prepares graduates for the PNCB primary care credential (CPNP-PC) and outpatient practice in clinics, health departments, and rural health settings. The university does not publish an expected completion time, but the MSN must be finished within five years of matriculation.
Registered nurses holding a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field can enter through the RN-to-MSN option, which adds NU 506, NU 507, and NU 508 for a total of 57 credits, an estimated $34,713.
MSN Primary Care Curriculum
The 45 credits divide cleanly into three blocks: nine credits of support courses covering the three Ps, twelve credits of MSN core, and 24 credits of pediatric specialty coursework. The specialty block interleaves theory and practicum rather than front-loading classroom work, so students move into patient care early and stay there through three consecutive practicum courses of increasing intensity.
- MCN 548 – Introduction to Pediatric Primary Care NP (3)
- MCN 551 – Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Pediatric Primary Care NP (2)
- MCN 552 – Pediatric Primary Care NP I (3)
- MCN 553 – Pediatric Primary Care NP Practicum I, 180 clinical hours (3)
- MCN 554 – Pediatric Primary Care NP Nursing II (3)
- MCN 555 – Pediatric Primary Care NP Practicum II, 180 clinical hours (3)
- MCN 556 – Pediatric Primary Care NP Practicum III, 240 clinical hours (4)
- MCN 557 – Pediatric Primary Care NP III (3)
More curriculum details are available in the USA Bulletin.
MSN Primary Care Clinical Requirements
- 600 total clinical hours across three practicum courses
- Practicum I: 180 hours; Practicum II: 180 hours; Practicum III: 240 hours
- Outpatient pediatric settings such as clinics, health departments, and rural health clinics
- One Clinical Skills Intensive on campus during the fall term of MCN 548 and MCN 551
At 600 hours the program sits at the low end of the 600 to 750 range typical for a single-population PNP track, and 100 hours above the 500-hour certification floor. Spread across three terms, that is roughly 15 to 20 hours of clinical work per week during practicum semesters, which is manageable alongside part-time employment but not alongside a full-time bedside schedule.
MSN Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
The MSN Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner mirrors the primary care track exactly on credits, cost, and clinical volume: 45 credit hours, an estimated $27,405, and 600 clinical hours. It prepares graduates for the PNCB acute care credential (CPNP-AC) and inpatient practice with children who have complex, critical, or traumatic conditions. The RN-to-MSN entry option is available here too, at 57 credits.
Prospective students should note that acute care carries its own two-year experience gate. Time in pediatric primary care does not satisfy it, and vice versa, so the choice between these two tracks is largely made by the work a nurse has already done.
MSN Acute Care Curriculum
The support and core blocks are identical to the primary care track. The 24-credit specialty block substitutes acute care theory and practicum courses, with health promotion content shared with the neonatal NP specialty rather than taught as a pediatric primary care course.
- MCN 558 – Introduction to Pediatric Acute Care NP (3)
- MCN 571 – Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Neonatal/Pediatric Acute NP (2)
- MCN 562 – Pediatric Acute Care NP I (3)
- MCN 563 – Pediatric Acute Care NP Practicum I, 180 clinical hours (3)
- MCN 564 – Pediatric Acute Care NP II (3)
- MCN 565 – Pediatric Acute Care NP Practicum II, 180 clinical hours (3)
- MCN 566 – Pediatric Acute Care NP Practicum III, 240 clinical hours (4)
- MCN 567 – Pediatric Acute Care NP III (3)
MSN Acute Care Clinical Requirements
- 600 clinical hours, all completed in an acute care setting such as a hospital
- Rotations typically combine pediatric emergency, pediatric ICU, and general pediatric inpatient floors
- One Clinical Skills Intensive on campus during the fall term of MCN 558 and MCN 571
The setting requirement is the practical constraint here rather than the hour count. A nurse in a rural area without a pediatric ICU or a dedicated pediatric emergency department will struggle to assemble the required mix locally, and the college does not guarantee a placement. Applicants outside a metro area with a children’s hospital should confirm site availability before paying the application fee.
BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
The BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner requires 69 credit hours, an estimated $42,021, and can be completed in ten semesters of full-time study or twelve part-time. It produces both the MSN and the DNP, prepares graduates for the CPNP-PC credential, and must be finished within seven years, with the MSN portion complete in the first five.
BSN-DNP Primary Care Curriculum
The doctoral pathway adds two blocks on top of the MSN specialty sequence: 24 credits of DNP core and 12 credits of project planning and residency. The residency courses are where the DNP project happens, and they carry clinical hours rather than functioning as a separate research track. Full-time status is defined as six credits per semester, which is a lighter load than most doctoral programs and explains the ten-semester timeline.
- Support courses: NU 518, NU 545, NU 578 (9 credits)
- Pediatric primary care specialty sequence: MCN 548 through MCN 557 (24 credits)
- DNP core: NU 607, NU 608, NU 610, NU 611, NU 612, NU 613, NU 615, NU 616 (24 credits)
- MCN 654 – Pediatric Primary Care NP Project Planning and Development (3)
- MCN 655, 656, 657 – Residency I, II, III, 180 specialty clinical hours each (9 credits)
More curriculum details are available in the USA Bulletin.
BSN-DNP Primary Care Clinical Requirements
- 600 specialty practicum hours across MCN 553, 555, and 556
- 540 residency hours across three DNP residency courses, all designated specialty clinical hours
- 1,140 total pediatric clinical hours
- Residency requirements may be completed in the student’s home region with an approved mentor
- Evidence-based scholarly project required; no thesis or dissertation
This is the strongest number on the page. At 1,140 hours the doctoral pathway sits far above the 600 to 750 range typical of a single-population PNP program and in the territory usually occupied by dual primary and acute care tracks, all of it in one population. Because the residency hours are designated specialty clinical hours rather than administrative or project time, a graduate finishes with close to double the bedside exposure of an MSN-prepared peer. For applicants weighing the extra 24 credits and roughly $15,000 against a terminal master’s, the clinical volume is a more concrete argument than the credential itself.
BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
The BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner matches the primary care doctorate on every structural point: 69 credits, an estimated $42,021, ten semesters full-time, 1,140 clinical hours, and a seven-year limit. It prepares graduates for the CPNP-AC credential. Students are admitted each semester as space allows in the selected track.
The differences are in the specialty and residency courses. The acute care sequence runs MCN 558 through MCN 567, and the residency block uses MCN 604 for project planning with MCN 617, 618, and 619 for the three residency terms. The 600 specialty hours must be completed in an acute care setting, typically split across pediatric emergency, pediatric ICU, and general pediatric inpatient units. Two years of pediatric acute care RN experience is required before the clinical portion begins.
Unlike many schools, South Alabama does not add campus requirements for the acute care track. Both populations attend the same single Clinical Skills Intensive, so choosing acute care does not mean more travel to Mobile.
MSN-to-DNP Adding a New Specialty Certification
The MSN-to-DNP Adding a New Specialty Certification pathway is for nurses who already hold an MSN in a different specialty and want both the pediatric credential and a doctorate. It runs 60 credit hours if the three Ps were completed in the previous MSN, or 69 if they were not, an estimated $36,540 to $42,021. Either primary care or acute care can be chosen. The seven-year completion limit applies to the whole program, with the certificate portion finished within two calendar years.
Structurally this is the BSN-to-DNP program minus whatever the previous MSN already covered. Students complete the post-graduate certificate first, which means the full pediatric specialty sequence and its 600 clinical hours, then the DNP core, project planning, and 540 residency hours, for the same 1,140-hour total. The two-year pediatric experience requirement in the matching population applies here exactly as it does to BSN-to-DNP students.
The comparison worth running is against doing the certificate alone. Adding the DNP costs roughly $22,000 more and adds 36 credits, but those credits include 540 additional supervised pediatric clinical hours rather than coursework alone. Applications go through the DNP office rather than the MSN office, on the DNP deadline calendar.
Post-Graduate Certificate, Pediatric Primary Care or Acute Care
The Post-Graduate Certificate adds either pediatric population for nurses who already hold an MSN or doctoral nursing degree. Certificate students complete the 24-credit specialty sequence plus any of the three Ps not previously taken, so the program runs 24 to 33 credits, an estimated $14,616 to $20,097. Graduate core and research courses are not repeated. The certificate must be completed within two years of the semester specialty coursework begins.
Certificate Curriculum and Clinicals
The specialty sequence is the same one MSN students take, MCN 548 through 557 for primary care or MCN 558 through 567 for acute care, carrying the full 600 clinical hours. Certificate students are not on a reduced clinical plan, which is what makes the credential portable to certification. Generalist MSN coursework is not accepted for transfer credit, and the on-campus Clinical Skills Intensive applies to certificate students as well, sometimes in the first semester of enrollment.
Certificate Admissions
- Graduate nursing degree, post-licensure, from a regionally accredited institution
- Overall graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher as calculated by NursingCAS
- Two years of RN experience in the matching pediatric population before NP clinical courses
- Spring and summer entry only; deadlines November 1 and April 1
- A preceptor and clinical site must be identified before specialty theory and clinical coursework can begin
Two constraints tighten this pathway relative to the MSN. There is no fall intake, so a missed April deadline costs seven months. And certificate students are expected to be ready to start clinicals on admission, rather than having the first year of coursework to arrange placement. Some specialties also have limited availability due to enrollment, which is worth confirming with the college before building a timeline around a specific term.
MSN-to-DNP for Advanced Practice Roles
The MSN-to-DNP for Advanced Nursing Practice Roles is a doctoral completion route, not a path to pediatric certification. It requires 36 credit hours, an estimated $21,924, covering only the DNP core, project planning, and residency courses. The seven-year completion limit applies, and the university does not publish an expected timeline.
Eligibility is narrower than it first appears: the applicant’s MSN must be in an advanced practice specialty that the USA College of Nursing itself offers. A nurse already certified as a CPNP-PC or CPNP-AC qualifies and earns the DNP without repeating any pediatric specialty coursework. A nurse seeking a new population focus belongs in the adding-a-new-specialty pathway above instead. The 540 residency hours attach to the DNP project rather than to a new certification.
Tuition
Graduate nursing courses at South Alabama are taught online at $609 per credit hour regardless of residency status. This is the single most useful fact about the school’s pricing. Most public universities charge non-residents somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 times the in-state rate, so an out-of-state applicant who would pay $80,000 or more elsewhere for a BSN-to-DNP pays the same $42,021 an Alabama resident pays.
One wrinkle in the source: the university’s fee schedule page is headed 2025-2026 while the rate table on it is labeled 2026-2027. The $609 figure appears in both the college-by-college table and the web course rate table, and it is the only graduate nursing rate currently published, so this page uses it.
| Pathway | Credits | Est. Total Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| Post-Graduate Certificate (PC or AC) | 24–33 | $14,616–$20,097 |
| MSN-to-DNP for Advanced Practice Roles | 36 | $21,924 |
| MSN (PC or AC) | 45 | $27,405 |
| RN-to-MSN (PC or AC) | 57 | $34,713 |
| MSN-to-DNP Adding a New Specialty | 60–69 | $36,540–$42,021 |
| BSN-to-DNP (PC or AC) | 69 | $42,021 |
These totals are calculated from the published per-credit rate and catalog credit counts. The university does not publish program totals.
Key Cost Takeaways
- No non-resident premium exists at any level, which is the main reason to consider South Alabama from out of state
- The $100 supplemental application fee is non-refundable and must be paid again if you defer your start term
- NU 597 Introduction to Scholarly Writing adds three credits, about $1,827, for applicants whose essay indicates a need for writing support
- Travel to Mobile for the Clinical Skills Intensive is unbudgeted and applies to every pathway including the certificate
- Drug screening, background checks, and health documentation are required before first registration and are student-borne
- The university states it may change fees without prior notice, so long doctoral timelines carry real rate-increase exposure
What makes this pricing unusual is not that it is cheap in absolute terms, since $609 per credit is close to the national median for online graduate nursing. It is that the figure does not move. Residency, campus, and delivery format all drop out of the calculation, which makes the cost of each pathway a straightforward function of credits and lets an applicant compare the certificate, MSN, and doctorate against each other without adjusting for anything else. See the official tuition and fee schedule for current figures.
Why Choose This PNP Program?
Best suited for: experienced pediatric nurses who already work in the population they want to practice in, can identify a local preceptor and site, and want either an acute care credential or a doctorate without paying out-of-state tuition.
Acute care at every entry level, with equal clinical weight
Acute care PNP preparation is scarce, and where it exists it is often confined to a single degree level or paired with a thinner clinical requirement than the primary care track. South Alabama offers it as an MSN, a BSN-to-DNP, a post-graduate certificate, and a component of the MSN-to-DNP, with the same 600 specialty hours in every case. The university is also specific about where those hours happen, naming pediatric emergency, pediatric ICU, and general pediatric inpatient units, which tells an applicant what kind of site they need to find rather than leaving it to be discovered later.
Clinical volume at the doctoral level
The BSN-to-DNP pathways require 1,140 pediatric clinical hours, nearly double the MSN requirement and well above what most single-population PNP programs ask. Because the DNP residency courses carry designated specialty clinical hours instead of project administration time, the extra 540 hours are patient-facing. Nurses who want the depth of a doctorate for clinical rather than academic reasons get a measurable return here.
One rate, one campus visit
Flat $609-per-credit pricing and a single required trip to Mobile make this one of the more predictable programs to budget for from a distance. The certificate pathway in particular is unusually clean: 24 credits and roughly $14,600 to add a full pediatric population, with the same clinical hours a degree-seeking student completes.
Potential Drawbacks
- Two years of RN experience in the specific pediatric population is required, closing the program to nurses transitioning into pediatrics
- Clinical placement is effectively the student’s job, with placement documentation required for full admission and no guarantee offered
- Residents of New York and South Dakota cannot apply, and graduates who later move to either state cannot obtain APRN licensure there
- No clinical placements are available in Washington, DC
- International applicants must reside in the U.S. and be citizens or permanent residents
- The certificate has no fall intake, and the acute care setting requirement is hard to satisfy outside a metro area with a children’s hospital
- Expected completion times are published only for the BSN-to-DNP pathway
The Verdict
South Alabama is a strong fit for a pediatric nurse with two or more years in primary care or acute care who wants to stay put, keep working, and add a credential without moving or paying a non-resident rate. The breadth is real: both populations at four entry points, with acute care given the same clinical weight as primary care and a doctoral option that delivers 1,140 supervised pediatric hours. The certificate is the best value on the page for an APRN adding pediatrics, and the flat rate makes cost comparisons between pathways unusually simple. The limiting factor is not academic but logistical. Admission depends on arriving with the right experience and a clinical site you can document, and the college is candid that it will help but not promise. Nurses without a pediatric background, those in states where South Alabama cannot enroll or place students, and those who need a school to arrange their rotations should look elsewhere.
Accreditation
The baccalaureate, master’s, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at the University of South Alabama College of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The college does not publish an accreditation expiration date. Its published approvals list names the Alabama Board of Nursing for the entry-level baccalaureate program.
Graduates sit for the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board exam matching their track: CPNP-PC for primary care pathways and CPNP-AC for acute care pathways. The university states that graduates are prepared to complete the appropriate national certification exam and may apply for APRN licensure, and notes that confirming state-specific requirements is the graduate’s responsibility. That matters more than usual here, given that APRN licensure is not available to graduates who relocate to New York or South Dakota. See the official accreditation page for current details.
Research More Alabama Pediatric NP Programs
- University of Alabama at Birmingham - Birmingham