Wayne State University’s College of Nursing in Detroit offers six Pediatric Nurse Practitioner pathways:
- MSN – Primary Care (PNP-PC)
- BSN-to-DNP – Primary Care (PNP-PC)
- Graduate Certificate – Primary Care, for certified PNP-ACs
- MSN – Pediatric Acute Care (PNP-AC)
- BSN-to-DNP – Pediatric Acute Care (PNP-AC)
- Graduate Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care, for certified PNP-PCs
Classes meet live, either on campus or in a synchronous online format the university offers to students living more than 60 miles from campus. All pathways require a Michigan RN license and a year of pediatric RN experience before clinical courses begin.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (Resident ) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN – PC | $55.5K | 2 yrs FT; 3 yrs PT | 47 |
| MSN – AC | $55.5K | 2 yrs FT; 3 yrs PT | 47 |
| DNP – PC | $89.8K | 3 yrs FT; 4 yrs PT | 76 |
| DNP – AC | $89.8K | 3 yrs FT; 4 yrs PT | 76 |
| Cert – AC | $28.4K | 1 yr | 24 |
| Cert – PC | $28.4K | 1 yr | 24 |
Tuition estimates multiply Wayne State’s 2026–2027 graduate nursing rate ($1,181.47/credit resident, $2,191.25/credit non-resident) by the published credit total. The $69.63-per-credit student service fee and $402.91 registration fee per term are not included.
- Why choose it: Wayne State teaches both pediatric populations at the MSN and DNP level, plus one-year certificates that let a certified PNP add the other credential. The college also secures every clinical placement.
- Trade-off: No one starts clinicals without a full year of pediatric RN experience (in-hospital for acute care), and the online option requires live class attendance and a Michigan RN license.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN, BSN-to-DNP, graduate certificate |
| Population Focus | Primary Care (CPNP-PC) and Acute Care (CPNP-AC) at every level |
| Format | Mostly Online for students 60+ miles away (synchronous); Campus for local students |
| Clinical Hours | 675 minimum (certificates); not published for MSN or DNP |
| Clinical Placement | College secures all placements and assigns preceptors |
| RN License | Michigan RN required; out-of-state applicants have two semesters to obtain it |
| RN Experience | One full-time year pediatric; in-hospital for acute care. Required before clinicals |
| Start Term | Fall (published plans of study); DNP and certificates admit fall only |
| Tuition | $1,181.47/credit resident; $2,191.25/credit non-resident (2026–27) |
| Accreditation | CCNE (BSN, MSN, DNP), through 2033 |
Clinical Education
Placement policy is the same across all six pathways:
- A dedicated clinical placement coordinator secures all clinical sites. Students do not recruit their own preceptors.
- Each student works with an assigned NP preceptor; specialty coordinators match sites to the student’s goals.
- Primary care rotations run in primary care, specialty, and community clinics. Acute care rotations run in hospitals, ICUs, emergency departments, and specialty clinics.
- Every pathway uses the same three-course clinical sequence for its population, totaling 15 clinical credits (4, 5, and 6 credits).
- Wayne State does not publish whether online students can complete clinicals outside Michigan.
Coordinated placement is the most practical benefit here. Many online PNP programs leave students to find pediatric preceptors, which is often the hardest part of a PNP program. The catch is the pediatric experience gate below: the college finds the site, but you must arrive with a year of pediatric RN work.
General Admissions
Requirements are shared across the MSN and BSN-to-DNP. Certificate rules appear in the certificate sections.
- BSN from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited program with a 3.0 GPA
- Current Michigan RN license; out-of-state applicants must obtain it within two semesters of admission
- Personal goal statement, resume, two professional recommendations, and official transcripts (DNP: one doctorally prepared recommender preferred)
- Interview for all qualified applicants
- TOEFL where required; internationally educated nurses need CGFNS certification
- Application through NursingCAS; fee waivers available by request to gradnursing@wayne.edu
- Pediatric RN experience: one full-time year before the clinical sequence; must be in-hospital for acute care
Deadlines conflict across university sources. The College of Nursing’s MSN admissions page lists July 1 (fall) and December 7 (winter). The graduate catalog lists August 1 (fall) and November 15 (winter). This page treats the earlier July 1 date as the safe fall target. The DNP admits in fall only, with an August 1 catalog deadline.
The experience rule is timed to the clinical sequence, not admission. A nurse with less than a year of pediatric work can start core courses, but progression stalls if the year is not complete when clinicals begin. Acute care applicants with only outpatient pediatric experience do not qualify.
MSN – Pediatric Primary Care
The estimated tuition for the MSN Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care is about $55,529 for Michigan residents (47 credits at $1,181.47/credit) and $102,989 for non-residents (47 credits at $2,191.25/credit).
The program takes about two years full-time or three years part-time. Graduates are eligible for the PNCB CPNP-PC exam.
MSN – PC Curriculum
The 47 credits divide into a 12-credit master’s core, 7 credits of cognates, and a 28-credit clinical sequence. Pharmacology is a pediatric-specific course rather than a lifespan course. The specialty sequence pairs a didactic course with a clinical course each term for three terms, with clinical credits rising from 4 to 6.
- NUR 7444: Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan (4 cr.)
- NUR 7207: Advanced Pediatric Pharmacology (3 cr.)
- NUR 7030: Advanced Nursing Assessment (4 cr.)
- NUR 7670/7675: PNP-PC Clinical Care and Management I, didactic and clinical (4 + 4 cr.)
- NUR 7680/7685: PNP-PC Clinical Care and Management II, didactic and clinical (3 + 5 cr.)
- NUR 7690/7695: PNP-PC Clinical Care and Management III, didactic and clinical (2 + 6 cr.)
- Core: NUR 6510 Health Economics and Policy, NUR 7000 Statistics, NUR 7105 Theory, NUR 8625 Evidence-Based Practice (3 cr. each)
More curriculum details are available here.
MSN – PC Clinical Requirements
- Clinical hours: not published for the MSN
- Clinical credits: 15 across NUR 7675, 7685, and 7695
- Settings: primary care, specialty, and community clinics
- Prerequisite: one full-time year of pediatric RN experience in any setting
Wayne State does not state MSN clinical hours. The primary care certificate runs the same three clinical courses and requires a minimum of 675 hours, which sits in the typical 600–750 range for a single population. Confirm the MSN figure with the program before comparing hour totals.
MSN – PC Admissions
General admissions apply. Pediatric experience can come from any pediatric setting, including outpatient and school-based work.
MSN – Pediatric Acute Care
The estimated tuition for the MSN Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care is about $55,529 for Michigan residents (47 credits at $1,181.47/credit) and $102,989 for non-residents.
The program takes about two years full-time or three years part-time. Graduates are eligible for the PNCB CPNP-AC exam. Applicants need a year of in-hospital pediatric RN experience before clinicals.
MSN – AC Curriculum
The acute care MSN shares the core, cognates, and NUR 7030 with the primary care track. Only the six specialty courses differ. They cover acute, critical, and chronic pediatric conditions, including urgent and life-threatening illness.
- NUR 7920/7925: PNP-AC Clinical Care and Management I, didactic and clinical (4 + 4 cr.)
- NUR 7930/7935: PNP-AC Clinical Care and Management II, didactic and clinical (3 + 5 cr.)
- NUR 7940/7945: PNP-AC Clinical Care and Management III, didactic and clinical (2 + 6 cr.)
More curriculum details are available here.
MSN – AC Clinical Requirements
- Clinical hours: not published for the MSN
- Clinical credits: 15 across NUR 7925, 7935, and 7945
- Settings: hospitals, intensive care units, emergency departments, specialty clinics
- Prerequisite: one full-time year of in-hospital pediatric RN experience
As with primary care, only the acute care certificate states hours (675 minimum, within the normal single-population range). Wayne State does not publish a campus skills intensive for the acute care track, which some acute care programs require.
MSN – AC Admissions
General admissions apply, with one difference: the pediatric year must be inpatient. Clinic, home health, or school nursing experience does not count toward the acute care requirement.
BSN-to-DNP – Pediatric Primary Care
The estimated tuition for the DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care is about $89,792 for Michigan residents (76 credits at $1,181.47/credit) and $166,535 for non-residents (76 credits at $2,191.25/credit).
The program takes about three years full-time or four years part-time, starting in fall. Graduates are eligible for the PNCB CPNP-PC exam.
DNP – PC Curriculum
The published plan of study totals 76 credits: the catalog’s 73-credit BSN-to-DNP plus the 3-credit statistics prerequisite. The catalog notes a newer DNP project sequence (8 credits instead of 12) that would lower the total, but the current plan of study still uses the 12-credit sequence.
Structure
- Year 1: DNP core (26 cr.), including NUR 8620, which must be passed in the first semester to progress
- Year 2: pathophysiology, pediatric pharmacology, assessment, and the first two DNP project practicums
- Year 3: the three-term pediatric primary care specialty sequence (NUR 8370–8395, 24 cr.) alongside the final DNP project course
Distinctive Coursework
- NUR 8653: Healthcare Analytic Methods, Data Management, Evaluation, and Outcomes (4 cr.)
- NUR 8210: Determinants of Health and Health Disparities (3 cr.)
- NUR 8665: Health Policy, Economics, Ethics and Evaluation in Advanced Practice Nursing (4 cr.)
- NUR 9508, 9510, 9520: DNP project practicum sequence (4 cr. each)
Specialty clinicals land in the final year. That gives BSN entrants two years to finish the pediatric experience requirement while taking doctoral coursework.
More curriculum details are available here.
DNP – PC Clinical Requirements
- Clinical and DNP practice hours: not published
- Specialty clinical credits: 15, in the final year
- Settings: primary care, specialty, and community clinics
- Time limit: seven years from admission to doctoral study
Wayne State does not state total DNP practice hours. National DNP standards generally call for 1,000 post-baccalaureate practice hours; confirm how Wayne State counts specialty and project hours toward that figure.
DNP – PC Admissions
General admissions apply. Fall entry only, with NUR 7000 Statistics and NUR 8620 required in the first semester.
BSN-to-DNP – Pediatric Acute Care
The estimated tuition for the DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care is about $89,792 for Michigan residents (76 credits at $1,181.47/credit) and $166,535 for non-residents.
Expect about three years full-time or four years part-time, matching the primary care DNP; the acute care page does not publish its own plan of study. Graduates are eligible for the PNCB CPNP-AC exam.
DNP – AC Curriculum
The DNP core, cognates, and project sequence match the primary care DNP. The specialty sequence swaps in acute and critical care content. The acute care page does not list its specialty course numbers, so the credit total assumes the same 24-credit structure as the primary care DNP.
More curriculum details are available here.
DNP – AC Clinical Requirements
- Clinical and DNP practice hours: not published
- Settings: hospitals, ICUs, emergency departments, specialty clinics
- Prerequisite: one full-time year of in-hospital pediatric RN experience before clinicals
DNP – AC Admissions
General admissions apply, plus the in-hospital experience rule. Fall entry only.
MSN-prepared nurses who already hold NP certification can take Wayne State’s separate post-master’s DNP (38 credits). It adds doctoral coursework only and does not prepare for PNP certification, so it is not profiled here.
Graduate Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care
The estimated tuition for the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Acute Care Graduate Certificate is about $28,355 for Michigan residents (24 credits at $1,181.47/credit) and $52,590 for non-residents (24 credits at $2,191.25/credit).
The six courses run in sequence over one calendar year. The certificate is only open to nurses who already hold PNP-PC certification; it prepares them for the PNCB CPNP-AC exam.
Certificate – AC Curriculum
The certificate is the MSN acute care specialty sequence on its own (NUR 7920 through 7945). No core or cognate coursework is required, and no transfer credit is accepted. A gap analysis may add courses.
More curriculum details are available here.
Certificate – AC Clinical Requirements
- 675 pediatric acute care clinical hours minimum
- Clinical experiences tailored to the individual student
- Coursework must be completed within three years of admission
675 hours is a full single-population load. A PNP-PC adding acute care gets the same clinical exposure as an MSN acute care student, not a shortened add-on.
Certificate – AC Admissions
- MSN or DNP clinical nursing degree from a nationally accredited program, 3.0 GPA
- Current national PNP-PC certification (upload required)
- Current Michigan RN license
- Goal statement, two recommendations, resume, transcripts
- NursingCAS application; admission depends on available college resources
Graduate Certificate – Pediatric Primary Care
The estimated tuition for the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Graduate Certificate is about $28,355 for Michigan residents (24 credits at $1,181.47/credit) and $52,590 for non-residents.
It also runs over one calendar year and is only open to nurses who already hold PNP-AC certification. It prepares them for the PNCB CPNP-PC exam.
Certificate – PC Curriculum
The primary care specialty sequence (NUR 7670 through 7695), with the same no-transfer and gap-analysis rules as the acute care certificate. More curriculum details are available here.
Certificate – PC Clinical Requirements
- 675 primary care clinical hours minimum
- Coursework must be completed within three years of admission
Certificate – PC Admissions
Same as the acute care certificate, except applicants need current PNP-AC certification.
Neither certificate accepts nurses changing from another NP population, such as FNPs. A family NP who wants pediatric certification needs the full MSN or DNP here.
Tuition
Estimated tuition ranges from about $28,400 (certificates, resident) to $166,500 (BSN-to-DNP, non-resident).
| Program | Est. Resident | Est. Non-Resident |
|---|---|---|
| MSN – PC or AC | $55,529 | $102,989 |
| BSN-to-DNP – PC or AC | $89,792 | $166,535 |
| Certificate – AC or PC | $28,355 | $52,590 |
Calculated from the 2026–2027 graduate nursing rate of $1,181.47/credit (resident) and $2,191.25/credit (non-resident). These are estimates, not university-published totals.
Key Cost Takeaways
- The student service fee ($69.63 per credit) adds about $3,300 to the MSN, $5,300 to the DNP, and $1,700 to a certificate.
- The $402.91 registration fee is charged each term. A full-time MSN over six terms adds roughly $2,400; part-time plans pay it more often.
- Out-of-state students pay 85% more per credit. The synchronous online option does not come with a reduced distance rate.
- Wayne State raised the graduate nursing rate from $1,136.03 to $1,181.47 for 2026–27. Budget for further annual increases over a two- to four-year program.
- The college points applicants to the Nurse Faculty Loan Program and asks students to request application fee waivers directly.
Resident pricing is typical of a public research university. Non-resident pricing is not: at over $100,000 for the MSN, it approaches private-school cost, so out-of-state applicants are paying mainly for coordinated placement and the acute care option.
See Wayne State’s official tuition and fee schedule.
Why Choose This PNP Program?
Best For
- Pediatric inpatient nurses in Michigan who want acute care NP preparation without relocating
- Nurses unsure between primary and acute care who want a school that offers both
- Certified PNP-PCs moving into hospital practice, or PNP-ACs moving into clinics
- Students who do not want to search for their own pediatric preceptors
- BSN nurses who want the DNP and have time to build pediatric experience during the first two years
Biggest Strengths
Both populations, every level. Primary and acute care are available as an MSN, a BSN-to-DNP, and a certificate. Few programs offer that full grid, and the certificates give an affordable route to dual certification after graduation.
Placements handled by the college. A clinical placement coordinator secures every site and preceptor. In pediatrics, where preceptors are scarce, this removes a common cause of clinical delays.
Full clinical load in the certificates. The cross-certification certificates require 675 hours, the same as a single-population program, rather than a reduced add-on.
Potential Drawbacks
- A year of pediatric RN experience is mandatory before clinicals; acute care requires inpatient experience.
- A Michigan RN license is required, and out-of-state clinical placement is not addressed.
- Online students must attend live sessions, and the online option is limited to students living 60+ miles from campus.
- Clinical hours for the MSN and DNP are not published.
- Non-resident tuition exceeds $100,000 for the MSN.
- Fall entry only for the DNP and certificates; application deadlines conflict between sources.
The Verdict
Wayne State is the strongest fit for Michigan nurses with pediatric hospital experience who want acute care preparation, or who want to hold both PNP credentials eventually. The combination of coordinated placement, both populations at every degree level, and full-length cross-certification certificates is hard to find in one program.
Look elsewhere if you lack a year of pediatric RN experience, if you live outside Michigan and do not plan to hold a Michigan license, or if you need asynchronous classes. Non-residents should compare total cost carefully, since the out-of-state rate removes most of Wayne State’s price advantage.
Accreditation
The College of Nursing’s BSN, MSN, and DNP programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), with accreditation maintained through 2033. Wayne State reports that graduates of each PNP specialty are eligible for the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) exam: CPNP-PC for primary care, CPNP-AC for acute care. See the College of Nursing accreditation page.
Other PNP Programs in Michigan
- Spring Arbor University - Spring Arbor
- University of Michigan - Ann Arbor