The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing offers 4 tracks relevant to adult-gerontology primary care nurses:
- MSN AGPCNP (BSN entry)
- Post-BSN to DNP AGPCNP
- Post-Graduate APRN Certificate AGPCNP (post-MSN, currently certified APRNs)
- Post-MSN to DNP (doctoral completion; does not confer AGPCNP eligibility)
Every track is part-time and distance-accessible, combining online coursework with required on-campus intensives in Birmingham. Practica are completed locally.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN AGPCNP | ~$33.5K | 2-2.5 years (6-7 semesters) | 45 |
| Post-BSN to DNP AGPCNP | ~$58.8K | 3-3.5 years (9-10 semesters) | 79 |
| Certificate AGPCNP | ~$20.1K+ | ~1.5 years (4 semesters) | 27 minimum |
| Post-MSN to DNP | ~$32.0K | ~2.5 years (7 semesters) | 43 |
Tuition is calculated from UAB’s published 2026-2027 rate of $744 per credit hour and each track’s credit total. Course fees are excluded.
Distance-accessible credits cost the same $744 for residents and non-residents, and the School of Nursing supports placement from more than 5,000 clinical affiliates. The NP tracks are closed to residents of more than 20 states and territories.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN, post-BSN DNP, post-graduate APRN certificate, post-MSN DNP |
| Population Focus | Adolescents and young adults through older adults, primary care |
| Format | Mostly Online |
| Campus Visits | DNP tracks: orientation plus an annual intensive. MSN: intensives required, frequency not published |
| Clinical Placement | Faculty-coordinated; assistance at many sites, student-sourced at others. Not guaranteed |
| Clinical Hours | Stated in credit hours; UAB does not publish clock-hour totals |
| RN Experience | No minimum published for the MSN or DNP |
| Start Terms | MSN and DNP: summer, fall. Certificate: summer only. Post-MSN DNP: fall |
| Tuition | $744 per credit online, residents and non-residents alike |
| Accreditation | CCNE |
Requirements Shared Across All Tracks
Clinical Placement
Practica are coordinated with faculty, and the student contracts with a preceptor who is a board-certified or board-eligible NP, MD, or DO practicing in the same population focus. UAB’s preceptor page states the process varies by site: some agencies ask the School of Nursing to arrange placement, while others expect students to approach preceptors themselves.
That puts UAB ahead of programs that hand students a packet and wish them luck, without amounting to a guarantee. A student far from UAB’s affiliate network may still do the legwork.
Every placement needs an approved Preceptor Planning Form before the practicum starts. Practicum semesters run 14 weeks. AGPCNP students may see only adult patients, never pediatric ones.
Campus Requirements
DNP students attend an on-campus orientation plus an annual intensive, which UAB budgets at roughly $800 a year in travel and lodging. Over a 3.5-year DNP that approaches $3,000 in unavoidable travel.
The MSN page describes online classes combined with on-campus intensives but does not state how many or how long. Students also complete an Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation either on campus or virtually, and faculty may require a campus visit if a clinical concern arises.
Licensure and Location
Students must hold an unencumbered RN license in the state where practica will be completed, before enrolling in advanced practice courses. Both UAB and the School of Nursing must hold current authorization to operate in that state. None of these tracks accept F-1 or J-1 visa holders.
Clinical Hours
UAB states practicum requirements in credit hours and publishes no clock-hour total for AGPCNP practica on its program pages or in the graduate catalog. Applicants comparing programs against the 500-hour certification minimum will not find a directly comparable figure. UAB does require 500 advanced practice practicum hours for entry to its own Post-MSN to DNP pathway.
MSN AGPCNP
Tuition runs about $33,480 for 45 credit hours at the $744 online rate, over six semesters with fall entry or seven with summer entry. This is the BSN-entry route to AGPCNP certification without a doctorate.
MSN Curriculum
The plan of study splits into 18 credits of NP core and 27 credits of AGPCNP specialty coursework. Core content-pathophysiology, pharmacology, advanced health assessment, evidence-based practice, population health, leadership-fills Year 1. Specialty work opens with NAH 618QL that summer.
Year 2 runs as three paired terms: each Advanced Adult Gerontology Nursing course is taken alongside its matching practicum, so didactic content and patient contact advance together. Courses run once a year in a fixed sequence, so one failed or deferred course costs a full year.
NP core (18 credits): NUR 737Q Interprofessional Leadership and Financial Considerations (3), NUR 612Q Advanced Pathophysiology (3), NUR 729Q Evidence-Based Practice (3), NUR 614Q Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (3), NUR 735Q Population Health (3), NUR 613Q Pharmacology and Therapeutics (3).
AGPCNP specialty (27 credits): NAH 618QL Focus on Advanced Nursing Specialization (3), NAH 621Q Advanced Primary Adult-Gerontology Nursing I (4) with NAH 685QL Practicum I (4), NAH 622Q Nursing II (4) with NAH 686QL Practicum II (4), NAH 623Q Nursing III (3) with NAH 692QL Practicum III (5).
Conflict: UAB’s MSN page describes the 45 credits as 35 didactic and 10 practicum, matching the graduate catalog (685L at 3, 686L at 3, 692L at 4). The sample plan of study on that same page lists those practica at 4, 4, and 5. Both reach 45 credits overall; the credits attributed to clinical work differ by three.
MSN Admissions
- BSN from a regionally accredited institution with CCNE or CNEA program accreditation
- Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0, or 3.0 on the last 60 semester hours
- GRE or GMAT if GPA is below 3.2 (297 combined verbal and quantitative, or 480 GMAT, within five years)
- Test waiver for applicants holding a prior graduate degree with a 3.0 GPA
- Unencumbered RN license in the state of clinical practicum
- Three professional letters of reference and transcripts from every institution attended
- Descriptive statistics course (UAB MA-180 equivalent) before starting
- Deadlines: Summer 2027 – October 8, 2026; Fall 2027 – February 11, 2027
The GRE waiver excludes international applicants, non-native English speakers, and dual-degree applicants even when the GPA qualifies. UAB also notes that its transcript calculation omits two-year nursing coursework, while the admission review counts all prior undergraduate work including community college nursing credits.
Post-BSN to DNP AGPCNP
Tuition runs about $58,776 for 79 credit hours, over nine semesters with fall entry or ten with summer entry. The NP curriculum was revised effective Summer 2025 to meet current CCNE standards.
Students already enrolled keep the plan of study they entered under. Anyone who takes a leave of absence or fails a course moves onto the updated curriculum.
DNP Curriculum
The 79 credits divide into 59 didactic and 20 practicum. Specialty content arrives late: the first two years are DNP core-theory and scholarly writing, health policy, informatics, program evaluation, clinical data management, quality improvement, the three Ps-with AGPCNP courses starting in the summer of Year 2 and the clinical sequence running entirely in Year 3.
The 34 credits above the MSN buy doctoral preparation and a DNP project, not more AGPCNP content. The specialty sequence is the same three didactic-plus-practicum pairings, and certification eligibility is identical.
Distinctive core courses: NUR 745Q Foundations of Nursing Theory and Scholarly Writing (3), NUR 700Q Clinical Data Management and Analysis (3), NQI 702Q Clinical Data Management and Application for Improvement (3), NUR 742Q Improvement and Program Evaluation Strategies (3), NUR 738Q DNP Project Planning (3), NUR 739Q DNP Project Seminar (4 + 3), NUR 701QL Writing for Publication (3).
AGPCNP specialty: NAH 618QL (3), NAH 721Q (4) with NAH 785QL Practicum I (4), NAH 722Q (4) with NAH 786QL Practicum II (4), NAH 723Q (3) with NAH 792QL Practicum III (5).
Conflict: the DNP program page reconciles 20 practicum credits as 13 specialty practicum plus 7 credits of DNP Project Seminar. The graduate catalog lists NAH 785L, 786L, and 792L at 3, 3, and 4 – three credits lower. Figures here follow the program page.
DNP Admissions
Requirements match the MSN list: same GPA floor, same test policy and waiver exclusions, same references, transcripts, statistics prerequisite, and deadlines. The DNP adds a resume or CV, and explicit confirmation that both UAB and the School of Nursing are authorized to operate in the applicant’s state.
Post-Graduate APRN Certificate AGPCNP
Tuition starts at about $20,088 for the minimum 27 credit hours, over four semesters. Eligibility is narrow: applicants need an MSN plus current APRN certification and licensure. A nurse without an existing APRN credential is directed to the MSN or a second master’s instead.
Certificate Curriculum
The certificate is the MSN’s 27-credit specialty sequence with the core removed: NAH 618Q (3), NAH 621Q (4) with Practicum I (4), NAH 622Q (4) with Practicum II (4), NAH 623Q (3) with Practicum III (5).
After admission and before enrollment, every student undergoes a GAP analysis against six UAB core courses: NUR 737Q, 735Q, 729Q, 612Q, 614Q, and 613Q. Any course not already completed to standard is added at roughly $2,232 in tuition plus $235 in fees, and extends the timeline.
One rule is stricter than most. NUR 613Q Pharmacology must have been completed within two years of starting specialty coursework, unless the applicant currently practices as an NP and can evidence prescribing in the adult population. An APRN certified five years ago in a non-prescribing role should expect this course to be added.
UAB’s certificate page describes the format as asynchronous and synchronous distance-accessible coursework, and does not state an on-campus intensive requirement the way the MSN and DNP pages do.
Certificate Admissions
- MSN from a regionally accredited institution
- Current APRN certification and licensure
- Cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0, or 3.0 on the last 60 hours
- Test requirement waived at a qualifying graduate GPA, with the same waiver exclusions
- Unencumbered RN license in the state of clinical practicum
- Three professional letters of reference and official transcripts
- Summer entry only. Summer 2027 deadline: October 8, 2026
Non-degree status carries a financial consequence. Certificate students receive documentation of certification eligibility rather than a degree, cannot participate in commencement, and may not qualify for financial aid or scholarships. Confirm aid eligibility before committing.
Post-MSN to DNP
Tuition runs about $31,992 for 43 credit hours across seven semesters. This track does not prepare a student for AGPCNP certification. It is the doctoral completion route for a nurse who already holds an MSN and APRN certification, including a practicing AGPCNP.
Coursework is entirely core and project: theory, evidence-based practice, health information technology, health policy, population health, clinical data management, quality improvement, project planning, DNP Project Seminar across two terms, and writing for publication. There is no repeated specialty practicum.
Clinical immersion happens through the DNP project, developed with a faculty advisor and an on-site mentor in the student’s own region. Applicants must hold APRN certification or pass the exam before completing 12 credit hours, with admission conditional until then.
UAB requires evidence of 500 advanced practice practicum hours for entry. Applicants holding an MSN in a non-APRN role receive a GAP analysis and may have bridge coursework added.
Conflict: the graduate catalog describes the post-master’s DNP as a minimum of 34 credits with admission twice a year for summer or fall. The current program page publishes a 43-credit plan and one deadline, Fall 2027 on May 1, 2027. The newer page is used here.
Tuition
For 2026-2027, UAB bills School of Nursing graduate coursework in the distance-accessible format at $744 per semester hour for residents and non-residents alike. In-person graduate nursing credits cost $646 in-state and $1,596 out-of-state, but AGPCNP coursework is delivered online, so the flat rate governs.
Residency drops out of the cost equation. A Georgia or Florida applicant pays the same $33,480 for the MSN as a Birmingham applicant, against $71,820 at UAB’s own out-of-state in-person rate.
| Track | Tuition | Course fees | Estimated total |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN AGPCNP | $33,480 | ~$3,055 | ~$36,535 |
| Post-BSN to DNP | $58,776 | ~$5,640 | ~$64,416 |
| Certificate AGPCNP | $20,088 | ~$1,645 | ~$21,733 |
| Post-MSN to DNP | $31,992 | ~$3,290 | ~$35,282 |
Calculated from the $744 credit rate and the $235 per-course Educational Support and Technology Fee. UAB publishes neither total.
Rates are subject to annual Board of Trustees approval, so a student entering a nine- or ten-semester DNP should expect increases mid-program. UAB separately estimates $600 per term for books, $92 a year for background checks, optional health insurance at $270 a month, and $800 a year in DNP intensive travel.
See UAB’s detailed tuition and fees.
Financial Aid
School of Nursing scholarships, both need- and merit-based, are awarded twice a year through a single application. A limited number of graduate fellowships and traineeships are awarded when funds are available. Certificate students, as non-degree students, may qualify for neither.
Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?
Best suited for: working nurses in Alabama or the Southeast who want a public research university at a flat online rate and can travel to Birmingham for intensives.
Residency-neutral pricing. The $744 online rate makes UAB competitive for out-of-state applicants in a way most public flagships are not. Against its own out-of-state in-person rate, an MSN student saves roughly $38,000 on the same 45 credits.
Placement support with limits. More than 5,000 clinical affiliates and faculty coordination beat a self-arranged model, but placement is not guaranteed and the process varies by site. Ask about affiliate density in your metro area before enrolling.
No RN experience gate. UAB publishes no minimum bedside experience requirement for the MSN or DNP. Admission turns on GPA, references, and licensure, so nurses screened out elsewhere can apply directly.
Part-time only, in a rigid sequence. Every track is part-time by design, which suits nurses who keep working but rules out accelerating. Courses run once a year in fixed order, so a single setback costs a year rather than a term.
Geography is the hard filter. The NP tracks are unavailable to residents of more than 20 states and territories, and the restrictions are not uniform. California, Washington DC, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania residents can enter the Post-MSN to DNP but none of the three AGPCNP tracks.
The Verdict
An Alabama or Southeastern nurse who wants a CCNE-accredited AGPCNP credential from a major academic health center, at a predictable flat rate with real placement infrastructure, has a strong case for UAB. So does an out-of-state nurse in an authorized state who values the residency-neutral pricing.
Compare other options if your state is not approved, if annual travel to Birmingham is impractical, or if you need full-time study, more entry points, or a published clock-hour clinical figure. Applicants who want a contractual placement guarantee should look at programs that state one, since UAB commits to assistance rather than to a site.
Accreditation and Certification
The baccalaureate, master’s, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at the UAB School of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. UAB holds institutional accreditation from SACSCOC, and the School of Nursing is approved by the Alabama Board of Nursing.
Graduates of the MSN, post-BSN DNP, and certificate tracks are prepared to apply to sit for national AGPCNP certification through AANPCB or ANCC. State APRN licensure may add criteria beyond program completion and certification.
UAB participates in NC-SARA, but the School of Nursing maintains program-specific enrollment restrictions and the NP tracks are among the most restricted. Check UAB’s current state authorization page before applying, since a state may be open to some nursing programs while closed to every NP track.
Review More AG-PCNP Programs in Alabama
- University of South Alabama - Mobile