University of South Alabama (USA) offers 5 Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Tracks:
- BSN-to-DNP (AGACNP)
- BSN-to-DNP (PNP-AC)
- MSN (AGACNP)
- MSN (PNP-AC)
- MSN — Dual Role (FNP/AGACNP)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN AGACNP | $27.4K | 2 years (6 semesters) | 45 |
| MSN PNP-AC | $27.4K | 2 years (6 semesters) | 45 |
| MSN Dual Role | $34.7K | 3 years (8 semesters) | 57 |
| BSN-DNP AGACNP | $42K | 3.5 years (10 semesters) | 69 |
| BSN-DNP PNP-AC | $42K | 3.5 years (10 semesters) | 69 |
Tuition is calculated from the published per-credit rate. Durations are estimates.
South Alabama is the only Alabama school offering pediatric acute care and a dual primary/acute care role. The dual track produces eligibility for both FNP and AGACNP certification from one 57-credit MSN.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN and BSN-to-DNP. No post-master’s certificate in acute care |
| Population Focus | AGACNP, PNP-AC, and dual FNP/AGACNP |
| Format | Mostly Online. Didactic online, mandatory on-campus Clinical Skills Intensives |
| Clinical Hours | 600 (MSN), 1,080 (dual), 1,140 (BSN-DNP) |
| Clinical Placement | Usually completed with preceptors in the student’s home community |
| RN Experience | Required, and it varies by track. One to two years, setting-specific |
| Tuition | $609 per credit, flat regardless of residency. About $684 all-in |
| Start Terms | Specialty sequences begin in fall |
| Testing | No GRE or MAT required |
| State Restrictions | Graduate nursing programs not approved in New York or South Dakota |
| Time Limit | MSN must be completed within five years |
Requirements Shared Across All Tracks
All five tracks share the same support courses, MSN core, delivery model, and Clinical Skills Intensive requirement. They differ in population focus, credit total, clinical volume, and required experience.
Shared Coursework
- NU 518, Advanced Nursing Assessment (3 credits)
- NU 545, Physio-pathological Basis of Advanced Nursing (3 credits)
- NU 578, Pharmacology for Advanced Practice Nurses (3 credits)
- NU 607, Scientific Underpinnings of Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credits)
- NU 608, Evidence-Based Practice and Quality Improvement in Healthcare (3 credits)
- NU 610, Healthcare Policy and Finance (3 credits)
- NU 613, Organizational and Systems Leadership (3 credits)
Campus Requirements
- Didactic coursework is delivered online
- Mandatory on-campus Clinical Skills Intensive before the specialty clinical sequence begins, providing hands-on instruction in advanced practice assessments and procedures
- Intensives are run by the USA Simulation Program in Mobile, scheduled in summer, with sign-up opening about three months ahead
- Dual Role students attend two intensives, one before each phase
- Track coordinators may schedule orientation dates separately from the intensives
Clinical Placement
- Didactic specialty courses have co-requisite clinical courses
- Clinical courses can usually be completed with preceptors in the student’s home community
- Students must be able to secure a clinical site
- Background check, drug screen, and immunization compliance required
- Graduate nursing programs are not approved in New York or South Dakota
You Should Know
Every track requires prior RN experience, and the qualifying setting is defined narrowly. For the Dual Role track, USA states that experience in the cath lab, GI lab, radiology, operating room, or recovery room does not count toward the ED or ICU requirement. Confirm your own experience qualifies before applying.
MSN, AGACNP and PNP-AC
The estimated tuition for the MSN AGACNP and MSN PNP-AC tracks is approximately $27,405 each (45 credits at $609 per credit). Both can generally be completed in about two years full time.
The two tracks are structurally identical: 9 credits of support courses, 12 credits of MSN core, and 24 credits of specialty coursework. They differ in population focus and required experience.
MSN Curriculum
The AGACNP specialty sequence pairs three didactic courses with three practicums of escalating length.
- AHN 568, Introduction to Adult-Geron Acute Care NP (3 credits)
- AHN 571, Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Issues (2 credits)
- AHN 572, Adult-Geron Acute Care NP I (3 credits)
- AHN 573, Practicum I, 180 clinical hours (3 credits)
- AHN 574, Adult-Geron Acute Care NP II (3 credits)
- AHN 575, Practicum II, 180 clinical hours (3 credits)
- AHN 576, Practicum III, 240 clinical hours (4 credits)
- AHN 577, Adult-Geron Acute Care NP III (3 credits)
The PNP-AC sequence mirrors this exactly under MCN course numbers, with the same credit values and the same 180, 180, and 240 hour practicums.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- 600 supervised specialty clinical hours across three practicums (180, 180, 240)
- PNP-AC hours are earned in pediatric emergency, PICU, and inpatient pediatric settings
MSN Admissions
- BSN from an accredited program
- AGACNP: two years of recent acute care RN experience, including one year of ICU experience within the last five years
- PNP-AC: two years of pediatric acute care RN experience before clinicals, one of which may be completed during core and support coursework
- No GRE or MAT
- On-campus orientation for the fall specialty start
You Should Know
An RN-to-MSN pathway exists for nurses holding a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field. It adds NU 506, NU 507, and NU 508 at 4 credits each, bringing the total to 57 credits and roughly $34,713.
MSN, Dual Role Family NP and AGACNP
The estimated tuition for the Dual Role track is approximately $34,713 (57 credits at $609 per credit). It can generally be completed in about three years full time.
This track prepares graduates for certification as both a Family Nurse Practitioner and an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner from a single MSN.
Dual Role Curriculum
The specialty sequence runs in two phases, primary care first and acute care second, with four courses and four practicums.
- AHN 538, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention for Dual Role (2 credits)
- AHN 548, Family Primary Care NP I (4 credits)
- AHN 549, Family Primary Care Practicum I, 240 clinical hours (4 credits)
- AHN 550, Family Primary Care NP II (4 credits)
- AHN 551, Family Primary Care Practicum II, 300 clinical hours (5 credits)
- AHN 552, Adult-Geron Acute Care NP I (4 credits)
- AHN 553, Adult-Geron Acute Care Practicum I, 240 clinical hours (4 credits)
- AHN 554, Adult-Geron Acute Care NP II (4 credits)
- AHN 555, Adult-Geron Acute Care Practicum II, 300 clinical hours (5 credits)
Dual Role Clinical Requirements
- 1,080 total clinical hours
- 540 hours in primary care (240 plus 300)
- 540 hours in adult-gerontology acute care (240 plus 300)
- Two Clinical Skills Intensives, one in the summer before each phase
The acute care half is 540 hours, which clears the ANCC eligibility floor of 500 faculty-supervised hours by 40. Applicants who want depth in acute care specifically should compare that figure against single-focus programs.
Dual Role Admissions
- At least one year of recent direct patient care experience in the Emergency Department or Intensive Care Unit, within the past five years
- Cath lab, GI lab, radiology, operating room, and recovery room experience does not qualify
- Mandatory on-campus orientation with basic skills and simulation workshops before AHN 549, the first clinical course
- MSN must be completed within five years
BSN to DNP, AGACNP and PNP-AC
The estimated tuition for the BSN-DNP AGACNP and BSN-DNP PNP-AC tracks is approximately $42,021 each (69 credits at $609 per credit). Both can generally be completed in about 3.5 years full time.
Both tracks use the same specialty sequences as the corresponding MSN tracks, then add doctoral coursework and residencies.
How These Tracks Differ From the MSN
The 69 credits break into four blocks: 9 credits of support courses, 24 credits of specialty coursework, 24 credits of DNP core, and 12 credits of project planning and residency. Four DNP core courses (NU 607, 608, 610, and 613) are marked as required for MSN completion, so the master’s coursework is embedded rather than parallel.
- NU 611, Translating Evidence Into Practice Systems (3 credits)
- NU 612, Clinical Prevention and Population Health (3 credits)
- NU 615, Quality Improvement and Outcomes Assessment (3 credits)
- NU 616, Data Management and Decision Making in Complex Healthcare Systems (3 credits)
- Project Planning and Development (3 credits)
- Residency I, II, and III, 180 specialty clinical hours each (3 credits each)
No thesis or dissertation is required. An evidence-based quality improvement project takes its place, completed in the student’s home region with an approved mentor.
BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements
- 600 specialty practicum hours, matching the MSN sequence
- 540 residency hours across three residency courses, described by USA as specialty clinical hours
- 1,140 hours in total, against a published minimum of 1,000 practice hours
BSN-DNP Admissions
- BSN, with at least one year of RN experience for admission
- AGACNP: two years of acute care experience, including an ICU requirement, before clinicals begin
- PNP-AC: two years of pediatric acute care experience before clinicals begin
You Should Know
The BSN-DNP admits with one year of RN experience but gates clinical courses on two years. A nurse admitted with the minimum will need to accumulate the second year during core and support coursework.
Tuition
Graduate nursing courses are billed at $609 per credit hour for 2026-2027, flat regardless of residency. Adding the $75 per credit academic infrastructure and technology fee brings the all-in rate to about $684 per credit.
| Program | Credits | Estimated Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| MSN AGACNP | 45 | $27,405 |
| MSN PNP-AC | 45 | $27,405 |
| MSN Dual Role FNP/AGACNP | 57 | $34,713 |
| BSN to DNP AGACNP | 69 | $42,021 |
| BSN to DNP PNP-AC | 69 | $42,021 |
Tuition is estimated from the per-credit rate and excludes fees. The absence of a non-resident surcharge is unusual for a public university and applies to every track.
Mandatory fees beyond tuition:
- Academic infrastructure and technology fee, $75 per credit, capped at $450 per semester
- Nursing resource fee, $169 per semester in fall, spring, and summer
- Professional liability coverage, $12 in fall and spring, $1 in summer
- Graduation application fee, $65
The infrastructure cap means students taking more than six credits in a term pay less per credit.
See the official tuition schedule and fee schedule for current rates.
Why Choose This ACNP Program?
Best suited for nurses who want a pediatric acute care focus or dual primary and acute certification, and who already hold ED or ICU experience.
Pediatric acute care. USA offers PNP-AC at both the MSN and BSN-DNP level. No other Alabama school on this site offers a pediatric acute care focus.
Dual FNP and AGACNP certification. One 57-credit MSN produces eligibility for both credentials, with 540 clinical hours in each domain.
Flat tuition regardless of residency. Every track bills at $609 per credit whether you live in Alabama or not.
Simulation-based skills intensives. Every track requires at least one on-campus Clinical Skills Intensive run by the USA Simulation Program, covering assessments and procedures tied to the clinicals that follow.
Home-region clinical placement. USA states that clinical courses can usually be completed with preceptors in the student’s own community, though students must be able to secure a site.
Nurses in New York or South Dakota are not eligible. Nurses whose experience is confined to procedural areas such as the cath lab or operating room should confirm eligibility before applying, since USA excludes those settings from its ED and ICU requirement.
Accreditation and Certification
The University of South Alabama is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
USA states that graduates are prepared to complete the appropriate national certification exam and may be eligible to apply for APRN licensure. Exam eligibility by population focus:
- AGACNP tracks: AGACNP-BC from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, or ACNPC-AG from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
- PNP-AC tracks: CPNP-AC from the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board
- Dual Role: both FNP and AGACNP certification
Confirm current programmatic accreditation status on the College of Nursing accreditation page before enrolling, and verify exam eligibility with the certifying body.
Additional ACNP Programs for Alabama Residents
- Jacksonville State University - Jacksonville
- University of Alabama at Birmingham - Birmingham
- University of Alabama in Huntsville - Huntsville