The University of South Alabama (USA) College of Nursing in Mobile offers six NP population focuses: family (FNP), psychiatric-mental health (PMHNP), adult-gerontology primary care (AGPCNP), adult-gerontology acute care (AGACNP), pediatric primary care (PNP-PC), and pediatric acute care (PNP-AC). It also offers a dual-role MSN that prepares graduates as both an FNP and an AGACNP.
Most specialties are available as an MSN, a BSN-to-DNP, and a post-graduate certificate. Coursework is online. Most tracks require one on-campus Clinical Skills Intensive in Mobile; the PMHNP intensive is virtual.
Two policies shape the decision at USA more than anything else:
- One tuition rate for everyone. Graduate nursing students pay $609 per credit whether or not they live in Alabama.
- Student-led clinical placement. Students secure their own sites and preceptors. Faculty assist, but placement is not guaranteed and full admission depends on it.
Quick facts
| Category | Information |
|---|---|
| Nursing School | College of Nursing |
| Location | Mobile, AL |
| NP Specialties | FNP, PMHNP, AGPCNP, AGACNP, PNP-PC, PNP-AC, dual FNP/AGACNP |
| Degree Options | MSN, RN-to-MSN, BSN-to-DNP, MSN-to-DNP, post-graduate certificate |
| Format | Mostly Online; PMHNP is Online |
| Campus Visits | One Clinical Skills Intensive in Mobile; two for the dual-role MSN; PMHNP intensive is virtual |
| Clinical Placement | Student-led with faculty assistance; not guaranteed |
| Minimum GPA | 3.0 |
| Cost per Credit | $609 (2026-27), residents and non-residents alike |
| Start Terms | Fall, spring, summer; certificates spring and summer only |
| Accreditation | CCNE; SACSCOC institutional |
| Not Available To | Residents of New York and South Dakota |
Comparing USA’s NP programs
USA uses the same structure across specialties. The main differences are which pathways each specialty offers and who can apply.
| NP Specialty | MSN | RN-to-MSN | BSN-to-DNP | MSN-to-DNP (New Specialty) | Certificate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FNP | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PMHNP | ✓ | Not listed | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AGPCNP | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AGACNP | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Not listed | Not offered |
| Dual FNP/AGACNP | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| PNP-PC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PNP-AC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
MSN-prepared NPs in a specialty USA offers can also complete a 36-credit MSN-to-DNP for Advanced Practice Roles.
Credits, clinical hours, and cost depend on the pathway, not the specialty:
| Pathway | Credits | Specialty Practicum Hours | DNP Residency Hours | Est. Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSN | 45 | 600 | — | $27,405 |
| RN-to-MSN | 57 | 600 | — | $34,713 |
| Dual FNP/AGACNP MSN | 57 | 1,080 | — | $34,713 |
| BSN-to-DNP | 69 | 600 | 540 | $42,021 |
| MSN-to-DNP, New Specialty | 60–69 | 600 | 540 | $36,540–$42,021 |
| MSN-to-DNP, Advanced Practice Roles | 36 | — | 540 | $21,924 |
| Post-Graduate Certificate | 24–33 | 600 | — | $14,616–$20,097 |
On the tuition column: these are estimates, not USA-published program costs. They multiply the 2026-27 rate of $609 per credit by credit totals and exclude fees. USA designates DNP residency hours as specialty clinical hours; they are tied to the DNP project and follow the 600-hour specialty sequence.
What stands out about USA’s NP programs
- No non-resident premium. An out-of-state BSN-to-DNP student pays the same estimated $42,021 as an Alabama resident.
- Acute care for adults and children. USA offers AGACNP and PNP-AC, plus a dual-role MSN combining FNP and AGACNP preparation.
- Placement is the student’s job. Full admission requires a documented clinical site. Applicants without one are admitted conditionally and can take only 9 credits of support courses.
- Population-specific experience requirements. Most tracks require two years of RN experience in the matching area before NP clinical courses. Pediatric, psychiatric, and acute care tracks define that experience narrowly.
- A DNP head start inside the MSN. The MSN core uses four doctoral-level courses, so USA MSN graduates enter the DNP with 12 of 24 DNP core credits done.
Which USA NP program fits your goal?
- FNP: Primary care across the lifespan
- PMHNP: Psychiatric and mental health care across the lifespan
- AGPCNP: Outpatient primary care for patients over 13, adults, and older adults
- AGACNP: Acute and critical care for adults and older adults
- Dual FNP/AGACNP: Family primary care and adult acute care in one MSN
- PNP-PC: Outpatient pediatric primary care
- PNP-AC: Pediatric emergency, intensive care, and inpatient care
Family Nurse Practitioner
Credits 45 / 69 / 24–33 · MSN · BSN-DNP · Certificate
USA offers FNP preparation at every entry point: the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner (45 credits, or 57 through RN-to-MSN), the BSN-to-DNP and MSN-to-DNP Family NP, and the post-graduate certificate.
The 24-credit specialty sequence covers pediatric, adult, and older adult patients. It opens with an introductory role course (CMN 568) and a health promotion course (CMN 571). Three paired theory and practicum courses follow, with 180, 180, and 240 clinical hours. DNP students add a project planning course and three FNP residency courses (CMN 681–683) of 180 hours each.
Two years of RN experience are required before FNP clinical courses, with at least one year at admission.
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Credits 45 / 69 / varies · MSN · BSN-DNP · MSN-DNP · Certificate
The PMHNP is available as an MSN (45 credits), a BSN-to-DNP and MSN-to-DNP, and a post-graduate certificate. It covers psychiatric-mental health care across the lifespan.
The specialty sequence opens with an introductory PMHNP course (CMN 548) and a PMHNP health promotion course (CMN 551). Three PMHNP theory courses follow, each paired with a practicum of 180, 180, or 240 hours.
The practical difference is format. The PMHNP Clinical Skills Intensive uses standardized patients over telemedicine. PMHNP students have no required campus visits.
BSN-to-DNP students, and MSN-to-DNP students adding PMHNP as a new specialty, need two years of psychiatric nursing experience before clinical coursework. Graduates are eligible for the ANCC PMHNP-BC exam.
Adult-Gerontology Primary Care
Credits 45 / 69 / 24–33 · MSN · BSN-DNP · Certificate
AGPCNP is available as the MSN Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP, the BSN-to-DNP Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP, RN-to-MSN, both MSN-to-DNP routes, and the post-graduate certificate.
The population is patients over 13, adults, and older adults in outpatient settings such as primary care clinics, VA facilities, nursing homes, and rural health clinics. The specialty block pairs three theory courses with three practicums (AHN 591–596). It also includes three one-credit interprofessional education courses (HSC 601–603). DNP students complete an AGPCNP-specific residency (AHN 694–696).
DNP materials describe the two-year experience requirement as adult-gerontology primary care experience specifically.
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care
Credits 45 / 69 · MSN · BSN-DNP
AGACNP is offered as a 45-credit MSN (57 through RN-to-MSN) and a 69-credit BSN-to-DNP. USA does not offer an AGACNP post-graduate certificate.
The specialty sequence opens with an introductory AGACNP course (AHN 568) and a health promotion course (AHN 571). Three acute care theory courses follow, each paired with a practicum of 180, 180, or 240 hours.
The experience requirement is the main barrier. MSN applicants need two years of recent acute care RN experience, including one year of ICU experience within the last five years. BSN-to-DNP applicants can be admitted with one year of RN experience but must meet the acute care and ICU requirement before clinicals.
Graduates are prepared for the ANCC AGACNP-BC or AACN ACNPC-AG exam.
Dual-Role Family and Adult-Gerontology Acute Care
Credits 57 · MSN
This MSN prepares graduates for both FNP and AGACNP certification. It runs in two phases, primary care first and acute care second:
- Primary care phase: Family Primary Care NP I and II, with practicums of 240 and 300 hours (540 total)
- Acute care phase: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP I and II, with practicums of 240 and 300 hours (540 total)
- Campus: two Clinical Skills Intensives, one before each phase, plus a mandatory orientation with skills and simulation workshops
Admission requires at least one year of recent direct patient care in an emergency department or ICU within the past five years. Cath lab, GI lab, radiology, operating room, and recovery room experience does not qualify.
USA runs both pediatric population focuses at every entry level. The two tracks share credits, cost, the 600-hour specialty sequence, and a single Clinical Skills Intensive. Prior experience largely decides the choice. Each requires two years of RN experience in the matching pediatric population before NP clinical courses. Primary care experience does not satisfy the acute care requirement, and the reverse is also true.
Pediatric Primary Care
Credits 45 / 69 / 24–33 · MSN · BSN-DNP · Certificate
Pediatric primary care is available as the MSN Pediatric Primary Care NP, the BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Primary Care NP, the new-specialty MSN-to-DNP, and the certificate. Specialty courses run MCN 548 through MCN 557. Clinicals take place in outpatient settings such as pediatric clinics, health departments, and rural health clinics.
Graduates are prepared for the PNCB CPNP-PC exam.
Pediatric Acute Care
Credits 45 / 69 / 24–33 · MSN · BSN-DNP · Certificate
Pediatric acute care is available as the MSN Pediatric Acute Care NP, the BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Acute Care NP, the new-specialty MSN-to-DNP, and the certificate. Specialty courses run MCN 558 through MCN 567.
All 600 specialty hours are completed in acute care settings, typically pediatric emergency, pediatric ICU, and general pediatric inpatient units. Applicants should pay particular attention to site access: because students secure their own placements, confirm these settings are available locally before applying.
Graduates are prepared for the PNCB CPNP-AC exam.
MSN or DNP?
The BSN-to-DNP requires 69 credits: 9 credits of support courses, 24 specialty credits, 24 DNP core credits, and 12 credits of project planning and residency. It uses the same specialty sequence as the MSN and adds 540 residency hours. Students earn the MSN along the way. The MSN portion must be finished within five years and the full DNP within seven.
The practical difference: the DNP adds 24 credits, about $14,600 in estimated tuition, and 540 residency hours. Nurses who want NP certification without a doctorate reach the same exam through the MSN.
- DNP project: an evidence-based quality improvement project; no thesis or dissertation
- Residency location: the student’s home region, with an approved mentor
- Full-time study: six credits per semester
MSN-to-DNP, adding a new specialty. The new-specialty MSN-to-DNP serves MSN-prepared nurses in a different specialty. Students complete the post-graduate certificate first, within two years, then the DNP core and residency. It runs 60–69 credits, depending on whether the three support courses were completed previously.
MSN-to-DNP for Advanced Practice Roles. This 36-credit route covers the DNP core, project planning, and residency only. It is for nurses whose MSN is in an advanced practice specialty USA offers, and it does not lead to a new certification.
Transfer credit. USA’s MSN core courses (NU 607, 608, 610, and 613) are doctoral-level, so USA MSN graduates enter the DNP with 12 DNP core credits completed. Other prior graduate coursework may reduce requirements, subject to USA’s evaluation. The three support courses transfer only as three separate courses of at least three semester credits each; courses taken inside a generalist entry-to-practice BSN or MSN are not accepted.
Clinical placement
USA’s placement model is the most important practical factor for most applicants. It applies across specialties.
- Students lead the search: applicants are encouraged to find sites and preceptors through their own professional networks; faculty assist as needed
- No guarantee: USA states that approved placement is not guaranteed
- Tied to admission: full admission requires documented placement, verified by a letter of commitment; applicants without it may be admitted conditionally for up to 9 credits of support coursework, and an approved site is required by the end of the first semester
- Location: the student’s home community, or Mobile through the USA Health system
- Travel: students not accepted by a nearby agency may need to train elsewhere
- If no site is found: students may be offered a site in another area or may transfer completed credits to another institution
- Geographic limits: no placements in Washington, DC; Louisiana placements require Louisiana State Board of Nursing approval
Certificate students face a tighter timeline. They must identify a preceptor and site before specialty courses begin. A negative drug screen, acceptable background check, and health documentation are required before registration.
Format and campus requirements
All didactic coursework is online, and clinicals are completed at approved local sites. Most tracks are Mostly Online because of a mandatory Clinical Skills Intensive run by the USA Simulation Program in Mobile. It covers hands-on assessments and procedures for the student’s specialty. Students sign up for a date about three months ahead.
- Most MSN, DNP, and certificate tracks: one intensive, before or at the start of the specialty clinical sequence
- Dual FNP/AGACNP MSN: two intensives plus an on-campus orientation
- PMHNP: Online; the intensive is delivered virtually, with no travel
Track coordinators may schedule separate orientation dates. FNP program information also notes students may be asked to return to campus at semester end for exams or orientation. Specialty clinical sequences begin in fall, so spring and summer admits complete support and core courses first.
Admissions
These requirements are shared across MSN, DNP, and certificate pathways:
- Residency: U.S. citizen or permanent resident living in the United States
- License: current, unrestricted RN license; any restriction, including a voluntary disciplinary alternative program, disqualifies
- Degree: nursing degree from a program accredited by CCNE, ACEN, or NLN CNEA
- GPA: 3.0 on BSN coursework (MSN and BSN-to-DNP) or graduate coursework (certificate and MSN-to-DNP)
- Experience: two years of RN experience in an area matching the specialty before NP clinical courses
- Applications: NursingCAS plus a supplemental application with a $100 non-refundable fee
- Documents: CV or resume, and a 450–500 word personal goal statement in APA format, evaluated as a writing sample
- Not required: GRE, MAT, or letters of reference
Deadlines: November 1 (spring), April 1 (summer), and July 15 (fall). Decisions are issued at least eight weeks after the deadline.
Specialty exceptions: AGACNP, dual-role, pediatric, and PMHNP doctoral tracks carry the narrower experience rules described in each specialty section. Applicants whose writing sample shows a need for support may be required to take NU 597, a three-credit scholarly writing course. The RN-to-MSN option, for RNs with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, adds three 4-credit bridge courses (NU 506, 507, 508).
See USA’s MSN admission criteria, MSN application procedures, and DNP admission criteria.
Post-graduate certificate eligibility
The post-graduate certificate adds FNP, PMHNP, AGPCNP, PNP-PC, or PNP-AC preparation for nurses who already hold a graduate nursing degree. The normal eligibility route requires:
- A master’s or doctoral degree in nursing from an accredited program
- A 3.0 graduate GPA and an unrestricted RN license
- Two years of RN experience in the new population before clinical courses
- An identified preceptor and clinical site before specialty courses begin
- Spring and summer entry only. Deadlines are November 1 and April 1.
Certificate students complete the full 24-credit specialty sequence and all 600 clinical hours, plus any of the three support courses (advanced assessment, pathophysiology, and pharmacology) not completed previously. That brings the total to 24–33 credits. Graduate core and research courses are not repeated. The certificate must be completed within two years. See the certificate curriculum for details.
Tuition
For 2026-27, USA charges $609 per credit for graduate nursing coursework. The rate is the same for Alabama residents and non-residents and applies to MSN, DNP, and certificate students.
| Graduate nursing tuition per credit (all residencies) | $609 |
| Academic infrastructure and technology fee (per credit, capped at $450 per semester) | $75 |
| Nursing resource fee (per semester, including summer) | $169 |
| Professional liability coverage (fall and spring; $1 in summer) | $12 |
| Graduation application fee | $65 |
| Supplemental application fee | $100 |
2026-27 rates. See USA’s tuition schedule and fee schedule for current figures.
Example cost for one fall or spring semester:
| Item | 6 Credits | 9 Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $3,654 | $5,481 |
| Infrastructure and technology fee | $450 | $450 |
| Nursing resource fee | $169 | $169 |
| Professional liability | $12 | $12 |
| Semester total | $4,285 | $6,112 |
These are estimates calculated from published rates, not USA-published costs. Because the technology fee is capped, students taking more than six credits pay less per credit in fees.
Total cost varies with credit load, number of semesters, transfer credit, the possible NU 597 writing course, and future rate changes. Students also pay for background checks, drug screens, and travel to the Clinical Skills Intensive.
Accreditation and certification
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits USA’s baccalaureate, master’s, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs. See the College of Nursing accreditation page. USA is institutionally accredited by SACSCOC.
USA states that graduates are prepared to take the appropriate national certification exam and may apply for APRN licensure. Graduates are responsible for confirming requirements in their own state.
State authorization
USA does not accept applicants from New York or South Dakota, and graduates cannot obtain APRN licensure in those states through USA’s programs. No clinical placements are available in Washington, DC. Louisiana placements require approval from the Louisiana State Board of Nursing.
Who is the University of South Alabama best for?
May be a strong fit for
- Out-of-state nurses who want public-university tuition without a non-resident premium
- Nurses with strong local networks who can secure their own preceptors and sites
- Experienced pediatric nurses seeking primary or acute care PNP preparation at any degree level
- ICU and ED nurses who want AGACNP preparation, or FNP and AGACNP preparation in one MSN
- PMHNP applicants who want no required campus travel
- APRNs with an MSN in a USA-offered specialty who want a 36-credit online DNP
- Graduate-prepared nurses adding a population focus through a 24–33 credit certificate
Compare other options if
- You want the school to arrange clinical placements
- You lack two years of experience in the population you plan to serve
- Your acute care experience is limited to the cath lab, GI lab, radiology, OR, or recovery room
- You live in New York or South Dakota
- You cannot travel to Mobile for a skills intensive (non-PMHNP tracks)
- You need a fall start for a post-graduate certificate
Compare more NP programs in Alabama
- University of Alabama at Birmingham - Birmingham