“UA’s primarily online FNP programs are built for nurses who need to keep working while earning an advanced degree.”
The University of Alabama offers 2 Family Nurse Practitioner tracks:
- MSN – Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration
- Post-Graduate Certificate – Family Nurse Practitioner
Coursework is delivered primarily online, with two required on-campus visits for the MSN track. The certificate pathway is designed for MSN-prepared nurses looking to add FNP credentials without repeating a full degree.
Both programs require students to secure their own clinical sites and preceptors.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program Name | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MSN FNP | ~$25,440 | 3–4 years |
| Post-Master’s Certificate FNP | ~$13,920 | ~2 years |
MSN FNP
The estimated cost for the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner at the University of Alabama is approximately $25,440 (53 credits × $480/credit hour).
The program takes about 3 years full-time or up to 4 years part-time to complete.
MSN Curriculum
The MSN FNP curriculum totals 53 credit hours split between 15 hours of MSN core coursework and 38 hours of FNP concentration courses. Core courses address population health, informatics, leadership, implementation science, and health policy.
Concentration coursework moves through advanced assessment, pharmacology, and pathophysiology before progressing into three sequential FNP clinical courses and a final combined didactic and clinical immersion course.
Concentration Courses
NUR 505 – Advanced Health Assessment
Builds graduate-level assessment skills through comprehensive health history taking and advanced physical examination across the lifespan.
NUR 521 – Advanced Pharmacology
Covers evidence-based pharmacology principles and drug therapy across body systems and the lifespan.
NUR 529 – Advanced Pathophysiology
Explores disease mechanisms, including causes, progression, and clinical manifestations, to support advanced nursing practice.
NUR 567 – FNP Role & Issues
Examines the Family Nurse Practitioner role, including care coordination, systems-level impact, and evidence-based collaboration.
NUR 568 – FNP Clinical Readiness
Prepares students for safe, effective practice by integrating the 3Ps, clinical reasoning, diagnostics, documentation, and professional accountability.
NUR 569 – Family Nurse Practitioner I
Introduces evidence-based primary care concepts focused on health promotion, disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for adults, especially in underserved communities.
NUR 570 – FNP Clinical I (180 Clinical Hours)
Applies adult primary care concepts in a supervised clinical setting with 180 required hours.
NUR 571 – Family Nurse Practitioner II
Focuses on evidence-based primary care for women and children, with emphasis on prevention, diagnosis, and management in underserved populations.
NUR 572 – FNP Clinical II (180 Clinical Hours)
Provides supervised clinical experience in women’s and children’s primary care, requiring 180 hours split evenly between both populations.
NUR 573 – Family Nurse Practitioner III
Covers evidence-based primary care across the lifespan, with attention to rural and medically underserved populations.
NUR 574 – FNP Clinical III (180 Clinical Hours)
Applies lifespan primary care knowledge in supervised practice, with 180 required clinical hours.
NUR 575 – FNP IV Review and Clinical (240 Clinical Hours)
Offers an intensive clinical review and practice experience to prepare students for certification, licensure, and full-scope FNP practice across the lifespan.
An optional thesis track is available for students interested in original research.
MSN Core
- NUR 735: Population Health in Advanced Practice Nursing
- NUR 727: Foundations of Implementation Science and Evidence-Based Practice
- NUR 733: Informatics for Advanced Practice Nursing
- NUR 737: Interdisciplinary Leadership and Role Development for Practice Excellence
- NUR 740: Health Policy and Politics: Implications in Health Care
More curriculum details are available here.
MSN Clinicals
The MSN FNP requires 780 total clinical hours distributed across four clinical courses. Students are responsible for identifying and securing their own clinical sites and preceptors; the Capstone College of Nursing then initiates the required Clinical Affiliation Agreement before clinical work begins.
- FNP Clinical I: 180 hours
- FNP Clinical II: 180 hours
- FNP Clinical III: 180 hours
- FNP IV Clinical Immersion: 240 hours
- Two mandatory on-campus visits (Skills Day and comprehensive exam)
- Clinical hours supervised by specialty-appropriate advanced practice providers
MSN Admissions
Admission is competitive and requires a BSN from an accredited program along with an active RN license in one of 30 eligible states.
- BSN from a regionally accredited, CCNE- or CNEA-accredited nursing program
- Minimum 3.0 GPA (overall or last 60 semester hours of undergraduate work)
- Current unencumbered RN licensure in an eligible state
- Residency in one of 30 approved states (AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, ME, MI, MS, MO, MT, NM, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WV)
- Statement of purpose
- Resume or CV
- Contact information for two professional references
- Copy of active RN license for every state licensed
- Drug and background screen (results must be acceptable to university officials)
- Interview (upon completion of all other requirements)
Application deadlines: March 1 (fall), September 1 (spring), December 1 (summer).
Post-Master’s Certificate FNP
The estimated cost for the Post-Graduate Certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner at the University of Alabama is approximately $13,920 (29 credits × $480/credit hour).
The program takes about 2 years to complete across five sequential semesters.
Certificate Curriculum
The certificate program spans 29 credit hours organized into five semesters of FNP-specific coursework. Students who completed Advanced Health Assessment, Advanced Pharmacology, and Advanced Pathophysiology within the past five years may have those credits evaluated for transfer; otherwise, NUR 506 Advanced Clinical Foundations is required.
The curriculum mirrors the FNP concentration courses from the MSN program, moving from role preparation through three progressively advanced clinical sequences.
- Semester 1: NUR 567 FNP Role and Issues; NUR 568 Clinical Readiness (6 credits)
- Semester 2: NUR 569 FNP I; NUR 570 FNP Clinical I – 180 hours (6 credits)
- Semester 3: NUR 571 FNP II; NUR 572 FNP Clinical II – 180 hours (6 credits)
- Semester 4: NUR 573 FNP III; NUR 574 FNP Clinical III – 180 hours (6 credits)
- Semester 5: NUR 575 FNP IV Review and Clinical Immersion – 240 hours (5 credits)
More curriculum details are available here.
Certificate Clinicals
The certificate requires 780 total clinical hours across four clinical courses, structured identically to the MSN FNP clinical sequence. Students secure their own clinical sites; CCN initiates Clinical Affiliation Agreements before any patient care begins.
- FNP Clinical I: 180 hours
- FNP Clinical II: 180 hours
- FNP Clinical III: 180 hours
- FNP IV Clinical Immersion: 240 hours
- Student responsible for identifying site and preceptor
Certificate Admissions
Applicants must hold a master’s degree in nursing or a health-related field with a BSN from an accredited program.
- Master’s degree in nursing from an accredited graduate program, or master’s in a health-related field with a BSN in nursing
- Minimum 3.0 GPA (overall or graduate work)
- Current unencumbered RN licensure in one of the 30 eligible states
- Statement of purpose
- Resume or CV
- Contact information for two professional references
- Copy of active RN license for every state licensed
- Drug and background screen
- Interview (upon completion of all other requirements)
Enrollment available for fall and summer semesters only. Application deadlines: March 1 (fall), December 1 (summer).
Tuition
Graduate distance learning tuition at the University of Alabama is $480 per credit hour for fall 2025, spring 2026, and summer 2026. This flat rate applies to all distance-learning graduate students regardless of in-state or out-of-state residency.
Tuition does not vary by program level (MSN vs. certificate) within the online nursing division. Additional college or course fees may apply and are not included in the per-credit rate.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Accreditation
The master’s degree program in nursing at the University of Alabama is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The institution is regionally accredited, which is required of all nursing programs from which applicants must hold their BSN or MSN for admission.
Review More FNP Programs in Alabama
- Samford University - Birmingham
- University of Alabama at Birmingham - Birmingham
- University of South Alabama - Mobile