6 Best Nurse Practitioner Programs in Alabama – 2024

Written By: Editorial Staff @ NursingProcess.org

Alabama’s 4,390 nurse practitioners play a very important role in the Yellowhammer State’s healthcare delivery system. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, 62 of the state’s 67 counties reported a serious shortage of primary care providers. Nurse practitioners in Alabama aim to close that gap and make access to high-quality healthcare a reality for all state residents. Becoming an NP in this state is not only personally fulfilling, it’s also a smart career move: CareerOneStop projects that demand for these professionals will grow 54 percent in the next 10 years. Graduates of accredited nurse practitioner schools in Alabama earn more than $106,610 annually. If you’d like to learn about the best nurse practitioner programs in Alabama for 2024, keep reading.

WHAT ARE THE BEST NURSE PRACTITIONER PROGRAMS IN ALABAMA (ONLINE & CAMPUS) FOR 2024?

(Based on our ranking methodology, the following are the 6 Best NP programs in Alabama for the year 2024.)

1) Auburn University-Auburn

Programs Offered: MSN and Post-Master's Certificate

The establishment of Auburn University’s School of Nursing (AUSON) in 1979 was prompted in part by Alabama’s accelerating nursing shortage. This nursing school is known for the strength of its interprofessional education initiatives and for its many community outreach programs. If you want to become a nurse practitioner in Alabama, AUSON offers a single NP track that can be taken either as an MSN concentration or as a Post-Master’s Certificate program.

MSN Concentrations: Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

AUSON’s Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track consists of 43-semester credits and 750 clinical hours. Full-time students should be able to complete the degree in two years. Although students are not required to submit a thesis, they must complete a capstone paper that demonstrates the effectiveness of an evidence-based intervention in a primary care setting.

Post-Master's Certificate Concentrations: Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate

Nurses who’ve completed a master’s degree in another specialty area and who would like to become licensed primary care NPs can acquire the necessary knowledge and skills by enrolling in AUSON’s Post-Master’s Certificate program. The PCNP track requires 19-semester credits and 690 clinical hours. In order to be accepted into this program, you’ll need to have at least one year of recent professional experience.

2) Samford University-Birmingham

Programs Offered: ADN/ASN to MSN, BSN to MSN, MSN to DNP, and Certificates

The “Wall Street Journal” calls Samford University the top-ranked university in Alabama. Though Samford accepts non-Christians as students, it’s a Christian university, and faith-based principles play an important role in the university’s educational traditions.

Samford’s Ida Moffett School of Nursing offers an FNP specialty in conjunction with both its BSN to MSN and MSN to DNP programs. This FNP program can be pursued as a standalone or as an extended course of study leading to an emergency room or psychiatric mental health specialization. The same NP options can also be pursued as a post-graduate certificate concentration. Additionally, Samford offers an FNP track as part of its ADN/ASN to MSN program.

ADN/ASN to MSN Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner

Samford offers one of the only online nurse practitioner programs in Alabama that’s specifically tailored to the needs of registered nurses who do not hold a BSN but who want to earn a master’s degree in nursing. This option includes five bridge courses that cover content traditionally included in BSN studies. These bridge courses must be completed before a student can move on to MSN core courses and FNP coursework requirement.

The entire program typically takes between two and a half, and three years to complete. It consists of 57-semester credits and 660 clinical hours.

BSN to MSN Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner with Emergency Specialty, and Family and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Nurses who’ve already earned BSN degrees can enroll in Samford’s BSN to MSN program, beginning their studies either in January or August of each year. The hybrid teaching format consists largely of online coursework, but students must visit the campus three times during the course of their student tenure.

The FNP standalone specialty entails 42-semester credits and 660 clinical hours. Family Nurse Practitioner students who want to specialize in emergency care will be responsible for completing 54-semester credits and 1,020 clinical hours. Family Nurse Practitioner students who want to specialize in psychiatric mental health must take 59 credits and 1,200 clinical hours.

MSN to DNP Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner, Emergency Nurse Practitioner, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Samford’s post-master’s advanced practice options are designed for nurses who want to build upon existing clinical skills. Fulltime students will be able to complete the required coursework in two years while part-time students should be able to complete it in three. The FNP specialty involves 52 credits and 660 clinical hours. The Emergency Nurse Practitioner option is only open to FNPs and requires 37-semester credits and 540 clinical hours. The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse option consists of 17-semester credits and 540 clinical hours.

Certificate Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner, Emergency Nurse Practitioner, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Samford’s post-masters certificate nurse practitioner programs in Alabama are open to licensed nurse practitioners with graduate degrees who are looking for ways to expand their scope of practice. Study plans are individualized on the basis of a gap analysis that compares an applicant’s transcripts with certification requirements in the specialty that he or she wants to pursue. Coursework is offered completely online, and clinical rotations may be pursued in the area where an applicant lives or works.

3) The University Of Alabama In Huntsville-Huntsville

Programs Offered: M.S.N. and Post-Master's Certificate

Nursing is the largest single major at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and little wonder its nurse practitioner programs in Alabama are counted among the best. The university’s College of Nursing is known for its research, particularly into the ways that clinical simulation can impact outcomes in nursing education. UAH offers two NP tracks to students pursuing their master’s of nursing science degrees and one NP track for students seeking a certificate concentration.

MSN Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner and Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care and Family NP tracks both consist of 42-semester credits and 672 clinical hours. Full-time students should be able to complete the curriculum in two years; it will take part-time students three years to finish the requirements. Both NP tracks have on-campus and online components. Campus classes typically meet on Wednesdays.

Post-Master's Certificate Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner

UAH’s post-master’s FNP certificate program requires 24-semester credits and 672 clinical hours, 500 of which must involve direct patient care. Prerequisites for enrollment in the certificate concentration include classes in advanced health assessment, pathophysiology, and pharmacology, all of which UAH offers.

4) University Of South Alabama-Mobile

Programs Offered: MSN, DNP, and Post-Graduate Certificate

The College of Nursing at the University of South Alabama has two campuses: One is on the main campus in Mobile, and the other is on the Baldwin County campus. This nursing college offers clinical education in 16 specific specialty areas, which is way more than the number of specialties offered by any of the other Alabama nurse practitioner programs. Ten of these specialty areas are nurse practitioner tracks associated with the university’s MSN and DNP programs. Aspiring nurse practitioners can also acquire the clinical skills they need by enrolling in one of the university’s 11 NP certificate concentrations.

MSN Concentrations: Adult-Gerontological Acute Care NP, Adult-Gerontological Primary Care NP, Dual Role (Family NP/Adult-Gerontological Acute Care NP), Dual Role (Family NP/Emergency NP), Family NP, Neonatal NP, Pediatric Acute Care NP, Pediatric Primary Care NP, Psychiatric (Family) NP, and Women’s Health NP

The university accepts non-BSN students into its MSN program so long as they are registered nurses who have a bachelor’s degree. These students will have to take additional core classes, however. Additionally, applicants must have at least two years of professional working experience in the specialty area they hope to study.

The AGACNP, AGPCNP, NNP, PACNP, PPCNP, PFNP, WHNP and FNP specialties consist of 45 credits and 600 clinical hours. Students enrolled in the dual FNP/AGACNP and FNP/ENP specialty tracks will need to complete 57 credits and 840 clinical hours. Before students begin their clinical rotations, they’re required to attend a mandatory clinical skills intensive on the University of South Alabama campus.

DNP Concentrations: Adult-Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Dual Role (Family NP/Adult-Gerontological Acute Care NP), Dual Role (Family NP/Emergency NP), Family Nurse Practitioner, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric (Family) Nurse Practitioner, and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner

The university accepts BSN-prepared and MSN-prepared students into its DNP program. The BSN to DNP track requires the completion of 69 to 87 credits and is designed to be completed in nine semesters of fulltime studies or 12 semesters of part-time study. The MSN part of the program must be completed within five years, and the entire track cannot take longer than seven years. Students must have at least two years of professional experience in the NP specialty area they’re hoping to study. Full-time students typically complete this program in five to six semesters.

Coursework associated specifically with the AGACNP, AGPCNP, FNP, NNP, PACNP, PPCNP, PFNP, and WHNP advanced practice tracks consist of 36 credits and 1,140 clinical hours. The dual FNP/AGACNP track involves 36 credits and 2,160 clinical hours while the FNP/ENP track requires 36 credits and 1,380 clinical hours. Though most of the coursework is presented in an online format, students must visit the University of South Alabama campus for a clinical skills intensive before they commence clinical rotations.

Post-Graduate Certificate Concentrations: Adult-Gerontological Acute Care NP, Adult-Gerontological Primary Care NP, Dual Role (Family NP/Adult-Gerontological Acute Care NP), Dual Role (Family NP/Emergency NP), Emergency NP, Family NP, Neonatal NP, Pediatric Acute Care NP, Pediatric Primary Care NP, Psychiatric (Family) NP, and Women’s Health NP

USA’s post-graduate certificate nurse practitioner programs in Alabama reflect the requirements for national certification in the offered specialties. All certificate programs must be completed within two years.

The Adult-Gerontological Acute Care, Adult-Gerontological Primary Care, Family, Neonatal, Pediatric Acute Care, Pediatric Primary Care, Psychiatric (Family), and Women’s Health NP entail 33 credits, and 600 clinical hours. The dual role Family/Emergency NP and Family/Adult-Gerontological Acute Care NP specialties involve 45 credits and 1,080 clinical hours. In order to finish the Emergency NP specialty certificate, students must complete 24 credits and 420 clinical hours.

5) University Of Alabama At Birmingham-Birmingham

Programs Offered: MSN, Post-BSN to DNP, Post-MSN-Subspecialty-Options and Post-Graduate APRN Certificate

According to “U.S. News & World Report,” the University of Alabama’s NP offerings are not only among the best nurse practitioner programs in Alabama but also among the finest in the U.S. “U.S. News & World Report” ranks the university’s MSN program at Number 15 in the nation and its DNP program at Number 19. UAB’s MSN program offers nine different nurse practitioner specialties while its DNP program offers eight. Aspiring NPs also have the option of pursuing their advanced practice education through two post-MSN NP tracks or through eight certificate concentrations.

MSN Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with Registered Nurse First Assist (RNFA), Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Dual Pediatric Acute/Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, and Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner

The NP specialties associated with UAB’s MSN program are all offered in a distance learning format as a part-time course of study. Students who begin their studies in the summer will take seven semesters to complete the NP course of study; students who begin in the fall will take six semesters.

The Family Nurse Practice, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Practice, Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practice, Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practice, Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practice, Neonatal Nurse Practice and Women’s Health Care Nurse Practice specialties all require the completion of 45 credits. The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practice specialty entails 35 credits. The dual Pediatric Acute/Primary Care Nurse consists of 69 credits. NPs who’ve completed the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practice specialty may elect to proceed with the Registered Nurse First Assistant subspecialty, which will prepare them to assist in the surgical operating theater; this subspecialty requires the completion of an additional nine credits.

Post-BSN to DNP Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

UAB’s post-BSN to DNP nurse practitioner programs in Alabama are distance learning degrees that working nurses can pursue part-time. The advanced practice core coursework of these programs is similar to the coursework for NP specialties that’s offered in conjunction with the university’s MSN program.

Post-MSN-Subspecialty Concentrations: Advanced Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner and Emergency Nurse Practitioner

The university also offers two nurse practitioner programs in Alabama that can be taken either in conjunction with an MSN degree or as a post-MSN course of study. The Advanced Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner track requires six additional credits and prepares NPs to render end-of-life care. The Emergency Nurse Practitioner specialty consists of an additional 15 credits.

Post-Graduate APRN Certificate Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

Like many other nurse practitioner schools in Alabama, UAB offers NPs who already have a graduate degree the opportunity to expand their scope of practice through certificate concentrations. The admission requirements into this track are similar to the admission requirements into the MSN program. This certificate training is designed to be completed in four semesters, and applicants will only be admitted at the start of the summer semester.

6) The University Of Alabama - Tuscaloosa

Programs Offered: MSN, BSN to DNP, and Post-Graduate Certificate

The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa is the oldest institution of higher learning in the Yellowhammer State and the flagship campus of the University of Alabama system. The university’s Capstone College of Nursing at is one of several nurse practitioner programs in Alabama that offers students the opportunity to study for two NP programs at the same time. The innovative dual concentration track is offered in conjunction with the university’s MSN and DNP programs. The university offers each of these NP tracks as a single concentration as well. Additionally, the two NP tracks are offered as post-graduate certificate concentrations. Only residents of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi are eligible for admission into the university’s NP concentrations.

MSN Concentrations: Dual Nurse Practitioner PMHNP & FNP and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner

The Family Nurse Practitioner specialty is a five-semester course of study when pursued full-time and an eight-semester course of study when pursued part-time; it requires 45 credits and 540 clinical hours. The Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialty involves 45 to 51 credits as well as 540 clinical hours, and fulltime students should be able to complete it in five semesters. Fulltime students will need to devote eight semesters to completing the requirements for the dual PMHNP/FNP, which entails 66 to 72 credits and 1,080 clinical hours.

Post-BSN to DNP Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, and Dual Psychiatric Mental Health and Family Nurse Practitioner

Graduates from this program nurse practitioner program in Alabama will receive both an MSN and a DNP degree. Courses are administered in a distance learning format. Students are responsible for completing a DNP project that showcases an evidence-based solution to a practice issue in their chosen NP specialty. The advanced practice component of the DNP curriculum is similar to the advanced practice component in the MSN degree program.

Post-Graduate Certificate Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)

The university’s two post-graduate certificate nurse practitioner programs in Alabama are designed for MSN- and DNP-prepared NPs who are interested in expanding their knowledge base and clinical competencies. Both the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner specialties require the completion of 21 credits and 540 clinical hours.

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