School of Nursing • Birmingham, AL • Online with campus intensives • $744/Credit
The University of Alabama at Birmingham offers 1 Nursing Informatics program:
- MSN
Program Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN, Nursing Informatics | $29.0K (all states) | 2 years (6 semesters) | 39 |
UAB runs nursing informatics as a fixed, part-time, six-semester plan with two hands-on informatics labs and dedicated courses in databases, interoperability, and data analytics. Unlike South Alabama’s student-sourced model, UAB helps students find practicum sites through its network of clinical affiliates.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN only |
| Format | Online with campus intensives: online classes plus on-campus intensives (number not published) |
| Practicum Hours | Not clearly stated; two 3-credit practicums in year 2 |
| Practicum Placement | School helps secure sites and preceptors through 5,000+ clinical affiliates |
| RN License Required | Yes, unrestricted, in the state where the practicum takes place |
| Who It’s For | Working RNs wanting structured, part-time study with data and database depth |
| Distinctive Coursework | Database management and interoperability, data analytics, two applied informatics labs |
| Certification Pathway | ANCC NI-BC graduate pathway needs 200 practicum hours; UAB does not publish its count |
| Tuition | $744/credit distance rate, same for residents and non-residents |
| Accreditation | CCNE (MSN); SACSCOC institutional |
| Start Term | Summer only; Summer 2027 deadline is December 31, 2026 |
| Enrollment Restrictions | Only Alabama residents or residents of UAB-approved states; no F-1 or J-1 students |
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Nursing Informatics
The estimated tuition for the MSN in Nursing Informatics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is approximately $29,016 (39 credits at $744/credit).
The program can generally be completed in about 2 years (6 semesters) of part-time study.
MSN Curriculum
The informatics track sits inside UAB’s Nursing Health Systems Leadership pathway, so it opens with two leadership courses. The specialty block leans technical: databases, data structures, interoperability, and analytics, each paired with an applied lab.
- NHSL 704Q Developing the Advanced Nurse Leader (3)
- NHSL 710Q Healthcare Systems for Advanced Nurse Leaders (3)
- NNI 631Q Foundations of Nursing Informatics (3)
- NNI 635Q Essentials of Project Management for Nursing Informatics Specialists (3)
- NNI 637Q Database Management, Data Structures and Interoperability (3)
- NNI 636Q Data Analytics for the Informatics Nurse Specialist (3)
- NNI 681QL Informatics Exploration Lab (1) and NNI 682QL Applied Informatics Methods Lab (1)
- NNI 640Q Adaptive Care Systems: Governance and Accountability (3)
- NHSA 631Q Advanced Quality and Patient Safety (4)
- NNI 690Q Advanced Concepts in Nursing Informatics (3)
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- The university catalog still lists an older informatics plan totaling 32 to 33 credits, with 2-credit practicums and courses no longer on the program page. The 2026-27 program page’s sample plan sums to 39 credits and is the newer source, so this profile uses it.
- Admitted students must show a completed descriptive statistics course before starting.
MSN Practicum and Capstone
- NNI 685QL Nursing Informatics Practicum I: 3 credits (fall, year 2)
- NNI 686QL Nursing Informatics Practicum II: 3 credits (spring, year 2)
- Clock hours: not clearly stated on the program page or catalog
- UAB helps students secure sites and preceptors from more than 5,000 clinical affiliates.
- Preceptors may be RNs, nurse practitioners, or physicians, per the catalog’s MSN clinical policy.
Six practicum credits across two terms is a meaningful field block, but without a published hour count, nurses targeting ANCC certification should confirm their total meets the 200-hour graduate pathway before relying on it. School-supported placement lowers the risk that a practicum search delays progression.
MSN Admissions
Testing depends on GPA: applicants under 3.2 must submit GRE or GMAT scores.
- BSN from a regionally accredited institution with CCNE or CNEA nursing accreditation
- Unrestricted RN license in the state where the practicum will take place
- 3.0 minimum GPA, overall or on the last 60 semester hours
- Below 3.2 GPA: GRE (297 combined verbal and quantitative) or GMAT (480), taken within 5 years; a prior graduate degree with a 3.0+ GPA can qualify for a waiver
- Three professional references
- Official transcripts from every institution attended
- No minimum RN experience published
- Admission offers only to Alabama residents or residents of states where UAB’s nursing programs are approved
- Distance format is not open to F-1 or J-1 visa holders
Tuition
UAB charges $744 per credit for distance-accessible MSN coursework in 2026-27, for residents and non-residents alike. A $235 educational support and technology fee applies to each course.
| Item | Basis | Est. Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | 39 credits × $744 | $29,016 |
| Educational support and technology fee | 14 courses × $235 | $3,290 |
| Books and supplies | 6 terms × $600 (school estimate) | $3,600 |
| Background check | 2 years × $92 (school estimate) | $184 |
| Estimated total | $36,090 |
Confirmed costs:
- $744 per credit, distance-accessible MSN, 2026-27
- $235 educational support and technology fee per course
- Student hospitalization insurance, about $270 per month, waivable with proof of equal coverage
Be aware that:
- The fee total counts each of the 14 courses in the sample plan, including the two 1-credit labs. If labs are billed differently, the fee drops by up to $470.
- UAB’s general tuition table lists $646 per credit for in-state nursing coursework. That is the campus rate; the program page’s $744 distance rate applies to this track.
- Uninsured students face roughly $6,480 more in insurance over 24 months unless they waive it.
Plan on about $36,000 all-in with your own insurance. That is about $12,500 more than South Alabama’s all-in estimate for its nursing informatics MSN, driven by the higher per-credit rate and per-course fees. Rate details are on UAB’s tuition and fees page.
Why Choose This Nursing Informatics Program?
The ideal applicant is a working RN who wants a set schedule and a stronger technical core than most leadership-flavored informatics MSNs offer.
Structured and part-time. One summer cohort follows a fixed six-semester plan of two or three courses per term. That suits nurses working full-time, but it means one entry point per year.
Data-heavy specialty. Database design, interoperability, and analytics each get a full course, backed by two applied labs. Graduates leave with more hands-on data work than the course list of a typical nursing informatics MSN suggests.
Placement help, at a price. UAB’s affiliate network reduces practicum-search risk. In exchange, students pay a higher per-credit rate, per-course fees, and travel to on-campus intensives.
Accreditation
The master’s degree program in nursing at the UAB School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The nursing informatics specialty is a track within that MSN.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Graduates can pursue ANCC’s Informatics Nursing certification (NI-BC). The graduate program pathway requires at least 200 faculty-supervised practicum hours, which UAB’s materials do not quantify; otherwise, candidates qualify through 2,000 informatics practice hours, or 1,000 hours plus 12 graduate informatics credits.
Other Nursing Informatics Schools
Compare UAB with every profiled program on the Nursing Informatics Schools page, or review degree options on the Nursing Informatics overview.