Take The Next Step Into Your Nursing Future

Explore resources for planning your nurse practitioner degree and career with the help of expert advice and guidance.

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Discover Your Path

Access information to help you advance in your nurse practitioner career.

Online Nurse Practitioner School Rankings

Online NP schools are flexible, allowing you to further your education at your own pace. Find a program that’s best for you and your future.

Best Online RN to MSN NP Programs

Best Online RN to MSN NP Programs
Most Affordable Online FNP Programs

Most Affordable Online FNP Programs
Best Online NP Programs

Best Online NP Programs

Nurse Practitioner Specializations

Nurse practitioners are needed in a variety of settings. Some of the most common areas of interest lead to rewarding careers.

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse practitioners (NP) specialize in areas such as adult care, mental health, pediatric care, and emergency care. Clinical hours provide them with hands-on training to deepen their assessment, diagnostic, and treatment skills in their area.
Family NP

Family NP

Family nurse practitioners (FNP) work as primary care nurses to children and adult patients, and are often the first to diagnose illnesses or refer patients with serious conditions to specialists.
Emergency NP

Emergency NP

Emergency nurse practitioners (ENP) work to assess, stabilize, and treat patients in hospital emergency rooms and urgent care centers.
Pediatric NP

Pediatric NP

Pediatric nurse practitioners (PNP) treat children’s diseases and injuries and provide holistic care. There are two common subspecialties: Acute Care (PNP-AC) and Primary Care (PNP-PC).
Adult Gerontology NP

Adult Gerontology NP

Adult Gerontology nurse practitioners (AGNP) work with patients from adolescence through adulthood. There are two common subspecialties: Acute Care (AGNP-AC) and Primary Care (AGNP-PC).
Acute Care NP

Acute Care NP

Acute Care nurse practitioners (ACNP) help patients with immediate, severe, and generally short-lived medical issues such as illnesses, injuries, or trauma.
Neonatal NP

Neonatal NP

Neonatal nurse practitioners (NNP) work with newborns with a variety of health problems, including prematurity, birth defects, or infections.
Psychiatric-Mental Health NP

Psychiatric-Mental Health NP

Psychiatric-Mental Health nurse practitioners (PMHNP) examine, diagnose, and treat patients with mental illnesses. They also educate patients’ families on conditions to avoid any misunderstandings.
Women’s Health NP

Women’s Health NP

Women’s Health nurse practitioners (WHNP) address women’s needs, including managing illnesses, reproductive health, and age-specific treatments.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Programs

While a nurse practitioner is a type of APRN, an APRN can choose to specialize in one of the categories below. Opportunities for APRNs are expected to grow 45 percent from 2019 to 2029.*

Certified Nurse Midwife

Certified Nurse Midwife

Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM) receive extensive training in gynecology and newborn care, as well as general women's health issues.
Clinical Nurse Specialist

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) may focus on various areas of nursing, including treatment of certain age groups, specific illnesses, or common conditions such as stress and pain.
Nurse Anesthetist

Nurse Anesthetist

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) are able to provide anesthesia and monitor patients during surgeries and procedures.

*SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Advertisement nursepractitionerschools.com is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.

Featured Online Nurse Practitioner Programs

Our partner schools offer accredited online nursing programs to help you advance your career while accommodating your schedule. Visit their sites to learn more about program specializations, course offerings, start dates, transfer of credits, availability of financial aid and more.

Advertisement nursepractitionerschools.com is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.

Online Nurse Practitioner Degrees by Pathway

Go from where you are, to where you want to be. Find information about admission requirements, program costs, duration, structure, and more.

Best Online RN-to-MSN Programs

Online RN to MSN-NP

For RNs with an ADN interested in how to become a nurse practitioner. Common specializations are: family, adult-gerontology primary care and acute care, psychiatry, and women’s health.

| Staff Writers

RN to DNP Programs Online

Online RN to DNP-NP

For RNs with an ADN looking to pursue their DNP-NP. Popular careers include advanced practice nursing, clinical education, administration, and family practice.

| Staff Writers

Best Online Nurse Practitioner (NP) Programs

Online BSN to MSN-NP

RNs with a BSN interested in how to become a nurse practitioner may choose to specialize in psychiatry, acute care, family, adult gerontology, neonatology, pediatrics or women's health.

| Staff Writers

Best BSN-to-DNP Programs and Schools

Online BSN to DNP-NP

For RNs with a BSN interested in pursuing their DNP-NP. This path typically leads to careers in healthcare leadership or management. Programs offer specialized areas of study for students who wish to become nurse anesthetists, nurse specialists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners.

| Staff Writers

MSN-to-DNP Programs and Schools

Online MSN to DNP-NP

For RNs with a MSN looking to get their DNP-NP. Most programs offer administration or executive leadership concentration areas for nurses interested in pursuing leadership positions.

| Staff Writers

Accelerated Nurse Practitioner Programs Online

Online Accelerated MSN-NP

For RNs with an ADN wanting to explore accelerated MSN-NP programs, it is important to know that most schools require a non-nursing bachelor's degree as well.

| Staff Writers

Online Post-Master’s Certificate Nurse Practitioner Programs

Online Post-Master’s NP Certificate

For NPs with a MSN looking to earn an additional certificate in a specialty area such as adult gerontology, family, neonatology, pediatrics, psychiatry, or women’s health.

| Staff Writers

COVID-19 | Coronavirus Information

In an effort to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus across the United States, health officials have issued a series of advisories and mandates including travel restrictions and temporary closures of businesses and schools in the country.

For the most up-to-date information regarding the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S., including how it spreads and how to protect yourself, please visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additional COVID-19 Resources for Nurses and Nursing Students:

COVID-19 Information | The Emergency Nurses Association

Coronavirus Disease 2019 Resources | National Association of School Nurses

Interested in pursuing a job as a nurse practitioner?

Find the right program to take advantage of this fast-growing industry and join the front-lines of healthcare.

Advertisement nursepractitionerschools.com is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.