3 Best Nurse Practitioner Programs in Arkansas – 2025

Written By: Editorial Staff @ NursingProcess.org

With only 170 physicians per 100,000 residents, Arkansas feels the shortage of primary care providers more acutely than almost any other state in the union. NPs who matriculate from accredited nurse practitioner schools in Arkansas have the potential to help increase the number of providers available for primary care services, particularly in The Hot Springs State’s rural and underserved areas. Graduates of NP schools in the state can earn more than $107,110 a year and have job security to boot since CareerOneStop predicts the demand for NPs is going to soar by more than 54% over the next 10 years. Learn about the best nurse practitioner programs in Arkansas for 2025 by reading the information below.

WHAT ARE THE BEST NURSE PRACTITIONER PROGRAMS IN ARKANSAS (ONLINE & CAMPUS) FOR 2025?

(Based on our ranking methodology, the following are the 3 Best NP programs in Arkansas for the year 2025.)

1) University Of Arkansas For Medical Sciences - Little Rock

Programs Offered: MSN and Post BSN to DNP

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is the only academic medical center in the Hot Springs State. It’s affiliated with the University of Arkansas system. The university’s nursing school is increasingly focused upon addressing the chronic RN shortage in Arkansas. UAMS offers five of the best nurse practitioner programs in Arkansas in conjunction with its MSN program as well as six advanced specialty tracks in conjunction with its post-BSN to DNP program.

MSN Concentrations: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, and Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

All MSN-related NP specialties at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences are designed for part-time students. Classes begin in the spring semester. This MSN-NP program in Arkansas is intended to be a steppingstone toward the completion of a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.

UAMS’s Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner specialty is a 41-semester-credit track that can be completed in seven semesters. The Family Nurse Practitioner pathway consists of 42-semester credits and can usually be completed in eight semesters. The Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner pathway is a seven-semester, 42-credit program. Both the Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner specialty and the Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner specialty consist of 43 credits spread out over six semesters.

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

Fulltime students will be able to complete the post-BSN to DNP program in three years while part-time students will require four years. The program uses a hybrid-teaching format. Classes that are taught on campus are set up to accommodate telecommuting; remote students can access these classes online using the Blackboard app.

All post-BSN to DNP tracks except the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialty involve 68-semester credits and 1,080 clinical hours. The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialty consists of 69-semester credits and 1,080 clinical hours. Specific courses of study related to the advanced practice portion of the DNP program are similar to the advanced practice classes needed to complete the MSN degree.

2) University Of Arkansas - Fayetteville

Programs Offered: Post BSN to DNP

The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas system. The university’s Eleanor Mann School of Nursing is another one of the nurse practitioner schools in Arkansas that’s trying to remedy the state’s severe nurse shortage. The Mann Nursing School strives to maintain a 20:1 student to faculty so that students can receive mentoring that will help them become better clinical practitioners. The university offers two advanced practice specialties in conjunction with its post-BSN to DNP program.

Post BSN to DNP Concentrations: Adult-Gerontology Acute-Care Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner

The university’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program is open to BSN- and MSN-prepared nurses. BSN-prepared nurses have the option of focusing on two advanced practice specialties: Family Nurse Practitioner and Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. MSN-prepared nurses will have the opportunity to enhance already existing advanced practice skills and clinical competencies. Students can only earn a grade of C or lower once during the course of their DNP studies; if they earn a grade of C a second time, they will be asked to leave the program. Both the Adult-Gerontology Acute-Care Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner specialties consist of 39 credits and 360 clinical hours.

3) Arkansas State University - Jonesboro

Programs Offered: MSN and Post-Graduate Certificate

Arkansas State University’s flagship campus in Jonesboro offers a single NP specialty, which students can pursue either as part of the Master’s in Nursing Science program or as a post-graduate certificate concentration. If you’re a working nurse who wants to become a nurse practitioner in Arkansas, this university’s programs offer a convenient way to do so because most of the core and support classes are taught online. Students may be required to visit the campus for specific skills-building intensives, however.

MSN Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner

The Family Nurse Practitioner specialty that’s offered in conjunction with the university’s MSN degree requires 840 clinical hours. Most students are able to complete the program in five semesters, including one summer semester. Students are required to carry their own professional liability insurance before they will be allowed to participate in clinical rotations.

Post-Graduate Certificate Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner and Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

Registered nurses who’ve already earned an MSN but who want pursue advanced practice specialization as a family nurse practitioner are eligible for the university’s post-graduate certificate program. The certificate program is also open to family nurse practitioners whose initial training did not meet the requirements set by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and/or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

Upon admission, an individualized study plan will be developed that’s based upon a gap analysis comparing the applicant’s past courses with certification requirements for the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty. Similar to quite a few other nurse practitioner programs in Arkansas, this program requires you to complete 500 hours of clinical training.

VIEW OUR RANKING METHODOLOGY