University of Texas Arlington Online NP Programs – FNP, PNP, AGNP

#11 Best NP School Overall

• MSN – Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
• MSN – Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
• MSN – Family Nurse Practitioner
• MSN – Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
• MSN – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
• Post-Master's Certificate – Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
• Post-Master's Certificate – Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
• Post-Master's Certificate – Family Nurse Practitioner
• Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
• Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
• RN to MSN – Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP
• RN to MSN – Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP
• RN to MSN – Family Nurse Practitioner
• RN to MSN – Pediatric Acute Care NP
• RN to MSN – Pediatric Primary Care NP

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The University of Texas Arlington (UTA) offers an MSN and post-master’s certificate with a choice of five specializations: family nurse practitioner (FNP), pediatric primary care nurse practitioner (PNP-PC), pediatric acute care nurse practitioner (PNP-AC), adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner (AGPCNP), and adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner (AGACNP). There is also an RN-to-MSN pathway offered in all specializations. These programs do not require any campus visits. Nurse practitioner students must complete their clinical preceptorships at an approved facility located in an approved state of study.

Family NPs, pediatric primary care NPs, and adult-gerontology primary care NPs work in many different settings such as hospitals, government facilities, nursing homes, schools, primary care clinics, research institutions, long-term health care situations, and home health care. Adult-gerontology acute care NPs work with patients in critical care situations such as intensive care units (ICUs), emergency departments, and specialty units for neurology, oncology, endocrinology, and cardiology. Pediatric acute care NPs work with critically ill patients in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), intensive care units (ICUs), emergency departments, early intervention programs, in specialty clinics, and intensive rehabilitation programs.

AGACNPs and AGPCNPs work with young adults through geriatrics, while FNPs work with patients across the lifespan. Pediatric nurse practitioners work with patients from birth to age 21.

Upon graduation, students are eligible to take their respective nurse practitioner certification exams through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB), and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). The NP programs through The University of Texas – Arlington are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). UTA is located in Arlington, Texas, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

What to Expect from the University of Texas Arlington Online Nurse Practitioner Programs

Admission Requirements: Applicants to the MSN degree programs must hold a BSN from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited nursing program and also hold an unencumbered, active nursing license. Applicants of all MSN program pathways must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Applicants must be able to verify licensure status via Nursys, a national database, or a state board of nursing. No GRE is required for regular admission to these programs. Prerequisites include an undergraduate (basic) statistics course with a grade of C or higher. Applicants who fulfill these criteria are offered unconditional admission. 

Additional important information to note includes the following: Applicants with a 2.8 to 2.99 GPA may still be admitted on a probationary basis. These applications must also submit GRE scores. Prospective certificate students must hold an MSN from a CCNE- or NLNAC-accredited program with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. The acute care specialization for both pediatric and adult gerontology nurse practitioners (PNP, AGNP) requires at least two years of clinical nursing experience in an acute care setting within the past five years. 

The streamlined application process includes the submission of an online application, official transcripts, and proof of RN licensure. Proof of English language proficiency may be required if applicable. See the next section regarding state restrictions for information about language proficiency.

State Restrictions: UTA accepts students into the online NP programs from Arkansas, California, Florida, New Mexico, Texas, and Virginia. As a general rule, students outside of Texas should check with the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at The University of Texas – Arlington to make sure they are eligible for the nursing NP programs. In addition, prospective nursing students should contact the licensing board of their specific state of residence to determine if the program meets state requirements for NP licensure. 

International students can also qualify for admission to UTA nursing programs. As is true for domestic applicants, international applicants to acute care specializations must have at least two years of clinical experience in a United States (or equivalent) healthcare system. 

International applicants are also expected to have English language proficiency. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam is required for applicants whose native or first language is not English and if they do not hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution. To be eligible for admission, applicants must score at least 550 on the TOEFL paper-based test, 213 on the computer-based test, or 79 on the internet-based test. 

In addition, they must achieve the following minimum scores within subtests: Writing, 22; Speaking, 21; Reading, 20; and Listening, 16; or have a minimum IELTS score of 7.0. Completion of the TOEFL examination may be otherwise satisfied by resident status, an associate degree, or completion of Composition I and II with a grade of C or better and 24 additional transferrable hours at a college or university located in the U.S. 

Given the complexity of backgrounds applicants may have it is best that prospective applicants contact UTA with any questions regarding admission policy they believe may apply to them.

Study Plan: The MSN takes anywhere from 29 to 36 months to complete. The degree must be completed within five years. The time to completion for the certificate program varies depending on prior education and certifications earned. A gap analysis is completed for each student prior to beginning the certificate program and students may take as few as five or six courses depending on the specialization. Start dates land in January, February, April, May, July, August, September, and November.

The RN-to-MSN program with FNP, AGACNP, AGPCNP, PNP-PC, and PNP-AC specializations typically require at least 42 months to complete. Students in this program first earn their BSN and then move into the MSN requirements. Start dates land up to five times each in the Fall and Spring, with two start dates in the Summer.

Courses typically last five to 13 weeks, and students should expect to spend about five hours per credit on coursework, plus clinical hours. Students in all programs complete clinicals of at least 720 hours near where they live and work in approved states.

MSN Core Curriculum: Core courses for the MSN program include exploration of science and theories for nursing; principles of research in nursing; evidence-based practice; advanced pathophysiology; advanced health assessment and diagnostic reasoning; and advanced pharmacology for nurse practitioners. All specializations complete at least 720 clinical practicum hours.

MSN students starting out with a BSN complete the following coursework:

• MSN – FNP Curriculum: The MSN – FNP comprises 46 credits. Specialty courses include adult-gerontology assessment lab; pediatric assessment lab; family I-III; family clinical practice I-II;  and family np advanced practicum.
• MSN – PNP-PC Curriculum: The MSN – PNP-PC comprises 41 credits. Specialty courses include pediatric assessment lab; pediatric complex care; pediatric primary care clinical practice I-II;  and pediatric primary care np advanced practicum.
• MSN – PNP-AC Curriculum: The MSN – PNP-AC comprises 45 credits. Specialty courses include pediatric assessment lab; primary pediatric care; pediatric complex care; pediatric acute care; pediatric acute care clinical practice I-II; and pediatric acute care np advanced practice.
• MSN – AGPCNP Curriculum: The MSN – AGPCNP comprises 41 credits. Specialty courses include adult-gerontology assessment lab; adult-gerontology management across the continuum of care; adult-gerontology primary care; adult-gerontology primary care clinical practice I-II;  and adult-gerontology primary care np advanced practicum.
• MSN – AGACNP Curriculum: The MSN – AGACNP comprises 41 credits. Specialty courses include adult-gerontology assessment lab; adult-gerontology management across the continuum of care; adult-gerontology acute care; adult-gerontology acute care clinical practice I-II;  and adult-gerontology acute care np advanced practicum.

Post-Master’s Certificate Curriculum: The NP certificates comprise 32 to 37 credits depending on the specialization and include a minimum of 720 clinical hours. 

RN-to-MSN Curriculum: The RN-to-MSN online program comprises 76 to 81 credits and is composed of four segments of coursework. These are undergraduate general courses, upper division electives, RN-BSN courses and MSN-level specialization courses. 

Students of all RN-MSN program tracks take the following RN-BSN courses: role transition to professional nursing; health policy and legal aspects of professional nursing; holistic health assessment across the lifespan; holistic care of older adults; RN-to-BSN promoting healthy lifestyles; nursing research; nursing leadership and management; care of vulnerable populations across the lifespan; capstone course; and two upper-division nursing electives.

Upon successful completion of the BSN portion, students are awarded a BSN degree. During the RN-to-BSN portion of the program, nursing students must maintain a 3.3 minimum GPA in three indicator courses with a minimum 3.0 GPA per semester in order to continue to the MSN NP program. Upon completion of the BSN portion of the program, nurses continue to the MSN courses in their chosen specialization within one semester.

All RN-MSN students complete a common set of seven courses at the MSN level. These courses are exploration of science and theories for nursing; advanced pathophysiology; advanced pharmacology; advanced health assessment and diagnostic reasoning;  role of the nurse in advanced practice; principles of research in nursing; and evidence-based practice. MSN students complete specialization courses as noted below.

• MSN – FNP Curriculum: The MSN – FNP comprises 81 credits. FNP specialty courses include adult-gerontology assessment lab; pediatric assessment lab; principles of research in nursing; evidence-based practice, FNP I, II and III (three courses) and clinical practice I and II (2 courses)
• MSN – PNP-PC Curriculum: The MSN – PNP-PC comprises 76 credits. Specialty courses include pediatric assessment lab; pediatric primary care; primary complex chronicity; pediatric primary care clinical practice I; pediatric primary care clinical practice II; and pedi primary care np advanced practicum.
• MSN – PNP-AC Curriculum: The MSN – PNP-AC comprises 80 credits. Specialty courses include pediatric assessment lab; pediatric primary care; primary complex chronicity; pediatric acute care; pediatric acute care clinical practice I; pediatric acute care clinical practice II; and pedi acute care NP advanced practicum.
• MSN – AGPCNP Curriculum: The MSN – AGPCNP comprises 76 credits. Specialty courses include adult-gerontology assessment lab; adult gerontology management across the continuum of care; adult gerontology primary care; adult gerontology primary care clinical practice I; adult gerontology primary care clinical practice II; and adult gero primary care np advanced practicum.
• MSN – AGACNP Curriculum: The MSN – AGACNP comprises 76 credits. Specialty courses include adult-gerontology assessment lab; adult gerontology management across the continuum of care; adult gerontology acute care; adult gerontology acute care clinical practice I; adult gerontology acute care clinical practice II; and adult gero acute care np advanced practicum.

Online Experience: UTA seeks to make the online NP programs flexible by providing 100 percent online coursework and local preceptorships. Students have access to dedicated faculty support, discussions with fellow students, a library, online resources, career counseling, networking with alumni, and technical support. Online courses may include recorded lectures, readings, discussion boards, study groups, and collaborative and individual assignments. Courses last between five and 13 weeks. 

On-Site Requirements: There are no on-site requirements for the UTA nurse practitioner programs. RN-to-MSN students complete an online orientation.