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Top Online Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Programs (2026-2027)

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Pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) play a vital role in the lives of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults in diagnosing and treating acute and chronic illnesses and well-visit checkups and preventive care. PNPs also seek to meet their patients’ physiological and psychological needs and help parents and families properly care for their children and infants for optimal health and well-being.

There are two types of Pediatric NP programs: PNP-PC programs are designed for aspiring pediatric NPs interested in working in primary care, and PNP-AC programs are designed for those more interested in working in pediatric acute care.

The Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) offers certifications that align with each.

The role of a CPNP-PC is to “provide care to children from birth through young adults with an in-depth knowledge and experience in pediatric primary healthcare including well-child care and prevention/management of common pediatric acute illnesses and chronic conditions” (PNCB 2025). They can assess, evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients across the spectrum of primary care. The primary care PNP advocates for infants, children, and young adults to promote quality, cost-effective care and safety for all involved.

Certified acute care pediatric nurse practitioners (CPNP-ACs) work with patients in the same age range who suffer from “acute, complex, critical, and chronic illness across a variety of care settings” (PNCB 2025).

The PNCB also offers a secondary PMHS (Pediatric Primary Care Mental Health Specialist) certification designed for primary care pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs), family nurse practitioners (FNPs), and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs). PMHSs specialize in “strengthening care to children and families experiencing developmental, behavioral, and mental healthcare concerns” (PNCB 2025).  

Registered nurses looking to become pediatric nurse practitioners have a number of options. Earning an online master’s degree, doctoral degree, or post-master’s certificate with a PNP specialization, and then a certification from the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board, opens up a wide range of careers in pediatric primary care, acute care, or mental health nursing for the interested RN.

University of Texas - Arlington
MSN - Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
MSN - Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
Walden University
MSN - Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - ADN route
MSN - Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - BSN route
Rasmussen University
MSN - Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
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For the latest academic year, we have over 180 NP schools in our database and those that advertise with us are labeled “sponsor”. When you click on a sponsoring school or program, or fill out a form to request information from a sponsoring school, we may earn a commission. View our advertising disclosure for more details.

Online Pediatric NP Program Rankings (2026-2027)

Distance-based pediatric nurse practitioner programs typically offer online coursework, flexibility in course load and time to completion, and a minimal number of required campus visits. Preceptorships are usually completed locally to the student.

The NPSchools.com team compiled a complete list of online PNP programs for the 2026-2027 academic year and ranked them by an AdvanceU score that combines cost, admissions flexibility, and program variety.

Our database contains entries for 1,333 online NP programs at the MSN, DNP, and post-master’s certificate levels, including PNP-PC, PNP-AC, and dual PNP-PC/PNP-AC programs. To qualify for inclusion in the NPSchools.com rankings below, a PNP program must require no more than nine campus visits in total.

The tuition numbers listed in the table below represent the total estimated program tuition cost, and not the cost per semester or year.

Should you find a missing program or factual error, please contact us to bring it to our attention.

The NPSchools.com AdvanceU score measures a school’s Commitment to helping RNs become APRNs online.

Score 		School Programs & Tuition Program Tuition
(Resident)		 Tuition
(Non-Resident)
76 University of South Alabama (#1)
  • Post-Graduate Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care NP – $19,602.00 (in-state), $19,602.00 (out)
  • Post-Graduate Certificate – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner – $19,602.00 (in-state), $19,602.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (post-BSN pathway) – $26,730.00 (in-state), $26,730.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (post-BSN pathway) – $26,730.00 (in-state), $26,730.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Acute Care NP (RN-to-MSN for RNs with a non-nursing bachelor's degree) – $33,858.00 (in-state), $33,858.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Primary Care NP (RN-to-MSN for RNs with a non-nursing bachelor's degree) – $33,858.00 (in-state), $33,858.00 (out)
  • DNP – Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (MSN to DNP) – $35,640.00 (in-state), $35,640.00 (out)
  • DNP – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (MSN to DNP) – $35,640.00 (in-state), $35,640.00 (out)
  • DNP – Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (BSN to DNP) – $40,986.00 (in-state), $40,986.00 (out)
  • DNP – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (BSN to DNP) – $40,986.00 (in-state), $40,986.00 (out)
  • Show More Programs (+)
Post-Graduate Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care NP $19,602.00 $19,602.00
Post-Graduate Certificate – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner $19,602.00 $19,602.00
MSN – Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (post-BSN pathway) $26,730.00 $26,730.00
Show More Programs (+)
MSN – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (post-BSN pathway) $26,730.00 $26,730.00
MSN – Pediatric Acute Care NP (RN-to-MSN for RNs with a non-nursing bachelor's degree) $33,858.00 $33,858.00
MSN – Pediatric Primary Care NP (RN-to-MSN for RNs with a non-nursing bachelor's degree) $33,858.00 $33,858.00
DNP – Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (MSN to DNP) $35,640.00 $35,640.00
DNP – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (MSN to DNP) $35,640.00 $35,640.00
DNP – Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (BSN to DNP) $40,986.00 $40,986.00
DNP – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (BSN to DNP) $40,986.00 $40,986.00
Show Fewer Programs (-)
73 Herzing University (#2)
  • Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) – $25,410.00 (in-state), $25,410.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – $36,960.00 (in-state), $36,960.00 (out)
  • RN to MSN – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – $49,280.00 (in-state), $49,280.00 (out)
Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) $25,410.00 $25,410.00
MSN – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner $36,960.00 $36,960.00
RN to MSN – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner $49,280.00 $49,280.00
71 University of Texas – Arlington (#3)
  • Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner – $20,928.00 (in-state), $20,928.00 (out)
  • Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner – $23,544.00 (in-state), $23,544.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner – $22,632.00 (in-state), $32,062.00 (out)
  • RN to MSN – Pediatric Primary Care NP – $35,038.00 (in-state), $35,038.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner – $24,840.00 (in-state), $35,190.00 (out)
  • RN to MSN – Pediatric Acute Care NP – $37,654.00 (in-state), $37,654.00 (out)
  • Show More Programs (+)
Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner $20,928.00 $20,928.00
Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner $23,544.00 $23,544.00
MSN – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner $22,632.00 $32,062.00
Show More Programs (+)
RN to MSN – Pediatric Primary Care NP $35,038.00 $35,038.00
MSN – Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner $24,840.00 $35,190.00
RN to MSN – Pediatric Acute Care NP $37,654.00 $37,654.00
Show Fewer Programs (-)
70 Walden University (#4)
  • Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric NP (Primary Care) – $31,400.00 (in-state), $31,400.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – BSN route – $49,455.00 (in-state), $49,455.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – ADN route – $60,764.75 (in-state), $60,764.75 (out)
  • MSN to DNP – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – $71,325.20 (in-state), $71,325.20 (out)
  • BSN to DNP – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – $76,274.55 (in-state), $76,274.55 (out)
  • Show More Programs (+)
Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric NP (Primary Care) $31,400.00 $31,400.00
MSN – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – BSN route $49,455.00 $49,455.00
MSN – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – ADN route $60,764.75 $60,764.75
Show More Programs (+)
MSN to DNP – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner $71,325.20 $71,325.20
BSN to DNP – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner $76,274.55 $76,274.55
Show Fewer Programs (-)
68 SUNY – Stony Brook University (#5)
  • Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care NP – $5,181.00 (in-state), $6,215.00 (out)
  • Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Primary Care NP – $8,949.00 (in-state), $10,735.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Acute Care NP – $21,195.00 (in-state), $25,425.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Primary Care NP – $21,195.00 (in-state), $25,425.00 (out)
  • Show More Programs (+)
Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care NP $5,181.00 $6,215.00
Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Primary Care NP $8,949.00 $10,735.00
MSN – Pediatric Acute Care NP $21,195.00 $25,425.00
Show More Programs (+)
MSN – Pediatric Primary Care NP $21,195.00 $25,425.00
Show Fewer Programs (-)
68 Regis College (#6)
  • Post-Master's PNP Certificate – for NPs (second specialty) – $20,159.00 (in-state), $20,159.00 (out)
  • Post-Master's PNP Certificate – for MSN-prepared non-NPs – $39,257.00 (in-state), $39,257.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – $48,806.00 (in-state), $48,806.00 (out)
  • MSN to DNP – PNP – for MSN-prepared non-NPs – $61,538.00 (in-state), $61,538.00 (out)
  • MSN to DNP – PNP – for NPs (second specialty) – $61,538.00 (in-state), $61,538.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – BA route – $64,721.00 (in-state), $64,721.00 (out)
  • MS to DNP – PNP – for RNs with Non-Nursing Master's – $74,270.00 (in-state), $74,270.00 (out)
  • BSN to DNP – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – $77,453.00 (in-state), $77,453.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – ADN route – $146,418.00 (in-state), $146,418.00 (out)
  • Show More Programs (+)
Post-Master's PNP Certificate – for NPs (second specialty) $20,159.00 $20,159.00
Post-Master's PNP Certificate – for MSN-prepared non-NPs $39,257.00 $39,257.00
MSN – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner $48,806.00 $48,806.00
Show More Programs (+)
MSN to DNP – PNP – for MSN-prepared non-NPs $61,538.00 $61,538.00
MSN to DNP – PNP – for NPs (second specialty) $61,538.00 $61,538.00
MSN – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – BA route $64,721.00 $64,721.00
MS to DNP – PNP – for RNs with Non-Nursing Master's $74,270.00 $74,270.00
BSN to DNP – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner $77,453.00 $77,453.00
MSN – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – ADN route $146,418.00 $146,418.00
Show Fewer Programs (-)
68 Maryville University (#7)
  • Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Primary Care NP – $31,500.00 (in-state), $31,500.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Primary Care NP (MSN PNP) – $42,300.00 (in-state), $42,300.00 (out)
  • DNP – Pediatric Primary Care NP – $67,660.00 (in-state), $67,660.00 (out)
  • BSN to DNP – Pediatric Primary Care NP (BSN to DNP PNP) – $69,164.84 (in-state), $69,164.84 (out)
  • Show More Programs (+)
Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Primary Care NP $31,500.00 $31,500.00
MSN – Pediatric Primary Care NP (MSN PNP) $42,300.00 $42,300.00
DNP – Pediatric Primary Care NP $67,660.00 $67,660.00
Show More Programs (+)
BSN to DNP – Pediatric Primary Care NP (BSN to DNP PNP) $69,164.84 $69,164.84
Show Fewer Programs (-)
66 University of Nevada Reno (#8)
  • Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care NP (for APRNs) – $5,748.75 (in-state), $12,075.00 (out)
  • Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care NP (for Non-APRNs) – $5,748.75 (in-state), $12,075.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner – $17,629.50 (in-state), $37,030.00 (out)
  • BSN to DNP – Pediatric Acute Care NP – $27,210.75 (in-state), $57,155.00 (out)
  • Show More Programs (+)
Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care NP (for APRNs) $5,748.75 $12,075.00
Post-Master's Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care NP (for Non-APRNs) $5,748.75 $12,075.00
MSN – Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner $17,629.50 $37,030.00
Show More Programs (+)
BSN to DNP – Pediatric Acute Care NP $27,210.75 $57,155.00
Show Fewer Programs (-)
65 Texas Tech University (#9)
  • MSN – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Track – $13,728.82 (in-state), $28,861.00 (out)
  • MSN – Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Track – $14,289.18 (in-state), $30,039.00 (out)
MSN – Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Track $13,728.82 $28,861.00
MSN – Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Track $14,289.18 $30,039.00
64 University of Alabama at Birmingham (#10)
  • Post-Graduate Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care NP – $20,088.00 (in-state), $20,088.00 (out)
  • Post-Graduate Certificate – Pediatric Primary Care NP – $20,088.00 (in-state), $20,088.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Acute Care NP – $33,480.00 (in-state), $33,480.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Primary Care NP – $33,480.00 (in-state), $33,480.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Acute Care NP (RN to MSN Bridge) – $41,664.00 (in-state), $41,664.00 (out)
  • MSN – Pediatric Primary Care NP (RN to MSN Bridge) – $41,664.00 (in-state), $41,664.00 (out)
  • BSN to DNP – Pediatric Acute Care NP – $58,776.00 (in-state), $58,776.00 (out)
  • BSN to DNP – Pediatric Primary Care NP – $58,776.00 (in-state), $58,776.00 (out)
  • Show More Programs (+)
Post-Graduate Certificate – Pediatric Acute Care NP $20,088.00 $20,088.00
Post-Graduate Certificate – Pediatric Primary Care NP $20,088.00 $20,088.00
MSN – Pediatric Acute Care NP $33,480.00 $33,480.00
Show More Programs (+)
MSN – Pediatric Primary Care NP $33,480.00 $33,480.00
MSN – Pediatric Acute Care NP (RN to MSN Bridge) $41,664.00 $41,664.00
MSN – Pediatric Primary Care NP (RN to MSN Bridge) $41,664.00 $41,664.00
BSN to DNP – Pediatric Acute Care NP $58,776.00 $58,776.00
BSN to DNP – Pediatric Primary Care NP $58,776.00 $58,776.00
Show Fewer Programs (-)
1234

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Career and Salary

Aspiring pediatric nurse practitioners must earn a master of science in nursing (MSN), doctor of nursing practice (DNP), or post-master’s certificate (PMC) with a PNP-AC or PNP-PC specialization.

Primary care pediatric nurse practitioners (PNP-PCs) work in primary care settings, schools, hospitals, home care situations, and specialty clinics and refer patients to other healthcare team members when necessary. 

Acute care PNPs (PNP-ACs) work in emergency departments, hospitals, intensive care units, home healthcare, and subspecialty clinics. They collaborate directly with healthcare teams responsible for the patient’s care and well-being, developing care plans and monitoring patient care and recovery. In addition, they secure parental/guardian permission when caring for their patients.

Overall, the nurse practitioner occupation is growing much faster than average, with employment expected to increase 40 percent between 2024 and 2034 (BLS 2025). By comparison, the expected growth for all occupations is 3 percent.

The median wage for nurse practitioners lands at $129,210 (BLS 2024).

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