By 2030, Pennsylvania is projected to be short 1,039 doctors, and close to 381,00 Pennsylvania residents live in an area where there are 3,500 or more patients for every one provider.
Although state law dictates that NPs must work under the supervision of a physician, they are considered primary care providers who can work to fill these gaps in care.
The Keystone State also has several professional and networking opportunities for nurse practitioners, including the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners (PCNP), the Pennsylvania Nurses Association (PSNA), and the Nurses of Pennsylvania.
Most large hospital systems are located in Philadelphia in the east and Pittsburgh in the west. Philly is home to Temple University Hospital, the largest hospital in the state, as well as the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is home to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) hospital system, which includes state-of-the-art facilities at Presbyterian Hospital and Montefiore, as well as Allegheny Health Network, which includes Allegheny General Hospital and West Penn Hospital. There are also impressive facilities serving the other areas of the state, including Reading Hospital, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, and WellSpan York Hospital.
In addition to these career opportunities, Pennsylvania offers many exciting things to keep you busy on your days off. You can visit the Rocky statue and then run up the stairs to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, visit the art installations at Randyland in Pittsburgh, explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, take in history at Gettysburg, or spend a day riding the coasters at Hershey Park.
Here are some of the top colleges and universities where you can pursue a nurse practitioner degree in the state of PA, including FNP programs, AGNP programs, and PNP programs. If you are looking to pursue your doctorate, review this list of Pennsylvania DNP Programs.
Program Overview:
Alvernia is a Franciscan university in Reading, about 65 miles northeast of Philadelphia. The John and Karen Arnold School of Nursing recently opened a new 55,000-square-foot center with expanded lab space and a state-of-the-art simulation center to enhance the education of its students. Alvernis offers one NP program:
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Carlow is a private liberal arts school in the heart of Pittsburgh. Its nursing programs offer flexible classes and generous transfer policies so students can complete their program as quickly and conveniently as possible. Carlow offers three NP options:
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Cedar Crest College is in Allentown, about 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Its nursing school offers a hands-on simulation lab that students can access 20 hours a day, and students work with a dedicated coach to ensure they get the support they need during clinical placements. Cedar Crest offers six NP tracks:
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A small town in the northeastern part of the state, Bloomsburg Commonwealth University offers small class sizes, cutting-edge technology, and hands-on labs for students in the College of Health Professions. Students have four NP programs to choose from:
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DeSales University is in Center Valley, a small community in the eastern part of the state. The newly built Gambet Center offers nursing students 77,000 square feet of simulation labs, patient labs, and the only gross anatomy lab in the area. DeSales offers four NP pathways:
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Nurse training at Drexel University dates back to 1863 and was considered by many to be the country’s first state-chartered school for nursing. The College of Nursing and Health Professions at Drexel University offers students a high-tech Health Sciences Building, which includes simulation, virtual reality, and gross anatomy labs to enhance student learning. Drexel offers the following eleven different NP options:
- BSN to FNP
- BSN to AGNP
- BSN to PNP Acute
- BSN to PNP Primary
- BSN to PNP Acute/Primary Dual
- Post-Graduate Certificate FNP
- Post-Graduate Certificate MSN to AGNP Acute
- Post-Graduate Certificate MSN to AGNP Primary
- Post-Graduate Certificate MSN to PNP Acute
- Post-Graduate Certificate MSN to PNP Primary
- Post-Graduate Certificate MSN to PNP Acute/Primary Dual Program
Program Overview:
Duquesne University is one of the country’s top Catholic universities and is located in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh. The School of Nursing boasts a 100% pass rate on the FNP Certification Exam and a 100% Adult Acute Gerontology Nurse Practitioner first-time pass rate. The university offers four NP options:
Program Overview:
Gannon is a Catholic Diocesan university located in downtown Erie in the state’s northeast corner. The Villa Maria School of Nursing in the Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences is one of the university’s most in-demand destinations. It offers two NP options:
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Immaculata, a private Roman Catholic university, is about 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The school of nursing has been educating nurses for more than 30 years. The university currently offers two options for nurses hoping to pursue a career as an NP:
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La Roche is a private liberal arts university in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. It was founded by the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1963 and is considered a Catholic university, though it welcomes students of all faiths. La Roche currently offers one NP program:
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The School of Nursing and Health Sciences at LaSalle University boasts a 100% employment rate for graduates from the Nursing program. It offers students access to an Interprofessional Simulation Center and a Nursing Learning Resource Center where students can brush up on their clinical skills to prepare for their clinical and future careers. The school offers three NP options:
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Located just outside the state capital in Mechanicsburg, Messiah University is a nationally ranked private Christian university founded in 1909. It offers flexible course options and an opportunity to care for patients across the lifespan from a Christian faith perspective. The school provides one option for those looking to pursue a DNP:
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Dallas, PA, located in the northeast part of the state just outside Scranton, is home to Misericordia University. The College of Health Sciences and Education offers small classes, personalized attention, and a career-focused education. There are four NP programs to choose from, including:
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Moravian University is located in Bethlehem, just outside of Allentown in the eastern part of the state. It was founded in 1742 and has a rich educational history as one of the first schools to open its doors to women. Moravian is home to the Helen S. Breidegam School of Nursing and Public Health, which offers the following six NP programs:
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Neumann is a private Franciscan Catholic university founded in 1965. It’s within a half hour of Philadelphia but boasts small class sizes and a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio. In 2022, Neumann’s students had a 100% pass rate on the Nurse Practitioner National Certification. The university offers six NP programs:
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With 24 campuses and an online campus called Penn State World, Penn State, and its graduates are a prominent part of Pennsylvania. The Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing has a presence on 13 campuses and online and offers the following three programs for those wishing to pursue an NP degree:
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Penn West comprises three schools: Edinboro, Clarion, California, and Penn West Global Online. With three brick-and-mortar campuses located in western Pennsylvania, students have convenient options for attending on-campus events. This university offers the following two NP options:
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The School of Nursing, Education, and Human Studies at Robert Morris University is in Moon Township, north of Pittsburgh. Its state-of-the-art Regional Research and Innovation in Simulation Education (RISE) Center is one of a handful of nursing programs accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. Robert Morris offers the following NP option:
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The School of Health Sciences and Education at Saint Francis University offers programs rooted in Catholic Franciscan values. It boasts that its FNP program is one of the most affordable in the state. The school offers the following three options:
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The School of Health Professions at Saint Joseph’s University is located in University City, Philadelphia, in the heart of the health science industry. More than 250 medical facilities are in the surrounding area, giving students a range of opportunities for clinical placements and future employment. The school offers four NP degree options:
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Thomas Jefferson University has two Philadelphia-area campuses, and the College of Nursing boasts more than 130 years of experience educating nurses. The university has an 18-hospital health system that offers many opportunities for students in its nursing programs. The following eight NP options are offered:
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Considered an Ivy League university, Penn’s School of Nursing is one of the nation’s premier research institutions in nursing science. Some of the NP specializations offered here are not available at any other university in the state. There are eight NP programs in all, including:
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Pitt offers five campuses: the main campus in the city of Pittsburgh, as well as regional campuses in Titusville, Johnstown, Greensburg, and Bradford. Many of their nursing programs are offered online, but campus visits may be required. The University of Pittsburgh offers the following 11 options:
Program Overview:
Since its founding in 1842, Villanova University has followed Augustinian Catholic values like love, unity, and truth. The M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing has been designated a National League for Nursing Center of Excellence for six consecutive years. It features a Simulation and Learning Resource Center (SLRC) that is among the first to be endorsed by the International Nursing Association of Clinical and Simulation Learning (INACSL). The college offers six NP options:
Program Overview:
The School of Nursing at Widener University has been recognized by the National League for Nursing (NLN) as a Center of Excellence in Advancing the Science of Nursing Education, one of only eight schools to receive this distinction. It has campuses in Chester, just outside of Philadelphia, and in the state capital of Harrisburg. Widener has six NP programs to choose from:
Program Overview:
The Passan School of Nursing at Wilkes University has over 40 years of experience educating nurses. It offers a Clinical Nursing Simulation Center with hands-on high- and low-fidelity mannequins that simulate real patient interactions and standardized patients – human volunteers who play the role of actual patients to help students gain real-world experience. The following five NP options are available at Wilkes University:
Program Overview:
York City is in the heart of a bustling mid-Atlantic region, hours away from Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh. At the Dr. Donald E. and Lois J. Myers School of Nursing and Health Professions at York College, students can access state-of-the-art simulation labs, passionate faculty, and high-quality clinical experiences. The following three NP tracks are offered:
