Pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) treat children of all ages, from birth to adolescence and even into young adulthood. Like all nurse practitioners in Michigan, they must work under the supervision of a licensed physician.
Generally, those wishing to pursue a PNP degree specialize in either acute or primary care. Primary care PNPs work in outpatient facilities, like doctors’ offices or clinics, and help patients manage acute or chronic conditions. Those specializing in acute care are likelier to work in a hospital facility.
Nurses who want to pursue a PNP degree have several options in Michigan, including those listed below.
PNP Programs Accepting Michigan Applicants
Michigan RN to Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) Programs
RN-to-FNP programs are designed for nurses with an associate’s degree or diploma. These programs allow RNs to obtain an MSN or, in some cases, a DNP without having to complete a BSN first.
Spring Arbor University
- Spring Arbor, Michigan
- Online + Campus + In-person
Modality: Online with on-campus requirements and in-person clinical
Credit Hours: 82
Clinical Hours: 570
Tuition: $782 to $875 per credit + fees
Program Overview:
Spring Arbor’s RN to PNP Primary Care track is built for working ADN nurses who need an on-ramp to NP credentialing without quitting their day jobs. Coursework runs asynchronously online under the school’s distinctive 7-1-7 calendar (seven weeks of class, one week off, then another seven-week course) with a single three-day on-campus residency in year three. Faith-affiliated framing and a flexible login schedule make this one of the few RN-entry PNP options in Michigan that doesn’t require campus attendance during the early didactic terms.
Michigan BSN to Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) Programs
BSN-prepared nurses have a handful of options when pursuing a PNP degree in Michigan, including doctorate programs and dual certifications for those who want to advance their educations even further.
Grand Valley State University
- Allendale, Michigan
- Hybrid + In-person
Modality: Hybrid with in-person clinical
Credit Hours: Varies
Clinical Hours: Varies
Tuition: $863 per credit + fees
Program Overview:
Grand Valley State runs three pediatric DNP tracks from Michigan’s west side: BSN/MSN to DNP Pediatric Primary Care, BSN/MSN to DNP Child/Adolescent Acute Care, and a dual primary/acute Child-Adolescent track that prepares graduates for both ambulatory and hospital settings. The single-focus tracks each require 1,000 clinical hours plus 300 immersion hours over eight semesters, and the dual track expands to 1,450 clinical hours over nine semesters. Clinical placements draw on Corewell Health and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, and a portion of the simulation work happens in GVSU’s on-campus Cook-DeVos Center.
Spring Arbor University
- Spring Arbor, Michigan
- Online + Campus + In-person
Modality: Online with on-campus requirements and in-person clinical
Credit Hours: Varies
Clinical Hours: Varies
Tuition: $782 to $875 per credit + fees
Program Overview:
Spring Arbor’s BSN to PNP Primary Care and Post-Graduate MSN to PNP tracks share the school’s signature 7-1-7 calendar — seven weeks of coursework, a week off, then another seven-week course — delivered asynchronously online with minimal on-campus requirements. The structure is designed for nurses already working in pediatric or family practice settings who need predictable rhythms rather than synchronous evening classes. The post-master’s track lets MSN-trained NPs add a pediatric specialty without repeating the core curriculum.
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Online + Campus + In-person
Modality: Online with on-campus requirements and in-person clinical
Credit Hours: 44
Clinical Hours: Unspecified
Tuition: $1,908 per credit + fees for residents; $3,488 per credit + fees for non-residents
Program Overview:
Michigan Medicine’s BSN to PNP Primary Care program runs two years full-time or three years part-time and has fully transitioned to an asynchronous online format with one two-day on-campus intensive each term. The University of Michigan School of Nursing places students through Mott Children’s Hospital (Michigan’s flagship pediatric AMC) and the broader Michigan Medicine network, giving graduates clinical exposure to one of the most research-active children’s hospitals in the Midwest.
Wayne State University
- Detroit, Michigan
- Online + Campus + In-person
Modality: On-campus or online with on-campus requirements plus in-person clinical
Credit Hours: Varies
Clinical Hours: Varies
Tuition: $1040.30 per credit + fees for residents; $1929.42 per credit + fees non-residents
Program Overview:
Wayne State runs the broadest PNP slate in Michigan: BSN to MSN PNP Acute Care and BSN to MSN PNP Primary Care tracks at 47 credits each, plus BSN/MSN to DNP options in both acute and primary care for nurses heading into terminal-degree practice. Detroit Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Michigan anchor the clinical placements, and the urban-research framing makes WSU a natural fit for nurses planning to practice in safety-net or high-acuity pediatric settings. Hybrid delivery keeps most coursework online with periodic Detroit campus intensives.
Michigan Online Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) Programs
MI has a small PNP catalog (5 cards across 4 schools). Most run hybrid since pediatric primary care depends on supervised patient encounters. Spring Arbor offers the most flexible online format. GVSU runs hybrid with clinical immersions. UM Ann Arbor and Wayne State remain primarily campus-based for pediatric specialty training, leveraging Michigan Medicine and Detroit Medical Center pediatric placements.
Best PNP Programs in Michigan
For research-tier pediatric NP training, UM Ann Arbor leads with Michigan Medicine and CS Mott Children’s Hospital clinical placements. Wayne State pairs the program with Detroit Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Michigan. GVSU fits West Michigan applicants with Corewell Health West/Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital placements. Spring Arbor runs the most flexible online option for working pediatric RNs.
Michigan’s Most Affordable PNP Programs
Public-system schools (UM Ann Arbor, Wayne State, GVSU) carry the lowest per-credit tuition for MI residents. Spring Arbor sits in the lower-to-mid private tier. The small PNP catalog means cost variation is narrower than for FNP — non-residents in particular should compare total program cost rather than per-credit alone.