Best Nurse Practitioner Programs in Missouri: 11 Schools Ranked (2026)

A shortage of healthcare providers and concerns with the current healthcare paradigm have given APRNs in Missouri the power to improve the state’s healthcare delivery system. After all, APRNs are qualified and competent professionals who offer cost-effective yet high-quality healthcare services.

Nurses in Missouri, as well as other states, may take advantage of this opportunity by enrolling in any of the following NP programs offered in the state:

Maryville University

Program Overview:
For more than 150 years, Maryville University has been offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in nursing. With its 100% online coursework, students enjoy flexible learning while garnering personalized support from expert faculty members.

Maryville also offers top-notch board preparation, enabling its graduates to enjoy a high first-time pass rate for exams. Its FNP students, for one, have garnered a 91% pass rate in the recent certification exams.

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Missouri Baptist University

Program Overview:
MBU’s School of Nursing is driven by a mission of developing leaders in healthcare. Its curriculum features a liberal arts education foundation that blends with the student’s personal faith, mirroring its status as the only evangelical Christian institution in the state. The school is housed in an 8,000-square-foot facility that includes a simulation lab, state-of-the-art classrooms, and meeting areas.

Nursing Schools Almanac has ranked MBU as the 29th best Nursing School in Missouri.

BSN to MSN: FNP
BSN to MSN: PMHNP (available starting Fall 2025)

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Missouri Valley College

Program Overview:
Driven by its mission of helping students achieve their professional career goals, the School of Nursing & Health Sciences at MVC offers undergraduate and graduate degrees for nurses. Of the 59 nursing schools in the state, the Marshall, MO-based institution is ranked 21st by RNcareers.org.

BSN to MSN: FNP

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Missouri State University

Program Overview:
Located in Springfield, MSU’s School of Nursing aims to promote excellent nursing education through its undergraduate and graduate programs. Both the MSN and DNP programs offer nurse practitioner tracks, with students from the FNP group garnering a 100% passing rate for first-time board certification takers.

RegisteredNursing.org has ranked MSU as one of the top 10 nursing schools in the state of Missouri.

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Rockhurst University

Program Overview:
Rockhurst’s Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences prepares nurses for the road ahead by providing them with liberal arts education-based studies. It has been ranked as the top nursing school in Missouri by Niche, while it has been listed as the 5th best nursing school in the Kansas City Metro area by Nursing School Almanac.

Rockhurst’s online MSN program has been listed as the 97th best in the country by US News & World Report. The school has also maintained a 100% rate for first-time takers of the FNP certification exam.

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Saint Louis University

Program Overview:
Since 1928, the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing at SLU has been providing quality nursing education. In fact, it has been named the top nursing educator for the region by the Saint Louis Magazine. Such acclaim is reflected in its other distinctions, as its MSN program has been recognized as the 67th best in the country by US News & World Report. Its DNP program, meanwhile, has been commended by the same institution as the 97th best in the nation.

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Southeast Missouri State University

Program Overview:
Established in 1958, the SMSU Department of Nursing was the first to offer an MSN program with sophisticated assessment programs and simulation labs in southern Missouri. As of late, the department’s FNP program has garnered a 100% pass rate in the certification exams — a number it has maintained for the past five years.

All of the Cape Girardeau-based school’s graduate and undergraduate programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

BSN to MSN: FNP

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University of Central Missouri

Program Overview:
Accredited by the CCNE since 1968 and approved by the Missouri State Board, UCM is a top online nursing program that has been deemed one of the best by US News & World Report. After all, the school is manned by expert faculty who offer one-on-one instruction to their students. UCM, which is based in Lee’s Summit, MO, also houses a sophisticated skills laboratory that provides students with excellent clinical experiences.

UCM’s FNP students have garnered 100% AANP and ANCC passing rates in the past years.

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University of Missouri

Program Overview:
While UM’s Sinclair School of Nursing was only formally established in 1920 under the School of Medicine, nurses have already been graduating from the program since 1904.

The Columbia, MO-based school’s traditional BSN was launched in 1950, followed by the MSN program in 1968. The PhD program was offered in 1994, while the DNP program opened in 2010. In 2023, the latter was touted as the 35th best in the country by the US News & World Report.

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University of Missouri-Kansas City

Program Overview:
UM’s Kansas City branch has its own School of Nursing and Health Studies, which was the first in the state to offer a DNP degree for already-certified APRNs. Staffed by faculty who are leaders of national boards and organizations, UM-KC has been named by US News & World Report as the 26th best school to offer an online graduate nursing program. From 2012 to 2014, the school has also been named a “Best Value School” by the Princeton Review.

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University of Missouri-St. Louis City

Program Overview:
For more than 40 years, the UMSL College of Nursing has been molding nurses to the tune of 600 undergraduate and graduate students per year. The dynamic college takes pride in its groundbreaking research, clinical partnerships, and many other programs that advance the nursing practice.

UMSL launched its MSN program in 1993, which was replaced by its current DNP program last 2015. The school also offers a DNP with a post-master’s entry option and a PhD program.

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Editorial Process — How we built this page. Program data verified against each school’s official site and CCNE/ACEN accreditation directories. Missouri licensure information sourced directly from the Missouri State Board of Nursing. National wage and projection figures pulled from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Reviewed and last fact-checked on July 17, 2026. See our editorial standards.

Missouri NP Programs at a Glance (2026)

Quick Fact	2026 Detail
Featured Missouri NP Schools	11 institutions (full directory below)
NP Specialty Tracks Covered	FNP, AGNP, PNP, PMHNP, and DNP entry (varies by school)
Practice Authority	Restricted — Missouri NPs require a collaborative practice arrangement with a physician for prescriptive authority
Licensing Board	Missouri State Board of Nursing
Typical Program Length	2–3 years MSN-NP; 3–4 years BSN-to-DNP; 12–24 months post-master’s certificate
Required Clinical Hours	500–750 (MSN); 1,000+ (DNP) — AACN Essentials
Missouri NP Mean Annual Wage	$122,300 (BLS OES, May 2024)
National NP Growth (2023–33)	+46% — BLS Occupational Outlook
Certifying Bodies	AANPCB, ANCC, PNCB

2026 Updates — What Changed for Missouri NPs

BLS wage refresh (May 2024 data) — Missouri NP mean annual wage was $122,300. Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield metros lead the state.
AACN 2025 DNP Position Statement — CCNE-accredited programs continue to align curricula with the 2025 Essentials; DNP-level entry expands.
Missouri-specific update — Missouri remains a restricted-practice state. WashU-affiliated Barnes-Jewish/Goldfarb, Saint Louis University, and Mizzou anchor academic-medical-center DNP preparation. Missouri State (Springfield) and UMKC serve the two other major metros.
WHNP → WHGRNP rebrand — NCC expanded the Women’s Health NP scope to include gender-related care; track currency varies by school.
11 Missouri schools tracked — current CCNE/ACEN NP-track institutions verified.

Educational Routes to Becoming a Nurse Practitioner in Missouri

Five distinct routes appear across Missouri’s NP schools. Each suits a different starting credential and timeline. All five satisfy the Missouri State Board of Nursing APRN-certification requirements when paired with national NP certification.

1. MSN-NP (Most Common Route)

Master of Science in Nursing with an NP specialty track. Designed for working RNs with a BSN. Length: 2 to 3 years full-time or 3 to 4 years part-time; 500 to 750 clinical hours. Missouri MSN-NP options span all 11 on-page schools. Mizzou (Columbia) and UMKC anchor the public flagship pipeline; Saint Louis U, Maryville, and Rockhurst (Kansas City) are top private options.

2. RN-to-MSN Bridge

For ADN-prepared RNs. Adds 12 to 18 months of BSN-level coursework before the master’s begins. In Missouri, Maryville University, Missouri Baptist, and Southeast Missouri State all offer RN-to-MSN bridge pathways. Total time-to-degree typically 3 to 4 years.

3. BSN-to-DNP (Doctoral-Entry NP)

Aligned with the AACN’s 2025 DNP position statement. Combines NP specialty training with doctoral coursework over 3 to 4 years and roughly 1,000 clinical hours. 6 Missouri schools offer a DNP program — see the Missouri DNP programs guide.

4. Post-Master’s Certificate

For nurses who already hold an MSN-NP and want to add a specialty. Length: 12 to 24 months and roughly 500 clinical hours. Missouri post-master’s certificate options include Mizzou, Saint Louis U, and UMKC.

5. Accelerated & Direct-Entry

For career changers with a non-nursing bachelor’s. Accelerated BSN (12 to 16 months) then NP master’s or DNP track. Missouri’s flagship direct-entry options include Goldfarb’s Direct-Entry MSN and Saint Louis U’s ABSN-to-MSN pathway. Total time-to-licensure: typically 4 to 5 years.

Fast & Affordable Missouri NP Programs (Editorial Picks)

These editorial picks balance time-to-degree, total program cost, and accreditation. All are CCNE or ACEN accredited and currently enrolling Missouri residents.

Fastest Missouri NP Programs

Maryville University — Online MSN-FNP: St. Louis-based hybrid with multiple monthly intakes; accelerated track.
Missouri State University — MSN-FNP: Springfield hybrid delivery; 5-semester full-time option.
Rockhurst University — MSN-FNP: Kansas City Jesuit private with accelerated cohorts.
University of Missouri — Post-Master’s NP Certificate: 12 to 18 months for current MSN holders.

Most Affordable Missouri NP Programs

Missouri State University — MSN-FNP: Public MO tuition at one of the lowest per-credit rates in the state.
Southeast Missouri State University — MSN-FNP: Public MO tuition in Cape Girardeau; competitive regional cohort.
University of Central Missouri — MSN-NP: Public MO tuition in Warrensburg; strong regional clinical network.
University of Missouri-Kansas City — MSN-NP: Public UMKC tuition; strong Kansas City clinical pipeline.
University of Missouri — MSN-NP: Public flagship tuition; nationally-ranked Sinclair School of Nursing.

Missouri Schools Offering Popular NP Specialties

The matrix below maps Missouri NP-track schools to the two most-published specialty paths — FNP and DNP entry.

Family NP (FNP)

The most common specialty in Missouri. All 11 schools listed on this page offer an FNP track.

Maryville University
Missouri Baptist University
Missouri Valley College
Missouri State University
Rockhurst University
Saint Louis University
Southeast Missouri State University
University of Central Missouri
University of Missouri
University of Missouri-Kansas City
University of Missouri-St. Louis City

BSN-to-DNP and Post-Master’s DNP Programs in Missouri

6 Missouri schools offer a DNP program. See the dedicated Missouri DNP programs guide.

Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing
Missouri State University-Springfield
University of Missouri-St Louis
University of Missouri-Columbia
A.T. Still University of Health Sciences
Saint Louis University

Nurse Practitioner Programs in Missouri by City & Region

Missouri’s 11 featured NP schools cluster across four regions: St. Louis Metro, Kansas City Metro, Springfield/Southwest MO, and mid-Missouri (Columbia/Warrensburg/Cape Girardeau).