Written By - Bob Litt
Last Updated: June 17, 2026
Best Online Master’s Programs for Nurses

You already know you want a master’s degree. The harder question is which one—and that question looks different for nurses than for almost any other profession.

Unlike most graduate students, nurses face a branching decision tree that extends well beyond choosing a school. Before you compare tuition or format, you need to determine whether you want to become a nurse practitioner, teach the next generation of nurses, lead at the administrative level, move into health informatics, or leave clinical nursing entirely for a master’s in healthcare administration or public health. Each of those paths has different accreditation standards, different clinical hour requirements, different licensure implications, and different career trajectories.

This page is built for that decision. It is not a subject-area ranking of nursing programs—for that, see the OMC guide to online master’s in nursing. Instead, this page starts from your identity as a working nurse and maps outward to every master’s-level option realistically available to you. The 14 programs ranked below span MSN specializations, non-clinical nursing master’s tracks, and one commonly pursued non-nursing degree. Each is evaluated for how well it serves nurses specifically—not graduate students in general.

Every program listed here has been assessed for accreditation standing, clinical placement logistics, schedule flexibility for nurses working full-time shifts, cost relative to career outcome, and specialization depth. Where a program requires in-person clinical hours—and most NP tracks do—that requirement is stated explicitly. No program on this page is described as ‘fully online’ unless it can genuinely be completed without in-person requirements.

How We Evaluate Online Master’s Programs for Nurses

Nursing master’s programs carry evaluation demands that generic graduate program rankings miss entirely. A program can be affordable, flexible, and well-regarded—and still be wrong for you if it requires you to arrange your own clinical preceptor in a state where preceptor slots are scarce. Our evaluation criteria are designed around the real decision landscape nurses face.

  • Accreditation (CCNE or ACEN): We include only programs accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). For nurse practitioner tracks, accreditation directly affects your eligibility to sit for national certification exams. Programs without recognized nursing accreditation are excluded regardless of other strengths. For a broader look at how accreditation works across graduate programs, see the OMC guide to accredited online master’s programs.
  • Clinical Placement Support: NP, CNS, and some nurse educator tracks require hundreds of supervised clinical hours. We evaluate whether the program arranges clinical placements for students, provides placement coordination in multiple states, or requires students to find their own preceptors. This factor alone can determine whether a program is feasible for you.
  • Schedule Flexibility for Working Nurses: Nurses don’t work 9-to-5. We prioritize programs that offer asynchronous coursework, flexible scheduling around 12-hour shifts, and part-time enrollment options that don’t extend timelines unreasonably.
  • Tuition and Value: We compare tuition per credit and total program cost against career outcome data for each specialization. An expensive program that leads to a $125,000 NP salary represents a different value than the same price tag on a nurse educator track with a $75,000 median salary.
  • Specialization Depth and Career Outcomes: We evaluate whether each program provides genuine specialization depth—not just a degree title—and whether graduates are prepared for certification, licensure, and competitive employment in their target role.
  • Certification and Licensure Pass Rates: For NP programs, we consider ANCC and AANP certification exam pass rates where data is available. High pass rates indicate strong program quality; rates significantly below the national average are a red flag.
  • Online Learning Format Quality: We assess whether the online experience is genuinely designed for distance learning—including quality of virtual simulation, faculty accessibility, peer interaction, and technology infrastructure—rather than simply recorded lectures from an on-campus program.

Quick Picks: Best Online Master’s for Nurses by Goal

If you already know your career goal, these quick picks cut straight to the strongest program for each path. Every recommendation below is drawn from the full ranked list in the next section—these are starting points, not the complete picture.

Best for Aspiring Family Nurse Practitioners:


Johns Hopkins University —MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner track. Exceptional clinical training infrastructure, strong preceptor network, and consistently high ANCC/AANP certification pass rates. The tuition is premium, but the career ROI for FNP graduates from Hopkins is among the strongest in the country.

Best for Psychiatric-Mental Health NPs:


University of Alabama —MSN, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. One of the most affordable PMHNP programs from a reputable public university, with a well-established online delivery model and clinical placement support across multiple states.

Best for Nurse Educators:


Indiana University Online —MSN, Nursing Education. Strong faculty credentials, a curriculum designed around evidence-based teaching in clinical and academic settings, and competitive in-state tuition. A solid choice for nurses who want to teach without leaving clinical practice entirely.

Best for Nurse Administrators and Leaders:


George Washington University —MSN, Nursing Leadership and Management. Positioned at the intersection of nursing and health policy, with a program structure that prepares graduates for director-level and C-suite nursing roles.

Best for Nursing Informatics:


University of Central Florida —MSN, Nursing Informatics. A focused informatics curriculum that bridges clinical nursing expertise with health IT systems, data analytics, and electronic health record optimization.

Best Affordable Option for Nurses:


Western Governors University —MSN, multiple tracks. A competency-based, flat-rate tuition model means faster students pay less. Not the strongest choice for NP tracks requiring clinical depth, but excellent value for nurse educators and nurse leaders who need a flexible, affordable path.

Best Non-MSN Master’s for Nurses Pivoting to Administration:


University of Southern California —Master of Health Administration (MHA). For nurses who want to leave clinical practice entirely and move into healthcare operations, strategic planning, or executive leadership, an MHA from a nationally ranked program provides credentials that an MSN in administration may not match in non-clinical hiring contexts.

Best Choice by Nurse Goal

Many nurses don’t start by comparing universities—they start by identifying the career outcome they want. Use the guide below to quickly identify the strongest starting point based on your primary goal, then review the full rankings for additional context and alternatives.

If Your Goal Is…Best ChoiceWhy It Stands Out
Maximize earning potentialUniversity of Alabama — PMHNPPsychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners are among the highest-paid nursing specialists, with strong demand and significant workforce shortages nationwide.
Enter primary care practiceJohns Hopkins University — FNPCombines elite clinical training, extensive placement support, and consistently strong certification outcomes for aspiring primary care providers.
Move into nursing leadershipGeorge Washington University — MSN, Nursing Leadership and ManagementStrong focus on healthcare leadership, policy, systems thinking, and executive decision-making for nurses targeting management roles.
Teach future nursesIndiana University Online — MSN, Nursing EducationPurpose-built curriculum for academic instruction, clinical education, simulation teaching, and nursing faculty development.
Transition into health technologyUniversity of Central Florida — MSN, Nursing InformaticsOne of the strongest dedicated informatics pathways, preparing nurses for EHR, analytics, and health IT leadership roles.
Minimize cost and maximize flexibilityWestern Governors University — MSNCompetency-based format and flat-rate tuition create one of the most affordable graduate pathways available to experienced nurses.
Leave clinical practice for healthcare administrationUniversity of Southern California — Master of Health Administration (MHA)Provides broader healthcare operations, strategy, and executive leadership preparation than most nursing administration degrees.

Bottom Line – The highest-ranked program overall is not necessarily the best choice for every nurse. A future nurse practitioner, nurse educator, informatics specialist, and healthcare executive may all require very different degrees, clinical experiences, and skill sets. Start with the career outcome you want, then evaluate the programs that best support that path.

Ranked: Top Online Master’s Programs for Nurses

The 14 programs below represent the strongest online master’s options available to working nurses in 2026. Rankings reflect our composite evaluation across accreditation, clinical infrastructure, flexibility, cost-to-outcome value, and specialization quality. Programs span MSN specializations, non-clinical nursing master’s tracks, and one non-nursing master’s degree that nurses commonly pursue.

Every program requires different things from you—different clinical hours, different schedules, different financial commitments. Read the entries carefully, because ranking position alone doesn’t tell you which program fits your life. A program ranked lower overall may be the best option for your specific specialization, budget, or geographic situation.

  • Degree: Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
  • Specialization: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
  • Accreditation: CCNE
  • Tuition: ~$1,890/credit
  • Credits: 49
  • Format: Online coursework with required clinical hours (minimum 660 hours)
  • Completion Time: 2–3 years (full-time)
  • Best For: Nurses seeking elite clinical training and the highest certification pass rates
  • Johns Hopkins University consistently produces NP graduates with pass rates above 95%. The clinical placement coordination is robust, and the Hopkins name carries significant weight in competitive NP job markets. The cost is high, but graduates typically command salaries that offset the investment within a few years of practice.

Comparing Online Nursing Master’s Programs

The comparison table below puts all 14 ranked programs side by side across the variables that matter most to working nurses. Use it to narrow your shortlist before diving deeper into individual program research.

A few things to watch for as you scan the table: clinical hours vary enormously—from zero for fully online non-clinical tracks to 660+ for NP programs. Tuition per credit ranges from under $400 to over $2,200, but per-credit cost doesn’t tell the full story when credit requirements also vary. And format descriptions like “online” can mean very different things depending on whether a program requires in-person clinical rotations, immersion weekends, or neither.

UniversityProgram / DegreeSpecialization FocusAccreditationTuition (per credit or total)Credits RequiredClinical Hours RequiredFormatCompletion Time
Johns Hopkins UniversityMSNFNPCCNE~$1,890/credit49Yes (660+ hrs)Online + clinical2–3 years
University of AlabamaMSNPMHNPCCNE~$510/credit47Yes (660+ hrs)Online + clinical2–3 years
University of FloridaMSNFNP, AGACNP, PNPCCNE~$540–$1,100/credit45–52Yes (600–700+ hrs)Online + clinical2–3 years
George Washington UniversityMSNNursing LeadershipCCNE~$1,785/credit36NoFully online2 years
Drexel UniversityMSNFNP, Educator, LeadershipCCNE~$1,080/credit45–60Varies by trackOnline + clinical (NP)2–3 years
Indiana University OnlineMSNNursing EducationCCNE~$490–$680/credit39Optional practicumFully online2 years
Northeastern UniversityMSNFNP, AGPCNPCCNE~$1,025/credit48–51Yes (660+ hrs)Online + immersions + clinical2.5–3 years
University of Central FloridaMSNNursing InformaticsCCNE~$370–$1,140/credit37NoFully online1.5–2 years
Grand Canyon UniversityMSNEducation, Leadership, FNPCCNE~$615/credit36–52Varies by trackOnline + clinical (FNP)2–2.5 years
Western Governors UniversityMSNEducation, LeadershipCCNE, ACEN~$4,795/6-mo. termCompetency-basedNoFully online12–24 months
Florida International UniversityMSNAGACNP, FNPCCNE~$490–$830/credit48–50Yes (660+ hrs)Online + clinical2–3 years
University of Southern CaliforniaMHAHealthcare AdministrationCAHME~$2,225/credit48NoFully online2–2.5 years
Drexel University (Part-Time FNP)MSNFNPCCNE~$1,080/credit57Yes (660+ hrs)Online + clinical3–4 years
Nova Southeastern UniversityMSNNursing EducationCCNE~$780/credit39NoFully online2 years

What the patterns reveal: The most affordable programs on this list are non-clinical tracks—nurse education, leadership, and informatics—where the absence of clinical hour requirements means the program can be genuinely completed online from anywhere, often at a lower total cost. NP tracks cluster in the $40,000–$90,000 total range and always require 600+ clinical hours, regardless of how the coursework is delivered. The outlier is Western Governors University, where the competency-based model decouples cost from time—but only for non-NP tracks. Nurses interested in cost comparisons across programs and disciplines can estimate their total investment using the OMC graduate school cost calculator.

Which Nursing Master’s Specialization Is Right for You?

Choosing a program matters less than choosing the right specialization—because the specialization determines everything downstream: your clinical requirements, your licensure pathway, your salary ceiling, and the kind of work you’ll do every day. The six categories below cover the major paths available to nurses at the master’s level, including the increasingly common option of pursuing a non-nursing master’s degree entirely.

Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)

The FNP track is the most popular MSN specialization for a reason: it offers the broadest scope of practice among NP roles, allowing graduates to provide primary care across the lifespan—pediatric through geriatric—in outpatient clinics, urgent care settings, private practice, and community health centers.

What it prepares you for: Independent or semi-independent primary care practice (scope varies by state), diagnosing and treating common acute and chronic conditions, prescribing medications, ordering and interpreting diagnostics, and managing patient panels.

Career outcomes and salary: Median salary for FNPs ranges from $115,000 to $130,000, depending on setting, geography, and experience. FNPs in full-practice-authority states often earn more than those in restricted-practice states because they can operate independent practices.

Clinical requirements: 660+ supervised clinical hours are standard. This is the non-negotiable: no FNP program can be completed without in-person clinical rotations. Some programs arrange placements; others require you to find your own preceptor.

Best for: BSN-prepared nurses with clinical experience who want to advance into a provider role with diagnostic and prescriptive authority, particularly those interested in primary care or underserved community settings.

Consider alternatives if: You’re drawn to a single patient population (consider AGPCNP or PNP), you want to avoid clinical hours entirely (consider education or leadership tracks), or you plan to pursue a DNP eventually and would prefer a direct-entry DNP program over an MSN-to-DNP bridge.

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)

PMHNP is the fastest-growing NP specialization in the country, driven by a severe national shortage of mental health providers. PMHNPs diagnose and treat psychiatric conditions across the lifespan, prescribe psychotropic medications, and provide therapy in many practice settings.

What it prepares you for: Psychiatric assessment and diagnosis, medication management for conditions including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and substance use disorders. PMHNPs practice in outpatient mental health clinics, hospitals, correctional facilities, community health centers, and, increasingly, in telehealth-only practices.

Career outcomes and salary: Median salary for PMHNPs ranges from $125,000 to $145,000, with some telehealth-based PMHNPs earning above $160,000 in high-demand markets. Job growth is projected at 40%+ through 2032 according to BLS data for NP roles, with mental health NPs facing the most acute demand.

Clinical requirements: 660+ supervised clinical hours in psychiatric settings. Clinical placements in psychiatric settings can be harder to secure than primary care placements—this is an important factor when evaluating programs.

Best for: Nurses with an interest in mental health who want high earning potential, strong job security, and flexibility in practice setting—particularly those drawn to telehealth-based practices.

Consider alternatives if: You have limited access to psychiatric clinical sites in your area and are considering programs that don’t provide placement assistance, or if you’re uncomfortable with the heavy emphasis on pharmacological intervention that defines much of PMHNP practice.

Nurse Educator

The nurse educator track prepares nurses to teach in academic nursing programs, clinical education settings, staff development departments, and continuing education organizations. It is one of the few MSN specializations that does not require traditional clinical patient care hours, making it feasible as a fully online degree for most programs.

What it prepares you for: Curriculum design, classroom and clinical teaching, simulation-based instruction, student assessment, and educational program administration. Graduates work as nursing faculty, clinical educators in hospitals, and staff development coordinators.

Career outcomes and salary: Median salary ranges from $70,000 to $85,000 for academic nurse educators, with clinical education roles in hospital systems sometimes exceeding $90,000. The national nursing faculty shortage means qualified educators are in consistent demand—but salaries lag significantly behind NP roles.

Clinical requirements: Most educator tracks require a teaching practicum rather than clinical patient care hours. This means observing and leading instruction in academic or clinical education settings, not providing direct patient care.

Best for: Nurses who find more fulfillment in teaching and mentoring than in direct patient care, particularly those interested in academic careers or training the next generation of nurses during a severe faculty shortage.

Consider alternatives if: Your primary motivation is salary maximization (NP tracks pay significantly more), or you want a terminal degree, in which case a direct entry EdD or PhD in Nursing may be more efficient than an MSN in education followed by a doctorate.

Nurse Administrator / Nurse Executive

The nurse administrator or nurse executive track prepares experienced nurses for leadership and management roles in healthcare organizations—director of nursing, chief nursing officer, vice president of patient services, and similar executive positions.

What it prepares you for: Healthcare operations management, budgeting and resource allocation, staffing models, quality improvement, regulatory compliance, strategic planning, and organizational leadership within nursing departments and healthcare systems.

Career outcomes and salary: Nurse managers and administrators earn median salaries between $95,000 and $130,000, with CNOs and VPs in large health systems earning $150,000+. Career trajectory depends heavily on the size and complexity of the organization.

Clinical requirements: None. Leadership tracks are non-clinical and can be completed fully online.

Best for: Experienced nurses—typically with 5+ years of clinical and charge nurse or unit management experience—who want to move into formal leadership roles without becoming a provider.

Consider alternatives if: You want your master’s credential to carry weight outside of nursing, specifically. An MHA or MBA in Healthcare Management may be more versatile if your goal is C-suite leadership across healthcare operations rather than nursing-specific administration. The OMC ranking of online healthcare administration programs covers this path in depth.

Nursing Informatics

Nursing informatics sits at the intersection of clinical nursing knowledge and health information technology. Informaticists design, implement, and optimize the electronic health record systems, clinical decision support tools, and data analytics platforms that nurses and other providers use daily.

What it prepares you for: EHR implementation and optimization, clinical workflow redesign, health data analytics, quality measurement, patient safety informatics, and vendor evaluation. Informaticists work in hospitals, health systems, EHR companies, consulting firms, and government agencies.

Career outcomes and salary: Median salary ranges from $90,000 to $115,000, with senior informatics officers in large health systems earning $130,000+. Demand is growing as health systems invest in digital transformation and data interoperability.

Clinical requirements: None. Informatics is a non-clinical specialization. Some programs offer optional practicums in health IT settings.

Best for: Nurses who are interested in technology, systems thinking, and data, and who want to improve nursing practice at a systems level rather than a patient level.

Consider alternatives if: You want to write code or build software (a health informatics MS from a computer science or information science program would be more appropriate), or you want direct patient care in your future work.

Non-Nursing Master’s Options for Nurses

Not every nurse needs an MSN. Depending on your career goals, a master’s degree in a non-nursing discipline may be the stronger credential—and for some career paths, it may be the required one.

Master of Health Administration (MHA): The most common non-nursing master’s for nurses who want to move into healthcare executive leadership. An MHA covers finance, operations, strategic planning, and organizational management at a level that MSN leadership tracks typically don’t reach. If your goal is to become a COO, CEO, or VP of Operations in a health system—not a CNO—an MHA is often the better credential. See the OMC guide to online MHA programs.

Master of Public Health (MPH): For nurses moving into population health, epidemiology, community health program management, or health policy. An MPH reframes your nursing experience through a public health lens and qualifies you for roles in government agencies, NGOs, and health system community benefit programs. Explore options in the OMC guide to online MPH programs.

MBA with Healthcare Concentration: Less common for nurses than MHA or MPH but relevant for those targeting the business side of healthcare—consulting, startup leadership, pharmaceutical management, or insurance operations.

When a non-MSN master’s makes sense: You’ve decided to leave clinical practice permanently; your target role doesn’t require an MSN or nursing credential; and the non-nursing degree provides a skill set your MSN wouldn’t cover (finance, epidemiology, operations research). If you’re unsure, the tradeoff section below addresses this decision directly.

What to Look for in an Online Nursing Master’s Program

Once you’ve chosen a specialization, the program evaluation starts in earnest. The criteria below are specific to nursing master’s programs and reflect the factors that most often determine whether a program works for a nurse or creates avoidable friction.

  • Accreditation: CCNE vs. ACEN —Both are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and both satisfy employer and licensure requirements. CCNE accreditation is more common among research universities and is required by some large health systems for NP hiring. ACEN accreditation is more common among community colleges and smaller programs but extends to MSN-level programs as well. For NP tracks, confirm that the program’s accreditation meets the requirements of your target certification body (ANCC or AANP) and your state board of nursing.
  • Clinical Placement Logistics —This is where online nursing programs diverge most sharply from each other. Some programs have dedicated clinical placement teams that arrange preceptor matches in your geographic area. Others require you to identify your own preceptor, secure a signed agreement, and confirm the site meets program standards—a process that can take months and isn’t guaranteed to succeed. Ask programs directly: do you arrange clinical placements, or do I? In how many states do you have established clinical partnerships?
  • Preceptor Requirements —Even within programs that coordinate placements, you may be responsible for identifying backup preceptors or traveling to reach an available site. Ask about the average distance students travel for clinical rotations and whether any rotations require relocation.
  • State Authorization and Licensure Portability —If you’re pursuing an NP track, your MSN program must be authorized to provide clinical education in your state. Beyond that, NP licensure is state-specific: the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) covers RN licenses but does not automatically extend to APRN licensure. Verify that your program’s graduates are eligible for licensure in the state where you plan to practice—not just where the university is located.
  • Program Format: Synchronous vs. Asynchronous —Asynchronous coursework allows you to study around your shift schedule. Synchronous sessions require real-time attendance, which may conflict with 12-hour shifts. Some programs mix both. Clarify the balance before enrolling.
  • Cohort vs. Self-Paced Models —Cohort models offer built-in peer support and structured progression, but less scheduling flexibility. Self-paced and competency-based models (like WGU) offer maximum flexibility but require strong self-direction.
  • Certification Pass Rates —For NP programs, ask for ANCC and AANP first-time pass rates. Programs with rates above 90% indicate strong curriculum alignment with certification standards. Rates below 80% warrant serious scrutiny. Not all programs publish this data voluntarily—but accredited programs are required to track it.
  • Employer Tuition Assistance Compatibility —Many hospitals and health systems offer tuition reimbursement for nursing degrees, but the terms vary: some reimburse only CCNE-accredited programs, some cap reimbursement at public university rates, and some require a commitment to continue employment for a specified period post-graduation. Confirm that your target program qualifies under your employer’s tuition assistance policy before enrolling.

Common Tradeoffs: What Nurses Should Know Before Choosing

Every program decision involves tradeoffs. The ones below are the tradeoffs nurses most commonly underestimate—and the ones most likely to cause regret if ignored.

Cost vs. Clinical Quality: The cheapest NP programs aren’t always the best value. A $35,000 program that leaves you to arrange your own clinical placements—and then places you with a preceptor who provides minimal supervision—may cost you more in the long run than a $70,000 program with a structured clinical experience that produces confident, competent graduates. Total cost matters, but cost per unit of clinical training quality matters more for NP tracks.

Fully Online vs. Hybrid (and What ‘Online’ Really Means): Every NP program requires in-person clinical hours—typically 660 or more. When a program markets itself as ‘online,’ it means the didactic coursework is online, not the clinical component. Non-clinical tracks (education, leadership, informatics) can be genuinely fully online. Don’t choose an NP program based on an ‘online’ label without understanding the clinical hour commitment. For programs where speed matters, OMC’s ranking of the fastest online master’s programs may help you calibrate timeline expectations across disciplines.

Accelerated vs. Standard Pace for Working Nurses: Accelerated NP programs (18–24 months) require near-full-time commitment—typically incompatible with full-time nursing shifts. Standard-pace and part-time tracks (2.5–4 years) are more realistic for working nurses but cost more in total tuition over time. Honest self-assessment of your available study hours per week matters more than the program’s marketed timeline.

MSN vs. DNP: Should You Skip the MSN? —An increasing number of programs now offer BSN-to-DNP pathways, allowing nurses to bypass the MSN and earn a terminal practice doctorate directly. If you plan to pursue a DNP eventually, a BSN-to-DNP program may save you a year of coursework and potentially $15,000–$30,000 compared to earning an MSN and then returning for a DNP bridge. However, BSN-to-DNP programs are longer (3–4 years), and if you withdraw before completing the DNP, some programs award an MSN at the exit point, while others don’t. Clarify the exit options before committing.

Prestigious vs. Affordable Programs: A Johns Hopkins MSN opens doors that a WGU MSN may not—but the reverse is also true in a different way. If you’re planning to practice in a state with full practice authority, your clinical skills and certification matter far more than your school’s name. If you’re targeting academic medical centers, competitive fellowships, or faculty positions at research universities, institutional reputation carries more weight. Match the prestige investment to your actual career target.

NP Certification Pass Rates: Programs with high ANCC/AANP pass rates are directly measurable indicators of quality. A program with a 98% pass rate is giving you something different from a program with an 82% rate. But low-pass-rate programs are sometimes newer programs with small cohorts whose rates haven’t stabilized. Ask for multi-year pass rate data, not just the most recent year.

State Licensure and Compact State Considerations: NP licensure is state-specific and not covered by the RN Nurse Licensure Compact. If you earn your MSN from a program in one state and plan to practice in another, confirm that your degree and certification transfer. Some states require additional supervised practice hours, additional exams, or specific accreditation from the granting program. This matters especially for nurses who expect to relocate or work across state lines via telehealth.

Frequently Asked Questions About Online Master’s for Nurses

It depends entirely on your specialization. Non-clinical MSN tracks—nursing education, nursing leadership, and nursing informatics—can typically be completed fully online with no in-person requirements. NP tracks (FNP, PMHNP, AGACNP, and others) always require in-person supervised clinical hours, usually 660 or more. The didactic coursework for NP programs is delivered online, but the clinical component is not optional and cannot be completed virtually. When evaluating programs, look beyond the ‘online’ label and ask specifically about clinical hour requirements for your chosen track.