MSN & RN-MSN Programs in Arkansas
Looking at graduate nursing programs in Arkansas? You'll find 9 schools offering MSN and RN-to-MSN programs; mostly clustered at public universities around cities like: Little Rock, Conway, and a few other cities across the state. These programs cover everything from nurse practitioner training to educator and administrative leadership tracks.
For the widest selection of advanced practice tracks, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock really stands out. They're running Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP, Family NP, Psychiatric-Mental Health NP, and they're launching a brand new Nurse-Midwifery track for fall 2026. All of these tracks share the same deadline - March 1, 2026 if you want to start in August. What's nice is they've dropped the GRE and MAT requirement for their MNSc programs. You'll need at least a 2.85 GPA for regular admission, though they'll consider applicants down to 2.5 on a conditional basis. Cost-wise, they're charging $525 per credit hour for Arkansas residents and $888 for out-of-state students during the 2025-2026 academic year, plus you'll have some additional institutional fees on top.
If you prefer online learning and need more time to get your application together, University of Central Arkansas might be a better fit. They're opening their Fall 2026 MSN applications on January 5, 2026 and giving you until June 15, 2026 to submit - that's significantly more breathing room than UAMS. Their FNP track requires 46 credits while the Nurse Educator path needs 39 credits. GPA requirements sit at either 2.70 overall or 3.00 on your most recent 60 credit hours. For their designated online graduate students, they charge a flat $363 per credit hour (though you'll add nursing-specific fees on top - a $5 lab fee and a $14 health and behavioral sciences fee per credit)
One important thing about practicing in Arkansas after graduation: the state uses what's called a transition pathway. When you first finish your NP program, you'll practice and prescribe under a collaborative practice agreement with a physician. Once you've logged 6,240 hours working under that agreement, you become eligible to apply for full independent practice authority. Keep that timeline in mind as you're planning your career trajectory. Use the directory below to compare all nine schools based on which tracks they offer, their deadlines, whether they're online or on-campus, and what the total cost looks like.
Where possible, we include NCLEX pass rates data for each campus. The average pass rates are calculated using the last 3 years of data. The average scores are then used in our annual RN/PN rankings. You can read more about it here. You can also view this year's rankings for Arkansas here.
Arkansas Tech University
Accreditations
Programs Offered
NCLEX Stats
- NCLEX-RN pass rate
- 97.2%
- RN test takers per year
- 63
- RN rank (2025)
- #1
The Arkansas Tech University Master of Science in Nursing utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach which integrates a range of nursing administration principles for students engaged in specializations related to emergency management administration in a range of health care settings.
The core curriculum for the MSN program includes 27 semester hours of coursework in research design and methods, epidemiology, legal and ethical issues, nurse administration, health care trends, theoretical perspectives, principles of hazards and design and management of preparedness in mitigation systems, emergency management, and research project.
Students in the nursing administration and in the emergency management specialty options will complete an additional 12 semester credit hours.
Admission Requirements:
- Meet admission requirements for Graduate College
- Bachelor of Science Degree in nursing from a CCNE or NLNAC accredited program
- Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.0
- Current, valid and unencumbered License to practice as a Registered Nurse
- GRE or MAT Test scores
- Successfully complete a basic statistics course
- Approval from the program admission committee
Applicants who don’t meet all the above requirements may be accepted into the program on a conditional basis by the admissions committee to earn a maximum of 12 graduate credits hours with a CGPA of 3.0 at which point the condition will be removed.
Harding University
Accreditations
Programs Offered
NCLEX Stats
- NCLEX-RN pass rate
- 98.1%
- RN test takers per year
- 31
- RN rank (2025)
- #1
University of Arkansas at Monticello
Accreditations
Programs Offered
NCLEX Stats
- NCLEX-RN pass rate
- 92.6%
- RN test takers per year
- 12
- RN rank (2025)
- #4
- NCLEX-PN pass rate
- 100.0%
- PN test takers (avg)
- 12
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Accreditations
Programs Offered
NCLEX Stats
- NCLEX-RN pass rate
- 92.1%
- RN test takers per year
- 99
- RN rank (2025)
- #4
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Master of Science in Nursing, program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
The MSN program trains students for advanced nursing practice as well as offering an entry for doctoral study. The curriculum prepares students to be eligible for certification from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
The MSN program will take approximately two years of full time study or up to six years of part time study. Most students complete the program in an average of three to three and a half years.
The core courses and some of the specialty courses in the different tracks are offered in an online format in modalities to facilitate the enrollment of students at a distance. A day of onsite orientation is required and some courses are only offered in the traditional classroom format but interactive video system are available the nearest AHEC.
Admission Requirements:
- A Bachelor of Science Degree from an accredited nursing program
- Official Transcripts
- Miller’s Analogy Test or the GRE (taken in the last five years)
- Co-acceptance in one of the specialty programs is required
The general application deadline for admission to graduate program is the 1st of September for admission in the Spring semester and the 1st of April for admission in the fall.
University of Arkansas
Accreditations
Programs Offered
NCLEX Stats
- NCLEX-RN pass rate
- 88.4%
- RN test takers per year
- 255
- RN rank (2025)
- #7
The University of Arkansas Master of Science in Nursing, program is an online program offered through the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. The program offers specialization in Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist and Nurse Educator.
The program including 500 hours of supervised clinical practice can be completed in 2 years and a summer semester of full time study. Part time students may take up to six consecutive calendar years from the first semester of enrollment in the program.
The program prepares students to promote evidence based practice to prepare for advanced roles as teachers, practitioners, managers, consultants and researchers.
Admission Requirements
- University of Arkansas Graduate School admission
- Baccalaureate degree in nursing from an CCNE or NLNAC accredited college or university
- Current, valid and unencumbered license to practice as a Registered Nurse
- Complete a basic health assessment course
- A minimum of a ‘C’ score on a basic statistics course
- Basic skills with library and computer technology
Applicants for the program will be accepted on the basis of the availability of space. The application deadline for admission in the fall semester is the 15th of July the deadline for admission in the spring semester is the 15th of October and the 15th of March for admission in the summer.
University of Central Arkansas
Accreditations
Programs Offered
NCLEX Stats
- NCLEX-RN pass rate
- 87.8%
- RN test takers per year
- 117
- RN rank (2025)
- #7
The University of Central Arkansas Master of Science Program is an online program designed to prepare students to provide expert care in a range of health care settings and to function as leaders and management professionals.
The Adult Nurse Practitioner track is intended for students seeking to specialize as nurse practitioners in the area of adult health. The Family Nurse Practitioner is designed to for advanced practitioners to manage acute, chronic and episodic illness across the life span. The Nurse Educator track is designed for those who pursuing roles in higher education, staff education and patient education with a clinical specialties. The Clinical Nurse Leader option is designed to prepare graduates to work within a healthcare system.
Admission Requirements:
- Bachelor of Science Degree in nursing from an NLNAC or CCNE accredited program
- Minimum grade point of average of 2.7 on the last 60 hours of credit earned at the undergraduate or graduate level
- Minimum of a ‘C’ grade or higher on a basic statistics course
- Meet all requirements for admission to the graduate school
- Application form
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
- GRE Test scores
- Current, valid and unencumbered license to practice as a Registered Nurse
- Criminal background check
- Three professional recommendations
- Proof of work experience as a registered nurse
- Personal Statement
Admission to the MSN program is a competitive program with all applications components considered.
Henderson State University
Accreditations
Programs Offered
NCLEX Stats
- NCLEX-RN pass rate
- 87.5%
- RN test takers per year
- 28
- RN rank (2025)
- #8
Arkansas State University
Accreditations
Programs Offered
NCLEX Stats
- NCLEX-RN pass rate
- 79.4%
- RN test takers per year
- 99
The Arkansas State University, Masters of Science in Nursing is designed to prepare students with the complex practical and theoretical skills required for advanced nursing and leadership roles. The MSN program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.
The University offers specialties in Adult Health Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Anesthesia, Clinical Specialist, Educator, Administration and Family Nurse Practitioner.
The Adult Health Nursing track consists of core and support courses including 540 hours of clinical course work (420 hours for nurse educators) to prepare students for advance practice as a Clinical Nurse Specialist or Nurse Educator. Students can enroll on a full time and part time basis with most courses offered online and through interactive video network.
The Family Nurse Practitioner program is a 45 credit hours program consisting of theoretical and clinical courses to prepare for advanced practice. A majority of core and support courses are offered online and students can enroll full time or part time. The Nurse Anesthesia track is an 85 credit program that can be completed in 28 months of full time study.
Graduates from all tracks are eligible to sit for the national certification examination administered by the National Board on Certification and Rece-rtification of Nurse Anesthetists.
Admissions Requirements
- A Bachelor of Science Degree from an accredited college or university
- Meet admission requirements for the graduate school
- Current and unencumbered license as a Registered Nurse
- Meet requirements for standardized tests and grade point average
The deadline for application for admission for the fall is the 1st of February for FNP program spring admission for the Adult Health Nursing track is the 15th of October and April 15th for admission in the fall for the same program.
General admission deadlines fall on the 15th of April for Spring admission and the 15th of September for admission unless otherwise specified.
