Nurse Practitioner Programs in Texas
(found programs from 20 schools)

The population of Texas is growing at a far faster rate than the rest of the United States. Since 2000, the state has gained almost 5,000,000 residents! The state's burgeoning population has intensified the need for primary healthcare services. Nurse practitioners seem poised to fill the void. Between 2000 and 2009, the supply ratio of nurse practitioners to residents increased over 89 percent. Still, Texas lags the rest of the nation in the number of nurse practitioners to residents. Although the state has more than 8000 nurse practitioners, the state had just 23.1 NPs per 100,000 residents in 2009. There's plenty of room for more!

Texas nurse practitioners earn between $76,000 and $89,000 annually, with NPs in rural areas earning less than NPs in large urban areas, such as Dallas. All Texas NPs are required to have a collaborative practice agreement with a physician.

Nurses who want to advance their education and become nurse practitioners can attend an online school, such as Georgetown University, or one of these Texas institutions:

• Angelo State University. Students can pursue a Master's-level Family Nurse Practitioner program, or an Acute Nurse Practitioner, Geriatric Nurse Practitioner, or Pediatric Nurse Practitioner version through a collaborative program with Texas Tech. Most coursework is available online.
• Texas A&M International University. Texas A&M International, located in Laredo, offers a Master's-level Family Nurse Practitioner program.
• The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. UT Health offers a Master's-level Family Nurse Practitioner program, as well as Acute Care and Adult/Gerontology NP tracks. The school also has a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. By 2015, a DNP will be the minimal degree for entry into practice as a nurse practitioner.

Accredited schools with NP programs in Texas: