Master's Degree
MSN-AGACNP Online Program
Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP
Master's Degree
MSN-AGACNP Online Program
Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP
Earn the MSN degree you need to become an Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Accreditation | CCNE accredited,1 Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission |
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Clinicals | 585 clinical hours—we pledge your clinical placement |
Format | 100% online classes |
Certification | Prepare for the certification exam from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) |
QuickPaths | 6 start dates with no wait list! Transfer credit, stackable credentials, and adaptive learning technology build a faster pathway to a higher education with Herzing University |
Overview: Online MSN-AGACNP Program (BSN to MSN)
The Master of Science in Nursing in Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner degree is a 48-credit graduate program (BSN to MSN) which prepares you for a career as an AGACNP. The online degree program provides students with fundamental knowledge and skills in health policy and management, nursing informatics in advanced practice, pathophysiology, pharmacology, specialty procedures and skills for acute care, and much more.
Career-focused curriculum
Discover the crucial knowledge and skills required to succeed in your work and build a foundation for continued career growth.
Flexible schedule
We work hard to help you maintain school-life balance, striving to be as flexible as possible for busy non-traditional students.
Virtual services
Access to extensive virtual services, including academic advising, tutoring, support services, technical support and library services.
Lifelong support
We support your ongoing career advancement by providing comprehensive, personalized student services with lifelong career coaching.
Rolling admissions
No application deadlines to worry about. Apply when you’re ready and prepare to get started soon.
Classes Start May 6th
Learn More Today
Your clinical placement is our pledge.
We understand securing clinical placement as part of an AGACNP program is one of the biggest concerns students face. At Herzing, we offer guidance and support through our step-by-step Clinical Guidance Process to ensure you can get the clinical practice experiences you need.
As a Herzing student, we’ll encourage you to find your own preceptor and clinical sites as there are many benefits to doing so. However, we provide extensive support should you find difficulty along the way. With Herzing, you are never on your own.
Because of our strong relationships with healthcare providers across the U.S. and our comprehensive Clinical Guidance Process, we are confident in our ability to help you find clinical placement. So much so that if you are unable to find a clinical site on your own, we pledge to step in and help you secure clinical placement.*
* Subject to terms and conditions outlined in the enrollment documents.
AGACNP program classes & curriculum details
Our MSN AGACNP program is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills to apply for certification as an Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. The curriculum consists of core graduate courses, specialty courses, and clinical courses.
All classes are delivered online with 585 total clinical hours.
Program | Monthsi | Credits |
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Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (MSNAGACNP) | 24 | 48 |
i. Average number of months for students to complete program. Program availability varies by location.
Required Core Courses
All courses, 15.00 semester credit hours, are required.
Required Direct Care Core Courses
All courses, 9.00 semester credit hours, are required
*Students in the AG AC NP program must take NU 610 and NU 664 in the same semester.
Required Specialty Courses
All courses, 24.00 semester credit hours, are required.
Clinical Proficiency Exam
The following courses are 0.00 semester credit hours associated with the policy outlined above. Students are required to take as co-requisite courses along with NU 611, NU 664, or NU 671, depending on the program of study. NSG 0600 - Clinical Proficiency Exam Semester Credit Hours: 0.00 NSG 0600R - Clinical Proficiency Remediation Course (if needed) Semester Credit Hours: 0.00
Tuition & Cost
Tuition & Cost
The cost of tuition for the MSN-AGACNP program is $735 per credit.
You can potentially earn even greater savings by transferring credit from prior college coursework, applying for financial aid, or potential partnership opportunities through your employer.
Our goal is your career advancement. That’s why we are always working to improve our curriculum and processes to make our program as affordable as possible while preparing you best for success in your work.
You may be eligible for multiple scholarships and grants—including our Nurses Circle of Achievement scholarship, which offers up to 10% tuition reduction.
Veterans, Active Duty U.S. Servicemembers, and spouses may qualify for a 10% tuition discount or tuition reduction to $250 per credit.
AGACNP program enrollment requirements
To enroll in Herzing’s online Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program, prospective students must live in a state where Herzing University is authorized to offer the MSN AGACNP program, and:
- Hold a current, active and unrestricted license as a registered nurse (RN) in the same state in which they live. (Note: Holding a multi-state, compact state license and being a resident in a compact license state will be deemed to have met this requirement.)
- Hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from an accredited university or college with an overall minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Eligible states for enrollment: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District Of Columbia.
Classes Start May 6th
Waived Enrollment FeeCareer possibilities as an AGACNP
Graduate with an MSN-AGACNP and you’ll be prepared to join a career field expected to grow rapidly over the next 10 years.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of nurse practitioners is expected to rise 45% from 2022-2032. Combined with the upcoming demographic change in the U.S. heavily favoring the older population, the healthcare need for adult and geriatric patients is expected to quickly increase.
Expect the knowledge and skills of an AG acute care nurse practitioner to be in heavy demand in the recent future. Now represents an excellent opportunity to begin earning the degree required to walk this high-demand career path.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nurse practitioner represents an advanced practice role in nursing—it’s not an easy job, and our goal is to prepare you best for success! We strive to keep coursework manageable, but provide you with the knowledge, skills, and valuable clinical experiences to succeed as a nurse practitioner.
Our goal is to help you balance the challenge of an NP curriculum with everything else in your life, including your work, family and friends. You can take courses at the right pace for you, so you can get the most out of going back to school and be ready to practice as a nurse practitioner.
Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners provide care to adults and older adults with complex conditions in acute care and hospital settings. AGACNPs work with patients who are acutely ill, exhibit chronic medical conditions, or highly vulnerable to complications.
Job responsibilities include providing complex monitoring, stabilizing patients, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests, and developing complex treatment plans.
The scope of practice for AGACNPs can vary by state, but there are several core competencies relevant to all employed AGACNPs.
According to the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), key aspects of the acute care NP role include:
- Gathering patient histories
- Performing physical examinations and screenings
- Diagnosing and managing patients with acute, critical or complex illnesses/injuries
- Prescribing medications and advanced therapeutic intervention
- Ordering, performing and interpreting diagnostic studies
- Providing health promotion, education and counseling
- Collaborating with other medical professionals as a team
You can find a full description of the ACNP scope of practice in the “AACN Scope and Standards for Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Practice 2017,” available through the AACN website.
Here’s a selection of the most common types of nurse practitioners:
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
- Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (AGNP)
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
- Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP)
Note: Herzing does not offer a track in Women's Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP).
Each specialty has its own unique requirements in terms of job experience and certification.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurse practitioners earn an average salary of $124,680 per year ($59.94 per hour). Pay depends on many factors, including your location, what healthcare institution you work for and your level of experience.*
Discover the average nurse practitioner salary by state and find out what nurse practitioners make on average near you.
Sometimes hospitals form partnerships with schools like ours to provide employees with unique benefits should they choose to pursue an advanced nursing degree.
Employees of Herzing partners can potentially earn college credit for prior work or military experience, transfer existing credit, or earn a scholarship to make going back to school more affordable.
If you are currently an RN considering becoming a nurse practitioner, view our educational partnerships or check with your employer for potential possibilities.
Acute care and primary care are very different disciplines. As an acute care NP, you’ll be working in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Emergency Room (ER), urgent care or other outpatient environment, which demands a very different set of skills and knowledge than a primary care NP in clinics or other inpatient facilities.
Providing preventive care and taking a long-term approach to patient health is another discipline requiring unique training and certification.
The Herzing Post Master’s Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program is designed for MSN holders, including current AGACNPs, who are interested in pursuing a future job as a primary care AGNP.
There are two primary differences between a Family Nurse Practitioner and an Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner:
- Types of patients. FNPs work with patients across the patient lifespan, including children under the age of 13. As adult gerontology NPs, AGACNPs care for only adults ages 13 and above.
- Types of care. FNPs typically work in clinics, doctor’s offices, and other outpatient settings—and are not formally trained in acute and emergency care. Acute care NPs work in ICUs, hospitals and other inpatient settings to care for patients with trauma and more severe health issues.
If you have more interest in developing long-term relationships with patients, concerned more with preventative health, and love to work with children, FNP may be the best nurse practitioner career path for you.
We offer multiple options for current nurses of all types, including pathways for ASN/ADN, BSN, and MSN degree holders.
View our available online Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner programs.
While there are some similarities between the two main types of adult gerontology nurse practitioners, these are the biggest differences between primary care NPs and acute care NPs:
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Choose your NP pathway
Considering all of your options for nurse practitioner specialties?
Herzing University offers multiple nurse practitioner programs for current nurses holding an associate, bachelor's, or master's degree in nursing.
Our goal is to help you walk your career path no matter where you are, or where you want to go.
Explore Herzing NP programsAccreditation & Disclosures
1. The master's degree program in nursing at Herzing University - Madison is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org). Herzing University is approved to offer programs in an online learning modality through association with the main campus in Madison, Wisconsin.
Herzing University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
* Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2022. BLS estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geography market in which you want to work and degree field, will affect career outcomes and earnings. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the average salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, salary increase or other career growth.