Florida Atlantic University offers three Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner pathways through the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing:
- MSN
- BSN to DNP
- Post-Graduate Certificate
None of the three is an online program. All are hybrid, all require Florida RN licensure, and all place clinicals inside a fixed set of Florida counties.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (Resident) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN | $21,435 | ~2.5 years (8 semesters, part-time) | 52 |
| BSN to DNP | $28,630 | ~3.5 years (11 semesters, full-time) | 77 |
| Post-Graduate Certificate | Not published | Varies by gap analysis | Varies |
Tuition estimates multiply FAU’s 2026–2027 graduate rate ($371.82/credit resident, $1,125.06/credit non-resident) by the catalog credit total, plus the $150-per-credit lab and practicum fee on the courses FAU itemizes.
- Why choose it: FAU assigns every clinical placement and preceptor, and students are not permitted to arrange their own.
- Trade-off: Placements are limited to South Florida and Treasure Coast counties, classes meet in person on Thursdays, and a Florida RN license is required.
Quick Facts
| Program Types | MSN, BSN to DNP, Post-Graduate Certificate |
| Format | Hybrid. Core courses available online; NP courses meet in person |
| Campus Options | Boca Raton, Davie, Harbor Branch (transitioning to Jupiter) |
| Campus Attendance | NP courses meet Thursdays, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. window. Some DNP courses meet one weekend day per month |
| Clinical Hours | 780 minimum (MSN); 1,000 total including 780 NP practicum hours (DNP) |
| Clinical Placement | Arranged by FAU. Students may not secure their own sites or preceptors |
| Clinical Locations | Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Martin (Boca Raton / Davie); Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Brevard, Orange (Harbor Branch / Jupiter) |
| Population Focus | Adolescents through older adults |
| Licensure Required | Florida RN license, or compact license that includes Florida |
| Start Terms | MSN: fall only. DNP: summer only. Certificate: space-available |
| Tuition | $371.82/credit resident; $1,125.06/credit non-resident (2026–2027) |
| Accreditation | CCNE |
Master of Science in Nursing – Adult/Gerontological Nurse Practitioner
The MSN AGNP concentration requires 52 credits and a minimum of 780 supervised clinical hours. It runs part-time only across 8 semesters, roughly 2.5 years, and admits once a year in the fall. Estimated tuition is about $21,435 for Florida residents and $60,603 for non-residents. FAU confirms there is no full-time option and no fully online option.
A published conflict worth knowing about. The University Catalog and the AGNP program page both state 52 credits and 780 clinical hours effective Fall 2024. The downloadable NP curriculum sheet linked from that same program page is titled “Family Nurse Practitioners” and totals 49 credits and 600 hours, and the cost table on the program page repeats the 49-credit figure. The catalog’s course-by-course breakdown adds to exactly 52 credits and 780 hours, so this page uses the catalog. Confirm with the concentration coordinator before budgeting.
MSN Curriculum
The catalog splits the 52 credits into three blocks: a 12-credit graduate core, a 9-credit direct-care core covering the three Ps plus assessment lab, and a 31-credit AGPCNP concentration.
Two things distinguish the concentration sequence. Perspectives of Aging is a standalone 3-credit gerontology course rather than content folded into a broader lifespan class, and Women’s Health is required rather than elective. Advanced pharmacotherapeutics is also split across two courses taken in different academic years, which is less common than a single combined pharmacology course.
Practicum spans three courses across four consecutive terms. Clinical work starts in semester five and continues without a break to graduation, which shapes how the second half of the program can be scheduled around work.
Graduate Core (12 credits)
- Advanced Nursing Practice Grounded in Caring (NGR 6110) – 3
- Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice Roles (NGR 6811) – 3
- Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice (NGR 6812) – 3
- Leadership, Policy and Finance in Advanced Nursing Practice (NGR 6891) – 3
Direct Care Core (9 credits)
- Advanced Health Assessment (NGR 6002) – 2
- Advanced Health Assessment Lab (NGR 6002L) – 1
- Advanced Pathophysiology (NGR 6141) – 3
- Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics (NGR 6172) – 3
AGPCNP Concentration (31 credits)
- Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics 2 (NGR 6176) – 3
- Perspectives of Aging (NGR 6251) – 3
- Primary Care 1: Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice (NGR 6200) – 3
- Primary Care 1 Practicum (NGR 6200L) – 5 (300 clinical hours)
- Women’s Health: Nursing Situations in Advanced Practice (NGR 6342) – 3
- Primary Care 2: Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice (NGR 6605) – 3
- Primary Care 2 Practicum (NGR 6605L) – 4 (240 clinical hours)
- Comprehensive Care of Adolescents through Older Adults (NGR 6607) – 3
- Comprehensive Care of Adolescents through Older Adults Practicum (NGR 6607L) – 4 (240 clinical hours)
FAU recommends repeating baccalaureate-level pharmacology, pathophysiology, and health assessment if those courses were taken more than five years before enrollment. Full requirements are in the University Catalog.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- Minimum clinical hours: 780. FAU notes that attaining competencies may require more
- Primary Care 1 Practicum: 180 hours in spring plus 120 hours in summer (12 hours per week)
- Primary Care 2 Practicum: 240 hours (16 hours per week)
- Comprehensive Care Practicum: 240 hours (16 hours per week)
- Placement responsibility: FAU arranges every site and preceptor. Students do not find their own
- Boca Raton and Davie sites: Broward, Martin, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties
- Harbor Branch / Jupiter sites: Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Brevard, and Orange counties
- Setting types: health department clinics, private practice, home health agencies, community health centers, hospitals, and long-term care
- Lab and practicum courses carry a $150 per credit fee
780 hours is well above the 500-hour floor most NP certification bodies require, and above what many competing programs schedule. Combined with assigned placements, clinical volume is the strongest argument for this program.
The cost of that arrangement is control. Students cannot choose a site near home, cannot use an employer as a clinical partner, and cannot negotiate hours directly with a preceptor. Practicum runs 12 hours per week in the first two clinical terms and 16 hours per week in the last two, stacked on top of Thursday classes. The final three semesters are hard to combine with full-time work.
MSN Admissions
- BSN from a regionally accredited university and a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited nursing program
- Minimum 3.0 GPA on the final 60 baccalaureate-level credits
- Prerequisites: basic statistics and a baccalaureate-level nursing research course
- Current Florida RN license, or compact license that includes Florida
- CV or resume in FAU’s required format
- One signed letter of recommendation, requested electronically through GradCAS, from a recent employer
- Philosophy of Nursing essay (one page, roughly 275 words)
- Final conferred official transcripts
- GRE and MAT not required, and not accepted from applicants below a 3.0 GPA
- Clinical experience not required, though it may be weighed
- Level 2 criminal background check, with annual renewal
- Interview and on-site writing sample may be required
- Application: GradCAS opens September 15; deadline February 15; fall entry only
Two rules deserve attention. FAU does not accept GRE or MAT scores from applicants below a 3.0, which removes the usual test-score workaround for a weak transcript. The GPA on the final 60 baccalaureate credits has to stand on its own. And applicants may apply to only one MSN concentration per cycle, with no transfer into an NP concentration from a non-NP one after admission. Because AGNP admits once a year, a rejected applicant waits a full cycle.
Applicants who already hold a master’s in a non-clinical area such as education or administration, and who would need 30 or more credits, are directed to apply for a second MSN rather than a certificate. A second MSN requires a minimum of 30 credits, and FAU runs a gap analysis after acceptance. Second-degree applicants may be considered for fall or spring entry on a space-available basis.
BSN to DNP – Adult/Gerontological Nurse Practitioner
The BSN to DNP AGPCNP concentration requires 77 credits and 1,000 clinical hours across 11 consecutive semesters, roughly 3.5 years, starting in summer. Estimated tuition is about $28,630 for Florida residents and $86,630 for non-residents. The program is full-time only, and a Master’s Along the Way is available once MSN-level coursework finishes in semester IX.
DNP Curriculum
The plan interleaves doctoral and NP coursework rather than stacking them. Semesters I and II are entirely DNP core. NP content begins in semester III with Advanced Pathophysiology, so students carry 7000-level leadership and translation-science courses at the same time as pharmacology and assessment.
DNP Proposal Development (NGR 7974) is split into three 1-credit installments across semesters VI, VIII, and IX. That forces project planning to run alongside the heaviest clinical terms instead of after them, which is a meaningful workload difference from programs that sequence the project at the end.
One item is unusual. The published AGPCNP plan includes Care of Children (NGR 6301) in semester VII. That is a pediatrics course the MSN AGNP track does not require, and it is not standard in an adult-gerontology curriculum. FAU does not explain the inclusion on the program page or in the plan sheet. Applicants should ask whether it is a deliberate breadth requirement or a carryover from the FNP plan.
DNP core coursework
- Theoretical Grounding for Caring-Based Practice (NGR 7124) – 3
- Epidemiology for Advanced Nursing Practice (NGR 6673) – 3
- The Role of the DNP as Scholar (NGR 7768) – 3
- Translation of Evidence for Advanced Practice Nursing (NGR 7855) – 3
- Caring, Informatics and Technology (NGR 7876) – 3
- Population-Based Healthcare and Health Equity (NGR 7662C) – 3 (10 clinical hours)
- Ethics and Public Policy for Promoting Health (NGR 7738) – 3
- Interprofessional Leadership in Healthcare (NGR 7795) – 3
- Healthcare System Analysis and Quality Improvement (NGR 7895) – 3
- Introduction to Practice Management: Advanced Nursing Practice (NGR 7767) – 3
- DNP Proposal Development (NGR 7974) – 3 total, across three semesters
- Practicum for the DNP (NGR 7947L) – 2 (120 hours)
- Project Implementation, Evaluation, and Dissemination (NGR 7975C) – 2 (90 hours)
AGPCNP concentration coursework
- Advanced Pathophysiology (NGR 6141), Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics (NGR 6172) and Pharmacotherapeutics 2 (NGR 6176)
- Advanced Health Assessment (NGR 6002) and Lab (NGR 6002L)
- Primary Care 1 (NGR 6200) and Practicum (NGR 6200L)
- Perspectives of Aging (NGR 6251)
- Care of Children: Nursing Situations in Advanced Practice (NGR 6301)
- Primary Care 2 (NGR 6605) and Practicum (NGR 6605L)
- Comprehensive Care of Adolescents through Older Adults (NGR 6607) and Practicum (NGR 6607L)
FAU publishes the full semester-by-semester sequence in its AGPCNP BSN to DNP curriculum plan.
DNP Clinical Requirements
- Total clinical hours: 1,000
- Population-Based Healthcare and Health Equity: 10 hours (semester III)
- Primary Care 1 Practicum: 180 hours plus 120 hours (semesters VI–VII)
- Primary Care 2 Practicum: 240 hours (semester VIII)
- Comprehensive Care Practicum: 240 hours (semester IX)
- DNP Practicum: 120 hours (semesters X–XI)
- DNP Project: 90 hours (semesters X–XI)
- Placement responsibility: FAU arranges all sites and preceptors and does not allow students to find their own, citing legal constraints
- Clinical locations: Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, or the Harbor Branch / Jupiter county set
- FAU strongly advises against full-time employment, particularly once clinicals begin in semester VI
The number that matters for anyone weighing MSN against DNP: the NP practicum portion is 780 hours, identical to the master’s. The additional 220 hours are DNP project, practicum, and population-health work, not extra direct patient care. The doctorate adds 25 credits and about a year without adding clinical volume in the NP role.
Clinical hours are also loaded into the back half. Semesters VI through XI carry all but 10 of the 1,000 hours, and FAU’s advice against working full-time is aimed squarely at that window. Applicants should plan finances for roughly two years of reduced income rather than the full 3.5.
DNP Admissions
- BSN from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited nursing program
- Cumulative 3.0 GPA in the baccalaureate program
- Current Florida RN license
- CV in FAU’s required format
- Two letters of recommendation, at least one from a reference holding a doctorate, dated within six months
- Goals statement of 500 words or fewer
- Interview required
- GRE and GMAT not required
- Annual criminal background check; drug screen may be required
- Applicants select one concentration and one campus at application
- Application: summer entry only. Applications for Summer 2027 opened September 1, 2026, with a January 15, 2027 deadline
FAU describes the January 15 deadline as hard, with no late or incomplete applications accepted. Two commitments are also locked at admission. DNP students cannot switch concentrations at all, unlike MSN students, who may be considered for transfer between NP concentrations. Campus is fixed as well; changing requires space availability plus approval from the Admission, Progression and Retention Subcommittee, and students may not take courses at a campus other than the one they were admitted to.
Post-Graduate Certificate – Adult/Gerontological Nurse Practitioner
The Post-Graduate Certificate serves nurses who already hold an MSN and want AGPCNP preparation. FAU does not publish a credit total, clinical-hour requirement, duration, or cost for this pathway. The plan of study is built individually from a gap analysis against the 52-credit AGNP curriculum. The certificate is limited access and is not a degree.
Certificate Curriculum and Clinicals
Every PGC student completes Advanced Nursing Practice Grounded in Caring (NGR 6110) regardless of prior coursework. Everything beyond that depends on what the applicant’s master’s program already covered, including how many of the three practicum courses remain outstanding. FAU does not publish separate clinical requirements for certificate students.
The practical ceiling is set by FAU’s own guidance: applicants whose gap analysis shows 30 or more credits are directed toward a second MSN instead. Since the AGNP concentration alone is 31 credits, a nurse arriving from a non-clinical master’s is likely to land on the second-MSN side of that line rather than the certificate side.
Certificate Admissions
- Earned MS in Nursing from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited nursing program
- Minimum 3.0 graduate program GPA
- Current Florida RN license, or multistate license that includes Florida
- Resume or CV
- Philosophy of nursing essay
- One letter of recommendation
- Completed background check
- Interview and on-site writing sample may be required
- Required before applying: a meeting with the Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs or designee for initial advisement and program planning
The advising meeting is not a formality. It is where the gap analysis that determines cost and length happens, and FAU requires it before application. Applicants cannot estimate their own commitment from the website.
One eligibility point is worth checking directly. FAU’s published certificate requirements specify an earned MSN but do not state that applicants must already hold APRN board certification. On the published criteria, a master’s-prepared nurse educator or administrator appears eligible, subject to the gap analysis. Because that distinction determines whether the certificate or a second MSN is the right route, confirm it at the advising meeting rather than assuming either way.
Tuition
FAU charges graduate tuition at a flat university per-credit rate. The College of Nursing does not add a program differential, so AGPCNP students pay the same rate as any other graduate student.
2026–2027 graduate rates: $371.82 per credit for Florida residents, $1,125.06 per credit for non-residents.
Conflicting rates across FAU sources. The nursing program pages still quote $1,026.81 per credit for non-residents. That was the 2025–2026 rate. FAU’s Controller’s Office lists $1,125.06 for both 2026–2027 and 2027–2028, and it is the newer and more authoritative source, so this page uses it.
The gap is material. FAU’s published BSN-to-DNP figure of $79,064.37 for out-of-state students is 77 credits multiplied by the retired $1,026.81 rate. At the current rate those same 77 credits come to $86,629.62, about $7,565 higher than the college’s own page indicates. The in-state figure of $28,629.37 is effectively correct; it uses $371.81 against the Controller’s $371.82.
Estimated Total Tuition
| Pathway | FL Resident | Non-Resident |
|---|---|---|
| MSN – AGPCNP (52 credits plus $2,100 lab fees) | $21,434.64 | $60,603.12 |
| BSN to DNP – AGPCNP (77 credits) | $28,630.14 | $86,629.62 |
| Post-Graduate Certificate | Not published; depends on gap analysis | |
Calculated from FAU’s published 2026–2027 per-credit rates and catalog credit totals. These are estimates, not university-published totals.
Fees Beyond Tuition
- Lab and NP practicum fee: $150 per credit. For the MSN AGNP plan FAU itemizes NGR 6002L ($150), NGR 6200L spring ($450), NGR 6200L summer ($300), NGR 6605L ($600), and NGR 6607L ($600), totaling $2,100. FAU says the fee covers lower faculty-student ratios, site-visit travel, and simulation
- Distance learning fee: $30 per credit on course sections coded BT, BTL, BM, ET, EM, or STR
- Graduate Student Orientation Fee: $35, charged once in the first semester of registration
- Transportation Access Fee: $76.90 each for fall and spring, $32.04 for summer, charged to all students including online
- Background checks, fingerprinting, drug screens, immunizations, personal health insurance, and travel to clinical sites are the student’s responsibility
FAU publishes the $150-per-credit fee schedule only under the MSN concentrations. The BSN-to-DNP plan includes the same lab and practicum courses, so the same fee would reasonably apply, but the college does not publish a DNP-specific fee list. See FAU’s cost of attendance page for full figures.
Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?
Best suited for: Florida-licensed nurses living in South Florida or on the Treasure Coast who want the school to arrange every clinical placement and can commit to in-person classes at one assigned campus.
Assigned placements remove the biggest NP program risk
Preceptor shortages are the most common reason NP students delay graduation, and many programs push that burden onto students while charging full tuition. FAU does the opposite: it assigns every site and preceptor, and explicitly prohibits students from arranging their own. For a nurse without professional connections in a primary care practice, that single policy is worth more than most curricular differences between programs.
The value case depends entirely on residency
At about $21,400 for a 52-credit MSN with placements arranged, FAU is competitive with almost any AGPCNP program in the country for a Florida resident. At roughly $60,600 for the same degree, a non-resident is paying nearly triple for a program that still requires Florida RN licensure and Florida clinical sites. There is no distance pathway that would make out-of-state enrollment practical, which makes the non-resident rate largely academic.
780 supervised hours in either degree
Both the MSN and the DNP deliver 780 hours of AGPCNP practicum, well above the 500-hour certification floor. Prospective students comparing programs on clinical volume should note that FAU’s number is a minimum, not a cap, and that competency attainment may require more. Graduating with 780 documented primary care hours is a stronger position entering the job market than the 500 to 600 many programs schedule.
The DNP adds a degree, not clinical depth
The doctorate costs 25 more credits, about one more year, and roughly $7,200 more in resident tuition than the MSN. What it buys is the DNP credential, a scholarly project, and coursework in quality improvement, informatics, health policy, and practice management. It does not buy additional patient care hours. Nurses who want the fastest route to AGPCNP certification should take the MSN; the DNP makes sense for those targeting faculty roles, system leadership, or a credential they would otherwise return for later.
The Verdict
The strongest case for FAU belongs to a Florida-licensed nurse in Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Brevard, or Orange county who wants 780 supervised hours without recruiting a single preceptor and who qualifies for resident tuition. On cost, clinical volume, and placement support together, that combination is hard to beat.
Applicants who should compare other options: anyone outside Florida, since there is no distance pathway and the out-of-state rate is close to $60,600 for the MSN. Anyone who must keep working full-time through the clinical years, given 16-hour practicum weeks stacked on Thursday classes. And anyone on a short timeline, since the MSN admits once a year in fall and the DNP once a year in summer, with deadlines five to eight months before entry and no spring or summer MSN intake.
Accreditation
FAU’s baccalaureate, master’s, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The university is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC). Graduates of the AGPCNP concentration are eligible to sit for certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). Florida requires national certification before a graduate can be authorized to practice in the advanced practice role.
State authorization is not the deciding constraint it would be at a distance program. FAU requires all nurse practitioner students to hold Florida RN licensure and places every AGPCNP clinical inside Florida counties, so eligibility turns on Florida licensure rather than on where an applicant lives. Verify current requirements in FAU’s University Catalog before applying.
Other AGPCNP Programs in Florida
- Florida A&M University - Tallahassee
- Florida Southern College - Lakeland
- Palm Beach Atlantic University - West Palm Beach
- University of Central Florida - Orlando
- University of Miami - Miami
- University of South Florida - Tampa