Mercer University AGPCNP Programs (Adult Gerontology)

Mercer University’s Georgia Baptist College of Nursing offers 3 Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner pathways:

MSN
BSN-DNP
Post-Graduate Certificate (APRN certification required)

All three run in a blended format built around synchronous online classes plus in-person labs and clinicals at Mercer’s Atlanta campus. All three require an unencumbered Georgia nursing license: an RN license for the MSN and BSN-DNP, an APRN license for the certificate.

Program Tracks Overview

Program	Est. Tuition	Est. Duration	Credit Hours
MSN AGPCNP	$41,977 full-time $53,955 part-time	17–28 months	45
BSN-DNP AGPCNP	$63,864	8 semesters (about 3 years)	73
Post-Graduate Certificate AGPCNP	$25,498 (rate not published)	3 semesters	22 (clinical credits variable)

Tuition estimates apply Mercer’s 2026-2027 published rates to each plan of study: the MSN flat rate of $10,795 per semester at 9 or more credits with $1,199 per credit below that, and a flat $7,983 per semester for the DNP. Mercer publishes no separate certificate rate, so the certificate figure applies the $1,159 non-degree graduate nursing rate.

What sets Mercer apart from most AGPCNP programs is who does the placement work. Faculty oversee every clinical placement. Students are asked to suggest preceptors from their own networks, but finding a site is not the student’s problem to solve alone, which is the opposite of the self-placement model common in large online NP programs.

The trade-off is geography. This is a Georgia program wearing some online clothing. Every pathway requires an unencumbered Georgia license before you can apply, labs and clinicals happen in person, and Mercer’s own disclosure policy treats students in face-to-face programs as located in Georgia. Nurses outside the state who want a program they can complete from home should look elsewhere.

Mercer hands you a faculty-managed clinical placement instead of a preceptor search, and asks for a Georgia license and regular campus attendance in return.

Quick Facts

Program Types	MSN, BSN-DNP, Post-Graduate Certificate
Format	Blended: synchronous online coursework plus in-person labs and clinicals
Campus	Atlanta (3001 Mercer University Drive)
Clinical Hours	780 minimum in all three pathways; 1,020 total practice hours in the BSN-DNP
Clinical Placement	Faculty oversee all placements; students encouraged to suggest qualified preceptors
Population Focus	Adolescents through older adults in primary care
Licensure Required	Unencumbered Georgia RN (MSN, BSN-DNP); unencumbered Georgia APRN (certificate)
RN Experience	1 year for the MSN; none required for the BSN-DNP
Start Terms	MSN: January, May, August. BSN-DNP: fall. Certificate plan of study begins in fall
Tuition	$1,199/credit MSN ($10,795 flat at 9+ credits); $7,983 flat per semester DNP (2026-2027)
Certification	ANCC and AANPCB AGPCNP examinations
Accreditation	CCNE

MSN AGPCNP

The MSN AGPCNP runs 45 credits and 780 minimum clinical hours, which Mercer lists at 17 to 28 months depending on full-time or part-time enrollment. Estimated tuition is $41,977 full-time. Applicants need a BSN, an unencumbered Georgia RN license, and at least one year of RN work experience, the last of which the BSN-DNP does not require.

A published conflict worth knowing about. The program page lists January, May and August start terms, but both plans of study on Mercer’s program requirements page are built on a fall start: four consecutive semesters full-time, seven semesters part-time. No sequence is published for a January or May entrant. The two pages also link different part-time curriculum documents, a June 2026 PDF on the program page and a 2024 PDF on the requirements page. This page uses the seven-semester plan printed on the requirements page itself.

MSN Curriculum

The full-time plan front-loads hard. Semester one carries 14 credits and stacks all three advanced practice core courses (assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacology) on top of the first adult primary care management course. Nurses planning to keep working full-time should look closely at that first term.

Practicum then runs in every remaining semester at a 1:4 credit-to-clinical-hour ratio, escalating 240, 240, 300. Coursework and clinicals stay paired rather than being split into a didactic year and a clinical year.

Two inclusions are worth noting. Graduate statistics (NUR 675) sits inside the master’s core, where many MSN programs leave it to doctoral study. Women’s Health is a standalone 2-credit course inside an adult-gerontology track, reflecting the reproductive and gynecologic care an AGPCNP delivers to adult patients.

The part-time plan is not simply the full-time plan slowed down. It defers pharmacology and the first management course to year two, which pushes all three practicums into years two and three.

Semester 1 – Fall (14 credits)

NUR 602 Advanced Health Assessment (3)
NUR 603 Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology (3)
NUR 607 Advanced Pharmacology (3)
NUR 631 Care of Adults in Primary Care Settings (4)
NUR 649 Role and Scope of the APRN (1)

Semester 2 – Spring (11 credits)

NUR 617 Evidence-based Practice and Research (3)
NUR 639 Population Health and Policy for the APRN (2)
NUR 652 AGPCNP Practicum I (4 / 240 clinical hours)
NUR 653 Women’s Health (2)

Semester 3 – Summer (12 credits)

NUR 634 Care of Adults in Primary Care Setting II (3)
NUR 635 Healthcare Information, Quality, and Safety (2)
NUR 657 AGPCNP Practicum II (4 / 240 clinical hours)
NUR 675 Statistics for the Behavioral and Clinical Sciences (3)

Semester 4 – Fall (8 credits)

NUR 628 Synthesis of Advanced Nursing Practice (1)
NUR 650 Interprofessional Leadership and Practice Excellence for the APRN (2)
NUR 658 AGPCNP Practicum III (5 / 300 clinical hours)

See the full sequences and both plans of study on Mercer’s MSN AGPCNP program requirements page.

MSN Clinical Requirements

780 clinical practice hours, which Mercer states as a minimum
Practicum credit converts to clinical hours at a 1:4 ratio
NUR 652 Practicum I: 240 hours
NUR 657 Practicum II: 240 hours
NUR 658 Practicum III: 300 hours
Placement responsibility: faculty oversee all placements; students are encouraged to identify potential preceptors through colleagues, community contacts or professional organizations
All preceptors must meet program qualifications, which Mercer says are shared with students in advance
Settings: primary care, with adolescent through older adult patients
Mercer publishes no clinical travel radius and no placement guarantee

Faculty-managed placement is the most valuable thing on this page for a working nurse. In programs that push placement onto students, an unsecured site can cost a full semester and sometimes ends the enrollment. Mercer keeps that responsibility in-house while still expecting students to bring leads.

Two caveats. Mercer describes faculty as assisting and overseeing, not guaranteeing, so a difficult specialty request can still take time. And because the college does not publish a geographic boundary for clinical sites, applicants living well outside metro Atlanta should ask how far the placement network actually reaches before committing.

MSN Admissions

BSN from an ACEN-, NLNAC-, CNEA- or CCNE-accredited program
Undergraduate GPA of 3.0; conditional acceptance possible at 2.75–2.99 in upper-division nursing courses
Unencumbered RN license in Georgia
Minimum one year of RN work experience
Official transcripts from every institution attended
Resume covering healthcare experience, community involvement and honors
Cover letter of 1,000 words or less on professional goals
Three professional references, at least one from a master’s-prepared nurse; applicants who finished BSN coursework within the last five years must add a faculty reference
$50 nonrefundable application fee
Interview with the graduate programs coordinator or dean
Deadlines: fall priority April 1, final July 1; spring priority October 1, final November 1; summer priority March 1, final April 1
After acceptance: background check, drug screen, immunization records, health insurance for the full program, OSHA and HIPAA training, and new student orientation

The Georgia license requirement is the gate that stops most out-of-state applicants. It applies at application, not at enrollment, so a nurse licensed elsewhere has to secure Georgia licensure first.

The one-year experience minimum is worth weighing against the doctoral track. A new BSN graduate with strong grades cannot enter the MSN but can enter the BSN-DNP, which sets no experience requirement at all.

Full requirements are on Mercer’s nursing admissions requirements page.

BSN-DNP AGPCNP

The BSN to DNP with AGPCNP specialty runs 73 credits across 8 semesters, about three years full-time, at an estimated $63,864. It carries the same 780 specialty practicum hours as the MSN plus 240 immersion hours, for 1,020 post-baccalaureate practice hours. Admission requires a 3.2 GPA, higher than the MSN, but no RN work experience.

BSN-DNP Curriculum

The sequencing here is unusual and applicants should understand it before signing on. The first three semesters, 26 credits, are entirely doctoral core: clinical epidemiology, population health, healthcare economics, policy, statistics and informatics. No nurse practitioner content appears until semester four, and no patient practicum until semester five, a full year and a half in.

That ordering builds the research and systems foundation before clinical specialization, and it means the DNP Scholarly Project can develop across semesters six through eight rather than being bolted on at the end. It also means a student who leaves partway through has completed doctoral coursework with no NP-eligible specialty training to show for it. Mercer does not publish an MSN exit option from this track.

The specialty content itself mirrors the MSN. The same assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacology, adult management and women’s health courses appear, but the practicum is renumbered and redistributed into four courses of 180, 180, 180 and 240 hours instead of the MSN’s three.

Doctoral core (semesters 1–3, 26 credits)

NUR 603 Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology (3), NUR 607 Advanced Pharmacology (3)
NUR 730 Transition to the Practice Doctorate (2), NUR 731 Clinical Epidemiology (3)
NUR 732 Population Health (3), NUR 734 Health Care Economics and Finance (3), NUR 739 Health Care Policy (3)
NUR 675 Statistics (3), NUR 735 Informatics and Patient Care Technology (3)

Specialty and practicum sequence (semesters 4–8, 47 credits)

NUR 602 Advanced Health Assessment (3), NUR 631 Care of Adults in Primary Care I (4), NUR 649 Role and Scope of the APRN (1), NUR 728 Theoretical Foundations (3)
NUR 653 Women’s Health (2), NUR 733 Evidence Appraisal (3), NUR 751 AGPCNP Practicum I for the DNP (3 / 180 hours)
NUR 634 Care of Adults in Primary Care II (3), NUR 729 DNP Project Development (1), NUR 736 Outcomes Measurement and Program Evaluation (3), NUR 752 Practicum II (3 / 180 hours)
NUR 628 Synthesis (1), NUR 650 Interprofessional Leadership (2), NUR 738 Organizational and Systems Leadership (3 / 60 immersion hours), NUR 740A DNP Immersion (1 / 60 immersion hours), NUR 753 Practicum III (3 / 180 hours)
NUR 740B DNP Immersion (2 / 120 immersion hours), NUR 741 Advancing Nursing Practice (2), NUR 755 Practicum IV (4 / 240 hours)

The complete semester-by-semester sequence is on Mercer’s BSN to DNP AGPCNP curriculum plan.

BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements

780 AGPCNP practicum hours across four courses: 180, 180, 180 and 240
240 immersion hours: NUR 738 (60), NUR 740A (60), NUR 740B (120)
1,020 total post-baccalaureate practice hours
Practicum credit converts at the same 1:4 ratio as the MSN
Clinical work begins in semester 5 and continues every semester through graduation
Placement follows the same faculty-managed model as the MSN

Read the 1,020 figure carefully. The extra 240 hours are immersion hours in organizational and systems leadership tied to the DNP project, not additional primary care patient contact. Direct NP clinical volume is 780 hours in this track, the same as in the MSN.

BSN-DNP Admissions

BSN from an ACEN-, NLNAC-, CNEA- or CCNE-accredited program
Undergraduate GPA of 3.2; conditional acceptance possible at 3.0–3.19 in upper-division nursing courses
Unencumbered RN license in Georgia
No minimum work experience, which Mercer states explicitly
Resume, transcripts, and a cover letter of 1,000 words or less
Three professional references, at least one from a master’s-prepared nurse; applicants who finished BSN coursework within the last five years must add two faculty references
$50 nonrefundable application fee
Selection committee review, then an interview with the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, the DNP Coordinator or a designee
A scholarly writing sample after the interview; decisions typically within three weeks
Fall entry only: application opens August 15, priority April 1, final July 1

Three of these change planning. Fall-only entry means missing the July deadline costs a year, unlike the MSN’s three annual intakes. The writing sample is a real screen, not a formality, and comes after the interview rather than with the application. And recent BSN graduates need two faculty references here against one for the MSN, which is harder to assemble if you have been away from school.

Post-Graduate Certificate AGPCNP

The AGPCNP post-graduate certificate, which Mercer also labels a post-master’s certificate, runs 22 credits across three semesters and carries the same 780 clinical hours as the degree tracks. Estimated tuition is $25,498 if the $1,159 non-degree graduate rate applies. Eligibility is narrow: applicants must already hold an MSN and an unencumbered Georgia APRN license.

Worth knowing before you budget. Mercer states plainly that this offering does not qualify for financial assistance. The certificate is a cash or private-loan purchase, which changes the comparison against an MSN or DNP that is aid-eligible.

Certificate Curriculum

The certificate is pure specialty content. There is no assessment, pathophysiology or pharmacology course, because APRN certification is a prerequisite and those are assumed complete. What remains is the adult primary care management sequence, women’s health, and three practicums, split 9 didactic credits and 13 clinical credits.

Clinical credits are variable. Mercer runs a gap analysis on prior clinical experience to set the required practicum hours, so 22 credits and 780 hours are the published plan rather than a guaranteed personal total. Both the cost estimate and the three-semester timeline should be treated as ceilings until the gap analysis is done.

Semester 1 – Fall (8): NUR 631 Care of Adults in Primary Care I (4); NUR 652 AGPCNP Practicum I (4 / 240 hours, variable)
Semester 2 – Spring (6): NUR 653 Women’s Health (2); NUR 657 AGPCNP Practicum II (4 / 240 hours, variable)
Semester 3 – Summer (8): NUR 634 Care of Adults in Primary Care II (3); NUR 658 AGPCNP Practicum III (5 / 300 hours, variable)

Certificate Admissions

MSN from an NLNAC-, ACEN-, CNEA- or CCNE-accredited program
Unencumbered APRN license in Georgia
Cover letter on professional goals and reasons for seeking additional certification
Three professional references who can speak to the applicant’s practice as an advanced practice nurse
Resume or CV listing prior APRN experience
Official transcripts from all graduate and BSN institutions
$50 nonrefundable application fee
Interview with the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs or a faculty designee
Mercer publishes no certificate-specific application deadline; the plan of study begins in fall

The APRN license requirement excludes more people than it first appears to. An MSN in nursing education, administration or informatics does not qualify. Neither does an MSN-prepared nurse who never certified as an NP. Those applicants need the MSN AGPCNP track instead, which means 45 credits rather than 22.

The natural fit is a currently certified NP in another population focus, most often FNP or AGACNP, adding adult-gerontology primary care. Requirements are listed on Mercer’s post-graduate certificate admissions page.

Tuition

Mercer’s 2026-2027 tuition rates set the MSN at $1,199 per credit hour, with a flat rate of $10,795 per semester for anyone enrolled in 9 or more credits. The DNP bills a flat $7,983 per semester, or $1,330.50 per credit below 6 credits. MSN and DNP students also pay a $28-per-credit facility and technology fee (capped at $250 per semester) and a $500 certification prep fee each semester. Mercer is private, so there is no resident and non-resident split.

The flat rate is the single biggest lever on cost, and it favors speed. Under the full-time MSN plan, semesters one through three all exceed 9 credits and bill at the flat rate, leaving only the 8-credit final semester at the per-credit rate: $32,385 plus $9,592, or $41,977. Every semester in the seven-semester part-time plan falls below 9 credits, so all 45 credits bill individually at $53,955. Studying part-time costs roughly $12,000 more for the same degree.

Pathway	Credits	Est. Tuition
MSN AGPCNP, full-time	45	$41,977
MSN AGPCNP, part-time	45	$53,955
BSN-DNP AGPCNP	73	$63,864
Post-Graduate Certificate	22	$25,498

These totals are calculated from Mercer’s published per-credit and flat rates against each published plan of study. Mercer does not publish program totals. The certificate figure assumes the MSN rate applies and that no clinical credits are reduced by gap analysis.

Fees beyond tuition

Activity fee: $230 per semester (MSN)
Credentialing fee: $25 per semester (MSN)
Liability insurance: $25, spring semester only
The DNP cost of attendance lists $204 in annual fees without itemizing them
Student health insurance is required for the full length of the program, with a waiver available for students who already have coverage
Background check, drug screen, immunizations, scrubs and a white coat, all student-paid

One mismatch is worth catching before you use Mercer’s cost-of-attendance tables for planning. The 2025-2026 tables built MSN tuition on 9 credits in fall and spring and DNP tuition on 6 per-credit hours per semester. The actual AGPCNP plans run 14, 11, 12 and 8 credits for the MSN, and the 2026-2027 DNP rate is a flat semester charge, so check any annual figure against your own plan of study.

Current rates are on Mercer’s College of Nursing graduate cost of attendance pages.

Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?

Best suited for: a Georgia-licensed nurse in or near metro Atlanta who wants faculty to handle clinical placement and can commit to regular in-person attendance.

Placement stays with the faculty

Mercer states that faculty oversee all placements and that many teaching faculty still practice. Students contribute leads; they are not the placement agent of last resort. For a nurse who has watched classmates in self-placement programs lose semesters chasing preceptors, this is the strongest argument for Mercer over a larger online alternative.

Georgia licensure is a hard gate

Every pathway requires an unencumbered Georgia license at the point of application. Mercer’s disclosure policy treats students in face-to-face programs as located in Georgia, and distance students in states where Mercer cannot confirm licensure requirements can only enroll by attesting that they intend to seek Georgia licensure. Blended does not mean portable here.

Full-time study is cheaper, not just faster

The $10,795 flat rate at 9 or more credits means the MSN costs about $12,000 less full-time than part-time. Nurses who assumed stretching the degree over three years would ease the financial load should run the arithmetic first. The trade-off is a 14-credit opening semester that is difficult to carry alongside full-time clinical work.

The doctorate costs $53,000 more for the same NP hours

The BSN-DNP and the MSN deliver identical AGPCNP practicum volume, 780 hours, and the same specialty coursework. The additional $21,887 and roughly 18 months buy doctoral core coursework, 240 leadership immersion hours and the DNP Scholarly Project. That is a reasonable purchase for someone aiming at faculty, systems leadership or an organization that pays for the credential. It buys no additional clinical preparation for the certification exam.

The Verdict

The strongest case for Mercer belongs to a Georgia RN within commuting distance of Atlanta who can go full-time, wants the placement burden carried by the college, and is choosing the MSN. At roughly $42,000 with three intakes a year and faculty-managed clinicals, that is a coherent package. Currently certified NPs adding an adult-gero primary care focus are the second-best fit, provided they can self-fund the certificate.

Compare other options if you are licensed outside Georgia, need a genuinely online program, cannot travel to Atlanta for labs and clinicals, or want a doctorate with more direct patient care hours than 780. Nurses who can only study part-time should also price the same degree elsewhere, since Mercer’s flat-rate structure quietly penalizes them.

Accreditation

Mercer’s baccalaureate, master’s and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The college has announced that its BSN, MSN, DNP and post-graduate certificate programs will undergo CCNE evaluation on October 5 through 7, 2026. Graduates of any AGPCNP pathway are prepared to sit for the adult-gerontology primary care certification examination offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board.

Mercer designs its licensure programs to meet Georgia requirements. Under the university’s student location policy, anyone enrolled in a face-to-face program counts as located in Georgia, and prospective distance students in states where Mercer has not confirmed licensure requirements cannot enroll unless they attest an intention to seek licensure in Georgia. Applicants planning to practice in another state should read Mercer’s professional licensure disclosure before applying, since the advanced practice nursing disclosure is updated annually and requirements change.

More AGPCNP Programs in Georgia

Emory University - Atlanta
Georgia Southern University - Statesboro
Georgia State University - Atlanta
South University - Savannah