ETSU University AGPCNP Programs (Adult Gerontology)

East Tennessee State University (ETSU) College of Nursing offers three Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) tracks:

BSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice – AGPCNP
MSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice – AGPCNP
Post-DNP Certificate

All three tracks are delivered in an online/blended format with required intensive sessions one to two times per semester, allowing students to remain in their home communities for most of their coursework.

Program Tracks Overview

Program	Est. Tuition (In-State)	Est. Duration
BSN-DNP AGPCNP	$57,816	~3–4 years (full-time)
MSN-DNP AGPCNP	$21,024	~1.5–2 years (full-time)
Post-DNP Certificate AGPCNP	$21,024	~1.5–2 years

ETSU’s program has a distinctive rural primary care focus, preparing graduates specifically to address the healthcare needs of underserved and Appalachian populations. A standout feature is ETSU’s mandatory interprofessional education component — 100% of nursing students participate in interprofessional programs at the Center for Interprofessional Collaboration, and a minimum of 40 interprofessional practicum hours is required in all DNP concentrations.

Doctor of Nursing Practice – AGPCNP (BSN to DNP)

The BSN-to-DNP AGPCNP program has an estimated in-state tuition of approximately $57,816 (88 credits × ~$657/credit) or ~$131,736 out-of-state.

It takes approximately 3–4 years full-time or 5–6 years part-time to complete, with fall-only admission. The program requires 1,000 supervised clinical clock hours and a completed DNP Capstone Project.

BSN-DNP Curriculum

The BSN-DNP totals 88 credits organized across three blocks: a 23-credit core, a 53-credit AGPCNP concentration, and a 12-credit DNP Project sequence. Core courses cover conceptual nursing systems, research, population health, health policy, quality improvement, systems management, and scholarly writing.

The AGPCNP concentration emphasizes advanced assessment, NP clinical management across two progressive practicum sequences, women’s health, care of older adults, mental health in primary care, and long-term care.

All students also complete two zero-credit interprofessional education (IPE) seminars. Both full-time and part-time curriculum plans are available.

BSN-DNP Core Courses (23 cr.):

NRSE 5000 – Conceptual Systems for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 cr.)
NRSE 5001 – Nursing Research for Evidence-Based Practice (3 cr.)
NRSE 5006 – Advanced Role Development (3 cr.)
NRSE 5030 – Scholarly Writing (1 cr.)
NRSE 5100 – Principles of Population Health and Data Analysis for Advanced Nursing Practice (4 cr.)
NRSE 6002 – Health Policy Leadership (3 cr.)
NRSE 6050 – Quality/Translation (3 cr.)
NRSE 6713 – Systems Management (3 cr.)
IPE 572E – Interprofessional Experiences & Collaboration Seminar 1 (0 cr.)
IPE 672E – Interprofessional Experiences & Collaboration Seminar 2 (0 cr.)

AGPCNP Concentration Courses (53 cr.):

NRSE 5009 – Advanced Health Assessment Throughout the Life Span
Focuses on advanced health assessment across the life span, with emphasis on distinguishing normal from abnormal findings and identifying related pathologic changes.

NRSE 5010 – Advanced Health Assessment Lifespan Practicum
Provides hands-on experience in advanced health assessment through laboratory practice and clinical placements across the life span.

NRSE 5011 – Health Promotion, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Clinical Management: Nurse Practitioner I
Introduces primary care management of common acute problems across the life span using evidence-based prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies.

NRSE 5012 – Health Promotion, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Clinical Management: Nurse Practitioner I Practicum
Applies advanced assessment and clinical knowledge to the care of individuals and families in rural, urban, and underserved settings.

NRSE 5013 – Health Promotion, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Clinical Management: Nurse Practitioner II
Builds skills in managing chronic illness and complex conditions across the life span in primary care settings.

NRSE 5014 – Health Promotion, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Clinical Management: Nurse Practitioner II Practicum
Provides supervised clinical practice in managing chronic and complex health conditions in diverse patient populations.

NRSE 5016 – Advanced Pathophysiology
Examines disease processes at the cellular and organ levels, with emphasis on how altered biological function affects health.

NRSE 5018 – Advanced Clinical Pharmacology
Covers advanced pharmacology for nurse practitioner practice, including medication use, interactions, and prescriptive considerations across the life span.

NRSE 5021 – Life Span Assessment and Clinical Management: Women’s Health
Explores advanced nursing care for women, including reproductive health, family planning, and other health concerns across life transitions.

NRSE 5022 – Life Span Assessment and Clinical Management: Women’s Health Practicum
Provides clinical experience in advanced women’s health care, with emphasis on assessment, coordination, and care delivery.

NRSE 5024 – Health Promotion, Diagnosis and Clinical Management of Children and Adolescents Practicum
Offers supervised clinical practice in providing advanced care to children and adolescents in a variety of primary care settings.

NRSE 5031 – Care of Older Adults with Chronic Health Problems and Complex Needs
Focuses on the management of chronic, complex health problems in older adults and the impact these conditions have on function and quality of life.

NRSE 5032 – Care of Older Adults with Chronic Health Problems and Complex Needs Practicum
Applies advanced clinical skills to the care of older adults with complex health needs in varied practice settings.

NRSE 5038 – Pharmacology and Therapeutics for Older Adults
Examines safe and effective medication management for older adults with chronic and complex health conditions.

NRSE 6400 – Improving Mental Health Outcomes in Primary Care
Prepares advanced practice nurses to address common mental health concerns in primary care settings for adults and families.

NRSE 6514 – DNP Role in Long-Term Care of Adults
Focuses on evidence-based management of comorbidities, disabilities, and rehabilitation needs in long-term care settings.

NRSE 6614 – Advanced Intervention DNP Practicum
Develops advanced procedural, technical, and clinical intervention skills for DNP practice.

DNP Project Courses (12 cr.):

NRSE 6801 – Residency I: DNP Project Identification (3 cr.)
NRSE 6802 – DNP Project Development (3 cr.)
NRSE 6803 – DNP Project Implementation (3 cr.)
NRSE 6804 – DNP Project Evaluation and Dissemination (3 cr.)

See the official curriculum page for more details.

BSN-DNP Clinicals

Students must complete a minimum of 1,000 supervised clinical clock hours across multiple practicum courses, including a mandatory minimum of 40 interprofessional practicum hours embedded within the overall clinical requirement.

Students arrange their own clinical sites and provide their own transportation.

Clinical rotations may occur in primary care, long-term care, women’s health, and other AGPCNP-appropriate settings.

NRSE 5010 – Advanced Health Assessment Lifespan Practicum (3 cr.)
NRSE 5012 – NP I Practicum (3 cr.)
NRSE 5014 – NP II Practicum (3 cr.)
NRSE 5022 – Women’s Health Practicum (3 cr.)
NRSE 5024 – Children and Adolescents Practicum (3 cr.)
NRSE 5032 – Care of Older Adults Practicum (3 cr.)
NRSE 6614 – Advanced Intervention DNP Practicum (3 cr.)
DNP Project courses (NRSE 6801–6804) include residency/project hours
Minimum 40 interprofessional practice hours required across all concentrations
⚠️ Students must be licensed or authorized to practice in Tennessee or a compact state for clinical courses
⚠️ Students provide their own transportation to clinical sites

BSN-DNP Admissions Requirements

BSN from a nationally accredited nursing program (or non-nursing master’s degree); minimum 3.0 GPA
Current, unencumbered RN license; must be eligible for licensure in Tennessee
Resume or CV with names and contact information of at least three academic or professional references
Personal statement addressing: why graduate school and this program; a current healthcare trend and its relevance; how you will impact that trend in your new role — written in APA format with at least two scholarly references
Completed ETSU graduate application with nonrefundable application fee
Official transcripts from all prior institutions attended
Interview required for selected applicants
Criminal background check required before clinical courses (student’s expense)
Before clinical courses: Tennessee or compact state licensure, malpractice insurance ($1M/$3M), current CPR certification, College of Nursing clinical compliance requirements
Out-of-state students must confirm state board of nursing requirements before applying
Fall admission only | Deadline: May 1
Full-time and part-time plans both available

Doctor of Nursing Practice – AGPCNP (MSN to DNP)

The MSN-to-DNP AGPCNP program has an estimated in-state tuition of approximately $21,024 (32 credits × ~$657/credit) or ~$47,904 out-of-state.

It takes approximately 1.5 to 2 years full-time or 2.5 to 3 years part-time to complete. This track admits in the summer semester only and requires 500 supervised clinical clock hours.

MSN-DNP Curriculum

The MSN-to-DNP totals 32 credits across three components: an 11-credit core, a 9-credit AGPCNP concentration, and a 12-credit DNP Project sequence.

It is designed for nurses who already hold MSN-level AGPCNP certification and seek the terminal practice doctorate. The 9-credit concentration focuses specifically on the doctoral-level AGPCNP scope — long-term care leadership, advanced intervention practicum, and an advisor-approved elective.

A more extensive program of study may be required for applicants whose MSN is in a different specialty or who hold a non-nursing master’s degree.

MSN-DNP Core Courses (11 cr.):

NRSE 5030 – Scholarly Writing (1 cr.)
NRSE 5100 – Principles of Population Health and Data Analysis for Advanced Nursing Practice (4 cr.)
NRSE 6050 – Quality/Translation (3 cr.)
NRSE 6713 – Systems Management (3 cr.)
IPE 572E – Interprofessional Experiences & Collaboration Seminar 1 (0 cr.)
IPE 672E – Interprofessional Experiences & Collaboration Seminar 2 (0 cr.)

AGPCNP Concentration Courses (9 cr.):

NRSE 6514 – DNP Role in Long-Term Care of Adults (3 cr.)
NRSE 6614 – Advanced Intervention DNP Practicum (3 cr.)
Advisor-Approved Elective (3 cr.)

DNP Project Courses (12 cr.):

NRSE 6801 – Residency I: DNP Project Identification (3 cr.)
NRSE 6802 – DNP Project Development (3 cr.)
NRSE 6803 – DNP Project Implementation (3 cr.)
NRSE 6804 – DNP Project Evaluation and Dissemination (3 cr.)

See the official curriculum page for more details.

MSN-DNP Clinicals

MSN-to-DNP students must complete a minimum of 500 supervised clinical clock hours, including the mandatory minimum of 40 interprofessional practicum hours.

Prior master’s-level clinical hours are not counted toward the 500-hour DNP requirement. Clinical hours are embedded in the AGPCNP concentration practicum and the DNP Project residency courses.

NRSE 6614 – Advanced Intervention DNP Practicum (3 cr.)
NRSE 6801–6804 – DNP Project residency hours embedded across four project courses
Minimum 40 interprofessional practice hours required
⚠️ Students must be licensed or authorized to practice in Tennessee or a compact state for clinical courses
⚠️ Students provide their own transportation to clinical sites

MSN-DNP Admissions Requirements

MSN from a nationally accredited nursing program; minimum 3.0 GPA (non-nursing master’s degree also accepted, though a longer program of study may be required)
Certification in the AGPCNP specialty required (or MSN in a different specialty — longer program may result)
Current, unencumbered RN license; must be eligible for licensure in Tennessee
Resume or CV with names and contact information of at least three academic or professional references
Personal statement in APA format with at least two scholarly references (same prompts as BSN-DNP)
Completed ETSU graduate application with nonrefundable application fee
Official transcripts from all prior institutions attended
Interview required for selected applicants
Criminal background check required before clinical courses (student’s expense)
Before clinical courses: Tennessee or compact state licensure, malpractice insurance ($1M/$3M), current CPR certification, clinical compliance requirements
Out-of-state students must confirm state board requirements before applying
Summer admission only | Deadline: March 1
Full-time and part-time plans both available

Post-DNP Certificate – Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

The Post-DNP AGPCNP Certificate program has an estimated in-state tuition of approximately $21,024 (32 credits × ~$657/credit) or ~$47,904 out-of-state.

It would take approximately 1.5 to 2 years to complete depending on entry pathway. This track admits in the summer semester.

⚠️ This is a Post-DNP certificate only — it is not available to MSN-only prepared nurses. ETSU’s separate Post-Graduate APRN certificate for MSN-prepared nurses covers the FNP and PMHNP specialties, but the AGPCNP post-graduate certificate at ETSU is exclusively for DNP degree-holders or concurrently enrolled ETSU DNP students.

Post-DNP Certificate Curriculum

The certificate totals 32 credits and focuses exclusively on the AGPCNP clinical specialty curriculum — covering primary care NP management across two progressive practicum sequences, women’s health, care of older adults, gerontological pharmacology, mental health in primary care, and DNP-level long-term care leadership.

This certificate does not include a DNP Project sequence; a capstone project is only required if the student is concurrently completing the full DNP degree.

Individual gap analysis determines whether additional prerequisite DNP core courses (26 credits) or advanced practice core courses (12 credits including NRSE 5009, 5010, 5016, 5018) are required for applicants whose prior DNP lacked equivalent content.

Required Certificate Courses (32 cr.):

NRSE 5011 – Health Promotion, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Clinical Management: NP I (3 cr.)
NRSE 5012 – NP I Practicum (3 cr.)
NRSE 5013 – Health Promotion, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Clinical Management: NP II (3 cr.)
NRSE 5014 – NP II Practicum (3 cr.)
NRSE 5021 – Life Span Assessment and Clinical Management: Women’s Health (3 cr.)
NRSE 5022 – Women’s Health Practicum (3 cr.)
NRSE 5031 – Care of Older Adults with Chronic Health Problems and Complex Needs (3 cr.)
NRSE 5032 – Care of Older Adults Practicum (3 cr.)
NRSE 5038 – Pharmacology and Therapeutics for Older Adults (2 cr.)
NRSE 6400 – Improving Mental Health Outcomes in Primary Care (3 cr.)
NRSE 6514 – DNP Role in Long-Term Care of Adults (3 cr.)

See the official curriculum page for more details.

Post-DNP Certificate Clinicals

Clinical hours are embedded across multiple practicum courses within the 32-credit certificate curriculum. The total supervised clinical hour requirement mirrors the concentration practicum requirements of the BSN-DNP AGPCNP track for the equivalent specialty courses. Students must be licensed or authorized to practice in Tennessee or a compact state and provide their own transportation to clinical sites.

NRSE 5012 – NP I Practicum (3 cr.)
NRSE 5014 – NP II Practicum (3 cr.)
NRSE 5022 – Women’s Health Practicum (3 cr.)
NRSE 5032 – Care of Older Adults Practicum (3 cr.)
⚠️ Tennessee or compact state licensure required for all clinical courses
⚠️ Students provide their own transportation to clinical sites

Post-DNP Certificate Admissions Requirements

Applicants may be admitted in one of two ways:

Option A — DNP Degree-Holder:

Earned DNP degree with a designated concentration in advanced clinical practice or nursing administration
Transcript documentation of content equivalent to the DNP degree program core (26 credits); students without this content must take additional courses
For the AGPCNP certificate specifically: transcript documentation equivalent to NRSE 5009 (Advanced Health Assessment), NRSE 5010 (Health Assessment Practicum), NRSE 5016 (Advanced Pathophysiology), and NRSE 5018 (Advanced Clinical Pharmacology) — 12 credits total; students without this content must complete missing coursework before certificate courses

Option B — Concurrently Enrolled ETSU DNP Student:

Must be in academic good standing in the ETSU DNP program
Must have completed BSTA 5310 or equivalent, NRSE 5000, and NRSE 5001
Must have completed (or be in progress with) NRSE 5009, NRSE 5010, NRSE 5016, and NRSE 5018

All Applicants Must Also Submit:

Current, unencumbered RN license; eligible for licensure in Tennessee
Cover letter expressing personal goals for Post-DNP certificate study
Current resume or vita
Completed ETSU graduate application with application fee
Official transcripts from all prior institutions
Written essay (instructions provided within application)
Minimum 3.0 GPA required for continuation throughout the program
Summer admission | Deadline: March 1

Tuition

ETSU graduate tuition is assessed based on credit hours and residency status. The published 2025–2026 annual Cost of Attendance lists $11,822 in tuition and fees for in-state students and $26,942 for out-of-state students, based on 9 credit hours per semester (18 credits per academic year).

This equates to approximately $657 per credit hour in-state and $1,497 per credit hour out-of-state. Note that online and special course fees may apply in addition to base tuition and are not reflected in these estimates.

Students should confirm the exact per-credit rate with the ETSU Bursar’s Office, as the published cost of attendance does not break out the per-credit rate explicitly.

More tuition details are available here.

Accreditation

The ETSU College of Nursing’s DNP program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Graduates of the BSN-to-DNP and MSN-to-DNP AGPCNP tracks — as well as the Post-DNP Certificate — are eligible to sit for the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner national certification examination and may apply for APRN licensure upon passing.

More AGPCNP Programs in Tennessee

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