Northeastern University’s School of Nursing, part of the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, offers two Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner pathways:
- MS (final admissions cycle)
- CAGS, for nurses who already hold a master’s in nursing (final admissions cycle)
Both are primarily online, with local in-person clinicals and two required clinical intensive weekends in Boston. Northeastern accepts applicants from 26 states only, and it has announced that it will stop accepting AGPCNP applicants beginning with the 2027–28 admissions cycle.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (All Students) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS AGPCNP | $45,623 | 2–3 years | 43 |
| CAGS AGPCNP | $25,464–$33,952 | 1–2 years | 24–32 |
Tuition estimates multiply Northeastern’s 2026–2027 rate for online nursing MS and AG-PCNP CAGS students ($1,061/credit, the same for every state) by the 2026–2027 catalog credit totals; the CAGS range reflects whether the 8 prerequisite credits must be taken at Northeastern.
The most important fact about Northeastern’s AGPCNP program is that it is closing to new students. Both the School of Nursing program page and the graduate admissions page state that Northeastern will not accept AGPCNP applicants beginning in 2027. That makes the current cycle the last realistic entry point, and it raises fair questions about faculty continuity and clinical support for the final cohorts. Northeastern has not published a teach-out plan.
For applicants who can still get in, the appeal is a private-university MS at a discounted online rate of $1,061 per credit. The cost is effort: students identify and contact their own clinical sites and preceptors, travel to Boston twice, and plan without a published clinical-hour total.
A discounted, mostly online private-university AGPCNP with self-sourced preceptors and two Boston weekends, available only to applicants in 26 states who apply before admissions close.
Quick Facts
| Program Types | MS (BSN entry); CAGS (master’s in nursing entry) |
| Admissions Status | No new applicants beginning with the 2027–28 cycle |
| Format | Primarily online; synchronous and asynchronous courses; full- or part-time |
| Campus Attendance | Two mandatory clinical intensive weekends in Boston (MS) |
| Clinical Hours | Not published; 11 practicum credits across three courses |
| Clinical Placement | Students identify and contact sites and preceptors; school provides guidance |
| Eligible States | 26 states, including Massachusetts |
| Tuition | $1,061/credit (2026–2027), no residency difference |
| Accreditation | CCNE |
MS in Nursing – Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, Primary Care
The MS AGPCNP at Northeastern requires 43 credits and costs an estimated $45,623, the same figure Northeastern’s graduate admissions page publishes for 2026–2027. Northeastern lists a completion time of 2 to 3 years, full- or part-time. Applicants need a BSN, an active U.S. RN license, and at least one year of full-time nursing experience.
Published conflicts worth knowing about. The School of Nursing page lists fall (August 1) and spring (November 1, displayed with a stray trailing “7”; the previous version of this profile showed November 17) deadlines. Northeastern’s graduate admissions page lists fall entry only, with a July 1 deadline. Treat July 1 as the safe fall date. The two pages also word the closure differently (“beginning with the 2027–28 admissions cycle” versus “beginning 2027”); read together, the current 2026–27 cycle appears to be the last.
MS Curriculum
The 2026–2027 catalog splits the degree into a 16-credit graduate core and a 27-credit AGPCNP concentration. There are no electives. The core combines the three advanced practice foundations (pathophysiology and pharmacology here, health assessment in the concentration) with research, population health, and role courses.
The concentration runs as three theory courses, each matched to a practicum. NRSG 6249 lists NRSG 6449 as a corequisite, and the other two practicums share their theory course titles, indicating the same pairing. Clinical work progresses from prevention to common primary care conditions to complex multisystem patients. Practicum courses carry 11 of the 43 credits, about a quarter of the degree.
Two details stand out. A dedicated 2-credit course on pharmacology in adults and older adults follows general advanced pharmacology, which gives older-adult prescribing its own course. The 2026–2027 catalog also restructured the specialty sequence: the two primary care theory courses are now 4 credits each (NRSG 6258 and 6259), replacing the 3-credit NRSG 6253 and 6254.
Graduate Core (16 cr.):
- NRSG 5117 – Advanced Pharmacology (2 cr.)
- NRSG 5126 – Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice (3 cr.)
- NRSG 5118 – Healthcare System and Professional Role Development (3 cr.)
- NRSG 5121 – Epidemiology and Population Health (3 cr.)
- NRSG 7105 – Translating Research Evidence into Practice (3 cr.)
- NRSG 7110 – Evidence-Based Practice Research Application (2 cr.)
AGPCNP Concentration (27 cr.):
- NRSG 6115 – Health Assessment (3 cr.)
- NRSG 6222 – Pharmacology of Adults and Older Adults (2 cr.)
- NRSG 6249 – Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Through the Adult Life Span (3 cr.)
- NRSG 6258 – Primary Care Conditions Through the Adult Life Span (4 cr.)
- NRSG 6259 – Complex Primary Care Conditions Through the Adult Life Span (4 cr.)
- NRSG 6449 – Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Practicum (1 cr.)
- NRSG 6450 – Primary Care Conditions Practicum (5 cr.)
- NRSG 6451 – Complex Primary Care Conditions Practicum (5 cr.)
A grade of B or higher is required in each core course, with a minimum 3.0 GPA. View the full MS requirements in the course catalog.
MS Clinical Requirements
- Total clinical hours: not published. Northeastern refers only to “the required number of hours” of precepted clinical learning.
- Practicum courses: NRSG 6449 (1 cr.), 6450 (5 cr.), and 6451 (5 cr.)
- Placement responsibility: students identify, contact, and propose clinical sites and preceptors; the School of Nursing provides guidance and support
- Guarantee: none stated. Northeastern says successful placement depends on timely student engagement and completing required steps.
- Location: clinical rotations are completed locally, in person
- Example sites cited by Northeastern: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston Medical Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Campus intensives: two mandatory hands-on clinical intensive weekends in Boston, one in the first year and one in the final semester of the specialty track
- Costs: Northeastern notes additional fees may apply for travel, memberships, and clinical
The Boston hospital list is useful to local students but does little for someone in Texas or Ohio, who will be recruiting a preceptor on their own. Start that search early. Northeastern publishes no lead time for affiliation agreements, and the earlier claims of a 100-mile placement radius and a six-month contracting window no longer appear on any current Northeastern page.
The missing hour total is a real planning gap. Without it, students cannot estimate weekly clinical time per term or confirm hour counts with a prospective preceptor in advance.
MS Admissions
- BSN from an accredited program (a non-nursing bachelor’s is considered at the Program Director’s discretion)
- Current U.S. RN license
- Minimum 3.0 GPA; B or better in all nursing courses
- At least 1 year of active full-time nursing experience
- Statistics covering probability theory and hypothesis testing, preferably within 5 years and no more than 10 years before entry (or active QI/research work)
- Two letters of recommendation, CV, and a letter of intent of at least 500 words
- Official transcripts from all college coursework, submitted through the Northeastern application portal
- GRE not required
- Residency in an eligible state: AK, AR, CO, CT, FL, HI, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, ME, MA, MI, MS, MT, NJ, NM, NC, OH, RI, SC, TX, VT, VA, WV
- Deadlines: fall July 1 (graduate admissions) or August 1 (School of Nursing); spring November 1 (School of Nursing only)
The statistics rule is more flexible than it first looks. Applicants whose course is older than the window can retake an approved statistics course before starting or complete Northeastern’s zero-credit, no-cost Pre-Admission Readiness for Research course. The state list is the harder limit: residents of large states such as California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Georgia are not eligible.
CAGS – Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, Primary Care
The CAGS AGPCNP requires 24 credits of specialty coursework, an estimated $25,464, rising to about $33,952 if the 8 prerequisite credits are taken at Northeastern. Northeastern lists a completion time of 1 to 2 years. It is designed for nurses with a master’s in nursing who want to add the adult-gerontology primary care population.
Published conflicts worth knowing about. The 2026–2027 catalog says every incoming CAGS student must complete NRSG 5117, 5126, and 6115 (8 credits) with a B or better “regardless of the student’s background,” while the School of Nursing page labels the same courses “Prerequisite Courses or Equivalent.” This page shows both outcomes as a range. Separately, the graduate admissions CAGS page publishes a $59,850 tuition estimate, which does not reconcile with the bursar’s $1,061 AG-PCNP CAGS rate at either 24 or 32 credits. This page uses the bursar rate. The School of Nursing page requires a master’s with a nurse practitioner specialty; the graduate admissions page asks only for a master’s in nursing.
CAGS Curriculum
The CAGS is the MS concentration without the graduate core. It drops the research, population health, and role courses an MSN holder has already completed. The three-step theory and practicum sequence is identical to the MS, so CAGS students reach the same clinical endpoint with roughly half the credits.
Prerequisites (8 cr., B or better): NRSG 5117 Advanced Pharmacology (2), NRSG 5126 Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice (3), NRSG 6115 Health Assessment (3)
Required Courses (24 cr.):
- NRSG 6222 – Pharmacology of Adults and Older Adults (2 cr.)
- NRSG 6249 – Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Through the Adult Life Span (3 cr.)
- NRSG 6258 – Primary Care Conditions Through the Adult Life Span (4 cr.)
- NRSG 6259 – Complex Primary Care Conditions Through the Adult Life Span (4 cr.)
- NRSG 6449 – Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Practicum (1 cr.)
- NRSG 6450 – Primary Care Conditions Practicum (5 cr.)
- NRSG 6451 – Complex Primary Care Conditions Practicum (5 cr.)
View the CAGS requirements in the course catalog.
CAGS Clinical Requirements
- Total clinical hours: not published; same three practicum courses (11 credits) as the MS
- Placement responsibility: students identify and contact sites and preceptors, with school guidance; no guarantee stated
- Campus intensives: not stated on the CAGS pages
Because the MS schedules its second intensive in the final semester of the specialty track, which the CAGS shares, CAGS students should plan for at least one Boston trip even though no CAGS page confirms it. Experienced NPs adding a population may have an easier time recruiting preceptors through existing professional networks.
CAGS Admissions
- Master’s degree in nursing (the School of Nursing page specifies a nurse practitioner specialty)
- BSN from an accredited U.S. program
- Current RN license
- Two letters of recommendation, personal statement, résumé, and transcripts
- APRN certification: not listed as a requirement
- Same 26-state eligibility list as the MS
- Fall entry, July 1 deadline (graduate admissions); the School of Nursing page also lists spring
The NP-specialty wording matters. If it applies, the CAGS serves practicing NPs adding a population, not MSN holders in education or leadership who want to become NPs. Those applicants should confirm eligibility before paying the application fee.
Tuition
Northeastern’s 2026–2027 tuition table lists $1,061 per credit for the online MS in Nursing and, by name, the AG-PCNP CAGS. The 2025–2026 rate was $1,035. As a private university, Northeastern charges the same rate regardless of state, and online students take all courses at the discounted rate.
The previous version of this profile used the $1,035 rate, which understated the current MS cost by $1,118 and the 24-credit CAGS by $624.
| Pathway | Credits | Est. Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| MS AGPCNP | 43 | $45,623 |
| CAGS AGPCNP | 24 | $25,464 |
| CAGS with prerequisites | 32 | $33,952 |
Figures are calculated from the published 2026–2027 per-credit rate and catalog credit totals, not published by Northeastern, except the MS total, which Northeastern also publishes.
Fees beyond tuition:
- Health and Counseling Fee: $225 per year (general graduate fee table)
- Northeastern University Student Health Plan: $3,049 for 2026–2027, waivable with qualifying coverage; the fee table does not state whether online students are assessed
- Comprehensive Fee: does not apply to online students
- Travel to two Boston intensives, memberships, and clinical costs, which Northeastern says may apply
See the official tuition page for more details.
Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?
Best suited for: a nurse in one of Northeastern’s 26 eligible states who can apply in the current cycle, recruit their own preceptor, and travel to Boston twice.
A Closing Window, Not a Long-Term Option
Northeastern will stop accepting AGPCNP applicants beginning in 2027. Anyone planning to apply a year or two from now cannot use this program. Current applicants would join one of the final cohorts. Northeastern still lists the full curriculum, but it has not published how it will support students who are mid-program when admissions end.
Self-Sourced Preceptors and No Published Hour Total
Students find and contact their own sites and preceptors, and placement depends on the student completing required steps. With 11 practicum credits but no stated hour count, applicants must take the clinical workload partly on trust. This model works best for nurses with established local contacts in primary care or geriatrics.
A Private-University Degree at a Discounted Online Rate
At $1,061 per credit, the online rate is well below what Northeastern charges for many campus graduate programs, and it does not change by state. An MS of about $45,600 is a reasonable figure for a private university, though residents of states with public online AGPCNP programs may pay less in-state.
A Short CAGS for Practicing NPs
The CAGS delivers the full AGPCNP specialty sequence in 24 credits, about 1 to 2 years. For an NP adding adult-gerontology primary care, that is a direct route. The catalog’s prerequisite language could add 8 credits, so applicants should get a transcript review before budgeting.
The Verdict
The strongest case for Northeastern belongs to a nurse in an eligible state who is ready to apply now, has a likely preceptor lined up, and wants a mostly online private-university program at a fixed rate. NPs adding the AGPCNP population through the CAGS also have a clear reason to look. Applicants outside the 26 states, anyone not ready for the current cycle, and students who want school-arranged placements or a published clinical-hour total should compare other programs.
Accreditation
Northeastern’s master’s in nursing and post-graduate APRN certificate programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Graduates of both pathways are eligible for AGPCNP national certification through either the ANCC or the AANP.
Northeastern currently accepts AGPCNP applicants from 26 states. Applicants should check Northeastern’s state authorization statements and professional licensure disclosure to confirm their state before applying.
Review More AGPCNP Programs in Mass
- Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions - Boston
- Regis College - Weston
- UMass Chan - Worcester
- UMass Dartmouth - Dartmouth