The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Nursing offers two Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner pathways:
- BSN-MSN (full-time or part-time)
- BSN-DNP (MUSC’s DNP/MSN; full-time or part-time)
Both pathways deliver coursework online with occasional on-campus immersions. Applicants need an active, unencumbered RN license in the state where they will complete practicums. MUSC currently does not accept applications from Washington, Arizona, Mississippi, Louisiana, or Oregon. MUSC labels the track “Adult-Gerontology NP (AGNP),” but describes primary care for adults and lists Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP certification as the target exam.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (Resident) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN-MSN (full-time) | ~$57,256 | 2 years (6 semesters) | 60 |
| BSN-MSN (part-time) | ~$65,614 | 3 years (9 semesters) | 60 |
| BSN-DNP (full-time, fall start) | ~$76,194 | 8 semesters (about 2.7 years) | 76 |
| BSN-DNP (full-time spring start or part-time) | ~$82,852–$93,546 | 10–11 semesters | 76 |
Tuition estimates use MUSC’s 2026-27 College of Nursing rates: $8,116 per full-time semester plus the $560 semester program fee, or $835 per credit part-time plus $1,146 in part-time semester fees. Each figure adds the $70-per-credit online fee, the $250 clinical course fee on the four precepted clinical courses, and, for the DNP, the $233 NRDNP890 fee on both residency terms.
MUSC’s two AGPCNP options share one clinical spine. Both run the same Advanced Care Management I–III sequence and the same 7-credit Role Practicum. The DNP replaces the MSN’s two thesis-style capstone courses with DNP project, quality, and systems courses plus 10 credits of residency. That adds 16 credits and two semesters, not additional NP clinical coursework.
The practical gap is clinical transparency. MUSC does not publish total clinical hours for either pathway, and it does not state who finds clinical sites and preceptors. For an online program that enrolls students outside South Carolina, those are the two figures distance applicants most need and cannot verify from MUSC’s published pages.
Choose MUSC for an online AGPCNP built on one shared clinical sequence with an MSN or DNP exit, but expect to work without published clinical hours or a stated placement policy.
Quick Facts
| Program Types | BSN-MSN; BSN-DNP (DNP/MSN) |
| Format | Online coursework with occasional on-campus immersions |
| Campus Attendance | Number, length, and timing of immersions not published |
| Clinical Hours | Not published |
| Clinical Placement | Responsibility not published; RN license required in the practicum state |
| Population Focus | Adults from early adulthood through older age; MUSC calls the track AGNP |
| State Restrictions | No applications from WA, AZ, MS, LA, or OR |
| Start Terms | Fall and spring |
| Tuition (2026-27) | $8,116/semester full-time in-state; $835/credit part-time in-state |
| Accreditation | CCNE |
Master of Science in Nursing – Adult-Gerontology NP
The MUSC MSN requires 60 credits and costs an estimated ~$57,256 in-state full-time over 6 semesters (2 years) or ~$65,614 in-state part-time over 9 semesters (3 years). It admits BSN-prepared RNs. AGPCNP is one of five NP tracks that share the published curriculum.
MSN Curriculum
The 60 credits divide into four blocks: a 13-credit advanced practice core (pathophysiology, two-course assessment sequence, pharmacotherapeutics), 16 credits of systems coursework, 25 credits of precepted clinical coursework, and a 6-credit capstone.
Clinical work starts early. Advanced Care Management I begins in the first summer, after only two semesters of core courses, and the clinical sequence runs through the final summer’s Role Practicum. Clinical courses make up 25 of 60 credits.
Two features stand out. First, the clinical courses carry the same course numbers across MUSC’s NP tracks; the published curriculum does not show adult-gerontology-specific course titles, so population focus appears to come from clinical placement and course content rather than separate courses. Second, MUSC’s MSN ends with a two-course capstone that produces a thesis with an oral presentation, which is uncommon for a clinical NP master’s.
Advanced practice core
- NRDNP838 Advanced Pathophysiology (3 cr.)
- NRDNP856A Advanced Clinical Assessment and Reasoning A (3 cr.)
- NRDNP856B Advanced Clinical Assessment and Reasoning B (3 cr.)
- NRDNP842 Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics (4 cr.)
Precepted clinical sequence
- NRDNP864 Advanced Care Management I (6 cr.), first summer
- NRDNP865 Advanced Care Management II (6 cr.), second fall
- NRDNP866 Advanced Care Management III (6 cr.), second spring
- NRDNP848B Role Practicum (7 cr.), final summer
Systems and capstone
- NRDNP860 Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics (4 cr.)
- NRDNP846 Frameworks for Leadership (3 cr.)
- NRDNP830 Applied Health Care Economics and Finance (3 cr.)
- NRDNP836 Informatics in Health Care Delivery (3 cr.)
- NRPHD708 Advanced Health Policy and Advocacy (3 cr.)
- NURSM820 Capstone I (3 cr.) and NURSM821 Capstone II (3 cr.)
MUSC publishes the full-time sequence on the program page. The part-time plan covers the same 60 credits over 9 semesters. View the MSN curriculum or the MUSC course descriptions.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- Total clinical hours: not published on the program page or in the course descriptions
- Precepted courses: Advanced Care Management I, II, and III and Role Practicum (25 credits)
- Settings MUSC names for the track: internal medicine practices, long-term care, and specialty clinics
- Placement responsibility: not clearly published
- Location: practicums take place in the state where the student holds RN licensure
- Preceptor requirements: active, unencumbered APRN, PA, or MD/DO license; at least one year of specialty experience; at least three months at the current site
- Preceptor paperwork: students give the preceptor information and CV forms to the preceptor and submit them to the Clinical Education Coordinator
- Clinical course fee: $250 per clinical course
MUSC’s preceptor page routes onboarding paperwork through the student, which suggests students are involved in securing preceptors, but MUSC does not say so directly. Out-of-state applicants should assume they will train in their home state and that local preceptor availability will matter, since MUSC publishes no guarantee of placement.
MSN Admissions
- BSN from a nationally accredited program by the first day of enrollment
- Active, unencumbered RN license in the state where practicums will be conducted
- Undergraduate statistics
- GPA: 3.0 nursing and 3.0 cumulative preferred; no hard minimum published
- Three letters of recommendation, one academic
- Personal essay and resume (health care experience highly recommended)
- Official transcripts from all institutions
- NursingCAS application, MUSC application, and MUSC supplemental application
- Interview for selected applicants
- TOEFL 80 minimum for non-native English speakers
- Not open to residents of WA, AZ, MS, LA, or OR; students needing an F-1 visa cannot be admitted
- Spring 2027: final deadline Oct. 31, 2026
- Fall 2027: application opens Aug. 15, 2026; final deadline May 1, 2027
Applicants choose their pace at application by selecting “Master of Science in Nursing” for full-time or “Part-Time Flex” for part-time. That choice drives total cost as well as duration (see Tuition below).
Doctor of Nursing Practice & Master of Science in Nursing – Adult-Gerontology NP
The MUSC DNP/MSN is a BSN-entry DNP requiring 76 credits. Estimated in-state tuition is ~$76,194 for the full-time fall-start plan (8 semesters), ~$93,546 for full-time spring start (10 semesters), and ~$82,852 part-time (11 semesters). It admits BSN-prepared RNs under the same requirements as the MSN.
A published conflict worth knowing about. The DNP program page lists the Spring 2027 final deadline as Oct. 15, 2027, a date after the term would begin. The MSN page lists Oct. 31, 2026 for the same cycle, and the prior version of this profile listed Oct. 15, 2026. The DNP date is likely an error. Our interpretation: DNP applicants targeting spring 2027 should treat Oct. 15, 2026 as the working deadline, since it is the earlier plausible date.
DNP Curriculum
The DNP keeps the MSN’s 13-credit core, all 25 clinical credits, and the MSN systems courses. It drops the 6-credit capstone and adds 22 credits of doctoral coursework: four 3-credit courses on DNP project development, quality, research ethics, and organizational systems, plus two 5-credit residency terms.
In the full-time fall plan, the NP clinical sequence finishes with the Role Practicum in the second summer, on the same timeline as the MSN. The final two semesters are residency, where students implement and evaluate an evidence-based practice improvement project with a partner agency and produce a poster and manuscript.
Courses unique to the DNP
- NRDNP873 Scholarly Inquiry in Practice Systems (3 cr.)
- NRDNP858 Evidence-Based Practice, Quality and Safety (3 cr.)
- NRDNP862 Practice Inquiry and IRB (3 cr.)
- NRDNP850 Organizational Theory and Healthcare Systems (3 cr.)
- NRDNP890 Residency (5 cr.), taken twice
Shared with the MSN
- Advanced practice core: NRDNP838, NRDNP856A, NRDNP856B, NRDNP842 (13 cr.)
- Clinical sequence: NRDNP864, NRDNP865, NRDNP866 (6 cr. each) and NRDNP848B Role Practicum (7 cr.)
- Systems: epidemiology and biostatistics, leadership, economics and finance, informatics, health policy (16 cr.)
The program page lists residency at 5 credits per term. The online course description lists NRDNP890 as variable credit (1–10 hours), so the 5-credit figure from the plan of study is used here. View the DNP/MSN plans of study.
DNP Clinical Requirements
- Total clinical hours: not published
- DNP practice or residency hours: not published
- Precepted NP courses: same four courses as the MSN (25 credits)
- Residency: multi-semester clinical or administrative experience with a partner agency
- Placement responsibility: not clearly published
- Location: practicums take place in the state where the student holds RN licensure
- Fees: $250 per clinical course; $233 NRDNP890 course fee
Because MUSC describes residency as clinical or administrative, the DNP’s added semesters do not necessarily add direct patient care time. Applicants choosing the DNP for more clinical exposure should not assume that from the published curriculum.
DNP Admissions
- Same degree, licensure, statistics, GPA preference, recommendation, essay, resume, transcript, interview, and TOEFL requirements as the MSN
- NursingCAS application, MUSC application, and MUSC supplemental application
- Not open to residents of WA, AZ, MS, LA, or OR; students needing an F-1 visa cannot be admitted
- Fall 2027: application opens Aug. 15, 2026; final deadline May 1, 2027
- Spring 2027: see the deadline conflict above
MUSC also lists a Doctor of Nursing Practice – Post-MSN for nurses who are already APRNs. It does not prepare students for AGPCNP certification, so this page does not profile it. MUSC does not list a post-graduate AGPCNP certificate.
Tuition
MUSC’s 2026-27 tuition schedule sets identical rates for the MSN and DNP/MSN, and the program pages match it. Full-time students pay a flat rate each fall, spring, and summer semester; part-time students pay per credit.
- Full-time: $8,116 per semester in-state; $10,858 out-of-state; $560 program fee per semester
- Part-time: $835 per credit in-state; $1,120 out-of-state; $861 student fee and $285 program fee per semester
- Online program fee: $70 per credit
- Clinical course fee: $250 per clinical course
- NRDNP890 course fee (DNP): $233
Full-time is the cheaper route. Part-time MSN study costs about $8,358 more in-state than full-time ($9,006 more out-of-state), because 60 credits at $835 exceed six flat semesters and part-time students pay semester fees for nine terms. The full-time DNP spring start costs about $17,352 more in-state than the fall start, because it bills two extra full-time semesters for the same 76 credits.
Residency adds about $16,452 to the full-time MSN and $21,936 to the full-time fall-start DNP.
| Pathway | Resident | Non-Resident |
|---|---|---|
| BSN-MSN, full-time | ~$57,256 | ~$73,708 |
| BSN-MSN, part-time | ~$65,614 | ~$82,714 |
| BSN-DNP, full-time fall start | ~$76,194 | ~$98,130 |
| BSN-DNP, full-time spring start | ~$93,546 | ~$120,966 |
| BSN-DNP, part-time | ~$82,852 | ~$104,512 |
These totals are calculated from MUSC’s published 2026-27 rates and plans of study. MUSC does not publish them.
Fees beyond tuition
- Application fee: $50; matriculation fee on acceptance: $485
- Student health insurance listed for new students: $1,688.80 fall, $2,311.20 spring, $1,045.48 summer
- Student Health and Wellness fee: $150 per semester for residential students
MUSC’s published cost of attendance ($138,860 in-state for the full-time MSN; $185,058 for the full-time fall-start DNP) includes living expenses and is not comparable to the tuition estimates above. Most MUSC scholarships are need-based and require the FAFSA (school code 003438). See MUSC College of Nursing tuition and aid and College of Nursing scholarships.
Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?
Best suited for: RNs in South Carolina or another eligible state who can study full-time online, can secure clinical training where they are licensed, and want to choose between an MSN and a DNP built on the same NP clinical sequence.
A DNP That Adds Project Work, Not NP Clinical Courses
The DNP shares every precepted NP course with the MSN. Its extra 16 credits go to DNP project, quality, and systems coursework and a residency that may be clinical or administrative. Applicants who want doctoral preparation for leadership or quality roles get it for about $18,938 more in-state (full-time fall start versus full-time MSN). Applicants who only want to practice as an AGPCNP gain no additional published NP clinical coursework from the DNP.
Full-Time Enrollment and a Fall Start Cost Less
MUSC’s flat full-time semester rate rewards a compressed schedule. Part-time students pay roughly $6,400 to $9,000 more for the same degree, and a full-time DNP spring start adds two billed semesters. Working nurses planning part-time study should price that premium against lost income from full-time study.
Clinical Hours and Placement Are Not Published
MUSC does not publish clinical hour totals or a placement policy for either pathway. Applicants cannot confirm how many precepted hours they will complete or whether MUSC will arrange sites. Distance students in states with tight primary care preceptor markets carry the most risk here.
Where You Are Licensed Sets Where You Train
Practicums take place in the state of RN licensure, and MUSC excludes five states outright. Online access does not make the program national, and applicants outside South Carolina should confirm their own board of nursing’s rules for out-of-state NP programs.
The Verdict
MUSC is a strong fit for South Carolina RNs who can enroll full-time and who value an academic health center setting with an MSN or DNP exit on the same clinical spine. Applicants outside South Carolina, part-time students, and anyone who needs a published placement guarantee or clinical hour total should compare programs that publish those figures. Current APRNs seeking an AGPCNP specialty should look elsewhere, since MUSC lists no post-graduate AGPCNP certificate.
Accreditation
MUSC’s MSN and DNP/MSN programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). MUSC states that graduates are prepared for Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP national certification, and that passing the exam meets South Carolina licensure requirements; other states may have different requirements.
MUSC does not accept applications from Washington, Arizona, Mississippi, Louisiana, or Oregon, and requires out-of-state students to contact their own State Board of Nursing about distance clinical requirements. Applicants should review the current restrictions on the MSN program page before applying, because the list can change.