Florida A&M University’s School of Nursing offers three Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) pathways:
- MSN
- Post-Master’s Certificate – APN pathway (for nurses already certified in another APRN role)
- Post-Master’s Certificate – Non-APN pathway (for nurses with a non-NP graduate degree)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (online / in-state on campus) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN | ~$30,744 / ~$17,038 | 5 semesters full-time; 7 semesters part-time | 42 |
| Post-Master’s Certificate | ~$14,640–$30,744 / ~$8,113–$17,038 | Not published; depends on credits awarded | 20–42 completed at FAMU |
| Post-Master’s Certificate – Non-APN | ~$26,352 / ~$14,604 | Not published | 36 completed at FAMU |
All tuition figures above are calculated from FAMU’s published per-credit rates, not university-published program totals.
All three run through the same 42-credit curriculum and the same 750-hour clinical sequence. FAMU delivers the MSN either fully online or fully on campus – its own FAQ states the degree is not available in a blended format.
- Why choose it: 750 supervised clinical hours plus a 90-hour assessment lab at a public-university price, delivered fully online or fully on campus.
- Trade-off: Applicants must identify a qualified preceptor before admission, and FAMU does not arrange placements.
Quick Facts
| Program Types | MSN (BSN entry), Post-Master’s Certificate (APN), Post-Master’s Certificate (Non-APN) |
| Format | Fully online or fully on campus – not blended |
| Campus Visits | FAMU’s online MSN page lists one on-campus residency; no residency requirement is published for the certificate pathways |
| Clinical Hours | 750 supervised clinical clock hours, plus 90 lab hours in Advanced Health Assessment Practicum |
| Clinical Placement | Student-arranged. Applicants must name a qualified preceptor before admission |
| Population Focus | Late adolescence through older adulthood, primary care |
| RN License | MSN: Florida, a multistate compact license, or the state of permanent residence. Certificates: Florida or an NLC compact state only |
| Start Terms | Three per year (Fall, Spring, Summer) |
| Transfer Credit | MSN: up to 6 credits. APN certificate: up to 22. Non-APN certificate: 6 |
| Accreditation | ACEN (nursing); SACSCOC (institutional) |
Master of Science in Nursing – AGPCNP
The MSN AGPCNP requires 42 credits and takes five semesters full-time or seven semesters part-time. Estimated tuition is about $30,744 online or $17,038 in-state on campus (out-of-state on campus: roughly $46,624). Applicants need a BSN from an ACEN-, CCNE-, or CNEA-accredited program, and FAMU explicitly requires the BSN in hand at the time of application.
At 42 credits, the MSN is leaner than many competing NP programs; FAMU markets the contrast against programs requiring up to 57 credits. For applicants paying by the credit, that difference is real money.
MSN Curriculum
The curriculum is gated, not modular. FAMU’s curriculum plan states that all Graduate Core and APRN Core courses must be completed before a student progresses to the Population Foci/Role Core. Practically, the didactic foundation is front-loaded and every clinical course sits in the back half of the plan of study. That structure protects clinical readiness, but it also means a student who stalls on a core course delays the entire clinical sequence, and delays it behind a preceptor arrangement that may not hold.
Credit-to-clock conversion is 1:1 for theory and 1:6 for clinical. A 3-credit practicum is 315 hours of supervised patient care.
Three features distinguish the sequence:
- A dedicated older-adult course and practicum. NGR 5209 and its 120-hour practicum isolate geriatric clinical reasoning rather than folding it into general primary care. For an adult-gerontology population focus, this is appropriate depth.
- A required mental health course. NGR 6291 (Special Issues Across the Adult Life Span) covers psychiatric management across adulthood. Many AGPCNP programs treat behavioral health as a unit inside a primary care course; FAMU gives it three credits.
- A capstone synthesis seminar. NGR 6700 is built around certification-exam preparation rather than a thesis or DNP project. FAMU offers no AGPCNP doctoral pathway, so there is no scholarly project requirement.
Full curriculum (42 credits, effective Fall 2023 / 2025 plan):
| Course | Credits | Clinical/Lab Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NGR 5110-DL Theory Application and Advanced Role Development | 3 | – |
| NGR 5141-DL Advanced Pathophysiology | 3 | – |
| NGR 5172-DL Advanced Pharmacology | 3 | – |
| NGR 5810-DL Research Methods and Evidence-Based Practice | 3 | – |
| NGR 6891-DL Health Policy and Nursing | 3 | – |
| NGR 5003C-DL Advanced Health Assessment Theory | 3 | – |
| NGR 5003L-DL Advanced Health Assessment Practicum | 1 | 90 lab |
| NGR 5742-DL Role of APN in Health Promotion / Disease Prevention | 3 | – |
| NGR 5209-DL Clinical Management of Older Adults | 2 | – |
| NGR 5940L-DL Clinical Management of Older Adults Practicum | 1 | 120 |
| NGR 6201-DL Primary Care for Adults Across the Life Span I | 3 | – |
| NGR 6201L-DL Primary Care Practicum I | 3 | 315 |
| NGR 6291-DL Special Issues Across the Adult Life Span | 3 | – |
| NGR 6202-DL Primary Care for Adults Across the Life Span II | 3 | – |
| NGR 6202L-DL Primary Care Practicum II | 3 | 315 |
| NGR 6700-DL APRN Synthesis Seminar | 2 | – |
| Total | 42 | 750 clinical + 90 lab |
Conflict to be aware of: FAMU publishes two different credit values for NGR 5209. The 2025 MSN curriculum plan and both Post-Master’s Certificate pages list it at 2 credits with a separate 1-credit practicum (NGR 5940L). An older plan still posted on the School of Nursing site, dated Summer 2021, lists it at 3 credits and omits the practicum entirely. Both total 42 credits. The 2025 plan is the newer document and is used throughout this profile.
See the official MSN curriculum plan or the FAMU catalog entry.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- 750 supervised clinical clock hours, excluding the Advanced Health Assessment lab
- 90 additional lab hours in NGR 5003L
- Distribution: 120 hours (older adult practicum), 315 hours (Primary Care Practicum I), 315 hours (Primary Care Practicum II)
- Setting: primary care
- Qualified preceptor: a nationally certified nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or licensed physician currently practicing in primary care
- Placement responsibility: the student, before admission and throughout enrollment
- Travel: FAMU states students may need to travel to work with a preceptor in an NLC compact state
This is the decision point for most applicants. Identifying a preceptor is listed as an admission requirement, not a later milestone, so you cannot apply and sort it out afterward. Losing a preceptor mid-program is also a listed ongoing obligation, and because all clinical courses sit at the end of the plan of study, a lapse there has nowhere to go but into a delayed graduation.
FAMU’s messaging on this is not fully consistent. The admission requirements document and post-admission checklist put the burden squarely on the student, while FAMU’s online-programs marketing page says students receive “specialized guidance” in finding a preceptor in their home area. No published document defines what that guidance includes or commits FAMU to securing a site. Read the requirement as written and treat any assistance as a bonus. Ask the Graduate Program office directly what the support actually consists of before you apply.
One practical offset: FAMU includes free access to a web-based tool for tracking patient encounters and clinical hours, and states a faculty-to-student ratio of 1:20 or better.
MSN Admissions
- BSN from an ACEN-, CCNE-, or CNEA-accredited program, required at the time of application
- 3.0 GPA in the last 60 credits of the baccalaureate; graduate GPA may be substituted if the applicant holds a graduate degree
- Current, valid, unrestricted RN license in Florida, a multistate compact license, or the applicant’s state of permanent residence
- GRE recommended but not required; a minimum 300 (verbal + quantitative) is required only if undergraduate GPA is below 3.0
- Identification of a qualified available clinical preceptor
- Statement of professional goals addressing the advanced practice role
- Current physical exam (CBC, urinalysis), TB test and/or chest X-ray, and documented immunity for MMR, HBV, varicella, and DTaP/Td; a titer is required if records are unavailable
- Computer proficiency
- TOEFL above 550 for foreign applicants
- Three start terms per year
- Transfer credit: up to 6 credits from an accredited institution; at least 36 credits must be completed at FAMU
After admission: Level II background check and lab-controlled drug screen, NP student professional liability insurance, personal health insurance, CPR certification, annual TB screening, and a maintained 3.0 graduate GPA.
Two requirements deserve emphasis. The GRE conditional is unusually forgiving: a 2.8 undergraduate GPA does not disqualify you if you can post a 300. And the transfer-credit window is 14 calendar days from accepting admission. The written request, course syllabus, and official transcripts must all reach the Director of Graduate Programs inside that window, with final approval no later than the end of your second semester. Miss it and you pay for coursework you already completed.
See FAMU’s full MSN admission requirements.
Post-Master’s Certificate – AGPCNP (APN Pathway)
The APN pathway is for nurses who already hold an MSN or doctorate and national certification as an NP in another specialty, CRNA, CNM, or CNS. FAMU may award up to 22 credits from prior graduate work, leaving as few as 20 credits to complete. Estimated FAMU tuition at the 20-credit minimum is about $14,640 online or $8,113 in-state on campus. FAMU does not publish an expected completion time for this pathway.
The eligibility rule is strict: evidence of current practice as an APN or maintained national certification in an APRN role. A nurse with an MSN in education or administration is not eligible here. That applicant belongs in the Non-APN pathway and will pay substantially more.
APN Certificate Curriculum
The 22-credit ceiling is not discretionary generosity. It maps exactly onto the 22 credits that sit outside the Population Foci block, and everything inside that block must be taken at FAMU regardless of your existing credentials.
Automatically waived on the basis of an earned master’s in nursing (6 cr):
- NGR 5110-DL Theory Application and Advanced Role Development (3)
- NGR 5810-DL Research Methods and Evidence-Based Practice (3)
Eligible for credit after individual evaluation (up to 16 cr):
- NGR 5742-DL Role of APN in Health Promotion / Disease Prevention (3)
- NGR 6891-DL Health Policy and Nursing (3)
- NGR 5003C-DL Advanced Health Assessment Theory (3)
- NGR 5003L-DL Advanced Health Assessment Practicum (1)
- NGR 5141-DL Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
- NGR 5172-DL Advanced Pharmacology (3)
Required at FAMU, Population Foci (20 cr): NGR 5209 (2), NGR 5940L (1), NGR 6201 (3), NGR 6201L (3), NGR 6202 (3), NGR 6202L (3), NGR 6291 (3), NGR 6700 (2).
Credit is conditional on a grade of B or better in coursework completed within five years of application. That recency rule is the practical constraint. An FNP certified in 2016 who has not taken graduate coursework since will likely repeat the full APRN core – pharmacology, pathophysiology, and advanced assessment – pushing the required load toward 36 or 42 credits and the cost toward the full MSN figure. The advertised “as few as 20 credits” applies to recent graduates, not to experienced APRNs with older transcripts. Individual curriculum maps are built after acceptance, so your actual number is unknown until then.
See the APN certificate curriculum plan, the transfer credit policy, or the FAMU catalog entry.
APN Certificate Clinical Requirements
FAMU’s transfer credit policy is explicit: APN certificate students must complete all Population Foci/Role courses at FAMU with 750 clinical hours. Prior APRN clinical hours do not reduce this.
This is a meaningful cost in time. A certified FNP or CNM re-entering as a student completes the same 750 hours as a new BSN graduate, on the same student-arranged preceptor basis. Some competing post-master’s certificates award 500 to 600 hours or credit prior practice. Verify the hour count before treating FAMU’s low credit total as the cheaper option overall – the tuition is lower, but the clinical commitment is not.
APN Certificate Admissions
- Master’s degree in nursing from an ACEN-, CCNE-, or CNEA-accredited program
- Evidence of current practice as an APN (NP, CRNA, CNM, CNS) or maintenance of national certification
- 3.0 graduate GPA in all master’s coursework
- RN license from Florida or a Nurse Licensure Compact state, or from the state of practice provided that license is Florida or NLC
- Identification of a qualified available clinical preceptor in primary care
- Statement of professional goals addressing the advanced practice role
- Current physical exam, TB test and/or chest X-ray, and full immunization documentation
- Computer proficiency; TOEFL above 550 for foreign applicants
- Post-admission: Level II background check, drug screen, liability insurance, CPR, annual TB screening, 3.0 graduate GPA
The license rule is the eligibility gate most applicants miss. Unlike the MSN, which accepts an RN license from the applicant’s state of permanent residence, the certificate pathways require a Florida or NLC compact license. Nurses licensed in non-compact states such as California, New York, Illinois, Oregon, Nevada, Michigan, Minnesota, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Hawaii, or Alaska are not eligible unless they obtain qualifying licensure first. FAMU encourages a multistate compact license specifically because it gives students flexibility in arranging clinical rotations.
Post-Master’s Certificate – AGPCNP (Non-APN Pathway)
The Non-APN pathway serves nurses holding a master’s or doctorate in a non-NP nursing role – nursing education, administration, leadership, or informatics – who want to move into clinical practice. FAMU awards a maximum of 6 credits, and 36 credits must be completed at FAMU. Estimated tuition is about $26,352 online or $14,604 in-state on campus. FAMU publishes no expected completion time.
Non-APN Certificate Curriculum
Awarded on the basis of an earned master’s in nursing (6 cr): NGR 5110-DL and NGR 5810-DL.
Required at FAMU (36 cr):
- NGR 5742-DL Role of APN in Health Promotion / Disease Prevention (3)
- NGR 6891-DL Health Policy and Nursing (3)
- APRN Core: NGR 5003C (3), NGR 5003L (1), NGR 5141 (3), NGR 5172 (3) – 10 credits
- Population Foci: NGR 5209 (2), NGR 5940L (1), NGR 6201 (3), NGR 6201L (3), NGR 6202 (3), NGR 6202L (3), NGR 6291 (3), NGR 6700 (2) – 20 credits
The structural difference from the APN pathway is where the APRN core sits. For APN applicants, those 10 credits are listed as potentially creditable. For Non-APN applicants, they are listed under courses that must be taken at FAMU. That is defensible, since a nursing administrator has not completed the three Ps, but it is the reason this pathway costs roughly 80% of a full MSN while awarding a certificate rather than a second degree.
FAMU’s FAQ separately mentions that Non-APN certificate applicants “may transfer up to 6 credits from an accredited institution.” Read alongside the transfer credit policy and the 42-minus-6-equals-36 arithmetic, this appears to describe the same six credits rather than an additional allowance. FAMU does not state this explicitly, so confirm with the Graduate Program office if you are counting on it. The certificate pages do note that additional non-APN coursework may be evaluated by the School of Nursing case by case.
See the Non-APN certificate curriculum plan and the transfer credit policy.
Non-APN Certificate Clinical Requirements
Full 750 clinical hours in the Population Foci sequence, all completed at FAMU, with a student-identified preceptor named before admission.
For a nurse educator or informaticist who has been out of direct patient care for several years, this is the hardest part of the pathway, not the coursework. You need a practicing primary care preceptor willing to commit to a long clinical relationship before FAMU will admit you, and you may have fewer current clinical contacts than a bedside RN would.
Non-APN Certificate Admissions
Requirements are identical to the APN pathway with one substitution: instead of evidence of APRN practice, applicants provide evidence of current practice in a non-APN role (nurse administrator, nursing education, nursing leadership, nursing informatics) or maintained national certification in a non-APN specialty. The Florida-or-NLC RN license requirement applies here as well, as does the 3.0 graduate GPA, the preceptor identification, and the full health and background screening package.
See FAMU’s Post-Master’s Certificate admission requirements.
Tuition
FAMU charges AGPCNP students under two different rate structures depending on delivery mode.
Online (FAMU Online). The MSN is billed at $732 per credit hour, the same for residents and non-residents. FAMU publishes a 42-credit program total of $30,750; the exact product of 42 multiplied by $732 is $30,744. This flat rate is also reflected in the Graduate Distance Learning cost-of-attendance budget, which lists $6,588 per semester at 9 credits. FAMU’s online tuition table covers only the MSN, so no per-credit online rate is published for the Post-Master’s Certificates. Certificate estimates on this page apply the MSN rate and should be confirmed with the Bursar’s Office.
On campus. FAMU Regulation 3.017, amended 18 September 2025 and effective for the 2026 academic year, sets graduate tuition and fees at:
| Residency | Per credit hour |
|---|---|
| Florida resident | $405.67 |
| Non-resident | $1,110.09 |
These are all-in rates: base tuition of $334.13 plus the financial aid, capital improvement, athletic, activity and service, technology, and health fees. Non-residents pay an additional $675.07 non-resident fee and $29.35 non-resident financial aid fee per credit.
Estimated totals, calculated from published per-credit rates:
| Pathway | Credits at FAMU | Online | In-state on campus | Out-of-state on campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSN AGPCNP | 42 | ~$30,744 | ~$17,038 | ~$46,624 |
| PMC – APN (minimum) | 20 | ~$14,640 | ~$8,113 | ~$22,202 |
| PMC – Non-APN | 36 | ~$26,352 | ~$14,604 | ~$39,963 |
What the numbers mean. A Florida resident who can attend on campus pays roughly $13,700 less for the MSN than the online student, so the online convenience premium is about 80% on the per-credit rate. Conversely, an out-of-state student pays about $15,900 less by choosing online than by relocating and paying non-resident rates. The flat online rate is the single most consequential pricing fact on this page: it makes FAMU expensive for Floridians who could commute to Tallahassee and inexpensive for everyone else.
Additional fees. A transportation and access fee of $65 for fall, $65 for spring, and $33 for summer; a $5 ID card fee per semester excluding summer; a $35 one-time orientation fee; and material and supplies fees ranging from $15 to $300 for certain courses. Students also bear the cost of NP student liability insurance, personal health insurance, annual TB screening and physicals, a Level II background check, drug screening, and CPR certification, all required annually throughout enrollment.
All estimates exclude future tuition increases. FAMU does not publish an AGPCNP-specific scholarship, and clinical travel costs are not itemized, though the requirement to travel to an NLC-state preceptor can add meaningfully for students in preceptor-scarce areas.
Verify current figures on FAMU Online tuition, the graduate cost of attendance page, and Regulation 3.017.
Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?
Best suited for: a working RN who already has a primary care preceptor lined up, most often someone employed in a primary care setting, and who holds a Florida or compact license.
Clinical volume you would otherwise pay more for
750 supervised hours plus a 90-hour assessment lab is 50% above the 500-hour national minimum for NP certification eligibility. That extra volume shows up in confidence at first practice and in how competitive you are as a new graduate. At $732 per credit online, FAMU delivers it for under $31,000, a figure many private online AGPCNP programs exceed while requiring fewer hours.
The preceptor requirement is a gate, not a hurdle
Most programs ask you to help find a preceptor. FAMU asks you to have one before it will consider your application, and to maintain one for the duration. This is the deciding variable. If you work in a primary care practice with a willing NP, PA, or physician, FAMU is straightforwardly attractive. If you are a hospital-based RN with no primary care contacts, you will spend months solving a problem that programs with placement services solve for you, and FAMU’s stated fallback is that you may have to travel to another compact state.
Residency and licensure decide whether you are eligible at all
The MSN accepts an RN license from your state of permanent residence. Both certificates require a Florida or NLC compact license. Nurses in non-compact states are effectively locked out of the certificate pathways unless they obtain qualifying licensure. Separately, FAMU’s program pages warn that state regulations prevent it from serving online students in some states, while its SARA table lists every state and territory as covered with an instruction to check your state nursing board. Verify your own state before investing in an application.
Where the pathways part ways on value
The APN certificate is the standout: as few as 20 credits for an already-certified APRN, at roughly half the MSN price. But it is heavily conditioned on the five-year recency rule, and the full 750 clinical hours apply regardless of your existing practice history. The Non-APN certificate is the weakest value proposition, with 36 of 42 credits at FAMU, full clinical hours, and a certificate rather than a degree. If you hold an MSN in education or administration, price the Non-APN certificate against a full MSN or a BSN-to-DNP elsewhere before committing; the gap is smaller than it looks.
FAMU makes the most sense for two applicants. The first is a Florida-resident RN who can enroll on campus: at $405.67 per credit, a 42-credit MSN with 750 clinical hours at roughly $17,000 is among the better values in the state. The second is an already-certified APRN with recent graduate coursework and a compact license, who may complete the AGPCNP certificate for under $15,000 online, provided the 750 clinical hours fit around an existing job. Compare other options if you do not have a preceptor secured, if you hold a non-compact RN license and want a certificate pathway, or if you need a doctoral credential, since FAMU offers no AGPCNP DNP. Non-APN master’s holders should be particularly skeptical: paying 80% of MSN tuition for a certificate is a poor trade when full degree programs are available at similar cost.
Accreditation
Florida A&M University is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). All FAMU School of Nursing programs, including the MSN AGPCNP and both Post-Master’s Certificates, are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). ACEN is a different body from CCNE, which accredits most competing Florida NP programs; both are nationally recognized and both satisfy certification-body requirements. FAMU states its MSN graduates meet the educational eligibility criteria for APRN licensure and certification in Florida through the ANCC or AANPCB.
FAMU participates in NC-SARA, and its state authorization reciprocity table lists all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands as covered for the MSN, with a footnote directing every online MSN applicant to contact their own state board of nursing to confirm the program meets that state’s licensure requirements. FAMU’s program pages simultaneously warn that restrictive state regulations prevent it from serving online students in some states, without naming them. Because these two published positions do not fully agree, applicants outside Florida should confirm eligibility in writing with the School of Nursing before applying.
More AGPCNP Programs in Florida
- Florida Atlantic University - Boca Raton
- 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
Compare all Florida Adult Gerontology Primary Care NP programs