LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO) School of Nursing offers 3 Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner pathways, all leading to the Doctor of Nursing Practice:
- BSN-DNP
- Post-Master’s DNP (new APRN role: adds AGPCNP for APRNs certified in another role or population)
- Post-Master’s DNP (same role: DNP completion for nurses with an AGPCNP master’s degree)
LSUHSC-NO does not offer an AGPCNP master’s degree or a standalone post-graduate certificate. Every pathway runs through its New Orleans campus, and the new-role pathway requires a Louisiana RN and APRN license.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (Resident) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP | ~$86,500 | 3 years (9 semesters, full-time) | 86 |
| Post-Master’s DNP (New Role) | ~$64,800 | 2 years (6 semesters) | 65 |
| Post-Master’s DNP (Same Role) | ~$34,600–$49,300 | 4–5 semesters full-time; 7 semesters part-time | 35–50 |
Tuition estimates apply LSUHSC-NO’s 2026–2027 DNP per-credit tuition and fees ($1,071 fall/spring and $806 summer for residents; $1,870 and $1,406 for non-residents) to each published plan of study, term by term.
Where LSUHSC-NO stands apart is that it skips the master’s step entirely. A BSN-prepared nurse finishes with a DNP and 1,080 practicum hours, including a three-semester advanced practicum series tied to the scholarly project, at a public health sciences center rather than a large online provider.
The trade-off is commitment. The BSN-DNP is a nine-semester, full-time, campus-based plan in New Orleans, and LSUHSC-NO publishes no clinical placement policy for the concentration. Applicants who need to keep a full-time job, live outside commuting range, or want a faster MSN route will find the structure hard to fit.
LSUHSC-NO gives BSN nurses a direct, high-clinical-hour path to an AGPCNP DNP, but only for students who can commit three full-time years to the New Orleans campus.
Quick Facts
| Program Types | BSN-DNP; Post-Master’s DNP (new role); Post-Master’s DNP (same role) |
| Format | Campus-based in New Orleans; no online AGPCNP option advertised |
| Clinical Hours | 1,080 (BSN-DNP); 960 (new role); minimum 180 new hours (same role) |
| Clinical Placement | Not clearly published |
| Licensure Required | RN in any state with Louisiana eligibility (BSN-DNP); Louisiana RN and APRN (new role) |
| Start Terms | Summer (all pathways); Fall also open to same-role applicants |
| Dual Concentration | Not offered with AGPCNP |
| Tuition | $1,071/credit resident; $1,870/credit non-resident (2026–2027, fall/spring, fees included) |
| Accreditation | CCNE (through 2029) |
BSN-DNP: Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
The BSN-DNP AGPCNP requires 86 credits over nine full-time semesters (three years). Estimated tuition and fees are about $86,500 for Louisiana residents and $151,100 for non-residents. It is the only AGPCNP entry point for BSN-prepared nurses. LSUHSC-NO does not say how it treats applicants with a non-APRN master’s degree, but neither post-master’s track’s published criteria fit them, so the BSN-DNP appears to be their route.
BSN-DNP Curriculum
The 86-credit plan applies to students entering Summer 2025 or later. It replaced an 87-credit, 1,020-hour plan. The update moved epidemiology into the first summer, expanded advanced health assessment to 5 credits, added lab components to all three specialty courses, and replaced the final Primary Care NP IV course with a role transition course.
Year one carries no practicum hours: DNP core (leadership, theory, research, biostatistics, epidemiology), the APRN “3 Ps,” and lab-based assessment and procedures training. Year two is the AGPCNP specialty sequence, one practicum-bearing course per semester. Year three shifts to the scholarly project, paired each term with an advanced nursing practicum, and ends with role transition.
Students do not see patients as NP students until the fourth semester. That front-loaded structure suits nurses who want a strong foundation, but it delays clinical exposure compared with programs that start practicum earlier.
AGPCNP specialty sequence (Year 2)
- NURS 7716 Primary Care NP I: Adult Populations & Episodic Disease Management (7 cr: 3 didactic, 1 lab, 3 practicum)
- NURS 7717 Adult/Gerontology PCNP II: Vulnerable Populations & Chronic Disease Management (8 cr: 3 didactic, 1 lab, 4 practicum)
- NURS 7719 Adult/Gerontology PCNP III: Gerontology & Reproductive Health (9 cr: 3 didactic, 1 lab, 5 practicum)
APRN foundation (Year 1)
- HLSC 6409 Advanced Pharmacology (3 cr)
- HLSC 6410 Advanced Pathophysiology (3 cr)
- NURS 6315 Advanced Health Assessment (5 cr: 3.5 didactic, 1.5 lab)
- NURS 7709 Primary Care Pharmacotherapeutics Across the Lifespan (2 cr)
- NURS 7708 Diagnostic & Therapeutic Procedures and Tests for Advanced Primary Care (3 cr: 2 didactic, 1 lab)
DNP project and practice (Year 3)
- NURS 7110, 7120, 7130 Scholarly Project I–III (3 cr each)
- NURS 7021, 7022, 7023 Advanced Nursing Practicum I–III (1, 2, 2 cr)
- NURS 7306 Health Policy and Politics (3 cr)
- NURS 7950 Role Transition into Professional NP Practice (3 cr: 2 didactic, 1 practicum)
Other required courses: NURS 7103 Organization and Systems Leadership (4), NURS 7105 Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice (3), NURS 6324 Introduction to Epidemiology (3), BSDS 6100 Biostatistical Methods in Nursing (3), NURS 7203 Research Design and Methodology (3), NURS 7101 Theoretical and Philosophical Foundations of Nursing (3), NURS 7109 Health Outcomes (3), and NURS 7481 Evidence-Based Practice for Advanced Nursing Practice (4).
View the full BSN-DNP AGPCNP curriculum.
BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements
- Total practicum hours: 1,080 (published)
- Practicum credits: 18, which matches LSUHSC-NO’s 60-hours-per-credit ratio
- AGPCNP specialty and role transition practicum: 13 credits, about 780 hours (calculated)
- Advanced Nursing Practicum I–III: 5 credits, about 300 hours (calculated), in Year 3 alongside the scholarly project
- Settings named by the school: community-based clinics and urgent care
- Supervision: approved preceptors under program faculty oversight
- Placement responsibility, geographic limits, and placement guarantees: not clearly published
The hour total is a strength: students log about 780 hours in adult-gero primary care courses before the DNP practicum series adds roughly 300 more. The gap is placement. LSUHSC-NO references a DNP preceptor handbook but does not state publicly who secures sites. Given campus delivery in New Orleans, Louisiana clinical sites are the reasonable expectation, but the school states no geographic limit and does not say who recruits preceptors. Weigh that against programs that publish a placement guarantee.
BSN-DNP Admissions
- BSN or BSN equivalent from a regionally accredited institution; nursing credits from a specialized-accredited program
- 3.0 GPA on all undergraduate and graduate coursework
- Unencumbered RN license in any state, with eligibility for Louisiana licensure
- Clinical nursing experience “as specified by the concentration” (amount not published for AGPCNP)
- Three references, including a peer, a nurse practitioner, and a nursing supervisor
- Interview
- BLS for Healthcare Providers
- $100 non-refundable application fee; apply through NursingCAS
- TOEFL 550 paper-based or 79–80 internet-based for non-U.S. graduates or non-native speakers
- Deadline: January 31 for Summer entry (only start term)
The NP reference requirement can be a hurdle for nurses who do not work alongside NPs. Line one up early. With a single Summer start and a January 31 deadline, missing the cycle costs a full year.
View BSN-DNP AGPCNP admission criteria.
Post-Master’s DNP: New APRN Role (AGPCNP)
The Post-Master’s DNP new-role pathway lets a board-certified APRN in another role or population add AGPCNP while earning the DNP. The published plan is 65 credits over six semesters (two years). Estimated tuition and fees are about $64,800 for residents and $113,200 for non-residents. Applicants need a Louisiana RN and APRN license and a year of recent APRN experience.
New-Role Curriculum
The plan drops the 3 Ps the applicant already completed and keeps the full AGPCNP specialty sequence and DNP project series. Year one covers the DNP core plus primary care procedures. Year two stacks the three specialty courses alongside the scholarly project, so the final two semesters carry 15 and 16 credits. That compressed second year is the main workload consideration for working APRNs.
- Year 1: leadership, epidemiology, biostatistics, health outcomes, evidence-based practice, nursing theory, primary care procedures (23 cr)
- Summer, Year 2: NURS 7716 Primary Care NP I (7 cr) and Scholarly Project I
- Fall, Year 2: NURS 7717 Adult/Gerontology PCNP II (8 cr), Scholarly Project II, Health Policy
- Spring, Year 2: NURS 7719 Adult/Gerontology PCNP III (9 cr), Scholarly Project III, Role Transition
LSUHSC-NO notes that clinical hours and 3 Ps are verified at admission. If prior coursework does not meet current state and national requirements, the student adds hours or courses, which raises cost and length.
View the post-master’s AGPCNP plan of study.
New-Role Clinical Requirements
- Total practicum hours: 960 (published)
- Specialty practicum concentrated in Year 2, across the three AGPCNP courses and role transition
- Additional hours may be required if prior clinical hours do not verify
- Placement responsibility: not clearly published
The Louisiana APRN license requirement effectively limits this pathway to APRNs already practicing in Louisiana. For them, existing professional networks may make finding adult-gero primary care preceptors easier.
New-Role Admissions
- BSN and conferred master’s degree in nursing
- National APRN board certification
- Unencumbered Louisiana RN and APRN license
- One year of full-time APRN experience within the prior year
- Verified 3 P coursework and completed Verification of Practicum Hours form
- 3.0 GPA on all undergraduate and graduate coursework
- Three references (at least one peer and one supervisor), resume, scholarly writing sample, interview
- BLS; $100 application fee through NursingCAS
- Deadline: March 1
The experience rule is strict: one year of full-time APRN practice within the prior year. Newly certified APRNs and those who have stepped away from practice will not qualify yet.
View post-master’s DNP admission criteria.
Post-Master’s DNP: Same Role
The same-role pathway is for nurses who hold an AGPCNP master’s degree and want the DNP without adding a new specialty. Current APRN board certification is not required. It requires 35 to 50 credits, depending on how many practicum credits a student needs. Estimated tuition and fees run about $34,600 to $49,300 for residents and $60,300 to $86,100 for non-residents.
A published conflict worth knowing about. The post-master’s overview page lists a 35-credit minimum completed in 4 full-time or 7 part-time semesters. The plan of study shows 35 to 50 credits across 5 full-time semesters. Both agree on 7 semesters part-time. This page uses the plan of study for full-time length, since it is the course-by-course document.
Same-Role Curriculum
The plan contains no specialty courses. It covers the DNP core (leadership, epidemiology, biostatistics, health outcomes, evidence-based practice, theory, health policy) and the three-part scholarly project, each project course paired with an advanced nursing practicum of 1 to 6 credits. Practicum credits are the variable that moves the total between 35 and 50.
- NURS 7103 Organization and Systems Leadership (4 cr)
- NURS 6324 Introduction to Epidemiology (3 cr)
- BSDS 6100 Biostatistical Methods for Nursing (3 cr)
- NURS 7109 Health Outcomes (3 cr)
- NURS 7481 Evidence-Based Practice for Advanced Nursing Practice (4 cr)
- NURS 7101 Theoretical and Philosophical Foundations of Nursing (3 cr)
- NURS 7110, 7120, 7130 Scholarly Project I–III (3 cr each)
- NURS 7021, 7022, 7023 Advanced Nursing Practicum I–III (1–6 cr each)
- NURS 7306 Health Policy and Politics (3 cr)
Students without verified 3 P coursework must add Advanced Pathophysiology (3), Advanced Pharmacology (3), Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics (2), and Advanced Health Assessment (5).
View the same-role plan of study.
Same-Role Clinical Requirements
- Minimum 180 new practicum hours (3 credits)
- Minimum 1,000 post-baccalaureate practice hours in total, counting master’s hours
- Hours individualized after review of the master’s transcript
An AGPCNP with roughly 820 or more documented master’s clinical hours could finish near the 35-credit floor. One with fewer hours pays for each missing 60 hours as an added practicum credit, so verify prior hours before estimating cost.
Same-Role Admissions
- BSN and conferred master’s degree in nursing
- Current APRN board certification not required
- Unencumbered nursing license in any state with Louisiana eligibility
- 3.0 GPA; three references (at least one peer and one current supervisor); resume; scholarly writing sample; interview
- Completed Verification of Practicum Hours form
- BLS; $100 application fee through NursingCAS
- Deadlines: March 1 (Summer entry), June 1 (Fall entry)
Because certification is not required, this track also fits AGPCNP master’s graduates whose certification has lapsed. LSUHSC-NO does not address applicants whose master’s is in a non-APRN area such as education or leadership. The new-role track requires APRN certification, so the BSN-DNP appears to be their route to AGPCNP.
Tuition
LSUHSC-NO’s 2026–2027 schedule charges DNP students (except nurse anesthesia) $1,011 per credit in tuition for fall and spring and $757 in summer. With mandatory fees, the per-credit totals are:
- Residents: $1,071 fall/spring; $806 summer
- Non-residents: $1,870 fall/spring; $1,406 summer
That is about a 10% increase over 2025–2026 ($973 and $733 resident; $1,700 and $1,278 non-resident). Residency is the largest cost variable: non-residents pay about $64,500 more for the BSN-DNP.
How full-time billing works is not clearly published. LSUHSC-NO labels these per-credit rates as part-time (under 9 credits in fall/spring, under 6 in summer), and its current printed schedule does not show a separate full-time DNP rate. The estimates below apply the per-credit rate to every term. If full-time terms are billed at a lower flat rate, actual cost will be lower.
Estimated Total Tuition
| Pathway | Resident | Non-Resident |
|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP (86 cr) | $86,541 | $151,076 |
| Post-Master’s DNP, New Role (65 cr) | $64,845 | $113,198 |
| Post-Master’s DNP, Same Role (35–50 cr) | $34,570–$49,310 | $60,346–$86,076 |
Calculated by AGPCNPonline.com from LSUHSC-NO’s 2026–2027 per-credit rates and each published plan’s fall/spring and summer credits. These are not university-published totals.
Costs Beyond Tuition
- Books: about $1,200 (post-master’s DNP estimate published by the school)
- SPSS statistical software: $90 per year or $60 per six months
- Lab coat ($50), graduation fee ($50), and cap and gown ($110)
- Additional university fees listed in the 2026–2027 additional fees schedule
See the School of Nursing tuition and fees page and the LSUHSC 2026–2027 tuition schedule for current rates.
Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?
Best suited for: Louisiana BSN nurses who can study full-time in New Orleans and want to finish with a DNP and a high clinical-hour total rather than an MSN.
A DNP-Only Route With 1,080 Practicum Hours
There is no MSN exit. BSN applicants commit to the full DNP, and the payoff is volume: about 780 specialty and role-transition hours plus about 300 DNP practicum hours. Nurses who want the terminal degree anyway avoid applying twice and repeating core coursework.
Three Full-Time Years on Campus
The nine-semester full-time plan, campus delivery, and year-round schedule make it difficult to keep full-time employment. Distance learners will find no online AGPCNP alternative; LSUHSC-NO’s only online DNP is the Nurse Educator concentration offered through LSU Online.
Residency Nearly Doubles the Price
At published per-credit rates, a Louisiana resident pays about $86,500 for the BSN-DNP and a non-resident about $151,100. The new-role pathway is open only to Louisiana-licensed APRNs, so most of its students will qualify for resident rates.
Placement Policy Left Unstated
LSUHSC-NO does not publish whether faculty arrange clinical sites or students recruit their own preceptors. For a program with 960 to 1,080 practicum hours, that is a material unknown, especially for applicants weighing it against schools that guarantee placement.
The Verdict
LSUHSC-NO makes the most sense for Louisiana residents with a BSN who can commit three full-time years in New Orleans and want a DNP with substantial clinical hours. It also serves Louisiana APRNs adding adult-gero primary care in two years. Working nurses who need online or part-time study, non-residents watching cost, and applicants who want an MSN or a short post-graduate certificate should compare other programs.
Accreditation
The LSUHSC-NO School of Nursing BSN, MSN, and DNP programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) through 2029. The university is accredited by SACSCOC.
LSUHSC-NO states that AGPCNP graduates are academically eligible for both the AANPCB and ANCC adult-gerontology primary care NP certification exams. Its certification and licensure disclosure states that certified graduates are eligible for APRN licensure in all 50 states and DC.