Marquette University’s College of Nursing in Milwaukee offers 3 Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner pathways:
- MSN (42 credits)
- BSN-DNP (69 credits, MSN awarded en route)
- Post-Master’s Certificate (12–30 credits)
All three share the same 30-credit APRN foundation and AGPCNP specialty sequence. Courses mix in-person, hybrid, and online formats. Clinical sites are drawn from the greater Milwaukee area, the rest of Wisconsin, and northern Illinois.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN | $60,900 | Not published (usually part-time) | 42 |
| BSN-DNP | $100,050 | Not published (usually part-time) | 69 |
| Post-Master’s Certificate | $17,400–$43,500 | Not published (individual plan) | 12–30 |
Tuition estimates multiply Marquette’s 2026–2027 Graduate School rate ($1,450/credit, same for all students regardless of residency) by the published credit total.
Marquette’s clearest advantage is that clinical site placement is built into the program. The university lists it as a program feature rather than leaving students to recruit their own preceptors. Pair that with rolling admission for fall and spring and published plans of 3–6 credits per term, and the program is designed around nurses who keep working full time.
The cost of that support is geography and price. Marquette names only Milwaukee-area, Wisconsin, and northern Illinois clinical facilities, and some coursework is in person, so this is not a fully online option for nurses elsewhere. At $1,450 per credit, the MSN runs about $60,900 and the BSN-DNP about $100,050, with no lower in-state rate.
Marquette suits southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois nurses who want the school to handle clinical placement and a part-time pace while they keep working, at a private-school price.
Quick Facts
| Program Types | MSN, BSN-DNP, Post-Master’s Certificate |
| Format | Mix of in-person, hybrid, and online courses; campus visit frequency not published |
| Pace | Full- and part-time plans; generally 3–6 credits per term |
| Clinical Placement | Clinical site placement included |
| Clinical Locations | Greater Milwaukee, throughout Wisconsin, northern Illinois |
| Clinical Hours | Total not published; three 3-credit clinical courses |
| Population Focus | Patients ages 13 and up, clinic settings |
| Experience | 1 year adult or gerontology nursing before clinical courses |
| Start Terms | Fall and spring, rolling admission |
| Tuition | $1,450 per credit (2026–2027) |
| Accreditation | CCNE (MSN, DNP, post-graduate APRN certificate) |
MSN Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
The MSN Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner requires 42 credits and costs an estimated $60,900. Marquette does not publish a program length. It is open to BSN-prepared RNs, who need a year of adult or gerontology nursing experience before starting clinical courses.
At the 3–6 credits per term Marquette describes, 42 credits equals 7 to 14 terms. Actual length depends on the advisor-built plan and whether summer terms are used.
MSN Curriculum
The MSN has three layers: a 12-credit graduate nursing core, a 9-credit APRN foundation (the “3 Ps”), and a 21-credit AGPCNP specialty. The specialty pairs four theory courses with three sequential clinical courses.
Course prerequisites set the order. Clinical 1 requires Management of Episodic Health Problems first, with Complex Health Problems and Health Promotion completed or taken alongside it. Each later clinical course requires the one before it. Marquette’s recent schedule has run Clinical 1 in spring, Clinical 2 in fall, and Clinical 3 in spring, so the clinical phase spans roughly a calendar year once it begins.
The specialty includes two lifespan courses (Concepts and Interventions Across the Life-Span and Health Promotion Across the Life-Span), reflecting the 13-and-up patient range rather than a strictly adult focus.
Core (12 credits):
- NURS 6000 – Theoretical Foundations of Nursing (3)
- NURS 6007 – Ethics, Policy and Health Care Advocacy (3)
- NURS 6009 – Organizational and Systems Leadership (3)
- NURS 6010 – Research and Evidence as a Foundation for Nursing (3)
APRN foundation (9 credits):
- NURS 6030 – Pathophysiological Concepts for Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
- NURS 6032 – Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
- NURS 6036 – Advanced Health Assessment for the Advanced Practice Nurse (3)
AGPCNP specialty (21 credits):
- NURS 6037 – Management of Episodic Health Problems (3)
- NURS 6240 – Complex Health Problems (3)
- NURS 6242 – Concepts and Interventions for Health Problems Across the Life-Span (3)
- NURS 6244 – Health Promotion Across the Life-Span (3)
- NURS 6251 – Advanced Nursing of Adults-Gerontology 1-Clinical (3)
- NURS 6252 – Advanced Nursing of Adults-Gerontology 2-Clinical (3)
- NURS 6257 – Advanced Nursing of Adults-Gerontology 3-Clinical (3)
See the MSN requirements in the Marquette Graduate Bulletin.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- Three clinical courses: NURS 6251, 6252, 6257 (9 credits)
- Total clinical hours: not published
- Bulletin statement: “Clinical practicum experiences include a minimum of five hours per credit”
- Placement: “Clinical site placement” is listed as a program feature
- Clinical facilities: greater Milwaukee area, throughout Wisconsin, and northern Illinois
- Settings: clinic settings, patients ages 13 and up
- Experience: 1 year of full-time or equivalent nursing with an adult or gerontology population before clinical courses
- Attendance at all clinical experiences, skills labs, and simulation is mandatory
- Clinical site fees vary by site and term
Marquette does not publish a total clinical-hour figure. The “five hours per credit” statement does not resolve it: read literally, it yields 45 hours, far below the supervised hours national certification boards require. It most likely describes a weekly minimum, but the bulletin does not say so. Applicants comparing clinical volume cannot confirm Marquette’s total from published sources.
Placement support is the main clinical advantage. The trade-off is the named geography. Nothing published describes placement outside Wisconsin and northern Illinois, so a nurse elsewhere should expect to relocate or commute for clinical terms.
MSN Admissions
- BSN from a nationally accredited program with an upper-division nursing major
- Minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA
- U.S. RN registration; the bulletin requires proof of Wisconsin RN licensure in health records and Wisconsin or eNLC licensure for paid employment
- Undergraduate nursing research course
- Statistics course with inferential analysis, within five years of program start
- Undergraduate health assessment course
- AHA BLS certification, maintained throughout the program
- Three letters of recommendation from employers or teachers familiar with graduate nursing education
- Resume and statement of professional goals
- Interview may be required
- No GRE
- After acceptance: health status report, immunizations, annual TB test and flu vaccine, background check, and drug screen through CastleBranch
- Rolling admission for fall and spring starts
The one-year experience rule applies before clinical courses, not before admission. A newer BSN graduate can start the core and foundation courses while building that year.
Licensure wording differs across sources. The program page asks only for U.S. RN registration, while the bulletin asks for proof of Wisconsin RN licensure. Wisconsin belongs to the Nurse Licensure Compact, so a multistate compact license should satisfy the Wisconsin requirement. Northern Illinois clinicals may raise separate Illinois licensure questions that Marquette does not address.
BSN-DNP Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
The BSN-DNP Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner requires 69 credits and costs an estimated $100,050. Program length is not published. It admits BSN-prepared RNs and awards the MSN en route to the DNP.
At 3–6 credits per term, 69 credits equals 12 to 23 terms. The low end requires 6 credits in every term, including summers.
BSN-DNP Curriculum
The BSN-DNP contains all 42 MSN credits plus 27 doctoral credits. The added layer covers quality and safety, informatics, translational research, epidemiology, applied statistics, and professional issues, followed by a three-course DNP project. Each project course carries residency in its title.
Because the MSN is awarded en route, a student who stops after the specialty sequence still leaves with a degree that supports AGPCNP certification. That lowers the risk of committing to the longer program.
DNP courses beyond the MSN (27 credits):
- HEAL 6825 – Quality and Patient Safety in Health Care (3) or HEAL 6830 – Quality Improvement Science (3)
- HEAL 6835 – Health Care Informatics, Technology and Professional Issues (3)
- HEAL 7010 – Translational Research (3)
- HEAL 7012 – Epidemiology (3)
- HEAL 8015 – Applied Statistics for Health Sciences (3)
- NURS 6746 – Professional Issues in APN/DNP Practice (3), taken in the final BSN-DNP semester
- NURS 7963 – DNP Project 1: Proposal and Residency (3)
- NURS 7964 – DNP Project 2: Implementation and Residency (3)
- NURS 7965 – DNP Project 3: Evaluation, Dissemination and Residency (3)
The remaining 42 credits match the MSN curriculum. See the DNP requirements in the Marquette Graduate Bulletin.
BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements
- Same three AGPCNP clinical courses as the MSN
- DNP project residency embedded in NURS 7963, 7964, 7965
- AGPCNP clinical hours and DNP residency hours: not published
- Placement, geography, settings, and experience rule: same as the MSN
Most DNP programs state a total practice-hour figure. Marquette publishes neither the AGPCNP hours nor the residency hours, so applicants cannot confirm the doctoral practice total from official sources.
BSN-DNP Admissions
Admission requirements match the MSN: BSN, 3.0 GPA, RN licensure, the same prerequisites, three references, resume, goals statement, possible interview, and no GRE. Admission is rolling for fall and spring.
Marquette also offers a 30-credit post-MSN DNP. It contains no AGPCNP coursework. MSN-prepared nurses without APRN preparation must complete a post-master’s certificate alongside it, which makes the certificate the route to AGPCNP eligibility for that group.
Post-Master’s Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate
The Post-Master’s AGPCNP Certificate requires 12 to 30 credits and costs an estimated $17,400 to $43,500. Length depends on an individual plan of study. Applicants need a graduate degree in nursing. Published sources do not require prior APRN certification.
Two credit ranges are published. The program page lists 12–30 credits. The Graduate Bulletin lists a 12-credit minimum but a typical range of 18–30. This page uses 12–30 for the full range and treats the bulletin’s 18-credit figure as the more realistic floor for most applicants.
Certificate Curriculum
The certificate uses the same ten courses as the MSN APRN foundation and specialty (30 credits). Marquette reviews the master’s transcript and waives courses with documented equivalents. The plan of study is agreed before admission, so applicants know their credit count before enrolling.
Practicing NPs with prior pathophysiology, pharmacology, and assessment coursework sit near the low end. An MSN in education or leadership without APRN coursework should expect the full 30 credits.
- APRN foundation (up to 9 credits): NURS 6030, 6032, 6036
- Specialty theory (up to 12 credits): NURS 6037, 6240, 6242, 6244
- Clinical (up to 9 credits): NURS 6251, 6252, 6257
See the certificate requirements in the Marquette Graduate Bulletin.
Certificate Clinical Requirements
- Clinical hours set by the plan of study agreed before admission; total not published
- Up to three clinical courses, depending on prior coursework
- Placement, geography, and experience rule: same as the MSN
Because clinical courses run in a fixed sequence, a certificate student who needs all three should plan for roughly a calendar year of clinical terms even with a short plan.
Certificate Admissions
- Graduate degree in nursing
- Proof of Wisconsin RN licensure (Wisconsin or eNLC licensure for paid employment)
- Three letters of recommendation, resume, and professional goals statement
- Official transcripts; transcript review sets the plan of study
- Interview may be required
- No GRE
- No admission GPA published; a 3.0 cumulative GPA is required each term to progress
- Rolling admission for fall and spring
Tuition
Marquette charges $1,450 per credit for Graduate School programs in 2026–2027, according to the bursar’s rate table. The AGPCNP program page lists the same rate. As a private university, Marquette charges the same rate to Wisconsin and out-of-state students.
| Pathway | Credits | Est. Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| MSN | 42 | $60,900 |
| BSN-DNP | 69 | $100,050 |
| Post-Master’s Certificate | 12–30 | $17,400–$43,500 |
Totals are calculated from the published per-credit rate and credit totals. Marquette does not publish program totals.
Fees Beyond Tuition
- Graduate student fee (services, wellness, technology): $200 per term for traditional students taking 4+ credits; $120 per term for online students
- Typhon clinical tracking: $90, one time
- CPR certification: about $60, renewed every two years
- Health requirements and background check (CastleBranch): about $124, plus drug test and any exams or immunizations
- Clinical site fees: vary by site and term
Marquette lists merit-based assistantships and fellowships and federal loans as possible funding. No AGPCNP-specific scholarship is published. See graduate financial aid.
See Marquette’s 2026–2027 tuition and fees. See the official tuition and financial aid page.
Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?
Best suited for: RNs in southeastern Wisconsin or northern Illinois who want placement support and a part-time plan while working, and who can absorb private-school tuition.
Placement Support Inside a Defined Region
Clinical site placement is a listed program feature, which removes the preceptor search that stalls many working NP students. That benefit applies to the Milwaukee area, Wisconsin, and northern Illinois. Marquette publishes no out-of-region placement option.
A Part-Time Pace With a Fixed Clinical Spine
Plans of 3–6 credits per term and rolling fall and spring admission give working nurses room. The clinical courses still run in a set order on a set schedule, so the final year follows the program’s calendar, not the student’s.
Three Entry Points Built on One Specialty
All three pathways use the same 30-credit AGPCNP core. BSN holders choose between a 42-credit MSN and a 69-credit DNP that awards the MSN en route. MSN holders can enter through a certificate tailored by transcript review, at as few as 12 credits.
Cost and Missing Data
With no in-state discount, the MSN costs about $60,900 and the BSN-DNP about $100,050. Marquette also does not publish clinical-hour totals, DNP residency hours, or program length, which makes direct comparison harder.
The Verdict
Marquette makes the most sense for Milwaukee-area and northern Illinois nurses who value having clinical sites arranged and want to keep working. It also suits MSN-prepared nurses whose transcripts will shorten the certificate. Nurses outside that region, those seeking a fully online program, and cost-sensitive Wisconsin residents with access to public-university pricing should compare other options.
Accreditation
Marquette’s MSN, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Graduates are academically eligible for national AGPCNP certification. Marquette reports pass rates on the adult-gerontology certification exam as usually 100 percent. See College of Nursing accreditation.
Marquette’s licensure disclosure states that the AGPCNP certificate, MSN, and DNP meet educational requirements in all 50 states and DC. With clinicals limited to Wisconsin and northern Illinois, location matters more than that list. Review Marquette’s state licensure page.
Other AGPCNP Programs in Wisconsin
- Concordia University Wisconsin - Mequon
- Edgewood University - Madison