Moravian University’s Helen S. Breidegam School of Nursing in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, offers two AGPCNP pathways:
- MSN for BSN-prepared registered nurses
- Post-Master’s Certificate for nurse practitioners who are already board certified
Both pathways are listed as hybrid. Both require an active Pennsylvania RN license at admission and a New Jersey RN license (or a multistate license) before the clinical year, because clinical placements may be anywhere in Pennsylvania or New Jersey.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN – AGPCNP | $45,956 | Not published (core coursework, then a full-time three-semester clinical year) | 44 |
| Post-Master’s Certificate | $22,479–$33,968 | At least one year (three-semester clinical year) | Not published (21–32 based on listed courses) |
Tuition estimates multiply Moravian’s 2026–2027 graduate nursing rate ($999 per credit, the same for all students) by the credit total, plus the $500 nurse practitioner fee Moravian lists for Advanced Health & Physical Assessment, the clinical courses, and the capstone course, applied once per itemized course.
Moravian removes the preceptor search from the student’s to-do list, which many hybrid AGPCNP programs do not. Its NP handbook states that students are not required to identify or formalize preceptors. A clinical coordinator approves and finalizes every site, and students are told not to contact practices directly. All 650 practicum hours fall within a single clinical year.
That support comes with a fixed footprint. Sites may be anywhere in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, so every student needs both state RN licenses and must be able to travel across that region. The program is also hybrid, with classroom attendance described as necessary, and the clinical year runs full-time. Nurses outside eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, or those who cannot cut work hours for a year, will find the model hard to use.
Moravian arranges AGPCNP clinical placements for its students, but only within Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and only during a full-time clinical year.
Quick Facts
| Program Types | MSN; Post-Master’s Certificate |
| Format | Hybrid |
| Campus Attendance | Classroom attendance required; frequency not published |
| Clinical Hours | 650 (200 younger adults, 200 older adults, 250 internship) |
| Clinical Placement | Arranged by the clinical coordinator; students may suggest sites |
| Clinical Locations | Pennsylvania or New Jersey |
| Population Focus | Adolescence through end of life, outpatient primary care |
| Licensure Required | PA RN at admission; NJ RN (or multistate) before the clinical year |
| Start Terms | Spring and Fall |
| Tuition | $999 per credit (2026–2027) |
| Accreditation | CCNE (master’s program) |
MSN – Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
The MSN AGPCNP track costs an estimated $45,956 for 44 credits. Moravian does not publish a total program length. The plan pairs 23 credits of core coursework with a 21-credit clinical year taken full-time over fall, spring, and summer. Applicants need a BSN with at least a 3.0 GPA and a Pennsylvania RN license.
MSN Curriculum
The 44 credits divide into three blocks. A 12-credit general core covers epidemiology, health policy, evidence-based practice, and health law. An 11-credit direct care core covers the advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology, and physical assessment courses every NP program requires, plus a 2-credit NP roles course that must be completed before the clinical year.
The specialty sequence is unusual in two ways. First, there are no standalone specialty didactic courses: each 7-credit clinical course combines primary care theory, seminars, and precepted practicum. Second, the sequence is organized by patient age rather than by body system or setting. Students move from younger adults to older adults, including the frail elderly, then finish with a 250-hour internship that must be taken in the final semester and ends with a professional portfolio.
The general core is heavier on policy, epidemiology, and law than many AGPCNP plans. That adds systems-level preparation, but it also means 12 of the 44 credits are not clinical or diagnostic in focus.
General Core (12 credits)
- NURS 502: Epidemiology and Bioinformatics (3)
- NURS 504: Policy, Quality, and Safety in Health Care (3)
- NURS 506: Nursing Role Theory and Evidence-Based Practice (3)
- NURS 536: Law, Regulation, and Ethics in Health Care (3)
Direct Care Core (11 credits)
- NURS 530: Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
- NURS 532: Advanced Pharmacology (3)
- NURS 534: Advanced Health and Physical Assessment (3, includes 30 lab hours)
- NURS 507: Nurse Practitioner Roles and Responsibilities (2)
Primary Care Clinical Year (21 credits)
- NURS 720: Care of Younger Adults, Primary Care Theory and Practicum (7)
- NURS 721: Care of Older Adults, Primary Care Theory and Practicum (7)
- NURS 722: AGPCNP Seminar and Internship (7)
See Moravian’s MSN course descriptions or the nursing course catalog.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- Total: 650 supervised clinical hours across three courses
- NURS 720: minimum 200 hours with younger adults in primary care
- NURS 721: 200 hours with older adults, including the frail elderly
- NURS 722: minimum 250 hours plus 30 didactic hours, final semester only
- Schedule: clinical specialty courses are offered once a year, and placements begin in the fall term
- Placement responsibility: the clinical coordinator approves and finalizes all placements; students may forward a potential site or preceptor but are not required to find one
- Contact rule: students should not contact institutions or practice staff directly
- Geography: placements may be in Pennsylvania or New Jersey; maximum travel distance is not published
- Employer restriction: a placement cannot be in the department where the student works
- Changes: placements are not changed once finalized, except in extenuating circumstances
- Preceptors: an MSN-prepared, board-certified NP with an active APRN license and at least one year of practice, or a licensed MD or DO
- Logging: practicum hours are tracked in Typhon
School-arranged placement is the program’s strongest practical feature. Students who struggle to find primary care preceptors, a common bottleneck in NP education, can rely on the coordinator rather than cold-calling practices. Moravian does not state whether placement is guaranteed or what happens if a site cannot be secured.
The trade-off is control. Students cannot shop for convenient sites themselves, finalized placements rarely change, and a site may land anywhere in a two-state region. Commute time is a real planning factor, especially during the 250-hour internship.
MSN Admissions
- BSN from an accredited program with at least a 3.0 GPA
- Official transcripts from all postsecondary schools
- Active Pennsylvania RN license; New Jersey RN license before the clinical year
- Statistics course (undergraduate or graduate) with a C or better
- Two professional references, one from a supervisor
- Written statement of professional goals
- Resume or CV
- Interview with the NP Program Admissions Committee
- Deadlines: October 15 (spring start), July 1 (fall start)
The New Jersey license requirement applies even to Pennsylvania residents. A multistate (Nurse Licensure Compact) license satisfies it, according to the NP handbook. Applicants without one should start the New Jersey application early so it does not delay the clinical year.
Progression is strict. Clinical specialty courses require a B- or higher, a C+ can be remediated only once, and students must keep a 3.0 overall GPA. Because those courses run once a year, a failed clinical course can push graduation back a full year.
Post-Master’s Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP Certificate
The Post-Master’s AGPCNP Certificate is open only to nurses who already hold an MSN-NP and national NP board certification. Moravian does not publish a credit total; a gap analysis sets each plan. The three practicum courses alone total 21 credits ($22,479 estimated). Adding the four direct care core courses the page lists brings the plan to 32 credits ($33,968 estimated). Expect at least one year, since the clinical sequence spans three semesters.
Certificate Curriculum
The certificate uses the MSN’s specialty sequence without the general core. The NP Program Director runs a gap analysis to decide which other courses are required, and the page also says clinical hour requirements are determined by the director. The same page lists all three 200-, 200-, and 250-hour practicum courses, so the published structure is 650 hours, but individual plans may differ.
Based on the course structure, the pathway is most relevant to certified NPs in another population focus, such as acute care or psychiatric NPs, who want to add adult-gerontology primary care. Certified FNPs already cover adults, so the value of a second adult certification depends on their practice goals.
- NURS 530: Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
- NURS 532: Advanced Pharmacology (3)
- NURS 534: Advanced Health and Physical Assessment (3)
- NURS 507: Nurse Practitioner Roles and Responsibilities (2)
- NURS 720: Care of Younger Adults, Primary Care Theory and Practicum (7)
- NURS 721: Care of Older Adults, Primary Care Theory and Practicum (7)
- NURS 722: AGPCNP Seminar and Internship (7)
Certificate Clinical Requirements
- Published structure: 650 hours (200 younger adults, 200 older adults, 250 internship), subject to the director’s individual determination
- Same placement model as the MSN: coordinator-arranged sites in Pennsylvania or New Jersey
- Prior clinical hours from the first NP program: crediting toward the 650 is not clearly published
For a working NP, the full-time clinical year is the main hurdle. Practicing NPs often want to keep their current role while adding a certification, and a year of 200- to 250-hour practicum terms makes that difficult.
Certificate Admissions
A published conflict worth knowing about. The certificate page lists an October 19 spring deadline, while the MSN page lists October 15. This page reports both. Applicants should treat October 15 as the safer target.
- Accredited MSN-NP program completed with at least a 3.0 GPA
- National board certification as a nurse practitioner
- Active Pennsylvania RN license; New Jersey RN license before the clinical year
- Statistics course with a C or better
- Official transcripts, two professional references (one from a supervisor), goal statement, and resume or CV
- Interview with the Program Admissions Committee
- Gap analysis by the NP Program Director
- Deadlines: October 19 (spring start), July 1 (fall start)
The board certification requirement excludes MSN graduates who have not yet passed an NP certification exam and nurses with non-NP master’s degrees. Those applicants would need the MSN instead.
Tuition
Moravian charges $999 per credit for all MSN programs, including nurse practitioner tracks, in both 2025–2026 and 2026–2027. As a private university, it charges the same rate regardless of state residency.
| Pathway | Credits | Tuition | NP Fees | Estimated Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSN – AGPCNP | 44 | $43,956 | $2,000 | $45,956 |
| Post-Master’s Certificate (practicum only) | 21 | $20,979 | $1,500 | $22,479 |
| Post-Master’s Certificate (with direct care core) | 32 | $31,968 | $2,000 | $33,968 |
Totals are calculated from Moravian’s published rate and fees, not published by the university.
Fees beyond tuition
- $500 for NURS 534 Advanced Health & Physical Assessment
- $500 for NP clinical courses (NURS 720 and 721)
- $500 for the NP capstone course (NURS 722)
Moravian lists these fees by course category without stating whether the clinical fee is charged per course. The estimates above apply it once to each itemized course. Typhon logging costs and clinical travel are not itemized.
See Moravian’s official graduate tuition and fees page or the cost of attendance page.
Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?
Best suited for: RNs in eastern Pennsylvania or New Jersey who hold (or can obtain) both state licenses, want the school to secure their preceptors, and can step back from work for a full-time clinical year.
School-Arranged Preceptors Inside a Two-State Footprint
Moravian’s coordinator finalizes every placement, and students are not required to find their own preceptors. For applicants who have watched classmates stall while searching for primary care preceptors, that is the main reason to apply. The cost is geographic: sites can be anywhere in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, both licenses are mandatory, and students cannot redirect a finalized placement.
A Clinical Year Organized by Patient Age
The practicum moves from younger adults to older adults, including the frail elderly, then closes with a 250-hour internship. Each course blends theory and practicum, so specialty content is learned alongside patient care rather than in separate lecture courses. The compressed format means 650 hours in three semesters, which is demanding for anyone working full-time.
One Rate for Every Student
At $999 per credit, the MSN totals about $46,000 including NP fees, with no residency premium and no rate increase between 2025–2026 and 2026–2027. MSN graduates who later want a doctorate can enter Moravian’s online post-master’s DNP at 29 credits instead of the standard 35, according to the DNP page.
A Certificate Only for Certified NPs
The post-master’s certificate requires existing NP board certification and sets each plan through a gap analysis. That suits certified NPs adding adult-gerontology primary care, but it gives applicants no published credit total to budget against before they apply.
The Verdict
Moravian makes the most sense for nurses who live within reach of the Lehigh Valley and the broader Pennsylvania–New Jersey region and value school-arranged placement over flexibility. Nurses elsewhere, those who need a fully online program, and those who must keep full-time hours through clinicals should compare other options.
Accreditation
Moravian’s master’s degree program in nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The pages reviewed do not name the AGPCNP certification exams graduates may sit for, though the NP handbook references national certification as the step before prescriptive authority.
The practical licensure limit is regional: a Pennsylvania RN license is required at admission, a New Jersey license before clinicals, and all placements fall in those two states. Applicants planning to practice elsewhere should check Moravian’s professional licensure page and their own state board’s requirements.
Other AGPCNP Programs in Pennsylvania
- Drexel University - Philadelphia
- La Salle University - Philadelphia
- Misericordia University - Dallas
- University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia
- Wilkes University - Wilkes-Barre
- York College - York