Purdue Global University AGPCNP Programs (Adult Gerontology)

Purdue Global offers three Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) pathways:

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), AGPCNP population focus area, for BSN-prepared RNs
MSN—DNP Path, AGPCNP population focus area, which continues into the Doctor of Nursing Practice (BSN-to-DNP)
AGPCNP Postgraduate Certificate, for nurses who already hold an MSN or DNP

Program Tracks Overview

Program	Est. Tuition	Est. Duration	Credit Hours
MSN – AGPCNP	$37,800	About 2 years full-time	90 quarter (≈60 semester)
MSN—DNP Path (AGPCNP) + DNP	$65,800–$72,800	About 3.5–4 years	130–140 quarter
AGPCNP Postgraduate Certificate	$25,200	About 1.5 years	60 quarter (≈40 semester)

_{Tuition figures are estimates calculated from published per-credit rates. Semester equivalents use Purdue Global’s conversion of 1 semester credit = 1.5 quarter credits. The DNP range is explained in the Tuition section.}

All three pathways use the same AGPCNP sequence: 12 courses, 60 quarter credits, and four 160-hour clinical rotations (640 hours). Coursework is fully online. Purdue Global publishes no campus visits for AGPCNP students. New students can start in any of five 10-week terms per year, and tuition is a flat $420 per quarter credit in every state except Indiana, where residents receive a 10% reduction.

The biggest trade-off is clinical placement. Purdue Global expects students to lead their own search for sites and preceptors. The university provides referral lists, paperwork help, and a Placement Match fallback. That fallback has strict conditions: documented outreach to 10 sites, three formal denials, a request filed 20 weeks ahead, and possible travel of 100 miles or more. Applicants without local primary care contacts should weigh this before enrolling.

Quick Facts

Program Types	MSN; MSN—DNP Path + DNP; Postgraduate Certificate
Format	Online coursework; clinicals at approved sites in the student’s area
Campus Visits	None published for AGPCNP. VR immersion requirements apply only to the AGACNP and PMHNP tracks.
Clinical Hours	640 direct patient care hours (4 courses × 160 hours) and at least 640 logged patient encounters
Clinical Placement	Students lead the search; university support and a conditional Placement Match fallback
Telehealth	Up to 50% of clinical hours (320 max), with course-level caps
Patient Population	Adolescents through older adults, with a dedicated frail-elderly rotation
RN/APRN Requirement	Unencumbered U.S. RN license. APRN certification is not required for the certificate.
Minimum GPA	2.5 (MSN, certificate); 3.0 (DNP Path, per catalog)
Start Terms	Five per year (10-week terms, Academic Calendar C)
Weekly Workload	15–18 hours of coursework (university estimate), plus about 16 clinical hours per week during clinical terms
Tuition	$420/quarter credit (MSN, certificate); $700 (DNP); $295 resource fee per term
NP Board Pass Rate	93.7% average across all Purdue Global NP tracks for 2024 graduates (reported July 2025; not AGPCNP-specific)
Accreditation	CCNE

The 16 clinical hours per week is a calculation: 160 hours spread over a 10-week term.

MSN – Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

The MSN with the AGPCNP population focus area is the entry point for BSN-prepared RNs. It requires 90 quarter credits: a 30-credit MSN core plus the 60-credit AGPCNP sequence. Estimated tuition is $37,800.

Purdue Global lists a 2-year average completion for its MSN overall. At 90 credits, the AGPCNP version ties FNP as the longest MSN option. The MSN page projects an earliest graduation of December 2028 for a student starting at the next term, which is about two years. Students may take no more than two courses per term without the Dean’s approval.

MSN AGPCNP Curriculum

The plan runs in three blocks, and the prerequisites fix the order.

Block 1: MSN core. Six courses cover advanced roles, nursing theory, evidence-based practice and statistics, epidemiology, health policy and ethics, and health systems and finance. All six must be finished before the advanced practice courses begin. The MSN also includes an evidence-based project proposal.

Block 2: Advanced practice core. Pathophysiology and pharmacology are taken together as corequisites. Health assessment and diagnostic reasoning follows, since it requires both.

Block 3: AGPCNP specialty. NP I (NU566) is the gateway course. It leads into three didactic-and-clinical pairs:

Adolescent and adult care
Women’s health
Frail elderly

Each clinical can run in the same term as its matching didactic course. The program ends with Transition to Practice and a capstone primary care clinical, which can also be taken together.

What is distinctive:

Geriatric depth. The frail-elderly pair (NU584/NU585) covers aging theories, assisted living and skilled nursing care, alternatives to institutional care, palliative care, and financial issues specific to older adults.
Heavy overlap with FNP. Eight of the 12 specialty courses are shared with Purdue Global’s FNP track. Only NU572, NU573, NU584, and NU585 are AGPCNP-specific.
Adolescent coverage. The AGNP I courses cover patients from age 12 (catalog). The clinical handbook sets the AGPCNP patient range at age 13 and older.
Late clinical start. Based on the published prerequisites, the first clinical course (NU573) cannot begin until the core, the advanced practice courses, and NU566 are complete. That puts clinicals roughly in the second year.

MSN core (5 credits each):

NU501 – Advanced Nursing Roles
NU502 – Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Practice Nursing
NU504 – Scientific and Analytic Approaches to Advanced Evidence-Based Practice
NU505 – Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health Promotion
NU506 – Health Policy, Ethical, and Legal Perspectives of the Health Care System
NU507 – Promoting Optimal Models and Systems for Health Care Delivery

AGPCNP sequence (5 credits each):

NU551 – Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan
NU553 – Advanced Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics
NU552 – Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning
NU566 – NP I: Introduction to Primary Care for the Nurse Practitioner
NU572 – AGNP I: Primary Care of the Adolescent and Adult
NU573 – AGNP I Clinical: Adolescent and Adult Focus
NU576 – NP II: Primary Care of Women’s Health
NU577 – NP II Clinical: Women’s Health Focus
NU584 – AGNP II: Primary Care of the Frail Elderly
NU585 – AGNP II Clinical: Frail Elderly Focus
NU605 – Transition to Practice
NU610 – NP III Clinical: Primary Care Focus

Full degree plan: MSN catalog page.

MSN AGPCNP Clinical Requirements

Purdue Global’s program pages do not publish clinical hours and refer applicants to an admissions advisor. The School of Nursing’s Primary Care Programs Handbook states them directly.

Hours and encounters

Four clinical courses (NU573, NU577, NU585, NU610), each requiring 160 hours, for 640 direct patient care hours in total.
At least one patient encounter per clinical hour, for a minimum of 640.
Hours cannot be carried over between courses. Each 160-hour block must be finished within its 10-week term.

Telehealth

Up to 50% of total program hours (320) may be telehealth.
NU577 and NU585 each allow up to 80 telehealth hours.
Telehealth hours require an active RN license in the state where the site and preceptor are based.

Settings by course

NU573: family practice, outpatient internal medicine, urgent care or fast track (no emergency departments), FQHCs, and health department primary care clinics. Students who use urgent care here must complete all of NU610 in outpatient primary care.
NU577: OB/GYN practices, primary care clinics with high GYN volume, Planned Parenthood, and FQHCs. Urgent care is not accepted.
NU585: family practices with large elderly populations, nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, home health primary care, hospice, palliative care, geriatric assessment centers, and rehab settings.
NU610: outpatient primary care. AGPCNP students may also use palliative care, skilled nursing, hospice, geriatric assessment, and chronic rehab as primary sites. Students can request 40–80 hours in an outpatient specialty setting.

Preceptors

Accepted preceptors include board-certified FNPs or AGPCNPs, MDs or DOs in family or outpatient internal medicine, primary care PAs, and board-certified CNSs with prescriptive authority.
PAs cannot precept students in Alaska, Arizona, California, Kansas, or Pennsylvania.
A new preceptor and site are required for NU610 if all earlier rotations used the same one.
Friends and relatives cannot serve as preceptors.
An employer can be used as a site only if all hours are outside paid shifts, the duties differ from the student’s job, and the preceptor is not the student’s manager or a coworker.

Placement responsibility

The catalog names the student as “the best advocate” for identifying sites and preceptors.
Clinicals must take place in a state where the program is available.
A Clinical Student Manager supplies lists of previously used preceptors and helps with affiliation agreements.
Placement is not guaranteed. The catalog states no penalty beyond delayed registration if a site isn’t secured.

Placement Match (fallback)

Must be requested at least 20 weeks before the term.
Requires a contact log showing outreach to at least 10 qualifying sites.
Requires three formal denials sent from institutional email addresses.
All preclinical requirements must be complete, and a revised resume and cover letter submitted.
Matches may require travel of 100 miles or more and may be assigned to a later term.
Students pay any site fees.
Declining a match ends Purdue Global’s obligation for that request.

Full policy: Placement Match Request.

Other requirements

A drug screen is required before clinicals begin. Marijuana is prohibited regardless of state law.
Transportation and housing costs are the student’s responsibility.
A grade of B is required in every clinical course. Failing a clinical means repeating all of its hours and encounters.
Residents of states that require more clinical hours are enrolled in the NU820A extension course. It carries no tuition, but a resource fee applies if an extra term is needed. Kansas is the one state Purdue Global names.

What this means for applicants: Each of the four rotations targets a different population, so each requires a new site search, and women’s health and frail-elderly settings are narrowly defined. The late clinical start in the MSN gives students about a year to build contacts, and the handbook advises starting in the first term. The 320-hour telehealth allowance can widen the preceptor pool, but only for students licensed in the preceptor’s state.

MSN AGPCNP Admissions

Bachelor’s degree with a major in nursing
Cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher from an accredited institution
Current, unencumbered RN license in at least one U.S. state
Approved criminal background check (Iowa residents must also authorize an abuse-registry check)
Statistics and nursing research courses with a C or better, completed before NU504; the statistics course can be taken at Purdue Global
No GRE, references, essay, interview, or minimum RN experience is published for the AGPCNP track
Credit for prior learning is limited to NU551, NU552, and NU553
International applicants are not eligible for graduate nursing programs
Start terms: five per year. Upcoming starts are November 11, 2026, February 3, 2027, and April 21, 2027.
Not available to residents of Hawaii, Louisiana, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, or Guam

Source conflict on state restrictions: One note on the MSN program page also excludes New Jersey, North Dakota, and Puerto Rico. Purdue Global’s Program Availability Information, dated July 1, 2026, does not list them. That document is newer and is used here, but applicants from those three jurisdictions should confirm with an advisor.

Why the admission rules matter: Purdue Global’s AGACNP track requires a year of acute care experience. The AGPCNP track publishes no experience minimum at all, so recent BSN graduates can apply. The low bar makes entry easier, but students with limited RN experience may find it harder to recruit preceptors on their own.

MSN—DNP Path (AGPCNP) to Doctor of Nursing Practice

This is Purdue Global’s BSN-to-DNP route. Students complete the same 90-credit MSN with the AGPCNP focus, earn the MSN, and then continue into the 50-credit DNP. Estimated tuition is $65,800–$72,800.

Expect about 3.5 to 4 years: roughly two years for the MSN plus Purdue Global’s 1.5-year average for the DNP. The catalog requires a 3.0 GPA, higher than the standalone MSN.

DNP Path Curriculum

The MSN phase is identical to the standard MSN with one option. Students can take two doctoral courses in place of two core courses:

NU713 in place of NU505
NU733 in place of NU506

The DNP is not AGPCNP-specific. It is a leadership and systems doctorate. Purdue Global states the DNP “was not designed for initial certification and licensure” for APRN roles, and it aligns the degree with nurse executive certifications. The DNP project runs across the final four terms.

A reasonable reading of the catalog is that AGPCNP board eligibility attaches when the AGPCNP population focus is complete. That would allow graduates to certify after the MSN, before or during the DNP. Confirm this with Purdue Global and your state board.

DNP courses:

NU703 – Professional Role Development of the DNP-Prepared Nurse (6)
NU713 – Epidemiology and Social Determinants of Population Health (5)
NU733 – Ethics, Policy, and Advocacy for Population Health (5)
NU743 – Clinical Decision-Making and Collaboration (5)
NU753 – Transforming the Health Care Organization (5)
NU800 – DNP Project Proposal (6)
NU803 – Change Management and Clinical Data Analysis (6)
NU813 – DNP Project Implementation (6)
NU823 – DNP Project Dissemination (6)

Degree plans: MSN—DNP Path catalog and DNP catalog.

DNP Path Clinical Requirements

MSN phase: The same 640 AGPCNP hours and placement model described in the MSN section.

DNP phase

The DNP requires 1,000 postbaccalaureate practice hours in total.
The DNP Path page says all MSN clinical hours apply toward the doctorate.
The DNP courses carry per-course minimums that add up to 500 hours, with a maximum of 1,000. This means at least 500 DNP-level hours in practice, for a total of about 1,140 or more (calculated).
Practice hours take place at a site the student chooses, with a Practice Mentor the student selects. Both require approval.
The DNP project requires IRB training and IRB approval.

Source conflict on transferable hours: The DNP catalog caps prior hours at 500 for applicants entering with an outside MSN, and it says DNP faculty set each student’s required hours. The DNP Path page says all MSN hours apply. Because the DNP course minimums already require 500 hours, the practical effect is small.

DNP Path Admissions

Bachelor’s degree with a major in nursing as the highest nursing degree
Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (catalog)
Current, unencumbered U.S. RN license
Informational interview with an admissions advisor
Documents submitted at least four weeks before the desired start
Statistics and nursing research courses with a C or better before NU504
Approved criminal background check
Acceptance is at the School of Nursing’s discretion
The MSN—DNP Path must be completed before moving into the DNP
Not available to residents of Hawaii, Louisiana, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands

Source conflict on GPA: The DNP Path web page lists a 2.5 GPA. The catalog requires 3.0. Plan on 3.0.

Points to confirm before applying:

Washington residents can enroll in the standard AGPCNP MSN but not this pathway.
Purdue Global does not clearly publish whether DNP Path students must submit the separate DNP application materials (references, personal statement, resume) before starting the doctoral phase.

AGPCNP Postgraduate Certificate

The certificate is for nurses who already hold a master’s degree in nursing or a DNP. It requires 60 quarter credits and costs an estimated $25,200. Purdue Global lists a 1.5-year average completion and projects March 2028 as the earliest finish for the next start. APRN certification is not required.

Certificate Curriculum

The certificate is the same 12-course AGPCNP sequence used in the MSN, including pathophysiology, pharmacology, and health assessment. It is not a shortened plan built from a gap analysis. Without the MSN core, students start the advanced practice courses immediately. Based on the prerequisites, clinicals can begin around the fourth term.

All credit for prior learning must be submitted to the School of Nursing for review. The certificate catalog does not say which courses can be waived. For comparison, the MSN limits prior-learning credit to the three advanced practice courses. If an existing NP received credit for all three, the plan would drop 15 credits, or $6,300. That figure is a calculation, not a published policy.

Course list and policies: AGPCNP certificate catalog page.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

The certificate uses the same four 160-hour rotations, preceptor rules, telehealth limits, and student-led placement model as the MSN. The main difference is timing. Clinicals start sooner, so there is less time to find sites. Certificate students should begin their search, and file Placement Match requests if needed, as soon as they enroll.

Certificate Admissions

Master’s degree with a major in nursing, or a DNP
Cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher from an accredited institution
Current, unencumbered U.S. RN license
Criminal background check with nothing that would bar APRN licensure or prescriptive authority
APRN certification is not required
No GRE is listed
Not available to residents of Hawaii, Louisiana, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, or Guam; international students are ineligible

Who this certificate fits: MSN-prepared nurse educators, leaders, and informatics nurses can use it to enter NP practice without earning a second master’s degree. Current NPs looking for a short add-on credential should confirm credit decisions in writing before enrolling. As published, the certificate requires all 60 credits.

Tuition

Purdue Global published its current rates on July 1, 2026. See the official tuition page for details.

Per-credit tuition

Student Type	MSN and Certificate	DNP
Standard	$420	$700
Indiana residents	10% reduction	10% reduction
Military servicemembers	$320	$560
Veterans	$361.20	$595
Military spouses	10% reduction	10% reduction

Estimated total tuition (calculated)

Pathway	Credits	Standard	Indiana Resident	Servicemember
Certificate	60	$25,200	$22,680	$19,200
MSN	90	$37,800	$34,020	$28,800
MSN—DNP Path + DNP	140	$72,800	$65,520	$56,800

Why the DNP estimate is a range: The two doctoral courses DNP Path students may take during the MSN (NU713 and NU733) are also DNP courses. If they count toward the doctorate, the DNP phase drops to 40 credits. Purdue Global does not publish how those courses are applied or billed. The lowest plausible total is about $65,800, which assumes both courses are billed at the $420 rate.

Fees and other costs

Resource fee: $295 per term ($200 for servicemembers, veterans, and military spouses; Indiana residents receive 10% off). At five terms per year, expect roughly $2,200 for the certificate, $3,000 for the MSN, and $2,200 more for the DNP (estimates).
Books and materials: Not included in graduate tuition. Purdue Global estimates $50–$250 per course.
Clinical costs: Background checks, drug screening, immunizations, liability insurance, travel, housing, and any site fees from a Placement Match are the student’s responsibility. Amounts are not published.

Residency: Pricing is the same in every state except Indiana. Residents of Indiana, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau receive the 10% reduction. The Indiana rate cannot be combined with other reductions.

Financial aid: Purdue Global’s July 2026 program availability list does not flag any AGPCNP pathway as ineligible for federal aid, so under the university’s stated default they qualify. Purdue Global also participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program and offers reductions to employees of corporate partners.

Military rates: Program pages describe servicemember savings as 17–30%. The tuition page lists a flat $320 rate for master’s programs and certificates, and that rate is used above.

Estimates exclude future increases. Tuition is billed each term and can change with 30 days’ notice.

Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?

Best suited for: A U.S.-licensed RN in an eligible state who wants a fully online AGPCNP with frequent start dates and flat pricing, and who can realistically line up primary care, women’s health, and geriatric preceptors on their own.

Clinical Placement Is Your Job First

This is the deciding factor. Purdue Global’s support is real: Clinical Student Managers, referral lists, and help with affiliation agreements. But the support is built to supplement the student’s own search, not replace it. Placement Match comes only after documented failure to find a site, and it can mean long commutes or a delayed term. Nurses already working in clinic systems, long-term care, or alongside NP colleagues start with a clear advantage. Students with no local network take on real risk of delay.

Predictable Pricing and Frequent Starts

A flat $420 rate, five starts a year, and no campus travel make total cost and scheduling easy to plan. Out-of-state students pay the same rate as nearly everyone else. The certificate’s $25,200 estimate covers the full NP sequence. The MSN adds only the 30-credit core, or $12,600, to that figure.

Same Price as Purdue Global’s FNP

The AGPCNP and FNP tracks share eight of 12 courses and have the same credits, clinical hours, and tuition. The AGPCNP trades the FNP’s pediatric rotation for a dedicated frail-elderly course and clinical. It also counts skilled nursing, hospice, and palliative care sites toward the capstone rotation. Choose AGPCNP for adult and geriatric depth. Applicants who are undecided should know the broader FNP scope costs nothing extra here.

The Certificate Is a Full NP Program

For MSN-prepared nurses who are not APRNs, this works in their favor: one credential, no second master’s degree. For practicing NPs, it is a potential drawback. Purdue Global publishes no shortened pathway for current APRNs, and prior-learning credit depends on individual review.

The Verdict

The strongest candidates are working RNs, or MSN-prepared nurses for the certificate, in eligible states with existing primary care or geriatric networks, who value start-date flexibility and predictable pricing over structured placement support.

Applicants should compare other programs if they:

Need guaranteed clinical placements
Live in Hawaii, Louisiana, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, or Guam
Are current NPs looking for a short, gap-analysis certificate
Want a clinically focused doctorate rather than Purdue Global’s leadership- and systems-oriented DNP

Accreditation

Purdue Global’s MSN, DNP, and postgraduate APRN certificate programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The university holds institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. Graduates of all three AGPCNP pathways may sit for the ANCC or AANP Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP certification exams.

Purdue Global participates in NC-SARA but restricts enrollment in its AGPCNP programs by state. The DNP Path adds Washington and the U.S. Virgin Islands to the standard exclusions, and Kansas residents must complete an extra course to meet that state’s clinical-hour rules. Students in licensure-track programs who move must notify Purdue Global within 30 days. Review Purdue Global’s current State Licensure and Certifications page before applying.

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