Saint Joseph’s College of Maine offers 2 Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner tracks:
- MSN
- Post-Graduate Certificate
Both tracks are fully online with the same structural flexibility: rolling admissions, no GRE, and no application fee. NP track students in both programs attend one mandatory on-campus immersive skills day.
Clinical rotations are completed locally, in the student’s own community, rather than at a designated program site.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MSN AGPCNP | ~$39K | 2 years 3 months (full-time) / 3.5–4 years (part-time) |
| Post-Graduate Certificate AGPCNP (CAGS) | ~$18K | Not clearly stated |
Saint Joseph’s College is recognized as one of the most affordable online NP programs nationally — with no application fee, no GRE, rolling admissions three times per year, and clinical rotations completed in your own community with providers you already know.”
MSN AGPCNP
The estimated cost for the MSN Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine is approximately $39,000 .
Estimate based on 48 credits × $746/credit = $35,808 tuition + NP clinical fees for 3 courses at $773/course + online fees, per 2026–27 rates.
The program takes 2 years and 3 months to complete full-time or 3.5–4 years part-time.
MSN Curriculum
The MSN AGPCNP requires 48 total credits structured as a 24-credit nursing core, a 21-credit AGPCNP specialty track, and a 3-credit capstone.
The core covers informatics, research methods and evidence-based practice, policy/quality/safety, organizational and systems leadership, population health and interprofessional collaboration, advanced pharmacology, advanced pathophysiology, and advanced health assessment — building the APRN science foundation before students enter the specialty track.
The AGPCNP track progresses through NP role introduction, theory and practicum for the young and middle-aged adult, theory and practicum for the older adult, and concludes with an integrative adult-gerontological primary care NP theory course paired with a final practicum.
A capstone course completes the degree.
Nursing Core courses (24 credits):
- NU 501 – Nursing Informatics (3 cr)
- NU 503 – Nursing Research Methods: Utilization for EBP (3 cr)
- NU 508 – Policy, Quality and Safety (3 cr)
- NU 513 – Organizational and Systems Leadership (3 cr)
- NU 514 – Population Health and Interprofessional Collaboration (3 cr)
- NU 607 – Advanced Pharmacology (3 cr)
- NU 608 – Advanced Pathophysiology (3 cr)
- NU 601 – Advanced Health Assessment (3 cr)
AGPCNP Track courses (21 credits):
- NP 600 – The Advanced Practice Nurse as Provider (3 cr)
- NP 612 – Family Theory: Young and Middle Age Adult (3 cr)
- NP 613 – Primary Care Practicum: Young and Middle Age Adult (3 cr)
- NP 620 – Family Theory: Older Adult (3 cr)
- NP 621 – Primary Care Practicum: Older Adult (3 cr)
- NP 630 – Adult Gerontological Primary Care NP Theory (3 cr)
- NP 631 – Adult Gerontological Primary Care NP Practicum (3 cr)
Capstone (3 credits):
- NP 801 – Capstone (3 cr)
MSN Clinicals
Clinical rotations are completed in the student’s own geographic area with local providers. NP track students attend one mandatory on-campus immersive skills day, which counts for 24 hours of clinical time and covers specialty-specific skills in a supervised simulation environment.
Total program clinical hours are not explicitly stated on the official page — prospective students should confirm with the program.
- Three practicum courses: NP 613, NP 621, NP 631 (3 credits each)
- Mandatory on-campus skills day: 24 clinical hours (one visit, skills and simulation)
- Clinical rotations completed in student’s local geographic area with familiar providers
- NP clinical fee: $773 per clinical course (selected courses)
- Note: Total clinical hours not explicitly stated for the MSN — contact the program to confirm
MSN Admissions
The MSN AGPCNP requires a BSN from an accredited institution with a minimum 3.0 GPA; no application fee and no GRE required, with rolling admissions three times per year.
- BSN from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited institution required
- Minimum cumulative GPA: 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
- Active unrestricted, unencumbered RN license in the US
- 1 year of experience working as an RN
- Undergraduate statistics course with grade of B or better (may be completed conditionally in first semester)
- Official transcripts from all previous colleges
- Current resume or CV
- Career statement: describe the NP role in the context of advanced practice and how the graduate degree fits your professional development goals
- 3 references — from a peer, a supervisor, and a prior faculty member
- No GRE or GMAT required
- No application fee
- Rolling admissions; fall, spring, and summer starts available
- License sanction requirement: applicants must have been without license restrictions for the 2 years prior to application
- International applicants: TOEFL required
Post-Graduate Certificate AGPCNP (CAGS)
The estimated cost for the Adult Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine is approximately $18,000.
Estimate based on 30 credits × $492/credit = $14,760 tuition + NP clinical fees for 3 clinical courses at $773/course = $2,319 + online fees, per 2026–27 rates.
Program duration is not clearly stated; the competitive admissions process and individualized nature of the certificate suggest variable completion timelines.
Certificate Curriculum
The AGPCNP CAGS is a 30-credit post-graduate certificate designed for RNs with both a BSN and MSN who want to become certified as an Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP.
The curriculum includes only nurse practitioner-specific courses — no management, education, or leadership core content is repeated.
The three APRN foundation courses (health assessment, pharmacology, pathophysiology) are paired with the full AGPCNP specialty track: NP role introduction, theory and practicum for young/middle-aged adults, theory and practicum for older adults, and the integrative adult-gerontological primary care NP theory and practicum pair. The certificate structure mirrors the specialty portion of the MSN at the same rigor.
All required CAGS courses (30 credits):
- NU 601 – Advanced Health Assessment (3 cr)
- NU 607 – Advanced Pharmacology (3 cr)
- NU 608 – Advanced Pathophysiology (3 cr)
- NP 600 – The Advanced Practice Nurse as Provider (3 cr)
- NP 612 – Family Theory: Young and Middle Age Adult (3 cr)
- NP 613 – Primary Care Practicum: Young and Middle Age Adult (3 cr)
- NP 620 – Family Theory: Older Adult (3 cr)
- NP 621 – Primary Care Practicum: Older Adult (3 cr)
- NP 630 – Adult Gerontological Primary Care NP Theory (3 cr)
- NP 631 – Adult Gerontological Primary Care NP Practicum (3 cr)
As part of the admissions review process, SJC determines whether applicants need additional courses for certification. Students will be notified of any gaps but are not required to complete additional coursework before beginning the certificate program.
Certificate Clinicals
The CAGS requires a minimum of 600 supervised clinical hours, completed in the student’s own geographic area. NP track certificate students also attend one mandatory on-campus skills day. The 24 hours from the skills day may count toward clinical time.
- Minimum clinical hours: 600 supervised hours
- Three practicum courses: NP 613, NP 621, NP 631 (3 credits each)
- Mandatory on-campus skills day (24 hours, skills and simulation)
- Clinical rotations completed locally in the student’s geographic area
- NP clinical fee: $773/course for applicable clinical courses
Certificate Admissions
The CAGS requires both a BSN and an MSN from accredited institutions with a minimum 3.5 GPA in the MSN — notably higher than the MSN’s 3.0 threshold. No application fee, no GRE, rolling admissions.
- BSN and MSN from an accredited institution required
- Minimum cumulative GPA in MSN: 3.5 on a 4.0 scale
- Active unrestricted, unencumbered RN license in the US
- If licensed as an NP in another specialty, that NP license must also be unrestricted and unencumbered
- If nationally certified as an NP, certification must also be unrestricted and unencumbered
- 3 references — from a peer, a supervisor, and a prior faculty member
- All official transcripts
- Career statement
- Resume or CV
- No GRE required
- No application fee
- Rolling admissions; competitive admissions process
- License sanction requirement: 2 years without restrictions prior to application
- International applicants: TOEFL required
Tuition
Saint Joseph’s College charges $746 per credit for graduate nursing (MSN) programs and $492 per credit for Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) programs, both effective July 1, 2026.
The CAGS rate is meaningfully lower, making the post-graduate certificate one of the most affordable AGPCNP certificate options in this comparison.
Additional fees include an NP clinical fee of $773 per clinical course for selected courses in NP tracks, an online fee of $62/semester for 0–5 credits or $124/semester for 6+ credits, and a one-time graduation fee of $75. There is no application fee. SJC offers military, alumni, and employer partnership tuition rates; students should contact admissions for current eligibility details.
The program website lists an estimated total cost range of $28,686–$33,792 for the MSN programs (excluding clinical and online fees), but this figure appears to reflect an older per-credit rate — at current rates, prospective students should calculate based on $746/credit for the MSN or confirm directly with admissions.
See the official tuition and fees page for more details.
Accreditation
The master’s degree program in nursing and the post-graduate APRN certificate program at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
The pre-licensure baccalaureate program is also approved by the Maine State Board of Nursing. Graduates of both AGPCNP tracks are eligible to sit for the AGPCNP national board certification examination through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).