The University of Michigan-Flint School of Nursing offers 2 Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner pathways. Both are DNP programs that confer an MSN along the way:
- BSN to DNP with MSN
- RN to DNP with MSN (for ADN-prepared RNs; undergraduate bridge courses first)
Both pathways are online with required trips to the Flint campus. Applicants need a current, unencumbered U.S. RN license and must live in a state where UM-Flint can enroll them. The program is listed as unavailable in 13 states.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (Resident) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN to DNP with MSN | $62,685 | 2 yr 8 mo (full-time, Fall start) to about 4 yr 4 mo (part-time, Winter start) | 70 |
| RN to DNP with MSN | $73,204–$76,830 | Bridge (as little as 2 semesters) plus 2 yr 8 mo to 3 yr 8 mo | 17–20 bridge + 70 |
Tuition estimates multiply UM-Flint’s 2026–27 nursing graduate rate ($895.50/credit resident, $1,344.50/credit non-resident) by the 70-credit AGPCNP plan of study. RN to DNP figures add 17–20 bridge credits at UM-Flint’s 2026–27 undergraduate rates ($618.75 online RN/BSN to $707.25 nursing), since UM-Flint does not say which undergraduate rate applies.
What sets UM-Flint apart is the order of the degrees. Students finish the MSN first, sit for AGPCNP board certification, and then complete the DNP while they can already work as nurse practitioners. In the full-time Fall plan, the MSN is conferred after the second Winter term (about 20 months). The remaining DNP work is 14 credits over two semesters, with only 120 clinical hours.
That structure comes with travel and geographic limits. Once graduate coursework begins, students come to Flint about three to five times a year, plus a mandatory in-person orientation. A clinical coordinator helps find sites, but students must take part in the search, and UM-Flint does not publish a placement guarantee.
UM-Flint lets AGPCNP students certify and practice after the MSN phase, then finish the DNP, in exchange for regular trips to Flint and a shared role in finding preceptors.
Quick Facts
| Program Types | BSN to DNP with MSN; RN to DNP with MSN |
| Format | Online, cohort-based, full-time or part-time |
| Campus Attendance | Mandatory in-person orientation; about once per semester (3–5 visits a year) during graduate coursework |
| Clinical Hours | 780 MSN clinical hours; 120 DNP immersion hours itemized; 1,150 total DNP practice hours stated |
| Clinical Placement | Coordinator helps find sites within about 2 hours of home; students take part in the search |
| Population Focus | Adolescents, adults, and older adults |
| Distinctive Coursework | Psychiatric-mental health theory in the shared core; women’s health; two-semester adult-gerontology special topics sequence |
| Start Terms | Fall and Winter (graduate coursework) |
| Transfer Credit | Up to 12 graduate credits into the DNP (maximum 9 toward the MSN) |
| Tuition | $895.50/credit (Michigan resident); $1,344.50/credit (non-resident), 2026–27 |
| Accreditation | CCNE |
BSN to DNP with MSN
The BSN to DNP with MSN AGPCNP concentration costs an estimated $62,685 for Michigan residents ($94,115 non-resident) for 70 credits: 52 MSN credits and 18 DNP credits. A full-time Fall start finishes in about 2 years 8 months; part-time takes about 3 years 8 months. Winter starts add roughly two terms. Applicants need a BSN and an RN license.
A published conflict, now settled. A combined, all-concentration “Fall Accelerated” plan linked from the RN to DNP page labels AGPCNP as 52/72 credits. The UM-Flint catalog, the AGPCNP plan of study, and the RN to DNP page all list 70 (52 MSN + 18 DNP), and the courses on every plan sum to 70. This page uses 70.
BSN to DNP with MSN Curriculum
The plan runs in three blocks. The shared core (pathophysiology, pharmacology, statistics, epidemiology, research, informatics, psychiatric-mental health theory, and NP role theory) is front-loaded and interleaved with the specialty courses. Clinical work starts in the second semester with NUR 525 and continues every term through NUR 831, the role practicum that closes the MSN.
The DNP begins before the MSN ends. NUR 904 runs alongside the final practicum, and the DNP project starts the following summer, the same window in which the plan schedules the board exam. The last two semesters are mostly non-clinical: policy, transcultural care, quality and safety, organizational theory, and the scholarly project.
Two courses stand out. NUR 780, a 3-credit psychiatric-mental health theory course, sits in the core that every UM-Flint NP concentration takes, so AGPCNP students complete a full behavioral health theory course. NUR 531 Women’s Health adds 2 credits of reproductive and gynecologic care. The AGPCNP emphasis contains no pediatric courses.
Every course requires a minimum grade of B, and all requirements must be completed within seven calendar years of first enrollment. Up to 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution can transfer or be waived into the DNP, with no more than 9 counting toward the MSN. The catalog also reserves UM-Flint’s right to delay specialty clinical courses until minimum enrollment is met.
Core courses (26 credits)
- NSC 503 Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice Professionals (3)
- NSC 504 Pharmacology for Advanced Practice Professionals (3)
- NUR 780 Care of Persons Across the Life Span, Psychiatric-Mental Health Concerns: Theory I (3)
- NSC 601 Biostatistics for Advanced Practice (3) and NSC 606 Epidemiology for Advanced Practice (2)
- NUR 700 Healthcare Research I (3) and NUR 703 Healthcare Research and Theoretical Perspectives II (4)
- NUR 607 Informatics (3)
- NUR 830 Advanced Practice Role: Theory (2)
AGPCNP emphasis (26 credits)
- NUR 524 Management of Acute/Chronic Problems Across the Lifespan: Theory (4)
- NUR 525 Management of Acute/Chronic Problems Across the Lifespan: Practicum (4)
- NUR 531 Women’s Health (2)
- NUR 604 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning: Theory (3)
- NUR 800 and NUR 801 Special Topics in Adult-Gerontology: Theory I and II (2 each)
- NUR 803 Special Topics in Adult-Gerontology: Practicum I (2)
- NUR 804 Special Topics in Adult-Gerontology: Practicum II (3)
- NUR 831 Advanced Practice Role: Practicum (4)
DNP completion (18 credits)
- NUR 904 Research and Implementation Science (3)
- NUR 910 DNP Scholarly Project (3, spread over three terms)
- NUR 810 Advanced Transcultural Care (3)
- NUR 820 Health Policy and Economics (2)
- NUR 905 Advanced Practice Leadership Immersion (2)
- NUR 832 Advanced Practice Quality and Safety (2)
- NUR 840 Organizational and Administrative Theory (3)
See the Fall-start AGPCNP plan of study, the Winter-start plan, and the UM-Flint catalog for full curriculum details.
BSN to DNP with MSN Clinical Requirements
- 780 MSN clinical hours: NUR 525 (240), NUR 803 (120), NUR 804 (180), NUR 831 (240)
- 120 additional hours in NUR 905 Advanced Practice Immersion during the DNP phase
- A UM-Flint plan of study states practice hours changed in Fall 2025 to 780 MSN and 1,150 DNP hours. Course listings itemize 900; the remaining 250 hours are not assigned to a specific course in the sources reviewed
- Placement: a clinical coordinator helps find placements within about two hours of the student’s home, and students must actively take part in the search (stated on UM-Flint’s RN to DNP page; the BSN to DNP page does not address placement)
- Clinicals can be completed in the student’s own community
- The first semester of the plan includes preparing for the Winter practicum
- Placement guarantee: not published
- Compliance: annual background check and 10-panel drug screen through American DataBank/Complio, immunizations and TB screening, current AHA BLS, health insurance
The 780 direct MSN practicum hours sit above the 750-hour direct patient care minimum in the 2022 National Task Force criteria for NP programs. Clinical volume should not be a concern.
Placement is the planning issue. The coordinator’s help is bounded by a two-hour radius, and the student shares the search. Applicants in rural areas, or in regions where NP programs compete for preceptors, should start lining up sites during the first semester, which the plan itself signals.
BSN to DNP with MSN Admissions
- BSN from a regionally accredited institution
- 3.2 GPA for the last 60 undergraduate hours
- Current, unencumbered U.S. RN license
- At least one year of RN experience preferred, not required
- Three recommendation letters (recent nursing faculty, employment supervisor, or APRN, PA, MD, or DO)
- CV or résumé
- Professional goal statement, 1–2 pages, APA format
- Official transcripts from all institutions
- Phone or in-person interview may be required; admission numbers are limited
- $55 application fee (waived by attending a webinar); $100 enrollment deposit credited to first-semester tuition
- Deadlines: Fall, February 1 (early) and April 1 (final); Winter, August 15
- Mandatory in-person orientation: October 16, 2026 (Winter 2027 admits) and May 7, 2027 (Fall 2027 admits)
- Not available to residents of 13 states; F-1 visas cannot be issued for this program
The February 1 Fall deadline matters financially: UM-Flint guarantees scholarship, grant, and assistantship consideration only for applications in by that date. Winter starts are available but stretch the full-time plan from 8 to 10 terms.
RN to DNP with MSN
The RN to DNP with MSN uses the same 70-credit AGPCNP graduate curriculum after a 17–20 credit undergraduate bridge. Estimated tuition is $73,204–$76,830 for Michigan residents: $62,685 for the graduate credits plus $10,519–$14,145 for the bridge. From a Fall graduate start, the DNP takes 2 years 8 months full-time or 3 years 8 months part-time; the bridge can be finished in as little as two semesters full-time. It serves ADN-prepared RNs who want to skip a separate BSN.
RN to DNP with MSN Curriculum
Students first complete undergraduate bridge courses online, plus about 16 hours of community volunteer service. All bridge courses must be taken at UM-Flint and finished before graduate coursework begins. They cover professional nursing concepts, ethics, nursing research, and population health.
A published discrepancy. The catalog labels the bridge 11–20 credits, but the courses it lists total 17 credits, or 20 with ENG 112, which only students without a bachelor’s degree take. This page uses 17–20. The catalog also says the bridge must be completed within two years of admission; the program page says within two years of application.
Bridge courses (17–20 credits)
- ENG 112 Critical Writing and Reading (3), only for students with no bachelor’s degree
- NSC 180 Legal and Moral Decisions in Health Care (3)
- NUR 300 Theoretical Concepts for Professional Nursing (3)
- NUR 307 Integrated Case Studies in Nursing (3)
- NUR 316 Research in Nursing (3)
- NUR 413 Theory and Application of Population Health Nursing for RNs (2)
- NUR 414 Synthesis of Population Health Nursing for RNs (3)
After the bridge, the graduate plan is identical to the BSN to DNP AGPCNP plan described above: 52 MSN credits, then 18 DNP credits, with the MSN conferred before the DNP phase. UM-Flint’s RN to DNP page lists AGPCNP at 52 credits for the MSN and 70 for the MSN and DNP.
See the UM-Flint catalog for bridge and graduate requirements.
RN to DNP with MSN Clinical Requirements
Clinical requirements match the BSN to DNP pathway once graduate coursework starts: 780 MSN clinical hours plus the 120-hour DNP immersion, with coordinator help within about two hours of home and active student participation in the search. No campus visits are required during the bridge.
RN to DNP with MSN Admissions
- Associate degree in nursing from a regionally accredited institution
- 3.5 GPA for the last 60 credit hours (or the most recent 60 college-level credits if the ADN is under 60 credits)
- Current, unencumbered U.S. RN license
- At least one year of RN experience preferred, not required
- No GRE
- Three recommendation letters, CV or résumé, professional goal statement, official transcripts
- Phone or in-person interview may be required; admission numbers are limited
- $55 application fee (waivable); $100 enrollment deposit
- Deadlines to start bridge courses: Fall, August 1; Winter, November 1; Summer, April 1
- Graduate coursework starts in Fall (main start) or Winter; no Summer graduate start
- All bridge courses must be taken at UM-Flint and completed within two years
The GPA bar is higher than for BSN entrants (3.5 versus 3.2). The two-year window means the 17–20 bridge credits need steady progress, roughly one to two courses per term. UM-Flint notes that a Winter graduate start does not shorten the program and that stopping out during graduate coursework can delay completion by up to a year.
Tuition
UM-Flint charges a single nursing graduate rate for DNP and MSN coursework. For 2026–27 it is $895.50 per credit for Michigan residents and $1,344.50 for non-residents, up from $861.25 and $1,290 in 2025–26. The previous version of this profile used the 2025–26 rate; at current rates, resident tuition for the 70 credits is $2,397 higher.
Residency is the largest cost variable. Non-residents pay $31,430 more for the same 70 credits. The 52-credit MSN phase alone, completed before board certification, comes to about $46,566 for residents and $69,914 for non-residents.
Estimated Total Tuition
| Pathway | Resident | Non-Resident |
|---|---|---|
| BSN to DNP with MSN (70 credits) | $62,685 | $94,115 |
| RN to DNP with MSN (17–20 bridge + 70 graduate credits) | $73,204–$76,830 | $105,735–$121,330 |
Totals are calculated from UM-Flint’s published 2026–27 per-credit rates, not university-published program totals.
Fees Beyond Tuition
- Registration Assessment Fee: $339 per semester (2026–27), about $2,712 over the 8-term full-time Fall plan or $3,390 over the 10 enrolled terms of the part-time Fall plan
- RN to DNP bridge courses: charged at undergraduate rates. UM-Flint does not say which one applies. Its 2026–27 online RN/BSN rate is $618.75 resident ($683.50 non-resident) and its nursing rate is $707.25 ($1,360.75 non-resident). The estimates above span both, about $10,519–$14,145 for residents. Undergraduate terms carry a $389 Registration Assessment Fee
- $55 application fee and $100 enrollment deposit (credited to tuition)
- Course-related fees: not included in tuition and not itemized by UM-Flint
- Travel to Flint for orientation and campus visits is a student cost
Aid specific to these students includes guaranteed scholarship, grant, and assistantship consideration for Fall applications submitted by February 1, and the Nurse Faculty Loan Program for students planning faculty careers. See the official tuition page and the graduate tuition rate table.
Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?
Best suited for: RNs in eligible states, Michigan residents especially, who want to certify and start practicing as AGPCNPs after the MSN phase, finish a DNP while working, and can travel to Flint several times a year.
Certify After the MSN, Finish the DNP While Practicing
The MSN is conferred about 20 months into the full-time plan, and the board exam falls before the DNP phase. That lets graduates earn NP income during the final two semesters, which are mostly non-clinical. For nurses undecided between an MSN and a DNP, this sequencing lowers the cost of choosing the doctorate.
$62,685 for a DNP at Michigan Resident Rates
Michigan residents pay about $62,685 in tuition for the full 70 credits. Non-residents pay about $94,115, a $31,430 gap. For out-of-state applicants, that difference is the main financial question.
Three to Five Trips to Flint a Year
This is not a fully online program. Orientation is in person, and graduate students visit campus about three to five times a year for residencies and simulation. The catalog describes this as about once per semester. Applicants far from Michigan should budget travel time and cost across roughly two to three years.
Shared Responsibility for Preceptors
UM-Flint provides a clinical coordinator and keeps placements within about two hours of home, but students help search and no guarantee is published. That is more support than fully self-placed programs, and less than programs that assign sites.
The Verdict
The strongest case is for Michigan RNs and nearby Midwest applicants who want a DNP at in-state rates and value certifying before the doctorate is finished. ADN-prepared nurses with a 3.5 GPA gain a direct route that skips a separate BSN. Non-residents facing the $94,115 price, applicants in the 13 excluded states, and anyone who needs a program with no campus travel or guaranteed placements should compare other options.
Accreditation
UM-Flint’s School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). UM-Flint states that AGPCNP graduates are eligible to sit for the AGPCNP board certification examination.
UM-Flint only enrolls students from states where it knows the program meets licensure and certification requirements. Its BSN to DNP/MSN program is listed as unavailable in 13 states, including New York and Georgia, and Pennsylvania is under review. Applicants outside Michigan should check the School of Nursing state authorization statement and the university state authorization page before applying, since determinations can change.
Other AGPCNP Programs in Michigan
- Madonna University - Livonia
- Michigan State University - East Lansing
- Oakland University - Rochester
- Spring Arbor University - Spring Arbor
- University of Michigan - Ann Arbor