Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) offers four Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) pathways:
- MSN (BSN-prepared RNs, full-time or part-time)
- BSN-DNP (BSN-prepared RNs, full-time or part-time)
- Post-Master’s Certificate (PMC) (nurses with a master’s in nursing, individualized by gap analysis)
- MN Prespecialty + PMC (career changers with a bachelor’s degree outside nursing)
All four pathways start in the fall. AGPCNP specialty coursework is online/hybrid with several in-person sessions in Nashville. BSN-DNP students also attend an on-campus intensive each semester. The MN phase of the prespecialty pathway is full-time, in person, and on campus.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (Resident) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN | $95,355 | 4 semesters FT; part-time available | 45 |
| BSN-DNP | $133,497–$135,616 | 7 semesters FT; part-time available | 63–64 |
| Post-Master’s Certificate | Varies (gap analysis) | 4–5 semesters FT; 7–8 PT | Varies |
| MN Prespecialty + PMC | $192,829–$199,186 | 4 MN semesters + 3–4 PMC semesters | 66 MN + 25–28 PMC |
Tuition estimates multiply Vanderbilt’s 2026–2027 School of Nursing rate ($2,119 per credit hour, the same for all students regardless of state residency) by each plan’s credit total.
- Why choose it: BSN nurses, MSN-prepared nurses, and career changers without a nursing background all enter the same AGPCNP clinical sequence with 500+ supervised hours.
- Trade-off: About $95,000 in MSN tuition at $2,119 per credit, and students outside Middle Tennessee build their own list of potential sites and preceptors.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN, BSN-DNP, Post-Master’s Certificate, MN Prespecialty + PMC |
| Format | Online/hybrid with several in-person sessions; BSN-DNP adds an on-campus intensive each semester; MN phase is fully on campus |
| Clinical Hours | 500+ directly supervised hours |
| Clinical Placement | Vanderbilt places students within 150 miles of Nashville; students outside that area identify sites with faculty and staff support |
| Population Focus | Adolescents through older adults |
| Licensure Required | Unencumbered RN license (MSN, BSN-DNP, PMC); none to enter the MN |
| Start Term | Fall only |
| Tuition | $2,119 per credit hour (2026–2027) |
| Certification Pass Rate | 100% average first-time pass rate on the AANPCB A-GNP exam |
| Accreditation | CCNE |
Master of Science in Nursing – AGPCNP
The MSN AGPCNP costs an estimated $95,355 for 45 credits. Full-time students finish in four semesters (about 16 months) from a fall start. A part-time plan is available; Vanderbilt says part-time MSN plans generally run 7 to 9 semesters. Applicants need a BSN and an unencumbered RN license.
MSN Curriculum
The 45 credits split into three blocks. A 13-credit graduate nursing core covers professional identity, social and structural influences on health, evidence appraisal, systems outcomes, leadership, and health equity advocacy. A 10-credit advanced practice foundation covers pathophysiology, pharmacology, and health assessment. The remaining 22 credits are AGPCNP specialty coursework, including both clinical courses.
The sequence front-loads foundations. The first fall is entirely core and advanced practice foundation coursework. Specialty didactics begin in spring, and clinical practice starts in the third semester (summer) with AGPCNP Clinical I, followed by Clinical II in the final fall. All supervised hours fall in the last two semesters.
The specialty sequence includes courses many AGPCNP curricula fold into broader classes: a dedicated adolescent primary care course, a women’s and gender-related health course, a standalone geriatric concepts course, and a 2-credit procedures course for primary care providers.
Advanced practice foundation (10 credits):
- 6013 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning (2 cr.)
- 6014 Advanced Health Assessment Lab (1 cr.)
- 6022 Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology (4 cr.)
- 6024 Advanced Pharmacology (3 cr.)
AGPCNP specialty sequence (22 credits):
- 6030 Advanced Practice Nursing in Primary Care of the Adult (3 cr.)
- 6205 Advanced Health Assessment Applications for the AGPCNP (1 cr.)
- 6236 Advanced Concepts in Care of the Older Adult (2 cr.)
- 6032 Women’s and Gender-Related Health in Primary Care (1 cr.)
- 6234 Adult Gerontology Primary Care II (3 cr.)
- 6031 Primary Care Nursing of the Adolescent (1 cr.)
- 6231 Essential Procedures for the Primary Care Provider (2 cr.)
- 6075 Role Transition for Advanced Practice Nursing (1 cr.)
- 6215 AGPCNP Clinical I (4 cr.)
- 6295 AGPCNP Clinical II (4 cr.)
Graduate core (13 credits): 8212 Knowledge and Identity for Nursing Practice (2), 8214 Social and Structural Influences on Health (3), 8222 Appraisal of Evidence for Nursing Practice (2), 8224 Analysis of Health and Systems Outcomes (2), 8232 Leadership for Change (2), and 8234 Advocacy for Health Equity (2).
Vanderbilt posts term-by-term plans in an interactive viewer on the AGPCNP MSN curriculum page and notes that it may revise them.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- 500+ directly supervised clinical hours across AGPCNP Clinical I (summer) and Clinical II (final fall). Vanderbilt’s downloadable AGPCNP plan sheet lists 560 clinical hours for these two courses.
- Middle Tennessee Area (MTA): Vanderbilt places students within a 150-mile radius of campus. Students in this area may not arrange their own placements.
- Outside Middle Tennessee (OMTA): students develop a list of potential sites with faculty and staff support and are encouraged to use their professional networks.
- Applicants state whether they are in the MTA or OMTA when they apply.
- Settings: primary care and internal medicine practices, family practices, community health centers, assisted living and long-term care facilities, and some subspecialty areas.
- Placement guarantee: not clearly published for OMTA students.
The 150-mile line is the most important clinical fact for applicants. Inside it, Vanderbilt controls placement, which removes the preceptor search but also removes the option to use a site you already know. Outside it, the student does much of the legwork. Distance applicants should confirm they have realistic primary care contacts before committing, since both clinicals run in consecutive semesters.
MSN Admissions
- BSN from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited program
- Unencumbered RN license
- GPA of 3.0 or higher recommended
- Undergraduate statistics, completed before the term begins
- Three references from faculty, professional colleagues, or supervisors; at least one with a master’s degree or higher
- Statement of purpose focused on the AGPCNP specialty; applications to multiple specialties are not reviewed together
- No GRE or MAT
- $75 application fee
- Fall start only; applications open in August, with rolling review and priority for early applicants
Applicants must commit to one specialty up front, so a nurse undecided between AGPCNP and FNP has to choose before applying. Vanderbilt also offers a separate dual AGPCNP/Women’s Health-Gender Related NP program.
Doctor of Nursing Practice – AGPCNP (BSN to DNP)
The BSN-to-DNP AGPCNP costs an estimated $133,497 (63 credits, full-time) to $135,616 (64 credits, part-time). Full-time students finish in seven semesters from a fall start; a part-time plan is available. Admission requirements match the MSN.
A published conflict worth knowing about. The AGPCNP BSN-to-DNP plan totals 63 credits full-time and 64 part-time, while Vanderbilt’s DNP program page gives 64 to 77 credits for BSN-to-DNP students across all specialties. This page uses the AGPCNP plan totals because they describe this track; the program-wide range also covers dual-specialty tracks.
BSN-DNP Curriculum
The BSN-DNP uses the same AGPCNP specialty courses and clinicals as the MSN. The difference is 18 additional credits of doctoral coursework, about $38,142 in tuition at the current rate, spread over three more semesters.
The first three semesters are mostly doctoral core, with pathophysiology and pharmacology added in spring and summer. Health assessment comes in the second fall, specialty didactics in the second spring, and the two AGPCNP clinicals in the second summer and third fall. Integrative Application of Evidence-Based Practice I–III run alongside the specialty courses and support the DNP project.
Doctoral coursework beyond the MSN (18 credits):
- 8210 Statistics for Advanced Nursing Practice (1 cr.)
- 8240 Economics and Finance (1 cr.)
- 8226 Advanced Quality Improvement and Safety (2 cr.)
- 8238 Advanced Informatics (1 cr.)
- 8216 Professionalism, Legal and Ethics (2 cr.)
- 8236 Advanced Evidence-Based Practice (2 cr.)
- 8248 Advanced Health Policy (2 cr.)
- 8246 Advanced Population Health and Epidemiology (2 cr.)
- 8250 Advanced Leadership (2 cr.)
- 8101–8103 Integrative Application of EBP I–III (1 cr. each)
See the BSN-to-DNP AGPCNP curriculum.
BSN-DNP Clinical Requirements
- Same AGPCNP Clinical I and II courses and 500+ supervised hours as the MSN
- Same MTA/OMTA placement model
- An on-campus intensive each semester, plus specialty sessions during clinical courses
- DNP practice-hour and project-hour totals are not clearly published on Vanderbilt’s AGPCNP pages
The DNP does not add NP clinical training. Applicants choosing it are paying for doctoral coursework and the DNP project, plus semester intensives that require travel to Nashville throughout the program.
BSN-DNP Admissions
- Same requirements as the MSN: BSN from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited program, unencumbered RN license, 3.0 GPA recommended, statistics, three references, AGPCNP-specific statement, no GRE, $75 fee
- Fall start only
Post-Master’s Certificate – AGPCNP
The AGPCNP Post-Master’s Certificate is for RNs who already hold an MN, MSN, or MS in Nursing. Credits and tuition vary because each plan is built from a gap analysis. Vanderbilt lists 4 to 5 full-time or 7 to 8 part-time semesters for its post-master’s certificates. Vanderbilt does not list APRN certification as a requirement, so both current APRNs adding a population and master’s-prepared nurses without APRN training can apply.
PMC Curriculum
The AGPCNP academic director builds each plan from a review of prior graduate coursework. Vanderbilt’s PMC curriculum page says a sample curriculum is not yet posted, so expected credits are not published. A nurse who already completed graduate pathophysiology, pharmacology, and health assessment would likely need mainly the AGPCNP specialty sequence and clinicals; a nurse without that coursework would need more.
Vanderbilt also offers a DNP + PMC option. It adds about two semesters and, per Vanderbilt, improves eligibility for federal loans and scholarships.
See the AGPCNP PMC curriculum page.
PMC Clinical Requirements
- Minimum 500 supervised patient care hours
- Same MTA/OMTA placement model as the MSN
- Same setting types as the MSN
PMC Admissions
- MN, MSN, or MS in Nursing
- Unencumbered RN license
- 3.0 GPA recommended, statistics, three references, AGPCNP-specific statement, no GRE, $75 fee
- Fall start
Because the plan depends on the gap analysis, applicants should expect total credits and cost to be set only after review.
Master of Nursing Prespecialty → Post-Master’s Certificate AGPCNP
The MN Prespecialty pathway is for applicants with a bachelor’s degree outside nursing. Students complete the 66-credit Master of Nursing in four full-time semesters, sit for the NCLEX-RN, then move into the AGPCNP PMC without a second application. Estimated tuition is $192,829 to $199,186 for the MN plus PMC.
Published conflicts worth knowing about. Vanderbilt’s downloadable 2024–2025 AGPCNP MN + PMC plan sheet lists 25 PMC credits, while the PMC course sequence below totals 28 credits because it places Advanced Pharmacology (3 credits) in the PMC phase. Estimates cover both. Separately, the MN program page says MN + PMC students start in fall only, while the AGPCNP MN curriculum page posts plans for MN students beginning in either fall or spring.
MN Prespecialty + PMC Curriculum
The MN phase is generalist RN preparation. The AGPCNP phase uses the same specialty and clinical courses as the MSN but omits most of the graduate core. Per Vanderbilt’s plans, students who begin MN classes in fall start the AGPCNP PMC the following spring; students who begin MN classes in spring start the PMC in fall.
AGPCNP PMC sequence (28 credits):
- Spring (12 cr.): 6013 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning (2), 6014 Advanced Health Assessment Lab (1), 6024 Advanced Pharmacology (3), 6030 Primary Care of the Adult (3), 6205 Health Assessment Applications for the AGPCNP (1), 6236 Care of the Older Adult (2)
- Summer (8 cr.): 6032 Women’s and Gender-Related Health (1), 6215 AGPCNP Clinical I (4), 6234 Adult Gerontology Primary Care II (3)
- Fall (8 cr.): 6031 Primary Care of the Adolescent (1), 6075 Role Transition (1), 6231 Essential Procedures (2), 6295 AGPCNP Clinical II (4)
MN to DNP + PMC: the 2024–2025 plan sheet lists 45 credits over five full-time semesters starting in summer, or about three years part-time. Estimated tuition after the MN is $95,355, for about $235,209 in total.
See the AGPCNP MN Prespecialty curriculum.
MN Prespecialty Clinical Requirements
- 500+ supervised hours in the PMC phase; the 2024–2025 plan sheet lists 560
- Same MTA/OMTA placement model as the MSN during the PMC phase
- Students entering without an RN license may not complete specialty clinicals in Nevada
MN Prespecialty Admissions
- Bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing
- Prerequisites: statistics, human anatomy, human physiology, microbiology (sciences within five years), lifespan development, and nutrition, all completed before the term begins
- 3.0 GPA recommended, three references, statement naming AGPCNP, no GRE, $75 fee
- Must live within daily commuting distance of Nashville during the in-person MN
The commuting requirement is the deciding constraint. The AGPCNP phase is online/hybrid, but the first four semesters require living near Nashville full-time.
Tuition
Vanderbilt charges $2,119 per credit hour for School of Nursing programs in 2026–2027, per Student Accounts. As a private university, it charges the same rate regardless of state residency.
The School of Nursing financial aid page still lists the 2025–2026 rate of $2,057. This page uses the newer Student Accounts figure. The difference adds $2,790 to the 45-credit MSN and $3,906 to the 63-credit full-time BSN-DNP.
Estimated Total Tuition
| Pathway | Credits | Est. Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| MSN | 45 | $95,355 |
| BSN-DNP (full-time) | 63 | $133,497 |
| BSN-DNP (part-time) | 64 | $135,616 |
| Post-Master’s Certificate | Varies | Varies |
| MN Prespecialty + PMC | 66 + 25–28 | $192,829–$199,186 |
| MN to DNP + PMC | 66 + 45 | $235,209 |
Figures are calculated from the published per-credit rate and plan credit totals; Vanderbilt does not publish these totals.
Fees Beyond Tuition (2026–2027)
- Student services fee: $347 per fall or spring semester, $118 for summer
- Student health fee: $441 per fall or spring semester, $153 for summer
- Student health insurance: $4,484 per year
- Transcript fee: $100, one time
- Books: VUSN estimates about $2,500 per year
Scholarships
VUSN states that every full-time MSN, MN, and DNP student receives a scholarship unless tuition is covered elsewhere. Published awards are $3,000 to $15,000 for the program for MSN and MN students and $1,000 per semester for DNP students. Three full-tuition, one-year scholarships are available to incoming MSN students.
See Vanderbilt tuition and fees and VUSN financial aid.
Why Choose This AGPCNP Program?
Best suited for: BSN nurses in Middle Tennessee who want a fast, placement-supported MSN, and career changers able to live in Nashville for a direct path to AGPCNP practice.
Placement Support Depends on Where You Live
Within 150 miles of Nashville, Vanderbilt handles placement and does not allow self-arranged local sites. Outside that radius, students build the site list themselves with faculty help. A distance student gets Vanderbilt’s curriculum but not the same placement service, which matters most in areas where primary care preceptors are scarce.
Four Semesters to an MSN, With Clinicals Back to Back
The full-time MSN finishes in about 16 months. All 500+ clinical hours fall in two consecutive semesters, alongside procedures, adolescent care, and role transition coursework. Nurses planning to keep full-time jobs should look at the part-time plan.
The DNP Adds Doctoral Coursework, Not Clinical Training
The BSN-DNP uses the same two AGPCNP clinicals as the MSN. It adds 18 credits (about $38,142), three semesters, and an on-campus intensive every semester. That fits nurses aiming for quality improvement, policy, or leadership roles. It does not produce a more clinically trained AGPCNP.
A Direct Route for Non-Nurses, at a Premium
The MN Prespecialty pathway lets a bachelor’s graduate in another field reach AGPCNP certification eligibility without a second application. It requires four in-person semesters in Nashville, and estimated tuition exceeds $190,000 before fees. Scholarships of $3,000 to $15,000 offset only a small share.
The Verdict
The strongest case for Vanderbilt is a BSN nurse in Middle Tennessee who wants Vanderbilt-arranged placements and an MSN in four semesters, or a career changer who can commit to Nashville for the MN. Distance applicants without established preceptor contacts, cost-focused applicants, and nurses who want a DNP for added clinical depth should compare other AGPCNP programs.
Accreditation
VUSN’s MSN, DNP, and post-master’s certificate programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Graduates are eligible for AGPCNP certification through ANCC or AANPCB, and VUSN reports a 100% average first-time pass rate on the AANPCB A-GNP exam.
VUSN publishes program-specific state restrictions. New York residents must complete NP clinical preceptorships in another state, and the AGPCNP program does not meet Kansas’s 750-hour clinical requirement. Distance applicants should review VUSN’s licensure disclosures and state restrictions before applying.
More AGPCNP Programs in Tennessee
- East Tennessee State University - Johnson City