Cedarville University offers 2 Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner tracks:
- Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) – AGACNP
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) – BSN to DNP and MSN to DNP AGACNP
Program Tracks Overview
| Program Name | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MSN AGACNP | $33,936 | 2–2.5 years (full-time) |
| BSN-DNP AGACNP | $57,750 (BSN entry) $26,250 (MSN entry) | 3–4 years (BSN entry) 1.5–2 years (MSN entry) |
Program Highlights:
- U.S. News & World Report ranks Cedarville’s online MSN in top 100 nationally and top 5 in Ohio
- Lowest cost graduate nurse practitioner program in Ohio
- Biblically integrated curriculum with Christian worldview foundation
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) – AGACNP
The estimated cost for the MSN-AGACNP program is approximately $33,936 and requires 2-2.5 years to complete on a full-time basis.
MSN Curriculum
The program requires 45 credit hours combining 12 graduate nursing core semester hours, 9 direct care core hours, 2 applied scholarship core hours, and 22 hours of AGACNP specialty courses. All courses integrate biblical worldview into nursing practice.
The program delivers entirely online format with four required on-campus experiences totaling 8 days. Students can enroll in August, October, January, March, May, or June with flexible part-time and full-time completion options.
Graduate Nursing Core (12 credits):
- NSG-6050 Professional Role Development and Health Care Leadership (3 credits)
- NSG-6060 Healthcare Economics and Policy (3 credits)
- NSG-6070 Principles of Evidence-Based Nursing Practice (3 credits)
- NSG-6080 Biblical Basis for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credits)
Direct Care Core (9 credits):
- NSG-6150 Advanced Physiology, Pathophysiology, and Genomics for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credits)
- NSG-6160 Advanced Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credits)
- NSG-6170 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credits)
Applied Scholarship Core (2 credits):
- NSG-6500 Applied Scholarship in Advanced Nursing Practice (2 credits)
AGACNP Specialty Courses (22 credits):
NSG-6190 – Transition to Clinical for Advanced Practice Nursing (3 credits)
This course introduces graduate-level clinical practice for advanced nursing students. Learners complete 200 supervised clinical hours while building skills in advanced patient care and clinical decision-making.
NSG-6600 – Acute Care Concepts and Practice I (6 credits)
This first acute care course prepares students to manage adult-gerontology patients with acute, chronic, or end-of-life conditions. Emphasis is placed on assessment, diagnosis, pharmacologic therapy, and evidence-based interventions in interdisciplinary acute care settings, with 200 required clinical hours.
NSG-6610 – Acute Care Concepts and Practice II (6 credits)
This course expands acute care management for adult-gerontology patients with complex conditions. Students strengthen diagnostic reasoning and treatment planning through continued supervised clinical practice totaling 200 hours.
NSG-6620 – Acute Care Concepts and Practice III (6 credits)
This final acute care course focuses on advanced provider skills in adult-gerontology acute care. Students address ethical, legal, and quality-of-life issues while completing 200 additional clinical hours in interdisciplinary settings.
NSG-6990 – Transition to Practice for Advanced Practice Nursing (1 credit)
This capstone course prepares students for entry into advanced practice roles. Emphasis is placed on professional readiness, clinical role integration, and the transition from student to practicing advanced practice nurse.
More curriculum details are available here.
Full-Time Suggested Curriculum (7 semesters) and Part-Time Suggested Curriculum (8 semesters) available with individualized scheduling.
MSN Clinicals
Students complete 800 hours of direct care clinical experience across various acute healthcare settings.
Four required 2-3 day on-campus experiences include Clinical Enrichment, Fall Enrichment, Spring Enrichment, and Summer Enrichment during the sixth week of clinical course semesters.
On-campus sessions provide face-to-face instruction and simulation experiences using state-of-the-art high- and low-fidelity simulators.
Clinical Requirements:
- 800 total supervised direct patient care clinical hours
- 200 hours each semester across four clinical semesters
- Clinical hours embedded in NSG-6600, NSG-6610, NSG-6620
- Clinical Placement Coordinator partners with students for site placement
- Mix of preceptors (MD, APRN) across variety of clinical sites
- Four required on-campus experiences (8 total days)
- Simulation lab training for advanced procedures (intubation, central lines, chest drainage tubes)
- Travel may be necessary to obtain required clinical hours
- Clinical hours fulfill 1 credit per 100 direct clinical hours
MSN Admissions Requirements
Academic Requirements:
- BSN from regionally accredited or approved institution
- Minimum GPA of 3.0 on 4.0 scale
- Applicants with GPA 2.5-2.9 may apply with petition demonstrating academic potential
- Completion of college-level nursing research and statistics courses (≥ C-) before enrollment
- Optional GRE may strengthen applications below 3.0 GPA
Spiritual Requirements:
- Evidence of personal relationship with Jesus Christ
- Commitment to Cedarville Covenant
- Agreement to abide by graduate student handbook
Licensure and Experience:
- Active unencumbered RN licensure in United States for clinical experience
- RN work experience required
Application Materials:
- One professional or academic reference (faculty member or supervisor)
- One Christian character reference (pastor or mentor) – family and friends not eligible
- Two essay questions (250-word maximum each) evaluated on content and writing competence
- Interview may be required
- Rolling admissions basis with no published deadline
Clinical/Practicum Requirements:
- Cumulative GPA 3.0 or higher in graduate courses
- State and federal background checks with fingerprinting (felony convictions may result in dismissal)
- Current CPR (BLS for healthcare provider) from American Heart Association
- Medical eligibility for clinical from healthcare provider
- Current immunization status documentation
- Personal health insurance evidence
Transfer Credits: Up to 12 semester hours allowed; Advanced Pathophysiology and Advanced Physical Assessment not accepted if completed more than 5 years before enrollment; Advanced Pharmacology must be repeated.
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) – BSN to DNP & MSN to DNP
The estimated cost for the BSN to DNP-AGACNP program is approximately $57,750 for BSN entry (77 credits) and $26,250 for MSN entry (35 credits), requiring 3-4 years for BSN entry and 1.5-2 years for MSN entry to complete on a full-time basis.
DNP Curriculum
BSN to DNP: 77 total credits including 23 graduate nursing core hours, 32 DNP core hours, and 22 AGACNP specialty hours. MSN to DNP: 35 DNP core hours with gap analysis determining additional requirements. All courses delivered online with four required on-campus experiences. Students can enroll in August, October, January, March, May, or June.
BSN to DNP Graduate Core Requirements (23 credits):
- NSG-6050 Professional Role Development and Health Care Leadership (3 credits)
- NSG-6060 Healthcare Economics and Policy (3 credits)
- NSG-6070 Principles of Evidence-Based Nursing Practice (3 credits)
- NSG-6080 Biblical Basis for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credits)
- NSG-6150 Advanced Physiology, Pathophysiology, and Genomics (3 credits)
- NSG-6160 Advanced Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credits)
- NSG-6170 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (3 credits)
- NSG-6500 Applied Scholarship in Advanced Nursing Practice (2 credits)
DNP Core Requirements (32-35 credits):
- NSG-8000 EBP 1: Foundation of Scholarly Inquiry (3 credits)
- NSG-8010 Biostatistics (3 credits)
- NSG-8020 Healthcare Informatics (2 credits)
- NSG-8030 Scholarly Writing (1 credit)
- NSG-8040 EBP 2: Application of Scholarly Inquiry (3 credits)
- NSG-8050 Quality Improvement and Safety (3 credits)
- NSG-8060 Population Health and Epidemiology (3 credits)
- NSG-8070 Advocacy and Resource Management (3 credits)
- NSG-8080 Ethical Healthcare Delivery in Organizations and Systems (3 credits)
- NSG-8101 Scholarly Practice Integration Phase 1 (1 credit)
- NSG-8102 Scholarly Practice Integration Phase 2 (1 credit)
- NSG-8103 Scholarly Practice Integration Phase 3 (1 credit)
- NSG-8104 Scholarly Practice Integration Phase 4 (1 credit)
- NSG-8105 Scholarly Practice Integration Phase 5 (1 credit)
- Electives (3-6 credits)
AGACNP Specialty Courses (22 credits):
- NSG-6190 Transition to Clinical for Advanced Practice Nursing (3 credits)
- NSG-6600 Acute Care Concepts and Practice I (6 credits)
- NSG-6610 Acute Care Concepts and Practice II (6 credits)
- NSG-6620 Acute Care Concepts and Practice III (6 credits)
- NSG-6990 Transition to Practice for Advanced Practice Nursing (1 credit)
MSN to DNP Post-Graduate: 35 DNP core credits with individualized curriculum based on gap analysis.
More curriculum details are available here.
DNP Clinicals
BSN to DNP students complete 800 hours direct care clinical experience plus DNP scholarly practice integration hours. MSN to DNP students complete scholarly practice integration hours based on gap analysis. Four required 2-3 day on-campus experiences include simulation training with state-of-the-art equipment for advanced procedures.
Clinical Requirements:
- 800 supervised direct patient care hours (BSN to DNP AGACNP track)
- 200 hours per semester across four clinical semesters
- Scholarly Practice Integration phases 1-5 for DNP project work
- Four required on-campus experiences with simulation labs
- Clinical Placement Coordinator assistance for site placement
- 1 credit hour per 100 direct clinical hours
- Same clinical/practicum requirements as MSN program
- Portfolio completion required for graduation
DNP Admissions Requirements
BSN to DNP Academic Requirements:
- BSN from regionally accredited or approved institution
- Minimum undergraduate GPA 3.0 on 4.0 scale
- GPA 2.5-2.9 may apply with petition demonstrating academic potential
- College-level nursing research and statistics courses (≥ C-) before enrollment
MSN to DNP Academic Requirements:
- BSN and MSN from regionally accredited or approved institutions
- Minimum MSN GPA 3.0 on 4.0 scale
- GPA 2.5-2.9 may apply with petition
- College-level nursing research and statistics courses documented
Spiritual Requirements:
- Evidence of personal relationship with Jesus Christ
- Commitment to Cedarville Covenant and university doctrinal statement
- Agreement to abide by graduate student handbook
Licensure and Experience:
- Active unencumbered RN licensure in United States
- RN work experience required
Application Materials:
- Two professional or academic references (faculty or supervisor)
- One Christian character reference (pastor or mentor)
- Two essay questions (250-word maximum each)
- Interview with School of Nursing Graduate Admission, Progression, Retention Committee required
- Rolling admissions with no published deadline
Transfer Credits: BSN to DNP allows up to 18 semester hours; MSN to DNP Post-Graduate NP allows up to 12 semester hours. Advanced Pathophysiology and Advanced Physical Assessment not accepted if completed more than 5 years before enrollment; Advanced Pharmacology must be repeated.
Tuition
MSN Program:
- Tuition: $707 per credit hour
- One-time program fee: $1,500 (AGACNP track)
- Graduation fee: $125
- Course fees: $50-$1,000 (varies by course)
- Audit: $354 per semester hour
DNP Program:
- Tuition: $750 per credit hour
- One-time program fee: $500 (DNP) plus $1,500 (AGACNP track)
- Graduation fee: $125
- Course fees: $50-$1,000 (varies by course)
- Audit: $375 per semester hour
Limited $3,000-$5,000 scholarships available to graduate nursing students with financial need. Financial aid options include graduate loans and institutional scholarships.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Application Deadlines
Rolling admissions with no published application deadline. Students can enroll and begin classes in August, October, January, March, May, or June.
Accreditation
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits Cedarville University’s baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, and Doctor of Nursing Practice program. The Higher Learning Commission and Ohio Department of Higher Education authorize the School of Nursing’s programs.
More ACNP Programs for Ohio Nurses
- Case Western Reserve University - Cleveland
- Kent State University - Kent
- Mount Carmel College - Columbus
- Ohio State University - Columbus
- Ohio University - Athens
- University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati
- Ursuline College - Cleveland
- Wright State University - Dayton
- Youngstown State University - Youngstown