University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing offers 2 ACSNP specialty tracks:
- BSN Entry to Doctor of Nursing Practice – Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Specialty
- BSN Entry to Doctor of Nursing Practice – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner-Acute Care Specialty
The BSN Entry to DNP program is delivered through a hybrid format combining in-person and online courses with extensive hands-on clinical training.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Cost | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| BSN Entry to DNP – AGACNP | $94,339 | 3 years |
| BSN Entry to DNP – PNP-AC | $94,339 | 3 years |
This 11-quarter program offers two acute care specialties: the AGACNP specialty (ranked #5 nationally) prepares graduates to manage acutely ill adult patients.
The PNP-AC specialty (the only one of its kind at a public university in California) prepares nurses to provide child-focused, family-centered care to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with complex acute, critical, and chronic illness.
BSN Entry to DNP – AGACNP Specialty
The estimated cost for the BSN Entry to DNP – AGACNP program is approximately $94,339 for California residents (or $106,584 for non-residents) per year and takes 3 continuous years to complete on a full-time basis across 11 academic quarters.
AGACNP Specialty Curriculum
The BSN Entry to DNP curriculum operates on UCSF’s quarter system with four 10-week sessions annually.
Year 1 focuses on foundational DNP core courses, advanced practice concepts, and beginning specialty content.
Years 2 and 3 emphasize specialty-focused courses and clinical residencies where students spend the majority of time in hands-on training environments.
Year 1 Sample Curriculum:
FALL (Quarter 1)
BSN-DNP Prologue (2 units)
This opening DNP course gives students core tools for success in the program. Learners identify clinical problems, search the literature, collect artifact evidence for a professional portfolio, and build basic skills in writing, presenting, and small-group work during an in-person immersion.
Concepts and Contemporary Issues for Advanced Practice (3 units)
This foundational course uses critical thinking to examine nursing science and its impact on current health care. Students review scientific theories and conceptual frameworks that shape clinical scholarship and practice. Middle-range theories and concepts are evaluated for how well they illuminate contemporary issues, guide inquiry, support interventions, and improve patient outcomes.
Racism, Health Care and Social Justice (2 units)
Principles of Genomics for the Advanced Practice Provider (1 unit)
WINTER (Q2)
Advanced Health Policy and Advocacy Across Diverse Populations (3 units)
Students explore the history, language, and use of health policy and advocacy in the U.S. and abroad. The course addresses how policy is developed, implemented, and evaluated, and compares health systems across countries. Learners analyze the role of advocacy and practice skills that influence policy and health system change.
Foundation in Nursing Scholarship for the Nurse Leader (3 units)
This course gives advanced nurses the skills to analyze and use research and other evidence in administrative and clinical decisions. Students review the research process, frame clinical questions, and critically appraise research papers. Emphasis is on applying evidence with an equitable approach to practice and leadership.
Principles of Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Evidence-Based Practice (3 units)
DNP students examine how health goals are set and outcomes are measured at international, national, and state levels. The course covers health promotion and illness prevention for healthy and chronically ill populations, focusing on social determinants of health and inequities in vulnerable groups. Biostatistical principles used to measure outcomes are also addressed.
Interprofessional Education (1 unit)
SPRING (Q3)
Advanced Health Assessment Concepts (2 units)
This course introduces advanced assessment concepts and skills for determining health status across the lifespan. It focuses on collecting and interpreting clinical data from histories and physical exams to form a clinical picture of the patient.
Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Concepts (2 units)
Advanced Pharmacologic Concepts (3 units)
Advanced Practice Skills Lab (1 unit)
APRN Specialty Content (2 units)
SUMMER (Q4)
Improving Health Outcomes by Advancing QI and Safety Initiatives (3 units)
Students review the history and current state of quality and safety in health care and examine innovative strategies to address both. They analyze quality management models and culturally and linguistically appropriate services. The course highlights the DNP’s role in leading quality initiatives that improve patient outcomes.
APRN Specialty Content (3 units + 3 units)
APRN Specialty Clinical/Residency Application (2 units)
Specialty residencies and practicums are listed under various clinical residency course numbers (e.g., NURSING 415.xx, 414.xx), but there is no single course with this title detailed in the excerpt you shared.
Students must complete an evidence-based quality improvement project, typically conducted at their workplace, beginning early in the program and continuing through project courses starting in quarter 8.
More curriculum details are available here.
AGACNP Specialty Clinicals
Clinical placements are arranged by UCSF School of Nursing’s Office of Clinical Placements at premier facilities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area:
- internal medicine
- transplant
- cardiology
- neurosurgical
- oncology
- trauma
- intensive care
- emergency departments
Clinical training sites include:
- UCSF Health
- Sutter Health
- Kaiser Northern California
- Alameda Health Systems
- Dignity Health
- Stanford Health Care
- Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
- Veterans Affairs facilities
AGACNPs trained at UCSF provide direct patient management from admission to discharge and may continue monitoring patients into outpatient settings to ensure successful transitions.
AGACNP Specialty Prerequisites & Admissions
- Conferred Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from accredited institution
- Minimum 2 years RN inpatient clinical practice experience required before beginning program
- Current California RN license (or eligibility for California licensure by endorsement)
- Minimum 3 letters of recommendation (4 required for AGACNP specialty):
- One from current/recent employer or supervisor
- One from faculty member who can assess academic performance
- Two from individuals well-acquainted with professional preparation and experience (professional colleague and/or advanced practice nurse in specialty preferred)
- Goal Statement (maximum 500 words) focusing on professional career rationale, reasons for choosing AGACNP specialty, and future career goals
- Personal Statement discussing how personal background influenced decision to pursue graduate degree
- Current résumé or curriculum vitae (2-5 pages in PDF format)
- College-level statistics course completed within 5 years with passing grade
- Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions uploaded to application portal
- Completed background check and necessary immunizations
- Application fee: $120 (U.S. citizens/permanent residents) or $140 (international applicants)
- Application deadline: February 15, 2026 for Fall 2026 admission
- No GRE required
- Periodic Application Review Process allows applications submitted September 15, 2025 through February 15, 2026 with priority consideration for early submissions
- Work schedules should not exceed 60% of time during academic year to maintain healthy balance
BSN Entry to DNP – PNP-AC Specialty
The estimated cost for the BSN Entry to DNP – PNP-AC program is approximately $94,339 for California residents (or $106,584 for non-residents) per year and takes 3 continuous years to complete on a full-time basis across 11 academic quarters.
PNP-AC Specialty Curriculum
The PNP-AC specialty curriculum follows the same foundational Year 1 structure as other DNP specialties with core courses in advanced practice concepts, health policy, nursing scholarship, and advanced assessment, pathophysiology, and pharmacology.
Years 2 and 3 include PNP-AC specialty content courses focusing on competency-based learning for independent and collaborative decision-making in pediatric acute care.
The program emphasizes accountability for clinical judgment skills, high-quality care, evidence-based practice, and delivery of diverse, inclusive, equitable care to reduce health disparities and improve access during pediatric illness and injury.
Year 1 Sample Curriculum:
Fall Quarter (Quarter 1):
- BSN-DNP Prologue (2 units)
- Concepts and Contemporary Issues for Advanced Practice (3 units)
- Racism, Health Care and Social Justice (2 units)
- Principles of Genomics for the Advanced Practice Provider (1 unit)
Winter Quarter (Quarter 2)
- Advanced Health Policy and Advocacy Across Diverse Populations (3 units)
- Foundation in Nursing Scholarship for the Nurse Leader (3 units)
- Principles of Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Evidence-Based Practice (3 units)
- Interprofessional Education (1 unit)
Spring Quarter (Quarter 3)
- Advanced Health Assessment Concepts (2 units)
- Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Concepts (2 units)
- Advanced Pharmacologic Concepts (3 units)
- Advanced Practice Skills Lab (1 unit)
- APRN Specialty Content (2 units)
Summer Quarter (Quarter 4)
- Improving Health Outcomes by Advancing QI and Safety Initiatives (3 units)
- APRN Specialty Content (3 units)
- APRN Specialty Content (3 units)
- APRN Specialty Clinical/Residency Application (2 units)
The PNP-AC program is notable as the only one in the United States to offer an end-of-life and palliative care focus as part of the core curriculum. Students complete an evidence-based quality improvement project beginning early in the program and continuing through project courses starting in quarter 8.
More curriculum details are available here.
PNP-AC Specialty Clinicals
Clinical format is the same as the AGACNP Specialty. See the AGACNP Specialty section above for details.
PNP-AC Specialty Prerequisites & Admissions
- Conferred Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from accredited institution
- Minimum 2 years acute care pediatric nursing experience required before beginning PNP-AC specialty content (highly recommended)
- Current California RN license (or eligibility for California licensure by endorsement)
- Minimum 3 letters of recommendation (4 required for PNP-AC specialty):
- One from current/recent employer or supervisor
- One from faculty member who can assess academic performance
- Two from individuals well-acquainted with professional preparation and experience
- Goal Statement (maximum 500 words) focusing on professional career rationale, reasons for choosing PNP-AC specialty, and future career goals
- Personal Statement discussing how personal background influenced decision to pursue graduate degree
- Current résumé or curriculum vitae (2-5 pages in PDF format)
- College-level statistics course completed within 5 years with passing grade
- Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions uploaded to application portal
- Completed background check and necessary immunizations
- Application fee: $120 (U.S. citizens/permanent residents) or $140 (international applicants)
- Application deadline: February 15, 2026 for Fall 2026 admission
- No GRE required
- Periodic Application Review Process allows applications submitted September 15, 2025 through February 15, 2026 with priority consideration for early submissions
- Fluency in spoken and written English mandatory; fluency in Spanish highly desirable
- Work schedules should not exceed 60% of time during academic year to maintain healthy balance
- PNP-AC specialty does not admit MEPN applicants
Tuition
California resident students pay approximately $41,037 in tuition and fees annually plus $12,682 in summer fees for total yearly costs of $53,719 (excluding living expenses, books, and commute costs).
Non-resident students pay an additional $12,245 supplemental tuition annually.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Accreditation
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at University of California San Francisco is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
The BSN Entry to DNP, Advanced Practice pathway is currently under review by the California Board of Registered Nursing.
AGACNP graduates are eligible to apply for national certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN).
PNP-AC graduates are eligible for California Board of Registered Nursing Nurse Practitioner certificate and Furnishing certificate, national DEA license, and to take the Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care (CPNP-AC) national certification examination offered by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB).
Additional ACNP Programs for California Students
- Cal State LA - Los Angeles
- California Baptist University - Riverside
- CSU Long Beach - Long Beach
- Loma Linda University - Loma Linda