Rutgers School of Nursing offers 2 Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner tracks:
- Doctor of Nursing Practice – Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (Post-Baccalaureate DNP)
- Post-Master’s Certificate – Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (PMC-AGACNP)
Both programs are based out of the Newark, New Jersey campus and prepare nurses to provide direct patient care to adults with complex, acute illnesses in collaboration with healthcare teams.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program Name | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration |
|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP AGACNP | $69,675 | 4–5 years |
| Certificate AGACNP | $27,870 | 18–24 months |
The programs emphasize diagnostic and therapeutic interventions to manage acute and critical health problems in hospital settings including critical care, emergency departments, trauma units, and specialty practices, with graduates eligible for ANCC certification.
DNP – Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
The estimated cost for the Post-Baccalaureate DNP AGACNP program is $69,675 total tuition for New Jersey residents ($929 per credit hour) and $118,275 for out-of-state residents ($1,577 per credit hour), and would take 4-5 years to complete.
DNP Curriculum
The 75-credit Post-Baccalaureate DNP AGACNP curriculum prepares BSN-prepared registered nurses for doctoral-level advanced practice through core courses, DNP core courses, and specialty courses.
The program requires a minimum of 1,000 combined clinical practicum and DNP project experience hours, with students potentially required to complete more hours to meet minimum competency requirements for graduation and certification.
Students may complete the program in four or five years following recommended plans of study.
Core Courses (9 credit hours):
- NURS 5104: Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
- NURS 5105: Advanced Clinical Pharmacology (3 credits)
- ADHA 5107: Advanced Health Assessment (3 credits)
DNP Core Courses (38 credit hours):
- NURS 6010: Clinical Scholarship (2 credits)
- NURS 6060: Clinical Inquiry for Evidence-Based Practice (3 credits)
- NURS 6930: Information Technology for Evidence-Based Practice (3 credits)
- NURS 6040: Determinants of Health (3 credits)
- NURS 6780: Healthcare Economics & Business Practices (3 credits)
- CLDR 6400: Leadership Across the Continuum Theory (3 credits)
- NURS 6980: Epidemiology and Population Health (3 credits)
- CLDR 6440: Quality and Safety in Healthcare Theory (3 credits)
- NURS 6020: Management and Analysis of Health Data for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (3 credits)
- NURS 6940: Evidence Translation & Implementation Science (3 credits)
- NURS 6030: DNP Project Planning and Proposal Development (3 credits)
- NURS 6031: DNP Project Implementation (2 credits)
- NURS 6032: DNP Project Evaluation and Dissemination (2 credits)
AGACNP Specialty Courses (28 credit hours):
- AGAC 5402: Diagnostic Reasoning for the AG-ACNP (3 credits)
- AGAC 6360: Pathopharmacology (3 credits)
- AGAC 6270: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Theory 1 (3 credits)
- AGAC 6280: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Practicum 1 – 188 clinical hours (3 credits)
- AGAC 6290: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Theory 2 (3 credits)
- AGAC 6300: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Practicum 2 – 188 clinical hours (3 credits)
- AGAC 6320: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Theory 3 (3 credits)
- AGAC 6330: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Practicum 3 – 188 clinical hours (3 credits)
- AGAC 6340: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Theory 4 (3 credits)
- AGAC 6350: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Practicum 4 – 188 clinical hours (3 credits)
More curriculum details are available here.
DNP Clinicals
The Post-Baccalaureate DNP AGACNP program requires a minimum of 1,000 combined clinical practicum and DNP project experience hours.
Clinical practicum hours total 752 hours distributed across four specialty practicum courses (188 hours each in AGAC 6280, 6300, 6330, and 6350).
DNP project hours are completed across three project courses (NURS 6030, 6031, 6032) focused on planning, implementation, and evaluation. Students may be required to complete more than 1,000 hours to meet minimum competency requirements for graduation and ANCC certification eligibility.
Clinical experiences take place in acute care institutions including hospital settings, critical care units, emergency departments, trauma units, and specialty practices.
DNP Admissions Requirements
Prerequisites and Application Requirements:
- Minimum Bachelor’s degree in nursing from a nationally accredited program
- GPA of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale
- Current unencumbered RN license (NJ or Compact State RN license required after acceptance and within first semester; must maintain throughout program)
- Minimum of two years’ experience in acute care
- Personal and Goal statements (no more than 2 pages) addressing how personal qualities/experiences influenced career choice and will contribute to degree attainment, reasons for choosing specialty in relation to career goals, and how degree will impact care of population to be served
- Two letters of reference attesting to academic ability, professional competency, and personal character (from former faculty or professional colleague, with at least one from supervisory role, completed within last year)
- Resume/CV
- Official transcript(s) of all prior college work
- Fully submitted online application including paid application fee
- Interview may be offered to qualified applicants if necessary
- Criminal history background check completion required
- Newly admitted students must submit updated official transcripts/documents verifying completion of all “in progress” degrees, coursework, or licensure before starting program
Application Deadlines:
- Priority Fall (September) Start: March 1 (apply for priority consideration and earlier admission decision)
- Final Fall (September) Start: July 1 (rolling basis with full consideration)
Note: GRE testing is not required.
Post-Master’s Certificate – AGACNP
The estimated cost for the PMC-AGACNP program is $27,870 total tuition for New Jersey residents ($929 per credit hour for 30 credits) and $47,310 for out-of-state residents ($1,577 per credit hour), and would take approximately 18-24 months to complete.
Post-Master’s Certificate Curriculum
The 30-credit Post-Master’s Certificate prepares master’s or doctorally-prepared nurses for national certification as Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners through specialty theory and practicum courses.
Post-Master’s Certificate students who did not complete Advanced Pathophysiology, Advanced Pharmacology, and/or Advanced Health Assessment during previous graduate studies or prior to admission will be required to take these courses.
A gap analysis determines additional course requirements upon admission.
AGACNP Specialty Courses (30 credit hours):
- AGAC 5402: Diagnostic Reasoning for the AGAC-NP (3 credits)
- AGAC 6360: Pathopharmacology (3 credits)
- AGAC 6270: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Theory 1 (3 credits)
- AGAC 6280: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Practicum 1 – 188 clinical hours (3 credits)
- AGAC 6290: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Theory 2 (3 credits)
- AGAC 6300: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Practicum 2 – 188 clinical hours (3 credits)
- AGAC 6320: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Theory 3 (3 credits)
- AGAC 6330: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Practicum 3 – 188 clinical hours (3 credits)
- AGAC 6340: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Theory 4 (3 credits)
- AGAC 6350: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Practicum 4 – 188 clinical hours (3 credits)
Additional Prerequisite Courses (if not previously completed):
- Advanced Pathophysiology (NURS 5104)
- Advanced Clinical Pharmacology (NURS 5105)
- Advanced Health Assessment (ADHA 5107)
More curriculum details are available here.
Post-Master’s Certificate Clinicals
The Post-Master’s Certificate requires 752 clinical hours distributed across four practicum courses co-requisite with theory courses. Students complete 188 clinical hours in each of the four practicum courses (AGAC 6280, 6300, 6330, and 6350) in precepted acute care settings.
Theory and practicum courses are co-requisites and must be taken together and successfully completed for program progression.
Clinical experiences focus on adult patients with complex, acute illnesses in intensive care units, progressive care units, hospital units, specialty provider offices, emergency departments, and trauma units.
Post-Master’s Certificate Admissions Requirements
Prerequisites and Application Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in nursing and advanced practice degree (MSN or DNP) from nationally accredited programs
- GPA of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale
- Current unencumbered RN license (NJ or Compact State RN license required after acceptance and within first semester; must maintain throughout program)
- Successful completion of undergraduate descriptive/inferential statistics course and physical assessment course
- Minimum of two years of current experience in an acute care setting
- Personal and Goal statements (no more than 2 pages) addressing how personal qualities/experiences influenced career choice and will contribute to certificate attainment, reasons for choosing specialty in relation to career goals, and how certificate will impact care of population to be served
- Two letters of reference attesting to academic ability, professional competency, and personal character (from former faculty or professional colleague, with at least one from supervisory role)
- Resume/CV
- Official transcript(s) of all prior college work
- Fully submitted online application including paid application fee
- Interview may be offered to qualified applicants if necessary
- Criminal history background check completion required
- Newly admitted students must submit updated official transcripts/documents verifying completion of all “in progress” degrees, coursework, or licensure before starting program
Gap Analysis: Upon admission, a gap analysis determines proper plan of study based on previous credits/degrees earned. Prospective students may be advised to pursue alternate paths (MSN or DNP program) to reach certification goals.
Application Deadline:
- Summer Start: October 15
Note: GRE testing is not required.
Tuition
Graduate nursing tuition at Rutgers School of Nursing Newark campus is $929 per credit hour for New Jersey residents and $1,577 per credit hour for out-of-state residents.
Full-time tuition (12+ credits per semester) is $11,148 for residents and $18,924 for non-residents, plus additional mandatory fees including student fee ($944.50), school fee ($170.50), off-site fee ($1,087), and technology fee ($214.50).
Part-time students pay per-credit tuition plus reduced fees ($312 student fee, $98 school fee, $320 off-site fee, and technology fee based on credit hours).
The Post-Baccalaureate DNP program (75 credits) totals $69,675 for residents and $118,275 for non-residents. The Post-Master’s Certificate (30 credits) totals $27,870 for residents and $47,310 for non-residents.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Accreditation
The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Rutgers School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Graduates of both the Post-Baccalaureate DNP and Post-Master’s Certificate programs are eligible for certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners in the state of New Jersey, though educational preparation does not guarantee professional licensure, which is granted by individual state boards of nursing.
Related ACNP Programs for New Jersey Students
- Rowan University - Glassboro
- Seton Hall University - South Orange