“Allen College’s AGACNP programs are built for RNs at every credential level — associate-degree nurses, BSN-prepared RNs, and MSN holders all have a structured path to doctoral-level acute care practice.”
Allen College offers three Adult-Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner tracks:
- BSN-DNP AGACNP
- RN-DNP AGACNP
- Post-Graduate Certificate (PGC) AGACNP
All three run in hybrid format — primarily online with required campus visits for OSCEs and residency.
The program is especially suited to working RNs who want a clear, structured progression to DNP-level acute care practice, including those entering with a non-BSN nursing credential.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration |
|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP AGACNP | ~$68K | 3 years (full-time) |
| RN-DNP AGACNP | ~$77K | 5 years (full-time) |
| Post-Master’s Certificate AGACNP | ~$27K | 2 years |
BSN-DNP AGACNP
The estimated cost for the BSN-DNP AGACNP at Allen College is approximately $68,000 in tuition and lab fees.
The program takes about 3 years to complete on a full-time basis.
DNP Curriculum
The BSN-DNP AGACNP totals 69 credit hours across three course groups: core graduate nursing (16 credits), AGACNP track-specific courses (27 credits), and DNP-level scholarship and leadership courses (26 credits).
The curriculum moves from foundational APRN competencies into progressive acute care didactic and clinical coursework, then into doctoral-level quality improvement, analytics, and evidence-based practice.
- NU505 Leadership for Advanced Nursing (3 cr)
- NU520 Policy, Organization and Financing of Healthcare (3 cr)
- NU530 Population Health (3 cr)
- NU535 Evidence Based Practice I: Finding and Appraising Evidence (3 cr)
- NU541 Health Care Informatics (3 cr)
- NU596 Graduate Seminar I (1 cr)
- NU550 Advanced Health Assessment — 50 lab/DeBonis Clinic hours (3 cr)
- NU560 Advanced Physiology and Disease States (3 cr)
- NU570 Advanced Pharmacology (3 cr)
- NU585 Mental Health Enrichment for the Advanced Practice Nurse (1 cr)
- NU612C Clinical Enrichment — 100 clinical hours (1 cr)
- NU614C Clinical Enrichment II — 100 clinical hours (1 cr)
- NU670 Adult Gerontology Acute Care I (3 cr)
- NU670C Adult Gerontology Acute Care I Clinical — 200 clinical hours (2 cr)
- NU675 Adult Gerontology Acute Care II (3 cr)
- NU675C Adult Gerontology Acute Care II Clinical — 200 clinical hours (2 cr)
- NU680 Adult Gerontology Acute Care III (3 cr)
- NU680C Adult Gerontology Acute Care III Clinical — 200 clinical hours (2 cr)
- NU720 Quality Outcomes for Organizations and Systems (3 cr)
- NU731 Epidemiology and Biostatistics (3 cr)
- NU741 Analytic Methods for Evidence-Based Practice I (3 cr)
- NU742 Analytic Methods for Evidence-Based Practice II (3 cr)
- NU743 Analytic Methods for Evidence-Based Practice III (1 cr)
- NU750 Leadership and Collaboration (3 cr)
- NU800 DNP Clinical Scholarship Intensive — 4 enrollments, 100 clinical hours each (4 cr)
- NU805 Educational Concepts for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 cr)
- NU811 Financial Concepts for Systems Management (3 cr)
Total: 69 credit hours.
DNP Clinicals
Clinical hours are embedded throughout the track-specific and DNP scholarship coursework, totaling approximately 950 hours across practicum and DNP intensive placements. The Clinical Coordinator manages placement with input from students during the preceptor selection process.
- NU550: 50 lab hours at the DeBonis Free Medical Clinic
- NU612C: 100 clinical hours
- NU614C: 100 clinical hours
- NU670C: 200 clinical hours (Adult Gerontology Acute Care I)
- NU675C: 200 clinical hours (Adult Gerontology Acute Care II)
- NU680C: 200 clinical hours (Adult Gerontology Acute Care III)
- NU800: 4 enrollments × 100 hours = 400 DNP Clinical Scholarship hours
- Optional: rural/underserved emphasis track (150 hours) or Dedicated Education Clinic (minimum 75 hours)
- Allen College cannot guarantee clinical placements outside Iowa
DNP Admissions
Applicants need a BSN from a regionally accredited institution, a 3.0 GPA (last 60 credit hours), active RN licensure from Iowa or a Nurse Licensure Compact state, and a completed statistics course.
- BSN from a regionally accredited institution
- 3.0 GPA in the last 60 credit hours (4.0 scale)
- RN licensure from Iowa or an NLC state
- Completed undergraduate statistics course (3 credit hours)
- Online application with $50 non-refundable fee
- Official transcripts from all colleges attended
- One academic or professional recommendation
- Resume or CV
- Additional application questions (submitted via email)
- English proficiency documentation if applicable
- Applications reviewed on a rolling basis; decisions take 3–4 weeks after file completion
- Intakes: fall and spring semesters
RN-DNP AGACNP
The estimated cost for the RN-DNP AGACNP at Allen College is approximately $77,000 in tuition and lab fees.
The program takes about 5 years to complete on a full-time basis.
DNP Curriculum
The RN-DNP AGACNP totals 78 credit hours at Allen College: 25 core credits, 27 track-specific AGACNP credits, and 29 DNP-level credits.
Applicants receive 71 articulation credit hours for their prior RN education and licensure.
The RN-DNP adds foundational core courses not required at the BSN entry point — including Community and Population Health Nursing and Nursing Leadership, both with clinical components — before moving into AGACNP specialty coursework and doctoral scholarship.
- NU501 Concepts of Professional Nursing Practice (3 cr)
- NU502 Community and Population Health Nursing — 100 clinical hours (3 cr)
- NU504 Nursing Leadership — 100 clinical hours (3 cr)
- NU505 Leadership for Advanced Nursing (3 cr)
- NU520 Policy, Organization and Financing of Healthcare (3 cr)
- NU530 Population Health (3 cr)
- NU535 Evidence Based Practice I: Finding and Appraising Evidence (3 cr)
- NU541 Health Care Informatics (3 cr)
- NU596 Graduate Seminar I (1 cr)
- NU550 Advanced Health Assessment — 50 lab/DeBonis Clinic hours (3 cr)
- NU560 Advanced Physiology and Disease States (3 cr)
- NU570 Advanced Pharmacology (3 cr)
- NU585 Mental Health Enrichment for the Advanced Practice Nurse (1 cr)
- NU612C Clinical Enrichment — 100 clinical hours (1 cr)
- NU614C Clinical Enrichment II — 100 clinical hours (1 cr)
- NU670 Adult Gerontology Acute Care I (3 cr)
- NU670C Adult Gerontology Acute Care I Clinical — 200 clinical hours (2 cr)
- NU675 Adult Gerontology Acute Care II (3 cr)
- NU675C Adult Gerontology Acute Care II Clinical — 200 clinical hours (2 cr)
- NU680 Adult Gerontology Acute Care III (3 cr)
- NU680C Adult Gerontology Acute Care III Clinical — 200 clinical hours (2 cr)
- NU720 Quality Outcomes for Organizations and Systems (3 cr)
- NU731 Epidemiology and Biostatistics (3 cr)
- NU741 Analytic Methods for Evidence-Based Practice I (3 cr)
- NU742 Analytic Methods for Evidence-Based Practice II (3 cr)
- NU743 Analytic Methods for Evidence-Based Practice III (1 cr)
- NU750 Leadership and Collaboration (3 cr)
- NU800 DNP Clinical Scholarship Intensive — 4 enrollments, 100 clinical hours each (4 cr)
- NU805 Educational Concepts for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 cr)
- NU811 Financial Concepts for Systems Management (3 cr)
Total: 78 credit hours. Prerequisite before matriculation: statistics (3 cr) and a diversity course (3 cr), both completed prior to starting.
DNP Clinicals
The RN-DNP includes roughly 1,150 clinical and lab hours embedded across the 5-year plan of study, including population health, leadership, acute care specialty, and DNP scholarship placements.
- NU502: 100 clinical hours (Community and Population Health)
- NU504: 100 clinical hours (Nursing Leadership)
- NU550: 50 lab hours at the DeBonis Free Medical Clinic
- NU612C: 100 clinical hours
- NU614C: 100 clinical hours
- NU670C: 200 clinical hours
- NU675C: 200 clinical hours
- NU680C: 200 clinical hours
- NU800: 4 enrollments × 100 hours = 400 DNP Clinical Scholarship hours
- Optional rural/underserved or Dedicated Education Clinic tracks available
- Clinical placements coordinated by the Clinical Coordinator; student input accepted in preceptor selection
DNP Admissions
RN applicants without a BSN are eligible; the program grants 71 articulation credits for RN education and licensure, and requires completion of two prerequisite courses before starting.
- Active RN licensure from Iowa or a Nurse Licensure Compact state
- 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) in the last 60 credit hours of college enrollment
- Completed statistics course (3 credit hours) — required before matriculation
- Completed diversity course (3 credit hours) — required before matriculation
- RN applicants with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree: statistics course required, diversity course not explicitly required
- Online application with $50 non-refundable fee
- Official transcripts from all colleges attended
- One academic or professional recommendation
- Resume or CV
- Additional application questions (submitted via email)
- English proficiency documentation if applicable
- Rolling review; decisions take 3–4 weeks after file completion
- Intakes: fall and spring semesters
Post-Master’s Certificate AGACNP
The estimated cost for the Post-Graduate Certificate AGACNP at Allen College is approximately $27,000 in tuition and lab fees.
The program takes about 2 years to complete.
Certificate Curriculum
The PGC AGACNP is a focused 27-credit, track-specific program for MSN-prepared nurses.
It covers the full AGACNP clinical sequence without repeating the graduate core coursework already completed at the master’s level.
Students who hold an existing NP certification complete a condensed clinical sequence (NU614C only); those without NP certification complete both clinical enrichment courses.
- NU550 Advanced Health Assessment — 50 lab/DeBonis Clinic hours (3 cr)
- NU560 Advanced Physiology and Disease States (3 cr)
- NU570 Advanced Pharmacology (3 cr)
- NU585 Mental Health Enrichment for the Advanced Practice Nurse (1 cr)
- NU612C Clinical Enrichment — 100 clinical hours (1 cr) — required if no prior NP certification
- NU614C Clinical Enrichment II — 100 clinical hours (1 cr) — required for all students
- NU670 Adult Gerontology Acute Care I (3 cr)
- NU670C Adult Gerontology Acute Care I Clinical — 200 clinical hours (2 cr)
- NU675 Adult Gerontology Acute Care II (3 cr)
- NU675C Adult Gerontology Acute Care II Clinical — 200 clinical hours (2 cr)
- NU680 Adult Gerontology Acute Care III (3 cr)
- NU680C Adult Gerontology Acute Care III Clinical — 200 clinical hours (2 cr)
Total: 27 credit hours.
Certificate Clinicals
The PGC includes between 700 and 800 clinical and lab hours depending on whether the student enters with an existing NP certification. All students complete three 200-hour acute care clinical rotations plus the DeBonis Clinic lab component.
- NU550: 50 lab hours at the DeBonis Free Medical Clinic
- NU612C: 100 clinical hours (waived for certified NPs)
- NU614C: 100 clinical hours (required for all students)
- NU670C: 200 clinical hours (AGACNP I)
- NU675C: 200 clinical hours (AGACNP II)
- NU680C: 200 clinical hours (AGACNP III)
- Optional rural/underserved or Dedicated Education Clinic placements available
- Campus visits required for OSCEs and residency during track-specific courses
Certificate Admissions
This track requires an MSN from a regionally accredited institution and a graduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Master’s degree in nursing from a regionally accredited institution
- 3.0 graduate cumulative GPA or higher (undergraduate GPA of 2.9–2.99 in last 60 hours may qualify for conditional admission)
- Active RN licensure from Iowa or a Nurse Licensure Compact state
- Evidence of national NP certification, if applicable
- Online application with $50 non-refundable fee
- Official transcripts from all colleges attended
- One academic or professional recommendation
- Resume or CV
- Additional application questions (submitted via email)
- English proficiency documentation if applicable
- Rolling review; decisions take 3–4 weeks after file completion
- Intakes: fall and spring semesters
Tuition
Graduate tuition at Allen College is $976 per credit hour, with an additional lab fee of $61 per credit hour applied to courses with laboratory or clinical components.
Tuition is not differentiated by residency status in the published rate schedule.
A one-time $200 registration fee and a $275 graduation fee (final semester) also apply. The $50 application fee is non-refundable.
Estimated total tuition and lab fees range from approximately $27,000 for the PGC to $77,000 for the RN-DNP, depending on track credit load.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Accreditation
Accreditation details are not explicitly stated in the source materials reviewed for this page. Allen College notes that graduates of its DNP and PGC programs are eligible to sit for national certification exams through ANCC or AANP upon program completion. Prospective students should confirm current accreditation status — CCNE, ACEN, or other bodies — directly with the institution before enrolling.
Compare Allen College with the Other Iowa Programs
- Morningside University - Sioux City
- The University of Iowa - Iowa City