Emory University offers 3 acute care nurse practitioner tracks:
- MSN AGACNP
- Post-BSN DNP AGACNP
- Post-Graduate Certificate AGACNP
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN AGACNP | $110.2K | 1.3 years (4 semesters) | 49 |
| BSN-DNP AGACNP | Up to $177.2K | 2.3 years (7 semesters) | Not published |
| Certificate | Not published | 1 year (3 semesters) | Not published |
Tuition and duration are both calculated rather than published.
Emory bills a flat semester rate at 12 or more credits, and the full-time AGACNP plan of study clears that line in three of its four terms. The same 49 credits taken part-time cost about $3,492 more.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN, post-BSN/post-MN DNP, post-graduate certificate |
| Population Focus | Adult-Gerontology Acute Care (AGACNP) |
| Format | Mostly Online: online coursework with mandatory onsite intensives |
| Campus Visits | Intensives at the Atlanta campus; number and length not published |
| Clinical Hours | 840 for the MSN, across three practica of 240, 240, and 360 |
| Clinical Placement | Hospitals and specialty practices in metro Atlanta and across the U.S. |
| RN Experience | One year required before admission; critical care preferred |
| Start Terms | Full-time MSN starts fall only; part-time starts fall or spring |
| Tuition | $2,320 per MSN credit, or $27,836 per semester at 12 or more credits |
| Certification | ANCC AGACNP-BC or AACN ACNPC-AG |
| Accreditation | CCNE for the MSN, DNP, and certificate; SACSCOC institutional |
| State Restrictions | NC-SARA member; four U.S. territories excluded from distance education |
| Visa Eligibility | F1 visa applicants are not eligible for MSN or DNP admission |
Requirements Shared Across All Tracks
Clinical Requirements
- MSN clock hours: 840, split 240 in Practicum I, 240 in Practicum II, and 360 in Practicum III
- Practicum credits: 14 of the 49 MSN credits, at 60 clock hours per credit
- DNP and certificate hours: no clock-hour total published for either track
- Preceptors: physicians and acute care nurse practitioners
- Rotation settings: SICU, CCU, MICU, CVICU, and TICU, plus trauma, plastic, transplant, and orthopedic surgery
- Specialty services: pulmonary, endocrine, infectious disease, cardiology, and nephrology
- Placement geography: hospitals and specialty practices across metro Atlanta, with sites elsewhere in the U.S.
- Who arranges sites: Emory describes a partner network but does not publish a placement guarantee
Emory publishes its clinical hours by course rather than as a single total. The catalog maps 840 hours to three named practica. Marketing pages describe the same requirement as more than 700 hours.
Campus Requirements
- Delivery: online coursework combining synchronous and asynchronous sessions
- Synchronous obligation: students log in and participate at a set time each week, with days posted on the syllabi
- Onsite intensives: mandatory, held at the Emory University campus in Atlanta
- Scheduling: intensive dates are published in advance to accommodate working students
- Frequency: Emory does not publish how many intensives a track requires or how long each runs
You should know: travel cost cannot be estimated from Emory’s published materials. The annual $2,552 student fee covers a clinical intensive, but the number of trips to Atlanta is not stated for any AGACNP track.
RN Experience and Licensure
- MSN requirement: one year of RN experience, required before admission
- Setting: the program page specifies an acute or critical care setting; the catalog states critical care is preferred
- DNP requirement: one to two years of documented clinical experience for the AGACNP specialty
- Licensure: unencumbered Georgia RN license or a multistate license
- Life support: Advanced Cardiac Life Support certification for MSN applicants
- Certificate requirement: RN and APRN licensure plus current board certification
Be aware: Emory’s two published descriptions of the experience gate differ. The MSN program page treats acute or critical care as the required setting, while the catalog treats critical care as preferred against a general one-year RN minimum.
MSN AGACNP
The estimated tuition for the MSN Adult Gerontology Acute Care program at Emory is approximately $110,188. The program can generally be completed in about 1.3 years, or four semesters of full-time study.
MSN Curriculum
- NRSG 596D: Diagnostics and Clinical Reasoning: Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (3.5 credits)
- NRSG 597D: Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner I (3.5 credits, spring)
- NRSG 634D: Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner II (4.5 credits, summer)
- NRSG 635D: Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner III (3.5 credits, fall)
- NRSG 598D, 604D, 605D: AGACNP Clinical Practicum I, II, and III (4, 4, and 6 credits; 240, 240, and 360 hours)
- NRSG 544D, 528D, 522D: advanced health assessment, pathophysiology, and pharmacology across the lifespan (3 credits each)
- NRSG 524D: Becoming an APRN (2 credits)
- NRSG 505D: Research and Evidence-Based Practice (3 credits)
- NRSG 591D: Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety (3 credits)
- NRSG 684D: Innovative Leadership and Policy in Advanced Nursing Practice Role (3 credits)
The specialty sequence runs three terms and starts in semester two. Practicum I opens alongside AGACNP I, so clinical hours begin in the second term of a full-time plan. More curriculum details are available here.
You should know: the catalog states the plan of study requires 48 semester hours, but all three published plans total 49. The 49-credit figure is the one to plan around.
MSN Pacing and Entry Terms
- Full-time: four semesters, fall start only
- Part-time, fall start: seven semesters
- Part-time, spring start: six semesters
- Full-time threshold: nine credits or more per semester
You should know: missing the fall application cycle closes full-time entry for a year. The spring intake exists only in the six-semester part-time plan.
MSN Admissions
- Degree: baccalaureate from a CCNE or ACEN accredited nursing program
- References: two to three, with a nursing supervisor preferred
- Materials: resume, personal statement, official transcripts from each school attended
- Application fee: $50
- Testing: no standardized test scores required
- International applicants: CGFNS evaluation for nursing coursework, WES for non-nursing, and TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo scores where English is a second language
- Waitlist: decisions run until the first day of orientation as seats open
Post-BSN DNP AGACNP
Emory does not publish a credit total for the Post-BSN DNP AGACNP track, so tuition cannot be stated precisely. Seven full-time semesters at the flat rate would reach $177,240 at most, and any term below 12 credits bills at $2,110 per credit instead.
How the DNP Differs
- Length: seven semesters full-time or 10 part-time, against four full-time semesters for the MSN
- Entry points: post-BSN and post-MN, both routing into the same AGACNP specialty
- Doctoral work: a DNP project addressing practice, process, or systems-based healthcare improvement
- Faculty model: 1:1 engagement with faculty on clinical and leadership development
- Rate: $2,110 per credit, below the MSN rate of $2,320
- Testing location: students must test within the United States
Specialty clinical hours are not separated from total DNP practice hours. Emory publishes neither figure for this track, so the 840 hours documented for the MSN cannot be assumed to carry over.
DNP Admissions Differences
- Experience: one to two years of documented clinical experience, required for AGACNP applicants
- Personal statement: 500 words covering DNP interest and intended project focus
- Degree: BSN or Master of Nursing from an accredited institution
Post-Graduate Certificate AGACNP
The post-graduate certificate in Adult Gerontology Acute Care runs three semesters full-time at $2,152 per credit. Emory does not publish a credit total, so no estimated tuition is available.
- Audience: MSN-prepared nurses already certified in a different specialty
- Entry requirements: RN and APRN licensure, board certification, and both BSN and MSN degrees
- Format: Emory labels the certificate hybrid rather than distance-based
- Curriculum: plans of study are built per student, so the specialty sequence and clinical load vary
- Rate advantage: the certificate per-credit rate sits $168 below the MSN rate
You should know: an individualized plan of study means credits, cost, and length are all set at admission. Two applicants with different prior coursework can receive materially different plans.
Tuition
MSN tuition is $2,320 per credit hour for students registered for 1 to 11 credits, or $27,836 per semester at 12 credits or more. The certificate rate is $2,152 per credit and the DNP rate is $2,110, each with its own flat semester equivalent. All figures are 2026-2027 School of Nursing rates.
| Program | Credits | Estimated Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| MSN AGACNP, full-time | 49 | $110,188 |
| MSN AGACNP, part-time | 49 | $113,680 |
| Post-BSN DNP AGACNP | Not published | Up to $177,240 |
| Post-Graduate Certificate | Not published | Not published |
The gap between the two MSN rows is a billing artifact, not a discount. Three full-time semesters carry 12.5 credits and bill at the flat rate, saving $1,164 each. Part-time plans never reach 12 credits in any term, so every credit bills individually.
Beyond tuition, Emory charges a $2,552 annual fee covering a clinical intensive, technology, athletics, and health and wellness. A student health insurance charge of $5,588 per year is listed as required for all students. See the official tuition page for more details.
Financial Aid
Emory awarded $7.1 million in financial aid and scholarships across the School of Nursing in 2025, covering 751 scholarships. The Robert W. Woodruff Scholars program carries full tuition. Scholarship and fellowship listings are here.
Why Choose This ACNP Program?
- Full-time pacing costs less. The flat semester rate at 12 or more credits makes the four-semester plan roughly $3,492 cheaper than the same 49 credits taken part-time.
- Clinical hours are documented by course. Emory maps 840 MSN hours to three named practica of 240, 240, and 360, so the workload per term is visible before enrolling.
- Rotation settings are named specifically. Five ICU types appear alongside trauma, transplant, plastic, and orthopedic surgery, rather than a generic reference to acute care sites.
- Three credentials share one specialty. MSN, post-BSN DNP, and post-graduate certificate applicants all enter the same AGACNP program, and CCNE accreditation covers all three.
- Distance delivery without a state block. Emory participates in NC-SARA, and its licensure disclosure lists every state plus DC as meeting educational requirements.
The program suits a working critical care nurse who can commit to full-time study and reach Atlanta for intensives. Applicants who need part-time pacing, a published DNP cost, or an F1 visa will find the fit harder.
Accreditation and Certification
The baccalaureate, master’s, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The certificate’s inclusion matters for certificate applicants, because certification bodies require the post-graduate program itself to hold accreditation.
Emory University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and professional degrees, and to offer certificates at approved degree levels.
All three tracks carry a single population focus: adult-gerontology acute care. Graduates are prepared to sit for the AGACNP-BC examination administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the ACNPC-AG examination administered by the AACN Certification Corporation.
Additional Georgia Acute Care NP Programs
- Augusta University – Augusta
- Brenau University – Gainesville
- Georgia Southern University – Statesboro
- Georgia State University – Atlanta
- Mercer University – Atlanta
- Middle Georgia State University – Warner Robins