Mercer University Georgia Baptist College of Nursing offers 4 acute care nurse practitioner tracks:
- MSN AGACNP
- BSN to DNP AGACNP
- Post-Master’s DNP AGACNP
- Post-Graduate Certificate AGACNP
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN AGACNP | $42K-$58.8K | 1.4-2.3 years (4-7 semesters) | 49 |
| BSN to DNP | $63.9K | 2.7 years (8 semesters) | 77 |
| Post-Master’s DNP | $47.9K | 2 years (6 semesters) | 58 |
| Post-Graduate Certificate | $30.1K | 1 year (3 semesters) | 26 |
Tuition and duration are both calculated rather than published.
One AGACNP specialty sequence sits behind three different entry gates. The MSN requires a year of RN experience, the BSN to DNP explicitly requires none, and the post-master’s DNP admits only nurses who already hold APRN certification.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN, BSN to DNP, Post-Master’s DNP, Post-Graduate Certificate |
| Population Focus | Adult-Gerontology Acute Care (AGACNP) |
| Format | Hybrid: online synchronous coursework with in-person labs |
| Campus Visits | Labs and clinical experiences in Atlanta; no day count published |
| Clinical Hours | 780 (MSN); 1,020 practice hours (BSN to DNP); post-master’s figures conflict |
| Clinical Placement | Faculty oversee all placements; students encouraged to identify preceptors |
| RN Experience | One year (MSN); none (BSN to DNP); APRN certification (post-master’s) |
| License Requirements | Unencumbered Georgia RN license on all three tracks |
| Start Terms | January, May, August (MSN); fall only (both DNP tracks) |
| Tuition | $1,199 per credit or $10,795 flat per semester at 9+ credits (MSN); $7,983 flat per semester (DNP); 2026-27 |
| Certification | ANCC AGACNP-BC; AACN ACNPC-AG named for the DNP tracks |
| Accreditation | CCNE (baccalaureate, master’s, DNP) |
| State Restrictions | All 50 states and DC meet requirements; three Pacific territories undetermined |
Requirements Shared Across All Tracks
Clinical Requirements
- Practicum ratio: Mercer publishes a 1:4 credit-to-clinical-practice ratio, which works out to 60 clock hours per practicum credit
- Specialty sequence: a three-course Management of Adult-Gerontology Health Problems in the Acute Care Setting series, followed by supervised acute care practicums
- Placement model: Mercer faculty oversee all clinical placements
- Preceptor sourcing: students are encouraged to identify potential preceptors through colleagues, community contacts, or professional organizations
- Preceptor standard: all preceptors must meet program qualifications, which Mercer shares with students in advance
- Settings: acute care environments, with preceptors credentialed as APRNs or physicians
Campus Requirements
- Location: Mercer’s Atlanta campus at 3001 Mercer University Drive
- Delivery: online synchronous coursework combined with in-person labs and clinical experiences
- Published cadence: Mercer states no number of required on-campus days for any AGACNP track
- Orientation: required before coursework begins, and may combine online and in-person components
- Doctoral addition: DNP students attend a mandatory Formation of Scholars session each August
- Term length: 16 weeks in fall and spring, 10 weeks in summer
RN Experience and Licensure
- MSN gate: minimum one year of work experience as a professional registered nurse
- BSN to DNP gate: no minimum work experience of any kind
- Post-master’s gate: current certification as an advanced practice nurse, meaning nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, nurse midwife, or nurse anesthetist
- Licensure, MSN and BSN to DNP: unencumbered Georgia RN license
- Licensure, post-master’s: unencumbered RN license in the state where the DNP project will be completed, and a Georgia license specifically for the AGACNP specialty
- During enrollment: students submit a license card at registration and resubmit it at each renewal
Be aware: Mercer bars distance-learning enrollment from jurisdictions where it cannot determine whether its curriculum meets licensure requirements, unless the applicant attests an intention to seek licensure in Georgia or another qualifying state. Three Pacific jurisdictions currently sit in that category.
MSN AGACNP
The estimated tuition for the MSN AGACNP track at Mercer is approximately $41,977 full-time or $58,751 part-time (49 credits under Mercer’s 2026-27 flat semester and per-credit rates). The program can generally be completed in about 17 to 28 months.
MSN Curriculum
The track requires 49 credits and 780 clinical practice hours across four full-time semesters or seven part-time semesters.
- NUR 659: Management of Adult-Gerontology Health Problems in the Acute Care Setting I (4 credits)
- NUR 661: Management of Adult-Gerontology Health Problems in the Acute Care Setting II (5 credits)
- NUR 669: Management of Adult-Gerontology Health Problems in the Acute Care Setting III (4 credits)
- NUR 671: Acute Care Practicum I (4 credits, 240 clinical hours)
- NUR 672: Acute Care Practicum II (4 credits, 240 clinical hours)
- NUR 673: Acute Care Practicum III (5 credits, 300 clinical hours)
- Advanced practice core: NUR 602 Advanced Health Assessment, NUR 603 Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology, NUR 607 Advanced Pharmacology
- Remaining coursework: APRN role and scope, evidence-based practice, population health and policy, healthcare informatics, statistics, interprofessional leadership, synthesis
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know: Mercer advertises January, May, and August starts for the MSN, but both published plans of study begin in fall. A spring or summer entrant follows a sequence Mercer does not publish.
MSN Admissions
- Degree: BSN from a program accredited by ACEN, NLNAC, CNEA, or CCNE
- GPA: 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, with 2.75 to 2.99 in upper-division nursing courses eligible for conditional acceptance
- References: three professional references, at least one from a nurse prepared at master’s level or above
- Recent graduates: applicants who finished BSN coursework within five years add one faculty reference from that program
- Cover letter: 1,000 words or fewer on professional goals
- Interview: with the graduate programs coordinator or dean after submission
- Deadlines: fall priority April 1 and final July 1; spring priority October 1 and final November 1; summer priority March 1 and final April 1
- Application fee: $50, nonrefundable
BSN to DNP AGACNP
The estimated tuition for the BSN to DNP AGACNP track at Mercer is approximately $63,864 (eight semesters at the flat $7,983 DNP rate for 2026-27). The program runs eight full-time semesters, roughly 2.7 years.
BSN to DNP Curriculum
The track requires 77 credits and 1,020 post-baccalaureate practice hours, split into 780 practicum hours and 240 immersion hours.
- Specialty sequence: NUR 659, NUR 661, and NUR 669, the same three management courses the MSN uses
- NUR 761, 762, 763: Acute Care Practicum I through III for the DNP (3 credits each, 180 practicum hours each)
- NUR 765: Acute Care Practicum IV for the DNP (4 credits, 240 practicum hours)
- NUR 738: Organizational and Systems Leadership (3 credits, 60 immersion hours)
- NUR 740A and 740B: DNP Immersion (1 and 2 credits, 60 and 120 immersion hours)
- DNP core: clinical epidemiology, evidence appraisal, outcomes measurement, healthcare economics, health policy, informatics, DNP project development
- Sequencing: specialty content starts in semester four; the first practicum falls in semester five
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know: Both DNP pathways admit for fall only. Missing the July 1 final deadline pushes entry back a full year, unlike the MSN, which has three annual intakes.
BSN to DNP Admissions
- GPA: 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, with 3.0 to 3.19 in upper-division nursing courses eligible for conditional acceptance
- Recent graduates: applicants who finished BSN coursework within five years add two faculty references from that program
- Writing sample: a scholarly writing sample is required after the interview
- Interview: with the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, the DNP coordinator, or a faculty designee
- Decision timing: applicants are typically notified within three weeks of interview
- Deadlines: applications open August 15; fall priority April 1 and final July 1
Post-Master’s DNP AGACNP
The estimated tuition for the post-master’s DNP with AGACNP at Mercer is approximately $47,898 (six semesters at the flat $7,983 DNP rate for 2026-27). The program runs six semesters, roughly two years.
Post-Master’s DNP Curriculum
The track requires 58 credits. It carries its own specialty course numbers rather than reusing the MSN sequence, and the clinical requirements differ from both other tracks.
- DNP 759: Management of Adult-Gerontology Health Problems in the Acute Care Setting I (4 credits)
- DNP 761: Management of Adult-Gerontology Health Problems in the Acute Care Setting II (5 credits)
- DNP 769: Management of Adult-Gerontology Health Problems in the Acute Care Setting III (4 credits)
- DNP 771 and 772: Acute Care Practicum I and II (4 credits each, 240 practicum hours each)
- DNP 773: Acute Care Practicum III (5 credits, 300 practicum hours)
- NUR 738, 740A, 740B: Organizational and Systems Leadership plus DNP Immersion (60 immersion hours each)
- Sequencing: the first three semesters are doctoral core only; specialty and practicum work begins in semester four
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know: Mercer’s own plan of study states 540 practicum hours, 240 immersion hours, and 780 total. The course listings on the same page add up to 780 practicum hours, 180 immersion hours, and 960 total. Mercer does not resolve which figures govern.
Post-Master’s DNP Admissions
- Degree and certification: MSN from an accredited program, plus current APRN certification as a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, nurse midwife, or nurse anesthetist
- GPA: 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, with 2.85 to 2.99 in upper-division nursing courses eligible for conditional acceptance
- Prerequisite: a graduate statistics course completed within five years of the application date and shown on an official transcript
- Prior hours: written confirmation of practicum hours from the director of the previous master’s program
- Application materials: curriculum vitae following Mercer’s guidelines, cover letter, three professional references
- Preference: given to applicants with a graduate GPA of 3.5 or above, distinguished leadership or scholarship, or APRN certification
- Deadlines: applications open August 15; fall priority April 1 and final July 1
You Should Know: Applicants without APRN certification, or who earned fewer than 500 graduate-level clinical hours in their MSN, are reviewed case by case. Mercer may require additional coursework beyond the published 58 credits.
Post-Graduate Certificate AGACNP
The estimated tuition for the post-graduate AGACNP certificate at Mercer is approximately $30,134 (26 credits at the $1,159 non-degree graduate rate; Mercer publishes no certificate total). The certificate runs three semesters with a fall start.
- Eligibility: a graduate nursing degree, APRN certification, and an unencumbered Georgia APRN license
- Clinical hours: up to 780, with required hours set through a gap analysis of prior clinical experience
- Financial aid: Mercer states that certificates do not qualify for financial assistance
You Should Know: Mercer also maintains an older certificate page listing shorter AGACNP certificate requirements. Confirm the current plan of study with admissions before budgeting.
Tuition
For 2026-27, the MSN AGACNP is billed at $1,199 per credit, with a flat rate of $10,795 per semester at nine credits or more. Both DNP tracks bill a flat $7,983 per semester, or $1,330.50 per credit below six credits.
| Program | Credits | Estimated Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| MSN AGACNP (full-time) | 49 | $41,977 |
| MSN AGACNP (part-time) | 49 | $58,751 |
| BSN to DNP AGACNP | 77 | $63,864 |
| Post-Master’s DNP AGACNP | 58 | $47,898 |
| Post-Graduate Certificate AGACNP | 26 | $30,134 |
You Should Know: Three of the four full-time MSN semesters carry 13 or 14 credits, so the flat rate covers them. The published part-time plan reaches nine credits in only one of seven semesters, which is where the roughly $16,800 gap comes from.
Named MSN fees are an activity fee of $230 per semester, a credentialing fee of $25 per semester, and a liability insurance fee of $25 charged in spring. Mercer’s cost-of-attendance page lists a higher two-semester fee total than those three items produce, and does not itemize the difference. For 2026-27, Mercer also lists a $28-per-credit facility and technology fee (capped at $250 per semester) and a $500 certification prep fee each semester for MSN and DNP students.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Financial Aid
Mercer publishes separate cost-of-attendance figures for the MSN and the DNP through Student Financial Planning, covering federal aid, state aid, and outside scholarships. The three degree tracks are aid-eligible; Mercer states that its post-graduate certificates do not qualify for financial assistance.
See Mercer’s College of Nursing cost of attendance pages.
Why Choose This ACNP Program?
Three entry gates, one specialty. A nurse one year past licensure, a new BSN graduate, and a practicing FNP all have a route into Mercer’s AGACNP curriculum. Few schools publish three distinct qualifying paths to the same population focus.
No experience requirement on the doctoral pathway. Mercer states plainly that the BSN to DNP track requires no minimum work experience, and offsets that with a higher GPA bar of 3.2.
Faculty oversee every placement. Students are asked to help identify preceptors through their own networks, but Mercer arranges and oversees the placements and vets every preceptor against published qualifications.
Full-time MSN study costs substantially less. The flat semester rate turns 49 credits into roughly $42,000 at full-time pace, against roughly $58,800 on the published part-time plan.
Two ways to add acute care. A certified APRN can add AGACNP through a 26-credit post-graduate certificate or inside the 58-credit post-master’s DNP, which adds a doctorate at the same time.
The MSN suits a bedside nurse with a year of experience and a Georgia license who can study full-time. The two doctoral tracks suit nurses at opposite ends of a career: a new graduate skipping the master’s entirely, and a certified APRN adding both a doctorate and a second population focus at once.
Accreditation and Certification
The baccalaureate, master’s, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs at Mercer University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. That accreditation covers the three degree tracks, and Mercer’s post-graduate certificates are included in the CCNE review scheduled for October 5–7, 2026.
Mercer University holds institutional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
The population focus on all four tracks is adult-gerontology acute care. Mercer states that MSN graduates are prepared to sit the ANCC Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner examination, and credentials that exam produces are AGACNP-BC.
For both DNP tracks, Mercer names two exams rather than one: the ANCC examination and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses AGACNP examination, which leads to the ACNPC-AG credential. The MSN track page names only the ANCC pathway.
More ACNP Programs in Georgia
- Augusta University - Augusta
- Brenau University - Norcross
- Emory University - Atlanta
- Georgia Southern University - Statesboro
- Georgia State University - Atlanta
- Middle Georgia State University - Warner Robins