Meet the Program Director
Amy C. Dievendorf, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and practices in the area of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine.
As an AGACNP student, you will learn to oversee care for patients with complex needs — including assessment, clinical decision making, treatment planning and diagnostic and interventional procedures. Through online coursework, on-campus immersion activities and clinical rotations, you will gain the skills to treat patients from adolescence through older adulthood and manage care from the bedside through follow-up in the community.
Upon program completion, you will be eligible to sit for the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner exam administered through the American Nurse Credentialing Center or the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Our graduates are employed in a variety of acute care settings such as hospitalist inpatient care, critical care, trauma, cardiology, pulmonary, nephrology, gastroenterology and surgery.
The MSN AGACNP program is a total of 44 credits and takes 8 semesters to complete and all didactic coursework is online, distance format.
1st semester
- NURS 700 - Theoretical and Conceptual Foundation for Nursing
- NURS 717 - Application of Basic Statistics for Nursing Practice and Service Management
2nd semester
- NURS 707 - Advanced Pathophysiology for Nurses
- NURS 720 - Clinical Application of Population Analysis
3rd semester
- NURS 702 - Pharmacological Management of Pediatric, Adult and Gerontological Patients Across the Lifespan
- NURS 790 - Research Methods for Nursing
4th semester
- NURS 704 - Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning+
- NURS 791 - Seminar in Clinical Nursing Research
5th semester
- NURS 718 - Diagnostic Interpretation and Therapeutic Modalities
- NURS 772 - Introduction of Acute Care Adult and Gerontological Health Problems
6th semester
- NURS 773 - Management of Acute Care Adult and Gerontological Health Problems I*
7th semester
- NURS 774 - Management of Acute Care Adult and Gerontological Health Problems II+*
8th semester
- NURS 778 - Advanced Practice Role: Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP (AGACNP)
- NURS 778A - Practicum of Advanced Practice Role: Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP (AGACNP)*
+On campus immersion
*Course requires clinical hours (672 total clinical hours required)
- Bachelors of Science in Nursing from a nationally accredited program
- Minimum Cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Science grades will be strongly considered.
- Minimum of one year of full-time equivalent nursing experience (1,800 hours) within the past 24 months. Preferred clinical experience in an acute care setting (ICU, critical care, medical/surgical or emergency department).
- Submit a personal statement
- Current CV or Resume
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- Copy of unencumbered RN license
- Current BLS and ACLS certification
- GRE not required
The MSN AGACNP program accepts students for summer and fall entry. Applications are accepted Aug. 1 – Nov. 1 for summer entry and Nov. 1 – April 1 for fall entry.
Apply to Graduate School
The Graduate School coordinates online applications to our master's and doctoral programs. There may be supporting materials that are required along with your online application for graduate admission, so be sure to review the requirements before you apply.
MSN program costs depend on several factors. Estimate your costs by visiting the university’s Bursar’s Office website.
Financial aid is available. To determine your eligibility, complete the FAFSA form on the university’s Financial Aid website. The College of Nursing also offers general scholarships and scholarships for graduate study. In addition, other scholarship and financial aid opportunities are available through The Graduate School and the university’s Financial Aid and Scholarships office.
Accreditation
The Master of Science in Nursing Degree programs at the University of South Carolina are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education through 2021. Our programs also meet the standards for American Nurses Association Credentialing Center, National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing.
State Authorization
Although the University of South Carolina is a member of SARA, some state Boards of Nursing or state higher education commissions have recently started imposing restrictions for offering distance education courses within their state. Check to see if our online programs are open to residents in your state.
Contact Us
Phone: 803-777-7412
Email: NURSGRAD@mailbox.sc.edu
Address:
Williams-Brice Building, Room 208
1601 Greene St.
Columbia, SC 29208