The Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program prepares you
to provide direct patient management in acute and complex care settings, skills that
are in high demand with rising patient acuity and a growing elderly population.
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 46 credits and takes 8 semesters to complete
and all didactice 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)*
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 (2,400 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 November 1 - March 1 for fall 2021 entry July 1 - October 31 for summer 2022 entry.
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.
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.
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.