Advance your career to Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP)
No matter where you are in your nursing career, Herzing University offers unique MSN and DNP educational pathways for you to advance towards becoming an adult gerontology primary care nurse practitioner.
Herzing University’s online AGPCNP program pathways
Accreditation | CCNE accredited,1 Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission |
Program length | 20-24 months, depending on degree choice |
Options | Options for nurses who hold an ADN/ASN, BSN, or MSN degree |
Paying for school | Scholarships and financial aid available for those who qualify; transfer credit from prior college coursework to reduce cost and time |
Clinicals | We pledge your clinical placement |
Format | Flexible online study with multiple start dates |
QuickPaths | Transfer credit, stackable credentials, and adaptive learning technology build a faster pathway to a higher education with Herzing University |
Discover your potential
Get in touch to learn more about our school and how we can help you reach your highest career goals.
Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best online graduate nursing programs in 2025
Your clinical placement is our pledge.
We understand securing clinical placement as part of an AGPCNP program is one of the biggest concerns students face. At Herzing, we offer guidance and support through our step-by-step Clinical Guidance Process to ensure you can get the clinical practice experiences you need.
As a Herzing student, we’ll encourage you to find your own preceptor and clinical sites as there are many benefits to doing so. However, we provide extensive support should you find difficulty along the way. With Herzing, you are never on your own.
Because of our strong relationships with healthcare providers across the U.S. and our comprehensive Clinical Guidance Process, we are confident in our ability to help you find clinical placement. So much so that if you are unable to find a clinical site on your own, we pledge to step in and help you secure clinical placement.*
* Subject to terms and conditions outlined in the enrollment documents.
Tuition & Cost
Tuition & Cost
Our goal is your career advancement. That’s why we are always working to improve our curriculums and processes to make our nurse practitioner programs as affordable as possible while preparing you best for success in your work.
With Herzing University, you are never alone, and we offer many options to help you invest in yourself, earn your master’s degree in nursing and become an AGPCNP.
We are proud to have awarded $13+ million in scholarships and grants to nursing students in 2024.
An affordable, career-focused education is possible with Herzing University.
Here to Serve You
Pathways to Success
Many of our online programs offer pathways for continued learning, which allow you to move from one degree, such as an associate degree, to a bachelor’s degree, to a master’s degree.
Flexible and Convenient
Earn your degree from the comfort of your own home. There are no designated times you must be online. You can log into your virtual classroom when it’s convenient for you.
At Herzing, being online does not mean being alone.You’ll receive the same personalized attention and career-focused education that we offer in our traditional classroom.
Online and/or On-Campus
Get the best of both worlds. Some of our degree programs are offered exclusively online and some programs are offered as a combination of both campus and online classes.
I don’t have a nursing degree. Where do I start?
If you have already earned a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, there are two potential educational pathways in nursing we’ve designed with you in mind:
- Accelerated BSN (ABSN) program. Our on-campus ABSN program, available at select Herzing campuses, allows you to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in as few as 20 months (most students complete in 24 months).
- MSN Direct Entry program. Start working towards a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) right from the start in our online direct entry MSN program. You can graduate in as few as 20 months.
Once you’ve earned an undergraduate nursing degree, you can become eligible to enroll in an MSN, post master’s certificate, or BSN to DNP program with an AGPCNP specialization.
No. To become a nurse practitioner, you will need to earn a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.
While we do not currently offer a single dedicated program for those looking to go from non-nurse to nurse practitioner, we do offer several online nursing programs for non-nurses with eligibility in several U.S. states.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurse practitioners earn an average salary of $132,000 per year ($63.46 per hour).*
NPs specializing in adult gerontology in primary care may increase their earning potential by becoming board certified, gaining valuable experience and continuing their education.
While both jobs involve outpatient primary care under the “general NP” umbrella, the biggest difference between AGNP and FNP is the patient population. FNPs are trained for family practice across the lifespan, including children, while AGNPs are trained only for the adult lifespan (adolescent through end of life).
Here’s a selection of the most common types of nurse practitioners:
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
- Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP)
- Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP)
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
- Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP)
Each specialty has its own unique requirements in terms of job experience and certification.
Sometimes hospitals form partnerships with schools like ours to provide employees with unique benefits should they choose to pursue an advanced nursing degree.
Employees of Herzing partners can potentially earn college credit for prior work or military experience, transfer existing credit, or earn a scholarship to make going back to school more affordable.
If you are currently an RN considering becoming a nurse practitioner, view our educational partnerships or check with your employer for potential possibilities.
It can take roughly 3-5 years to go from non-nurse to NP through our program options but it depends on what education you’ve already earned and how quickly you want to progress.
This depends on the state in which you practice. Qualifying for NP school is not the same as qualifying for NP jobs. You may not need to be a Registered Nurse (RN) to qualify for an NP degree program, but some employers may require a minimum amount of RN experience from NP job applicants.
Accreditation & Disclosures
1. The master’s degree program in nursing, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at Herzing University Madison are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org). Herzing University is approved to offer programs in an online learning modality through association with the main campus in Madison, Wisconsin.
Eligible states for enrollment: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
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Choose your NP pathway
Considering all of your options for nurse practitioner specialties?
Herzing University offers multiple nurse practitioner programs for current nurses holding an associate, bachelor's, or master's degree in nursing.
Our goal is to help you walk your career path no matter where you are, or where you want to go.
Explore Herzing NP programs