Care for adults at every stage, from young adulthood through the end of life. Build the expertise this moment in health care demands.
Master of Science in Nursing
Prepare to assess, diagnose, and manage adult health at every stage with a CCNE-accredited Master of Science in Nursing, specializing in Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner at Florida Southern College.
You will care for patients from young adulthood to end of life, taking medical histories, performing exams, ordering and interpreting tests, and prescribing age-appropriate therapies. Much of the role involves managing chronic conditions, coordinating care transitions, and educating patients and families. This part of primary care rewards building strong relationships. FSC prepares you through close cohorts, mentorship from practicing nurses, and focused training in caring for older adults.
Adult-gerontology primary care is built on continuity. You will manage hypertension, diabetes, and the other chronic conditions that unfold over years rather than hours, and you will do it for the same patients visit after visit. That means health promotion and prevention as much as treatment, and it means untangling polypharmacy, assessing function honestly, and knowing when the right call is to stop a medication rather than add one.
The Family track spans the full lifespan, pediatrics included. Adult-gerontology deliberately narrows: young adults through the end of life, with your entire clinical sequence concentrated there. You trade breadth for depth, in functional assessment of older adults and in managing the transitions between hospital, home, and long-term care. FSC's core curriculum includes dedicated coursework in the care of older adults and the frail elderly, and NUR 6510 focuses your final role transition entirely on adult-gerontology primary care.
Adult-gerontology practice happens in scheduled settings: private and internal medicine practices, community health centers, geriatric and long-term care, and outpatient and specialty clinics. Increasingly it also happens in telehealth, home health, and palliative care. Those settings tend to run on predictable hours. After years of shift work, nights, and weekends, a Monday-through-Friday clinic schedule is a real reason nurses choose this path.
Everything in this section is specific to the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care track. Costs, admission requirements, and clinical placement work the same way across all three MSN tracks.
The MSN-AGPCNP curriculum prepares you to provide and direct comprehensive primary care for adults across the age spectrum, with dedicated training in the care of older adults and the frail elderly. Courses integrate advanced nursing theory with evidence-based clinical practice, building essential skills in diagnostic reasoning, advanced pharmacology, and population health management.
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| NUR 5120 | Leadership, Role Development, and Advocacy for Advanced Nursing Practice |
| NUR 5150 | Advanced Pharmacology Across the Lifespan |
| NUR 5200 | Advanced Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan |
| NUR 5220 | Advanced Health Assessment and Differential Diagnoses Across the Lifespan |
| NUR 5250 | Evidence Translation and Quality Improvement for Advanced Nursing Practice |
| NUR 5300 | Advanced Diagnostic Methods and Procedures |
| NUR 5400 | Health Promotion, Clinical Prevention, and Population Health for Advanced Nursing Practice |
| NUR 5450 | Informatics and Health Care Technologies |
| NUR 6430 | Care of the Older Adult and Frail Elderly |
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| NUR 6110 | Advanced Practice Nurse I |
| NUR 6160 | Advanced Practice Nurse II |
| NUR 6510 | Transition to Advanced Nursing Practice Role: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner |
| NUR 6660 | Advanced Practice Nurse III |
Total: 41 Hours
Hands-on clinical practice is the cornerstone of your AGPCNP training, where classroom learning becomes patient care. You will complete a minimum of 540 clinical hours across simulated and real-world settings. FSC's Clinical Placement Coordinator arranges your sites and preceptors, so you are not searching for a placement while carrying a full course load.
We know your time is valuable. That's why we make the application process streamlined and straightforward, with no GRE score requirement and a review method that focuses on your potential as a future nurse leader.
Here's what you'll need to submit:
Eligible candidates may be asked to participate in a personal interview after applying. If admitted, students must provide proof of immunization and complete a criminal background check and a ten-panel drug screen.
International students are required to submit the following:
** SpanTran (discount available), Academic Evaluation Services, Inc., Josef Silny, or World Education Services or another similar approved transcript evaluation agency.
*** A bank letter is a written statement on bank letterhead and signed by a bank official.
**** Must have completed an English language training program or at least one year at an English-speaking institution to waive the TOEFL/IELTS testing requirement.
The MSN is a structured, full-time program, and you move through it as part of a dedicated cohort. AGPCNP students meet on campus one day per week throughout the program.
Because the coursework is rigorous, especially during clinical semesters, we strongly recommend reducing your work hours while enrolled.
Graduates are prepared to sit for the national certification examination as an Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner through the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board.
Beginning in your second semester, you will take a series of predictor exams that gauge your readiness to move into clinical courses and forecast your likelihood of passing the certification exam.
Tuition, admission requirements, and clinical placement work the same way whichever track you choose. Here is what to expect.
"Not knowing is just the beginning. The answer exists- go find it."
The Adult-Gerontology track prepares you to care for patients from young adulthood through older adulthood, with focused training in adult and geriatric primary care, including care for older adults and the frail elderly. The Family track spans the entire lifespan, including pediatrics. Choose Adult-Gerontology if you want to concentrate your practice on adult and older-adult care.
Yes. The master's degree program in nursing and the post-graduate APRN certificate programs at Florida Southern College are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202.887.6791.
FSC stands out for offering a highly supportive, student-centered environment featuring tight-knit cohorts and personal faculty mentorship from advanced practice nurses.
To reduce graduate school stress, FSC provides a dedicated Clinical Placement Coordinator who fully handles your clinical site and preceptor placements.
Additionally, focused training in adult and geriatric primary care prepares you for one of the fastest-growing areas of health care, without compromising your career or personal commitments.
Graduates practice in internal medicine and private practices, community health centers, geriatric and long-term care settings, outpatient specialty clinics, home health, palliative care, and telehealth.
Join us online to learn more about our MSN tracks as well as Post-Master's certificate opportunities....
Admissions
Join us online to learn more about our MSN tracks as well as Post-Master's certificate opportunities....
Admissions
Join us online to learn more about our MSN tracks as well as Post-Master's certificate opportunities....
Admissions
At Florida Southern, you are our focus. Our graduate admissions team supports you through the application process and helps you decide whether the AGPCNP track fits your goals.
Assistant Professor of Nursing, MSN Program Director, Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program Coordinator
Interested in other specialized advanced practice nursing paths? Learn more about FSC's other master's and doctoral opportunities:
Request more information about the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track, join a virtual information session, or start your free graduate application.
