Online Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Post-Master's Certificate Program (AGACNP Post-Master's Certificate)

Become Certified to Care for Adults and Older Adults with Acute Illness 

If you’re an active, advanced practice nurse practitioner looking to bolster your clinical competencies, you can expand your scope of practice and broaden your career opportunities by becoming certified to care for adults and older adults with acute and complex conditions.

Due to regulatory scope-of-practice limitations, unless you’re certified in an acute care specialty, you cannot care for the complex, acute needs of adults and older adults in fields such as cardiology, oncology, endocrinology, and more.

Rockhurst University’s Online Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Post-Master's Certificate program (AGACNP Post-Master's Certificate) provides you with the opportunity to become certified to care for adults and older adults in various care settings who present complex, acute, and chronic, life-threatening conditions. 

Delivered by Saint Luke’s™ College of Nursing and Health Sciences, our Online AGACNP Post-Master's Certificate program can be completed in just four semesters. This service-oriented program focuses on scholarship, leadership, discovery, and ethical practices to prepare advanced practice nurses to meet the unique care needs of adult and older adult patients with critical health conditions.

Guided by Jesuit values, Rockhurst University prepares adult-gerontology acute care advanced practice nurses to care for the needs of the whole person through rigorous academics, rich and varied clinical experiences, and a spirit of inquiry and reflection.

  • healthcare innovation
    Health care innovation
    meets academic excellence
  • transformative learning
    Transformative learning
    for professional and personal growth
  • clinical placement
    Clinical placement
    and dedicated support services
Accreditation and Disclaimers

Rockhurst University and Saint Luke’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The online Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Post-Master's Certificate program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)*.

*The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree program in nursing, and post-master's APRN certificate programs at Rockhurst University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.

Admission Requirements
  • MSN degree from an accredited institution
  • Active nursing license
  • Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
  • 2 Letters of recommendation
  • Personal statement
Program Features
  • 20 credit hours
  • 600 clinical hours
  • $734.69 per credit hour
  • 3 starts per year
  • 4 semesters
Program Themes

Advanced Practice Nursing Foundations

Incorporate scientific and theoretical concepts from nursing and other relevant disciplines to improve nursing practice in a variety of settings

Evidence-Informed Quality Improvement

Adopt a lifelong learning approach to care that draws upon research and data to ensure safety and quality for patients and organizations

Leadership, Systems, and Policy

Serve as an effective and collaborative nurse leader from organizational, systems, and policy perspectives

State Authorization

Students from a number of states are welcome to apply to the Online Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Post-Master's Certificate program. Please see our State Authorization page for more detailed information.