College of Nursing launches certificate in adult acute care

The Texas A&M University College of Nursing has added an online post-graduate certificate to develop more advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to care for an aging adult population. The Post-Graduate Certificate in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner is accepting applications for its first cohort of students in fall 2026.

Adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioners (AGACNPs) are licensed APRNs who care for patients with complex and acute conditions by creating treatment plans and preventive care strategies. They work in intensive care, trauma, acute care, specialty clinics and long-term care facilities.

Applicants must have a graduate degree in nursing. Courses are delivered asynchronously online over four semesters, and students can complete most of the certificate’s required clinical hours in their own communities.

Completion of the certificate allows students to sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center or American Academy of Nurse Practitioners certification exams to be licensed as an AGACNP. The college maintains a 100% pass rate for national nurse practitioner exams.

Students in the AGACNP certificate program who work in rural areas are eligible for the college’s Rural Engagement Scholarship, which provides a total of $375,000 annually to nurses seeking advanced education.

The college also offers pathways to nurse practitioner certification in other specialties, including family nurse practitioner and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.

Visit the AGACNP certificate page for detailed information, including admission requirements and deadlines.