Post-Graduate Certificate (PGC)
The post-graduate certificate in nursing option provides opportunities for students who already have a Master of Science in Nursing degree from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited school of nursing to gain specialized knowledge in a variety of majors and clinical specialties. Completion of the post-graduate certificate will be documented in the student’s academic transcript. Post-graduate certificates are available in the following specialties:
Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care
Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care
Family Nurse Practitioner
Health Informatics
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
Nursing and Healthcare Leadership
Nursing Education
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Women's Health Nurse Practitioner
Post-Graduate Certificate Requirements
Post-graduate certificate students must successfully complete graduate didactic and clinical requirements of the major in a specified role and population focus. PGC students are expected to master the same outcome criteria as nurse practitioner students in the master’s degree-granting program. PGC students in APRN majors who are not already nurse practitioners will be required to complete all certification requirements and a minimum of 500 supervised, direct patient care clinical hours.
An individual analysis of prior education will be completed for each post-graduate certificate candidate prior to enrollment. To identify gaps in academic preparation for the desired PGC major, the candidate’s previous academic work will be evaluated in the context of the full requirements for the corresponding major in the MSN curriculum. After this analysis, the matriculation plan outlining coursework required for completion of the post-graduate certificate will be determined on an individual basis and provided to the student prior to enrollment. Therefore, the total number of credit hours required to complete the certificate in any given PGC major will vary, depending on the nature and extent of gaps in each student’s previous academic experience.
Additional information about the PGC option can be accessed via the Post-Graduate Certificates section of the School of Nursing website.