Nurse Practitioner Postgraduate Certificate

The Post-graduate Certificate Program allows nurses who have a MSN/DNP degree from an accredited nursing program to become certified as a Nurse Practitioner in a second population concentration, including:

• Adult Gerontology Primary Care
• Family Primary Care
• Psychiatric-Mental Health Care
• Women’s Health Care

Upon completion of the Post-graduate Certificate curriculum, students are eligible to take the associated advanced practice nurse practitioner population-focused certification examination (i.e., ANCC, AANP, NCC).

Application Requirements

• 2.8 GPA (inclusive of all college transcripts).
• MSN/DNP from an accredited (i.e., ACEN, CCNE) nursing program in advanced practice nursing (e.g., Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Midwifery, Nurse Anesthesia). (Graduates of MSN/DNP programs WITHOUT advanced practice nursing preparation and who seek to become a Nurse Practitioner should instead apply to our Nurse Practitioner MSN Program and can be offered advanced standing pending transcript review.)
• Registered Nurse (RN) licensure from the state in which applicant will be conducting their 750 requisite clinical hours. (Applicants from New York will need to show New Jersey RN license or proof of application, concurrent with selecting first clinical placement, as students who need assistance with site selection will be placed in New Jersey.)
• English-language proficiency (see https://www.fdu.edu/admissions/international/english-proficiency/).
• Short resume (1-2 pages) summarizing education history/relevant activities, substantive healthcare experience, and license/registration/certification information (with URL to state verification site for each license). 

NURS6615, NURS7702, NURS6620 (or 3-credit course equivalents for advanced pharmacology, advanced pathophysiology, and advanced health assessment) must be identifiable on the MSN/DNP transcript in order to be eligible to apply for certification examination upon program completion. A gap analysis will be conducted upon review of applicant transcripts to determine the need for additional coursework to fulfill this requirement.

For applicants who will have taken their 3-credit advanced pharmacology course more than five (5) years prior to expected completion of this program and filing for advanced practice nurse certification in New Jersey (and certain other states), N.J.A.C. requires either repeating the advanced pharmacology course or producing CE program certificate(s) for 30 relevant contact hours. 

Prospective students may be asked to participate in a virtual interview (i.e., via Zoom) as part of the application process. 

Optional/Preferred Requirements

• Letter(s) of recommendation.
• Substantive healthcare experience with population of interest.

Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Concentration

Academic Program Plan (Spring Start)

• NURS6632 Adult Gerontology I (Spring 1) (6 cr) ~200 clinical hours
• NURS6633 Adult Gerontology II (Summer I) (6 cr) ~150 clinical hours
• NURS6634 Adult Gerontology III (Fall 1) (6 cr) ~200 clinical hours
• NURS7755/NURS7756 Advanced Practice Nursing Synthesis (Spring 2) (6 cr) ~200 clinical hours

*For students who enroll in the Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner concentration and would like introductory-level coursework in mental health care, we strongly recommended enrollment in NURS6500 (Current Issues in Mental Health, 1 credit) during the first semester of coursework. 

Total credits: 24. May be pro-rated after gap analysis of prior education and certification.

Total clinical hours: 750.  May be inclusive of select prior MSN clinical hours.

Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration

Academic Program Plan (Spring Start)

• NURS6632 Adult Gerontology I (Spring 1) (6 cr) ~200 clinical hours
• NURS6633 Adult Gerontology II (Summer 1) (6 cr) ~150 clinical hours
• NURS7796 Family Primary Care: Women and Children (Fall 1) (6 cr) ~200 clinical hours
• NURS7755/NURS7756 Advanced Practice Nursing Synthesis (Spring 2) (6 cr) ~200 clinical hours

*For students who enroll in the Family Nurse Practitioner concentration and would like introductory-level coursework in mental health care, we strongly recommended enrollment in NURS6500 (Current Issues in Mental Health, 1 credit) during the first semester of coursework. 

Total credits: 24. May be pro-rated after gap analysis of prior education and certification.

Total clinical hours: 750.  May be inclusive of select prior MSN clinical hours.

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Concentration

Academic Program Plan (Fall Start)

• NURS6701 Psychopharmacology (Fall 1) (3 cr) 
• NURS6501 Psych Mental Health Theory & Practice I (Spring 1) (5 cr) ~200 clinical hours
• NURS6503 Psych Mental Health Theory & Practice II (Summer 1) (5 cr) ~150 clinical hours
• NURS6505 Psych Mental Health Theory & Practice III (Fall 2) (6 cr) ~200 clinical hours
• NURS7755/NURS7756 Advanced Practice Nursing Synthesis (Spring 2) (6 cr) ~200 clinical hours

Academic Program Plan (Spring Start)

• NURS6501 Psych Mental Health Theory & Practice I (Spring 1) (5 cr) ~200 clinical hours
• NURS6503 Psych Mental Health Theory & Practice II (Summer 1) (5 cr) ~150 clinical hours
• NURS6505 Psych Mental Health Theory & Practice III (Fall 1) (6 cr) ~200 clinical hours
• NURS6701 Psychopharmacology (Fall 1) (3 cr)
• NURS7755/NURS7756 Advanced Practice Nursing Synthesis (Spring 2) (6 cr) ~200 clinical hours

*For students who enroll in the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner concentration and do not have significant experience with this population, we strongly recommended enrollment in NURS6500 (Current Issues in Mental Health, 1 credit) during the first semester of coursework. 

Total credits: 25. May be pro-rated after gap analysis of prior education and certification.

Total clinical hours: 750.  May be inclusive of select prior MSN clinical hours.

Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Concentration

Academic Program Plan (Spring Start)

• NURS6632 Adult Gerontology I (Spring 1) (6 cr) ~200 clinical hours
• NURS7797 Women’s Health GYN (Summer 1) (6 cr) ~150 clinical hours
• NURS7798 Women’s Health OB (Fall 1) (6 cr) ~200 clinical hours
• NURS7755/NURS7756 Advanced Practice Nursing Synthesis (Spring 2) (6 cr) ~200 clinical hours

*For students who enroll in the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner concentration and would like introductory-level coursework in mental health care, we strongly recommended enrollment in NURS6500 (Current Issues in Mental Health, 1 credit) during the first semester of coursework. 

Total credits: 24. May be pro-rated after gap analysis of prior education and certification. 

Total clinical hours: 750.  May be inclusive of select prior MSN clinical hours.

To apply for this program:

Apply for graduate nursing programs either online or by completing the graduate application document (with instructions). Group or individual interview may be requested following application review.