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 leadership (i.e., without APN preparation) MSN/DNP programs 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 need a New Jersey RN license or proof of application for a New Jersey RN license.)
• English-language proficiency (see https://www.fdu.edu/admissions/international/english-proficiency/).
• Substantive healthcare experience.
• 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.
• 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. 

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

*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)
• NURS6633 Adult Gerontology II (Summer 1) (6 cr)
• NURS7796 Family Primary Care: Women and Children (Fall 1) (6 cr)
• NURS7755/NURS7756 Advanced Practice Nursing Synthesis (Spring 2) (6 cr)

*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)
• NURS6503 Psych Mental Health Theory & Practice II (Summer 1) (5 cr)
• NURS6505 Psych Mental Health Theory & Practice III (Fall 2) (6 cr)
• NURS7755/NURS7756 Advanced Practice Nursing Synthesis (Spring 2) (6 cr)

Academic Program Plan (Spring Start)

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

*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)
• NURS7797 Women’s Health GYN (Summer 1) (6 cr)
• NURS7798 Women’s Health OB (Fall 1) (6 cr)
• NURS7755/NURS7756 Advanced Practice Nursing Synthesis (Spring 2) (6 cr)

*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).

Important Disclosures and Application Information for Out-of-State Students:

Out-of-state prospective students are welcome to apply. We will review applications on a case-by-case basis to assure that there are no federal, state, or regional restrictions for accepting the applicant into our FDU Nurse Practitioner Postgraduate Certificate Program. FDU participates in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) allowing us to offer distance education programs to students in other SARA member states. Out-of-state students are expected to identify appropriate clinical sites and preceptors, which will be verified by FDU faculty. Please also review the following disclosure:

Graduate nursing programs at FDU are designed to prepare graduates with an active, unencumbered registered nurse (RN) license to qualify to sit for national nurse practitioner and nurse anesthesia certification exams, which are required for practice as a nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist in most states. Because no graduate program can guarantee that graduates will be permitted to practice as an advanced practice nurse upon graduation, we encourage students to consult the appropriate Board of Nursing or state agency to determine specific certification requirements (e.g., number of clinical hours). It is each individual’s responsibility to understand, evaluate, and comply with all requirements relating to national certification exams for the state in which he or she intends to practice as requirements vary widely.

Effective July 1, 2024, federal regulation requires institutions of higher education to make a determination whether a Title IV eligible academic program that leads to professional licensure or certification meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in the U.S. State where the institution is located and the U.S. States where distance education students are located at the time of initial enrollment in the program, as well as U.S. States where the program is advertised as meeting such requirements, and if applicable, the U.S. State where students attest they intend to be licensed/certified. The MSN APN program at FDU is registered by the New Jersey State Education Department and thus meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification for New Jersey State. Through a good faith effort, and for the purpose of complying with the federal regulation, we have determined that the MSN APN program at FDU does not meet the educational requirements for licensure/certification in California; however, it is important to note that FDU is not the licensure/certification authority in these U.S. States and cannot assess whether an individual candidate will be issued a license/certificate in these U.S. States and instead it is incumbent on each individual candidate to contact the licensure/certification authority in the applicable U.S. State for any further guidance on the requirements for licensure/certification requirements and application processes.

FDU makes no representations or guarantee that completion of FDU coursework or programs will permit an individual to obtain national certification. For more information about nurse practitioner certification exams, students should visit the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners at www.aanpcertification.org, the American Nurses Credentialing Center at www.nursecredentialing.org, the National Certification Corporation at nccwebsite.org, the National Board of Certification for Nurse Anesthetist at www.nbcrna.com or other advanced practice nursing certification exam websites.