Nurse Practitioner Postgraduate Certificate

The Postgraduate Certificate Program allows nurses who have a master’s degree in nursing from an NLN/CCNE accredited program to pursue further post-graduate study in APRN (Advanced Practice Nursing) in:
- adult-gerontology primary care,
- family primary care, or
- psychiatric/mental health.
Upon completion of any of the three programs, the graduate is eligible for the Advanced Practice Nurse Certification Examination.
Admission Requirements
Admission Requirements are in common across the three programs:
- 2.8 GPA (inclusive of all college transcripts)
- Graduation from an accredited entry-level nursing program in direct advanced practice patient care (e.g., Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Midwifery)
- NJ Registered Nurse (RN) licensure
- English-language proficiency (see https://www.fdu.edu/admissions/international/english-proficiency/)
- Substantive healthcare experience
Optional/Preferred Requirements
- Letter of recommendation
- Substantive healthcare experience with population of interest
- A course in health assessment is required for all Nurse Practitioner tracks and strongly recommended for non-clinical tracks
- ANCC Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing board certification (PMH-BC) – preferred for Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner applicants
Program Outcomes
Graduates of the FDU MSN Post-Master’s Certificate Program will be able to:
- Integrate, translate, and apply established and evolving disciplinary nursing knowledge and ways of knowing, as well as knowledge from other disciplines, including a foundation in liberal arts and natural and social sciences.
- Incorporate person-centered care focusing on the individual within multiple complicated contexts, including family and/or important others.
- Manage population health that spans the healthcare delivery continuum from public health prevention to disease management of populations and describes collaborative activities with both traditional and non-traditional partnerships from affected communities, public health, industry, academia, health care, local government entities, and others for the improvement of equitable population health outcomes.
- Demonstrate the generation, synthesis, translation, application, and dissemination of nursing knowledge to improve health and transform health care.
- Apply established and emerging principles of safety and improvement science.
- Demonstrate intentional collaboration across professions and with care team members, patients, families, communities, and other stakeholders to optimize care, enhance the healthcare experience, and strengthen outcomes.
- Participate in, analyze, and design policies and practices within complex systems of health care.
- Integrate information and communication technologies and informatics processes used to provide care, gather data, form information to drive decision-making, and support professionals as they expand knowledge and wisdom for practice.
- Form and cultivate a sustainable professional identity, including accountability, perspective, collaborative disposition, and comportment, that reflects nursing’s characteristics and values.
- Participate in activities and self-reflection that fosters personal health, resilience, and well-being; contributes to lifelong learning; and supports the acquisition of nursing expertise and the assertion of leadership.
Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Required Courses (24 credits)
The ANPG post-master’s certificate program includes didactic and clinical experiences that focus on the primary care needs of families and communities. Designed for MSN-prepared nurses, who are interested in becoming Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioners, graduates are eligible for national certification.
(Note: NURS6615 must have been taken within five years of entry into the Program; NURS7702, NURS6620, NURS6621 must have been completed within ten years of entry into the Program)
- NURS6615 Advanced Pharmacology (3 credits)
- NURS7702 Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
- NURS6620 Advanced Health Assessment (2 credits)
- NURS6621 Advanced Health Assessment Practicum (2 credits)
- NURS6682 Advanced Nursing: Primary Care I Lecture (3 credits)
- NURS6683 Advanced Nursing: Primary Care I Practicum (1 credit)
- NURS7735 Advanced Nursing: Primary Care II: Lecture (3 credits)
- NURS7736 Advanced Nursing: Primary Care II: Practicum (1 credit)
- NURS7759 Advanced Nursing: Primary Care III: Lecture (3 credits)
- NURS7760 Advanced Nursing: Primary Care III: Practicum 1 credit
- NURS7813 ANP practicum 2-10 credits
Total credits required are determined on an individual basis after gap analysis of prior education and certification. Total clinical hours: 555 hours completed in the program
Family Nurse Practitioner Required Courses (24 Credits)
The FNP post-master’s certificate program includes didactic and clinical experiences that focus on the primary care needs of families and communities. Designed for MSN-prepared nurses, who are interested in becoming Nurse Practitioners, graduates are eligible for national certification.
(Note: NURS6615 must have been taken within five years of entry into the Program; NURS7702, NURS6620, NURS6621 must have been completed within ten years of entry into the Program)
- NURS6615 Advanced Pharmacology (3 credits)
- NURS7702 Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
- NURS6620 Advanced Health Assessment (2 credits)
- NURS6621 Advanced Health Assessment Practicum (2 credits)
- NURS6682 Advanced Nursing: Adult Primary Care I Lecture (3 credits)
- NURS6683 Advanced Nursing: Adult Primary Care I Practicum (1 credit)
- NURS7735 Advanced Nursing: Adult Primary Care II Lecture (3 credits)
- NURS7736 Advanced Nursing: Adult Primary Care II Practicum (1 credit)
- NURS7794 Advanced Nursing: Family Primary Care I Lecture (3 credits)
- NURS7795 Advanced Nursing: Family Primary Care I Practicum (1 credit)
- NURS7810 Advanced Nursing: Family Primary Care II: Lecture (3 credits)
- NURS7811 Advanced Nursing: Family Primary Care II: Practicum (1 credit)
- NURS7812 Family Systems (3 credits)
- NURS7813 APN practicum (2-10 credits)
Total credits required are determined on an individual basis after gap analysis of prior education and certification. If a student is not Nurse Practitioner, then they must complete Primary Care I and II as well as Family Primary Care I and II.
Total clinical hours: 650 hours to be completed in the program; 250 for each Family Primary Care Course for Graduates of our Nurse Practitioner program
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Required Courses (24 Credits)
As Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse practitioners, graduates of the program will be qualified to diagnose and treat clients with a wide variety of mental illnesses. Students are eligible to take the family psychiatric/mental health practitioner examination (ANCC) to become certified in the field.
(Note: NURS6615 must have been taken within five years of entry into the Program; NURS7702, NURS6620, NURS6621 must have been completed within ten years of entry into the Program)
- NURS6615 Advanced Pharmacology (3 credits)
- NURS7702 Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
- NURS6620 Advanced Health Assessment (2 credits)
- NURS6621 Advanced Health Assessment Practicum (2 credits)
- NURS6701 Psychopharmacology (3 credits)
- NURS7812 Family Systems (3 credits)
- NURS7815 Advanced Practice Role Development (3 credits)
- NURS6501 Advanced Psych I /Family & Children (3 credits)
- NURS6502 Advanced Psych I /Fam & Child: Practicum (2 credits)
- NURS6503 Advanced Psych II /Adults (3 credits)
- NURS6504 Advanced Psych II/Adults Practicum (2 credits)
- NURS6505 Advanced Psych III/Geriatrics (3 credits)
- NURS6506 Advanced Psych III/Geriatrics Practicum (2 credits)
- NURS7813 APN Practicum (2 – 10 credits)
Total clinical hours: 555 hours completed in the program.
Prerequisite: MSN |
Start Date: Fall (option for non-matriculated start) |
Remote Class Options? Fully online; synchronous and asynchronous |
Direct Care Clinical Hours? 550-750 hours (gap analysis applicable) |
Typical Credits: 24 |
Pace: Part time (option for accelerated) |
Cost per Credit: $1143 before graduate tuition discount |
See Definitions