Post-Graduate Certificate Program Overview

The Post Graduate Certificate program in Nursing offers students with Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and APRN coursework the opportunity to complete an additional practice specialty. Specialty certification boards require completion of a formal program of study to be eligible to take specialty certification examinations. The certificate also provides the graduate with a way to formally acknowledge to clients, co-workers, and employers their expertise in an additional advanced practice specialty area.

Choose from these specialty areas:

  • Adult/Gerontological Clinical Nurse Specialist
  • Adult/Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
  • Adult/Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner 
  • Nurse Midwifery
  • Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (Not accepting applications for Fall 2024)
  • Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Acute Care (Not accepting applications for Summer 2024)
  • Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Primary Care
  • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
  • Women’s Health/Gender-Related Nurse Practitioner

Enrollment for the post-graduate certificate program is limited for specialty and clinical courses. Students are selected for the practice specialty by the coordinator and faculty of the area. Prospective applicants should contact the specialty area coordinators before applying. View our Post-Graduate Certificate Program Plans by Specialty.

Eligibility for the Post-Graduate Certificate Program

  • Applicants must hold a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in a clinical nursing specialty area from an accredited nursing program.
  • Applicants must hold a valid, unencumbered nursing license in the United States
  • Applicants must have completed coursework in at least 3 of the 5 content areas below within their completed Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.  All 5 content areas are required for the certificate and must be completed prior to clinical practicum placements.
    • Advanced Physiology
    • Advanced Pathophysiology
    • Pharmacology
    • Pharmacotherapeutics
    • Advanced Physical Assessment

Application & Deadlines

The priority application deadline for the Post-Graduate Certificate program is December 15. Applications will be accepted on a space available basis through March 1st.

Applicants interested in the University of Minnesota's Post Graduate Certificate program should apply through NursingCAS, an online, centralized application service for nursing programs. To start your application, visit www.nursingcas.org and click “Apply Here”. Click on “Create Account” and complete the required fields in order to start your application.

Although some sections of the NursingCAS application are marked “optional” please follow the detailed application instructions for the University of Minnesota requirements for Post Graduate Certificate applicants.

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Post-Graduate Certificate Program Outcomes

  1. Provide quality, evidence-based and culturally sensitive advanced nursing care that improves the health and well-being of diverse individuals, families, communities, and populations in the specialty.
  2. Translate science to practice by planning, implementing, and evaluating interventions that improve the health of individuals, families, communities, populations, and/or organizations in the specialty.
  3. Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of nursing interventions by measuring outcomes of care that reflect population health, patient experience, and value in the specialty.
  4. Synthesize knowledge, skills, and attitudes from new specialty with existing advanced nursing practice role(s).

Accreditation

The post graduate APRN certificate program at the University of Minnesota is accredited by the:

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
655 K Street NW, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20001
202-877-6791