Advance Your Nursing Practice with a Specialized Certificate
Are you an MSN-prepared nurse practitioner who wants to expand your knowledge and impact in health care? If so, the online Post-Master’s Nursing Certificate program at the University of Michigan-Flint is for you!
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UM-Flint’s post-MSN certificate program enables you to serve your patients, organization, and community in a new specialty area. With two specialization options, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, the certificate program prepares you to sit for the respective exam.
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Why Earn a Post-Master’s Nursing Certificate at UM-Flint?
100% Online Completion
The Nursing Post-Master’s Certificate didactic coursework can be completed fully online. Designed for busy working nurse practitioners, the online learning format provides maximum access and flexibility for students to attend classes from anywhere in the country.
Clinical Site Visit Completed in Your Area
In addition to the flexible online coursework, you will benefit from the practical hands-on experience of clinical site visits where you care for patients under the close supervision and mentorship of experienced nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians. You may complete your clinical practicum close to your home with the help of our clinical coordinator.
Accreditation
The University of Michigan-Flint’s Post-Master’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate and Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Online Post-Master’s Nursing Certificate Specialization Options
Earn your certificate in as little as three semesters (12 to 16 months), 100% online. You may choose one of the following nursing specialty areas:
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate
Acquire the specialized knowledge, skills, and experiences to provide mental health services for a diverse population of patients across their life spans. The online post-graduate PMHNP certificate program allows you to complete the required coursework in as little as four semesters while continuing to work.
Students in this program are required to complete clinical hours for children, adolescents, and adults. 540 hours of practicum within Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner are required in the curriculum:
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate
Prepare to provide care and improve outcomes for acutely ill patients with complex and often chronic illnesses across the adult life span. This post-master’s certificate program enables graduates to fill open positions in acute care settings.
Besides online courses, the AGACNP certificate program requires students to complete at least 540 clinical hours for adult patients. A total of 18 credits are required in the program curriculum.
Note that the first and third clinical acute care practica (NUR 861 and NUR 865) must be completed in the state of Michigan—no exceptions.
View the full AGACNP Certificate curriculum
Academic Advising
At UM-Flint, our dedicated advisor is here to assist our students and steward their educational journeys. As a student of the online Post-MSN certificate program, you have full access to our academic advising service. Connect with your advisor and book an appointment today.
What Can You Do with the Specialized Post-MSN Certificates?
After completing the Nursing Post-Master’s Certificate, you are eligible to sit for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification examination or the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner certification examination. The University of Michigan-Flint proudly maintains a record of an 86–100% test pass rate on the first attempt!
Career Outlook for Critical Care NPs and Psychiatric NPs
Acute care providers in the adult population and psychiatric nurse practitioners are highly in demand. According to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, the national demand is growing for Critical Care NPs and Psychiatric NPs.
Given the rising needs in these two health care areas, the graduates of the certificate program can pursue meaningful and rewarding careers serving in veterans’ medical centers, hospitals, emergency departments, rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities, physicians’ offices, and other settings.
The average annual salary of Psychiatric NPs is $133,510 and the average annual salary of Adult Gerontology Acute Care NPs is $114,468.
$133,510
median annual wage for a
Psychiatric NPs
$114,468
median annual wage for Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NPs
The University of Michigan-Flint will implement new enrollment criteria for programs leading to professional licensure and certifications. Only applicants who are located in a state where the program’s educational requirements are known to be satisfied will be eligible for initial enrollment.
Refer to School of Nursing Statement for more information.
Admission Requirements
You must meet the following requirements to be eligible for admission:
Post-Master’s Psychiatric Mental Health Certificate Applicants
- Master of Science in Nursing from a regionally accredited institution with an overall GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.
- Current unencumbered license as a nurse practitioner (in a specialty other than the discipline you want to study).
- Current unencumbered RN license in the United States.
Post-Master’s Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Certificate Applicants
- Master of Science in Nursing from a regionally accredited institution with an overall GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.
- Current unencumbered license as a nurse practitioner (in a specialty other than the discipline you want to study).
- An unencumbered RN License to practice
- Current Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Provider *Since BLS includes CPR techniques whereas ACLS does not
- One year of full-time experience as a registered nurse in an acute care setting with preferred experience in an intensive care unit, emergency department, progressive care unit or other specialty area where the candidate has gained independent acute-care nursing experience. *Since the term acute care includes within a setting, not necessarily a unit.
- All AG-ACNP students will be required to come to campus three times during the program in course NUR 861, 863, 865 for clinical intensives.
- If the student is not a Michigan resident, the student will be required to have a Michigan Nursing License and will need to attend clinical in Michigan for the first and third semester. The student may complete the second semester in the state of residency if the state and facility allow the student to attend out of state universities and there is an existing contract with the University of Michigan- Flint.
Additional Information
- A gap analysis of the coursework from your previous graduate program will be completed prior to admission. This analysis does not guarantee acceptance of prior coursework by board certifying bodies, after certificate completion. Integrated courses (e.g. a course that combines pharmacology and pathophysiology) taken at other universities are unlikely to be accepted for board certification and a student may need to retake these courses.
- Students must supply the syllabi for some prior graduate courses including advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology and health assessment. It is highly suggested that you have access to these documents for review.
State Authorization for Online Students
In recent years, the federal government has emphasized the need for universities and colleges to be in compliance with the distance education laws of each individual state. If you are an out-of-state student intending to enroll in the online Nursing Post-Master’s Certificate program, please visit the State Authorization page to verify the status of UM-Flint with your state.
Applying to the Post-Master’s Nursing Certificate Program
Students apply for admission through the UM-Flint online application (see below); supporting materials may be emailed to FlintGradOffice@umich.edu or delivered to the Office of Graduate Programs.
- Application for Graduate Admission
- $55 non-refundable application fee (receive a waiver for the application fee by attending one of our webinars)
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Please read our full transcript policy for more information.
- UM-Flint transcripts will be obtained automatically
- For any degree completed at a non-U.S. institution, transcripts must be submitted for an internal credential review. Read International Transcript Evaluation for instructions on how to submit your transcripts for review.
- If English is not your native language, and you are not from an exempt country, you must demonstrate English proficiency.
- Curriculum vitae or résumé
- Copy of current Nursing License (submit either a license verification printout or a photocopy of your license)
- Professional Goal Statement describing your career objectives and areas of clinical interest. The statement should be a one-two page typewritten document in APA format, double-spaced, that describes your reasons for pursuing the Graduate Nursing Certificate and should reflect a strong sense of career direction. The statement should relate past experiences to advancing a career in nursing.
Include your:- Purpose for undertaking or continuing graduate study.
- Reasons for wanting to study at UM-Flint.
- Professional plans and career goals.
- Also, please describe any past achievements in nursing including:
- professional organization memberships, awards, scholarships, nominations, certifications, committee/project work, other accomplishments you wish to include
- You also may explain any special circumstances applicable to your background and elaborate on any scholarly publications, achievements, abilities, and/or professional history
- Three letters of recommendation are required from any combination of the following sources:
- Faculty from a recent nursing program
- A supervisor in an employment setting
- An Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Physician’s Assistant, MD or DO.
- Phone/in-person interview may be required
- Students from abroad must submit additional documentation.
This program is a certificate program. Admitted students will not be able to obtain a student (F-1) visa to pursue this degree. Non-U.S. citizens residing outside of the United States may not complete this program online from their home country. If you currently hold a non-immigrant visa and are residing in the United States, please contact the Center for Global Engagement at globalflint@umich.edu for guidance regarding your eligibility.
Application Deadlines
Submit all application materials to the Office of Graduate Programs on, or before, the day of the application deadline. All completed applications are reviewed after the appropriate application deadline.
- Psychiatric Mental Health Certificate admits for the winter semester
- Winter deadline: August 15
- Adult Gerontology Acute Care Certificate admits for the summer semester
- Summer deadline: December 1
Orientation Requirements
Students will be required to attend a Zoom Orientation. The Zoom Orientation date and time will be sent after application deadlines.
Enrollment Deposit & Application Fee
Our program requires a $55 application fee. You can receive a waiver for this fee by attending one of our webinars. Once selected for admission to any Post-Graduate Certificate program, you will be required to pay a $100 enrollment deposit (non-refundable) to reserve your seat. The deadline to pay the deposit will be indicated in your letter of admission. The amount of the deposit is credited towards your first semester’s tuition.
Upon request, the enrollment deposit can be waived for students that recently graduated from any UM-Flint BSN or MSN program.
Earn a Post-Master’s Nursing Certificate Online
Ready to expand your nursing practice to Psychiatric Mental Health or Adult Gerontology Acute Care and improve the health care outcome for your patients? Apply to UM-Flint’s online Nursing Post-Master’s Certificate program or request information today to learn more!