The Advanced Certificate in Nursing Education is designed to prepare nurses as educators in both the academic and healthcare arenas, and provides an excellent foundation in nursing knowledge, leadership and research skills, and adult educational theory and strategies.
The program is in response to the major crisis facing nursing education to provide a sufficient workforce to meet healthcare challenges in the new millennium. The current dearth of the nursing labor market has been linked directly to the shortage of faculty needed to prepare students. Faculty shortages at nursing schools across the country have contributed to the overall decline in new enrollments at a time when the need for nurses continues to grow. The purpose of this advanced certificate program is to prepare nurses as educators, offering career advancement options such as a move into academia.
Programs of study are individualized to meet students’ professional goals and to provide flexible planning options. The Advanced Certificate in Nursing Education can be taken full or part-time concurrently with one of our DNP programs or as a stand-alone graduate certificate for those who already possess a master's degree in nursing. The School of Nursing PhD program is structured so that students must select an area of specialization for their professional role development. Nurse educator is one of these areas as students may obtain the Advanced Certificate in Nursing Education with only 8 credit hours added to their PhD curriculum.