Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner, Graduate Certificate - Post Master's - CHHS, UNH

The Department of Nursing offers the Post-Master's Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program for students who completed a master of science degree in nursing. The certificate of advanced practice is designed for those individuals with a master's degree in nursing who wish to expand their practice into the role of a primary care family nurse practitioner. The PM-PC-FNP specialty area prepares family nurse practitioners (FNP) who are clinically competent and practice with cultural humility as advanced practiced registered nurse (APRN). FNPs provide patient centered health care to individuals, families,and communities across the life span. Clinical practice includes health promotion, disease prevention, teaching, counseling, and acute and chronic disease management. At the completion of the program, students are eligible to sit for national certification as a family nurse practitioner. Upon licensure, FNPs may practice autonomously as well as in collaboration with other health professionals.

Students accepted into the PM-PC-FNP certificate program will have an individualized plan of study developed. Course waivers will be granted based upon their educational background and previous coursework in master's program. 

Admission Requirements

Applicants are required to have an unencumbered RN license in the United States, degree in nursing or outside nursing, and successful completion of undergraduate statistics and research to be eligible to apply to this program.

1. Unencumbered, active RN license in the United States
2. Baccalaureate degree in nursing or another field. Masters degree in nursing. 
3. Cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher in associate and baccalaureate programs
4. Successful completion of undergraduate statistics course and undergraduate research course
5. 2 letters of recommendation. Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted. References should be substantial with one academic, if available, and two current nursing professionals with graduate education background.
6. Updated Resume
7. Personal Statement. Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding:
   1. Reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives.
   2. Specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field.
8. Course descriptions should be submitted for any course you request waived.

Students accepted into the PM-FNP certificate program will have an individualized plan of study developed. Course waivers will be based upon educational background and previous coursework in master's program.

Certificate Requirements

Clinical Hours: 750*

*

Clinical hours are completed through the following required courses NURS 921, NURS 923 and NURS 940.

Professional Licensure/Certification Disclosures

The University of New Hampshire offers a number of academic programs designed to lead to professional licensure or certification in New Hampshire. However,  completing a UNH degree/program does not guarantee professional licensure or certification. Eligibility may also depend on factors like years of work experience, professional examinations, passing a background check, and other criteria.

UNH does not guarantee that its professional licensure programs will satisfy the criteria of professional licensure boards in other states. Some states maintain different requirements for professional licensure or certification and requirements can change frequently. Federal regulations require the University to make public disclosure of certain information regarding professional licensure or certification programs, regardless of the modality the program is offered (i.e., in-person or online). The University provides guidance below but recommends students contact their state/territory licensing or certification board to ensure a program meets specific state/territory requirements.

Visit the Office of the Registrar's website for information about whether this program meets professional licensure requirements in your state.

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Deadlines

Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:

• Fall: N/A
• Spring: Recommended August 1, Final Deadline if space available December 1
• Summer: N/A
• Special: N/A

Application fee: $25

Campus: Durham

New England Regional: No

Accelerated Masters Eligible: No

New Hampshire Residents

Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission, or you will not be able to register for classes.

Transcripts

If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC. 

If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.

If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:

• Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
• Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.

Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.

Letters of Recommendation: 2 Required

Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.

References should be substantial with one academic referee (e.g., faculty) and one current nursing professional referee with graduate education background. If an academic reference is unavailable, then please submit two references from current nursing professionals with graduate education background.

Personal Statement/Essay Questions

Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding:

1. Reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives.
2. Your specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field.

Resume

A current resume is required with your submitted application.

Additional Department Requirements

Additional requirements: 1) Student must hold an unencumbered active RN license in the United States and have a master's degree in nursing; 2) A course description should be submitted for any course you request waived.

Important Notes

All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program-specific application questions.

International Applicants

Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.