Post-Master’s Certificates
Admission Requirements and Application Procedures
Requirements for admission include current Connecticut R.N. licensure, a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, a master’s degree in nursing in a clinical specialty area, and at least one year of post-master’s clinical nursing experience (preferred). For the Post-Master’s Adult Nurse Practitioner and Gerontological Nurse Practitioner options, applicants must have access to a clinical site and preceptor(s) for primary care clinical courses.
The Post-M.S.N. admissions application is a paper application form only. Application information can be found by visiting http://nursing.yale.edu/admissions; by writing to the Office of Admissions, Yale School of Nursing, PO Box 9740, New Haven CT 06536-0740; or by telephoning 203.737.1793.
The following materials are required:
- 1. Application form
- 2. Nonrefundable application fee ($100) (Note: The application fee is waived for current YSN students.)
- 3. Résumé/curriculum vitae
- 4. Personal statement/essay
- 5. Official transcript from your Master’s in Nursing program (Note: Applicants with an international degree transcript must submit a course-by-course evaluation conducted by a credentialing agency such as www.wes.org or www.ece.org. In addition, a certified English translation must accompany all non-English transcripts.)
- 6. Three letters of recommendation
- 7. TOEFL or IETLS (see below for additional information)
The deadline for Post-M.S.N. applicants is November 1–March 1 (rolling admissions during this time period). All application materials must be received by the YSN Office of Admissions no later than March 1. Applications submitted after this date will not be considered for admission in the upcoming fall term. It is to the applicant’s advantage to complete the application process by the primary November 1 application deadline, as available positions are offered to all qualified applicants from this cycle first. The application procedure and deadlines are the same for both part-time and full-time study.
Applications will be reviewed only after all application materials are received by the above deadline. Incomplete applications are not forwarded to the Admissions Committee for consideration. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all materials are received by the Office of Admissions in a timely manner. Materials must be received by March 1.
Following the initial review of written credentials, qualified applicants are asked to come to the School for an interview. When distance presents a hardship, candidates are able to arrange a telephone interview. Interviews for post-M.S.N. applicants are held during January, February, and March.
Tuition is figured at a rate of $1,220 per credit. Students are not charged for courses that are waived by either transcript or challenge examination. Post-M.S.N. students are not eligible for scholarship aid, but may be eligible for loan assistance based on individual need. For more information, contact the financial aid officer at the School.
English as a Foreign Language
Applicants whose native/primary language is other than English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the academic version of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as one of the admission requirements. This requirement cannot be waived based on college or university attendance in the United States or other English-speaking country. The following scores are required for admission to the Post-MSN program:
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) minimum score: 100/120 total, with minimum section scores of Reading, 22/30; Listening, 22/30; Writing, 22/30; and Speaking, 24/30.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) minimum score: Band 7.0/9.0 total, with no section score below Band 6.5/9.0.
Arrangements to take the TOEFL must be made online at www.ets.org/toefl.
Arrangements to take the academic IELTS must be made online at www.ielts.org.
It typically takes a month from the date of administration for the official transcript of scores to reach the School. Prompt arrangements for taking an English examination should be made in order to meet the application deadlines.
Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
The Post-Master’s Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) Certificate option is intended to prepare the master’s-prepared clinical nurse specialist who desires formal education and clinical training in acute care in order to become eligible to apply for certification and advanced practice licensure as an acute care nurse practitioner. The Post-Master’s Certificate option builds on the existing curriculum of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track.
The plan of study includes all the required courses currently offered in the ACNP track except for the research courses. For purposes of student eligibility for certification, all ACNP required courses must be taken at the Yale School of Nursing or challenged by either examination or demonstration of similar course content in the student’s previous master’s program. Research courses are not included in this plan of study. A plan of study may be obtained from the Student Affairs Office.
Required courses for all post-master’s acute care nurse practitioner students are: 533a, 554a, 607b, 609a, 610a, 612b, 802a/b, 807a, 817b, 819b, 895b, and 897b.
Family Nurse Practitioner
The Post-Master’s Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Certificate option is intended to prepare the master’s-prepared clinical nurse specialist or nurse practitioner who desires formal education and clinical training in family focused primary care in order to become eligible to apply for certification and advanced practice licensure as a family nurse practitioner. This Post-Master’s Certificate option builds on the existing curriculum of the Family Nurse Practitioner track.
The plan of study includes all the required courses currently offered in the FNP track except for the research courses. For purposes of student eligibility for certification, all FNP required courses must be taken at the Yale School of Nursing or challenged by either examination or demonstration of similar course content in the student’s previous master’s program. Research courses are not included in this plan of study. A plan of study may be obtained from the Student Affairs Office.
Clinical courses are supervised by the Family and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Specialty faculty; however, candidates must enter the program having independently arranged for clinical sites and preceptors.
Required courses for all post-master’s gerontological nurse practitioner students are: 533a, 550a, 554a, 556b, 557a/b, 633a, 635b, 641b, 643a/b, 756a/b, 757a/b, 833a/b, 895b, and 897a.
Oncology Nurse Practitioner
The School of Nursing will not be admitting students to this Post-Master’s Certificate option for the 2013–2014 academic year. The Post-Master’s Oncology Nurse Practitioner (ONP) Certificate option is intended to prepare the master’s-prepared oncology clinical nurse specialist who desires formal education and clinical training in order to become eligible to apply for certification and advanced practice licensure as an adult nurse practitioner. This Post-Master’s Certificate option builds on the existing curriculum of the Oncology Nurse Practitioner track.
The plan of study includes all the required courses currently offered in the ONP track except for the research courses. For purposes of student eligibility for certification, all ONP required courses must be taken at the Yale School of Nursing or challenged by either examination or demonstration of similar course content in the student’s previous master’s program. If a student enters with a master’s degree in a specialty other than oncology, the first-year oncology specialty course (615a/b) is also required. Research courses are not included in this plan of study. A plan of study may be obtained from the Student Affairs Office.
Required courses for all post-master’s oncology nurse practitioner students are: 533a, 554a, 556b, 557a, 557b, 610a, 803a/b, 804a/b, 805a, and 895b.
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
The Post-Master’s Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) Certificate option is intended to prepare the master’s-prepared pediatric clinical nurse specialist who desires formal education and clinical training in pediatric primary care in order to become eligible to apply for certification and advanced practice licensure as a pediatric nurse practitioner. This Post-Master’s Certificate option builds on the existing curriculum of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner specialty and assumes that the entering student has a master’s degree in nursing and a specialty in some aspect of pediatric, family, or parent-child nursing.
The plan of study includes all the required courses currently offered in the PNP specialty except for the research courses. For purposes of student eligibility for certification, all PNP required courses must be taken at the Yale School of Nursing or challenged by either examination or demonstration of similar course content in the student’s previous master’s program. A plan of study may be obtained from the Student Affairs Office.
Required courses for all post-master’s pediatric nurse practitioner students are: 533a, 554a, 632a/b, 633a, 635b, 640a or b, 641b, 643a, 643b, 717a, 825a, 826a/b, 827b, 830a/b, 833a/b, 834b, 845a, and 895b.
Psychiatric–Mental Health
The Post-Master’s Psychiatric–Mental Health (PMH) Certificate option is designed for individuals who have a master’s degree in nursing and have found a high rate of psychiatric problems in their practice that are difficult to assess and manage. Just as medical problems go unrecognized in psychiatric settings, psychiatric problems are also unrecognized in nonpsychiatric settings. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the general population is on the increase and constitutes a major public health problem. An estimated ten to twenty percent of primary health care clients suffer from a well-defined and chronic psychiatric disorder. Approximately fifty percent of all psychiatric patients are being treated in primary care settings. Despite previous assumptions that these problems were self-limiting and benign, more recent studies show that a considerable proportion are chronic and associated with significant disability and increased utilization of costly health care services. Most people with treatable psychiatric conditions are underdiagnosed, undertreated, or entirely untreated.
This Post-Master’s Certificate option builds on the existing curriculum of the Psychiatric–Mental Health Nursing specialty. The plan of study includes all the required courses currently offered in the PMH specialty except for the research courses. A plan of study may be obtained from the Student Affairs Office.
The Post-Master’s Psychiatric–Mental Health Certificate option is intended to prepare students to become eligible to apply for certification in advanced psychiatric–mental health nursing through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Required courses for all post-master’s psychiatric–mental health certificate students are: 533a, 554a, 643a, 643b, 654a/b, 657a, 659a, 659b, 661b, 663a, 851b, 854a/b, 855a, 859b, and 865b.
Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner
The Post-Master’s Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) Certificate option is intended to prepare the master’s-prepared clinical nurse specialist or nurse practitioner who desires formal education and clinical training in women’s health primary care in order to become eligible to apply for certification and advanced practice licensure as a women’s health nurse practitioner. This Post-Master’s Certificate option builds on the existing curriculum of the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner track.
The plan of study includes all the required related courses currently offered in the WHNP track except for the research courses. For purposes of student eligibility for certification, all WHNP required courses must be taken at the Yale School of Nursing or challenged by either examination or demonstration of similar course content in the student’s previous master’s program. Research courses are not included in this plan of study. A plan of study may be obtained from the Student Affairs Office.
Clinical courses are supervised by the Family and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Specialty faculty; however, candidates must enter the program having independently arranged for clinical sites and preceptors.
Required courses for all post master’s women’s health nurse practitioner students are: 533a, 554a, 556b, 557a/b, 580a/b, 641b, 643a/b, 752a/b, 753a/b, 756a/b, 757a/b, 895b, and 897a.
