Combined Post-Masters Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate and Doctor of Nursing Practice

Students may wish to earn both a Post-Masters Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) simultaneously. The Post-Masters Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate and DNP combined option will provide a solid academic and practical foundation for masters prepared nurses without current preparation as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse.

Admission, progression, and graduation requirements are a coordinated effort within the College of Health Professions graduate and doctoral programs. The combined Post-Masters Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate and Doctor of Nursing Practice program is 63 credits, 30 credits for the Post-Masters Certificate and 33 credits for the DNP. Students will be dual advised by the MSN NP Program Chair and DNP Program Chair.

Specific to the Post-Masters Nurse Practitioner Certificate, three courses (nine credits) may be accepted as transfer credit: MSN 6603: Advanced Pathophysiology, MSN 7702: Advanced Adult Health Assessment, and MSN 7703: Advanced Pharmacology. Specific to the DNP program, a maximum of six credits may be transferred and accepted for doctoral credit in accordance with the Wilmington University catalog.

Students will complete requirements for the Post-Masters Nurse Practitioner Certificate prior to completion of the DNP program, 24 months and 32 months, respectively. DNP courses can be completed 100% online, although core Nurse Practitioner courses are offered in a face-to-face and hybrid format. Admission to this combined program is open for students at the Wilson Graduate Center in New Castle, Delaware and in Georgetown, Delaware each September.

The Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track prepares students to care for patients in the primary care setting. Upon completion of the Post-Masters Certificate, students will be eligible for APRN licensure and national certification through ANCC or AANP board certification programs.

Admission Requirements

Students must meet admission requirements for both the Post-Masters Nurse Practitioner Certificate as well as the Doctor of Nursing Practice programs:

1. Graduate application
2. Resume/CV
3. Goals statement
4. RN licensure
5. Official transcripts from BSN and MSN programs with a GPA of 3.0 or higher
6. One letter of recommendation from a doctorally prepared professional (i.e. EdD, PhD, DNP, MD, etc.)

*For more information regarding the Post-Masters Certificate Family Nurse Practitioner Program including application deadlines, please refer to: http://www.wilmu.edu/admission/msnpract_admission.aspx

*For more information regarding the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, please refer to: http://www.wilmu.edu/admission/dnp_admission.aspx