Nurse Educator Certificate (Post-Master’s)

Program Location	Distance Education/Online
Program Credits	12 Credits
Program Length	2 Trimesters
Time to Complete	8 Months

WCU distance education programs may not be available to residents in all states.

Clinical Hour Requirement: this track requires a total of 135 precepted clinical hours.

Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Codes: 29-1141.00, 25-1072.00, 11-9111.00

Faculty shortages at nursing schools across the country are limiting student capacity at a time when the need for nurses continues to grow.  Budget constraints, an aging faculty, and increasing job competition from the service setting have contributed to this emerging crisis.  Certified Nurse Educator (CNE certification) is available through the National League for Nursing.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the Nursing Educator Certificate (Post-Master's) Program must:

1. Have graduated from an accredited master's or doctoral program in nursing.  
2. Provide proof of a current unobstructed Registered Nurse (RN) license from the United States.  
3. Submit official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions recognized by the United States Department of Education.  Applicants submitting non-U.S. or non-English transcripts should refer to the International Admissions section of the catalog.  
4. Have a cumulative graduate GPA of 2.7. 
   1. Applicants with an undergraduate degree GPA of 2.5-2.69 may be considered for probationary admission after meeting the following admissions requirements:  
      1. The applicant must provide a letter of intent. 
      2. The applicant must be approved for admission following an interview with the Program Dean/Director.  
      3. The applicant must satisfy program prerequisites.
      4. A student admitted under the probationary admissions pathway must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on all coursework attempted over the first trimester (two terms). Students who meet this standard will be converted to a full admit status and will be subject to the standard Satisfactory Academic Progress requirement for the duration of their program.    Students failing to meet these requirements following the first trimester (two terms) will be withdrawn from the university. 
      5. Students accepted under the probationary admissions pathway will be considered regular students and eligible for Title IV, if the student otherwise qualifies for funding, for the first trimester of their program of study while completing the requirements for full admission to their program.
5. One year of direct patient care nursing experience within the past five years is preferred. 
6. English proficiency for all applicants whose first language is not English will be required.  Consult with Nursing and Student Affairs for any questions. 

Nurse Educator Certificate (Post-Master's) Curriculum

Nurse Educator Certificate (Post-Master's) Coursework

NURS 535	Principles of Teaching and Learning	3
NURS 642	Assessment and Evaluation in Nursing Education	3
NURS 640	Curriculum Design and Simulation	3.0
NURS 641LA	Education Teaching Practicum	1.5
NURS 641LB	Education Teaching Practicum	1.5
Total Credit Hours:		12.0

Nurse Educator (Post-Master's) Certificate Program Costs

For program costs, please see the Distance Education Tuition and Fees section.