The Nursing Post-Graduate Certificate programs in Creighton’s College of Nursing will help you build on your skills and knowledge, explore new professional avenues and expand your leadership role in healthcare. Perhaps you’ve already earned your graduate nursing degree, but now you have new goals. Maybe you’d like to expand your nursing role. Or maybe you have an interest in an area outside of what you’ve previously studied. If any of these situations sound familiar, a post-graduate nursing certificate could be just what you're seeking.
Choose from six specialty areas:
This program offers post-graduate Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) or nursing education certificates for advanced practice nurses who already hold a graduate nursing degree and want to earn certification in a different patient population. Here, you’ll gain the advanced knowledge and skills you need to be a leader in today’s challenging healthcare environment and add a new population focus.
Upon graduation, Creighton students will have the skills to:
Due to the specific features and requirements of these programs, international students cannot be admitted to any of the Nurse Post-Graduate Certificate programs. Unique situations may be discussed with an admissions specialist.
To be considered for admission, you must have:
Professional nursing work experience is also required prior to clinical courses:
Along with the application, please submit the following:
Verification of clinical/practicum hours completed will be required post-admission.
*Note that any course work taken at an accredited institution outside of the United States must be evaluated course-by-course by a NACES approved credentialing agency. View a list of approved agencies. Official evaluations must be sent directly from the agency to Creighton University.
The personal statement should be 2-3 pages in length (double-spaced) and should include the following:
The following programs begin in January; applications are due by May 1.
The following programs begin in May; applications are due by October 1.
With a post-master’s APRN certificate or the post-graduate Nursing Education certificate from Creighton, you can expand your scope of practice:
Specialize in care for adults and geriatric individuals. Prepare to manage acute, critical and complex chronic conditions in adults and older adults across ICU, ED, step-down and specialty inpatient services.
The post-master’s APRN/NP certificate curriculum is designed to strengthen advanced assessment, clinical decision-making and evidence-based interventions while integrating gerontology-focused health promotion and disease prevention. Supervised practicum experiences translate learning into high-acuity patient care, sharpening teamwork, communication, and safe care transitions.
Learn to manage care throughout the lifespan of individuals and families.
Creighton’s Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) post-master’s certificate prepares you to deliver comprehensive primary care across the lifespan. You’ll refine diagnostic reasoning and evidence-based management for well-child care, preventive screening, acute illness and chronic disease in pediatric, adult and geriatric populations, emphasizing family-centered education and health promotion. Progressive practicums strengthen your ability to assess, diagnose and clinically manage people across the lifespan as they respond to acute and chronic health problems. It culminates in a certificate practicum that readies you for FNP practice.
Specialize in providing care for newborns in level III neonatal intensive care units. The post-master’s NNP certificate focuses on family-centered care in collaboration with neonatology teams. You'll study:
Specialize in practicing within a variety of pediatric acute care settings. You’ll explore:
Develop skills focused on providing psychiatric-mental healthcare and treatment for individuals and families across the lifespan with courses and preceptorships covering topics like:
Become an innovative nurse educator in academic, simulation and clinical settings. Build skills in teaching and learning principles, curriculum design, assessment and evaluation, simulation/debriefing and the effective use of instructional technology—preparing you for roles in schools of nursing and staff development.
Wednesday, March 25
5:00 - 6:00 p.m. CT
Join us for a virtual information session to learn more about Creighton’s graduate nursing programs and how they prepare nurses for advanced practice and leadership. You’ll hear directly from faculty and admissions representatives and gain insight into what makes the Creighton nursing experience unique. Get your questions answered about program options, expectations and next steps.
Lifelong learning is important to me because lifelong teaching is integral to my practice. I am committed to meeting my patients’ needs, and to do that, I need to continue to develop and grow as a person.
Amanda Grosse
DNP’22, APRN
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner post-grad certificate student
Tuition is reviewed annually. Visit our Cost and Aid page for current cost information, our net-price calculator and financial-aid information. To help make your graduate studies more affordable, we encourage you to complete and submit the FAFSA.
Students enrolled in post-graduate certificate programs that intend to work as educators after their graduation are eligible to apply for Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) funding. Loan recipients may have up to 85% of their loan forgiven by working full-time as a Nurse Educator after graduating from their program. To be eligible for NFLP, a student must:
Please read this document for additional details about borrowing limits, loan forgiveness work, employment eligibility, repayment and other details related to the NFLP.
Students begin their clinical rotations immediately upon starting the program. The application deadlines are far in advance because clinical placement requests are due up to four months before the first term.
Due to regulatory requirements in the following states, we are unable to accept or enroll students who intend to reside in any of these states while pursuing a graduate nursing degree: Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Tennessee and Washington.
No. We can access those transcripts for you. However, any non-Creighton transcripts that you submitted to Creighton for your previous degree may need to be resent.
Yes. Students are responsible for finding their own preceptors. For specific questions about preceptors and hours required, please contact a nursing enrollment specialist.
The post-graduate APRN certificate program at Creighton University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Professional licensure requirements are determined solely by each state and may change without notice to Creighton. While our information is updated annually, Creighton cannot guarantee continuous accuracy. We recommend that current or prospective students review program-specific documents on our Academic Regulations page, or consult the appropriate licensing agency in the state where they plan to practice to confirm updated requirements. Creighton cannot guarantee that any student will attain state-established licensure or certification in any field or jurisdiction.
However, most our certificate programs offer students eligibility for national certification.
Note that all the above national certification credentialing agencies are accepted in all 50 states as the initial step in seeking licensure as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN).
Due to regulatory requirements in the states listed below, we are unable to accept or enroll students in a nursing post-graduate certificate program who intend to reside in any of these states while pursuing the certificate:
This information will be updated as state regulatory requirements change. For all other states not listed above, regulations vary depending on the program and/or individual situation. Please email the College of Nursing or contact us at 402.280.3492 for questions regarding a specific state.
2500 California Plaza
Omaha, NE 68178
Phone: 402.280.2000 or 800.544.5071
Fax: 402.280.2045
