OVERVIEW
Be Prepared to Train Nurses and Make an Impact on the Future of Healthcare
Utilize your nursing knowledge, experience, and MSN degree to pursue additional nursing credentials that will allow you to progress in your career. Move forward on your career path with the help of a post-master's degree certificate in nursing that opens the doors to new opportunities.
As a nurse educator, you will demonstrate a professional presence by helping nursing students acquire the knowledge and skills to work effectively in inter-professional teams across a variety of academic and healthcare settings.
Don't have an MSN? No problem! Check out the RN-to-MSN or the BSN-to-MSN nursing education degree programs offered by WGU. You can also compare post-master's certifications to MSN programs.
Expected time to completion
12 Months
The program consists of 16 credits and is paced to be completed in two six-month terms.
Tuition per six-month term is
$5,035
Tuition charged per term—rather than per credit—helps students control the ultimate cost of their degrees. Finish faster, pay less!
Graduates who recommend WGU:
97%
The vast majority of alumni say WGU delivered on its promises. In fact, over 50% of students found WGU thanks to a friend's recommendation.
COURSES
Nurse Educator Courses
This program consists of 8 courses
At WGU, we design our curriculum to be timely, relevant, and practical—all to help you show that you know your stuff.
The Nursing Education courses in this program were derived from the National League for Nursing Nurse Educator standards and the Master’s Essentials for Professional Nursing practice. The nurse educator specialization will cover topics such as curriculum development, learning styles, assessment, and more.
Demonstrating mastery is how you pass a course, so learning what it takes to be outstanding in your career is at the heart of WGU’s Post-Master's Certificate in Nursing–Education curriculum. That means the things you master at WGU are often directly applicable the next day at work—and it means what you’re doing at work frequently informs the work you’re doing in your courses. It’s all about real-world applicability so every moment spent studying is time well spent.
The Post-Master's Certificate in Nursing – Education consists of the courses listed below. You will typically complete one at a time as you make your way through your program, working with your Program Mentor each term to build your personalized Certificate Plan. You’ll work through each course as quickly as you can study and learn the material. As soon as you’re ready, you'll take your assessment, and once you pass, you'll complete the course and move on. This means you can finish as many courses as you're able in a term at no additional cost.
8 Courses
Program consists of 8 courses
At WGU, we design our curriculum to be timely, relevant, and practical—all to help you show that you know your stuff.
Field Experiences
Special requirements for this program
While most of your coursework will be completed online, your nursing program includes some requirements—including field experiences—that must be completed in a facility near you. And while most of your courses can be accelerated based on your prior knowledge and hard work, some nursing programs begin with a cohort-based course that must be completed via five scheduled webcam sessions with faculty and fellow students.
Skills For Your Résumé
As part of this program, you will develop a range of valuable skills that employers are looking for.
- Curriculum Development: Successfully implemented instruction using a variety of instructional strategies to support and expand learning, enhancing student engagement and academic growth.
- Lesson Planning: Effectively implemented ongoing assessment methods to determine the effectiveness of instruction and student learning.
- Research: Successfully collected comprehensive and relevant information on research topics from multiple sources, ensuring a well-informed and comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.
- Educational Technologies: Identified and utilized technologies that facilitated the delivery of educational instruction, optimizing learning experiences.
- Change Management: Expertly determined the most effective change management techniques for implementation in a given situation, ensuring smooth transitions and maximizing positive outcomes.
- Business Process: Led transformative change in an organization's culture.
“Enrollment was perfectly easy for me. I was able to submit online and somebody called me within a day to start the whole process. Within two or three weeks I was ready to go for my first term.”
—Bryon Denton
M.S. Nursing – Education
Why WGU?
Valued
Top accreditations mean that your certificate is respected by employers and peers. You will get a quality education that is valuable in the industry with this nursing leadership program.
On Your Schedule
You can continue working at your full-time job or maintaining your responsibilities while earning your nursing leadership post-master's credential. You don't have to log in to classes and there aren't due dates. You are in charge of your program.
Strong Alumni Network
When you enroll in the nursing education certificate program at WGU, you join an impressive network of healthcare professionals.
COST & TIME
An Affordable Nursing Education Certificate
By charging per term rather than per credit—and empowering students to accelerate through material they know well or learn quickly—WGU helps students control the ultimate cost of their programs. The faster you complete your program, the less you pay for your degree.
A Nursing Certificate Is Within Reach
There is help available to make paying for school possible for you:
The average student loan debt of WGU graduates in 2022 (among those who borrowed) was less than half* the national average.
Most WGU students qualify for financial aid, and WGU is approved for federal financial aid and U.S. veterans benefits.
Many scholarship opportunities are available. Find out what you might be eligible for.
*WGU undergraduate students have approximately half the debt at graduation compared to the national average, according to the Institute for College Access and Success (2022).
FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE
A Certificate in Nursing Education Designed to Be Earned on a Nurse's Schedule
Our unique education model puts working nurses in the driver’s seat of their education. As a busy nurse, you need a certificate program that's more than simply online—you need one that truly reflects the realities of your work life and experience. At WGU, your progress is driven by your ability to prove what you’ve learned. How quickly is largely up to you. Once you’ve mastered the material, you prove what you know through tests, papers, projects, or other assessments. Demonstrating mastery is how you pass a course, so learning what it takes to be outstanding in your career is at the heart of WGU’s curriculum.
Other online certificate programs may give you the convenience of distance learning; WGU's online programs take that flexibility further—many steps further!
"WGU is a great option for nurses who are looking to advance their careers but need further education and flexibility to do so.”
—Kathryn Kosmides
M.S. Nursing – Education (RN to MSN)
CAREER OUTLOOK
Real Results for Your Career in Nursing Education
Once you have completed your Post-Master's Certificate in Nursing–Education you will have the knowledge and skills to be an outstanding nurse educator. You'll be in demand, because you'll be prepared to translate your extensive nursing knowledge into learning opportunities for other nurses.
Nurse educators teach and train nurses, nursing students, schoolchildren, community groups, workers, patients, and consumers. A post-master's certificate can prepare you to make a difference in a wide variety of settings, including:
- Hospitals.
- Community agencies.
- Schools.
- Industry and businesses.
- Nursing programs.
Return on Your Investment
On average, WGU graduates see an increase in income post-graduation
Average income increase from all degrees in annual salary vs. pre-enrollment salary. Source: 2023 Harris Poll Survey of 1,655 WGU graduates.
Survey was sent to a representative sample of WGU graduates from all colleges. Respondents received at least one WGU degree since 2017.
$84K
Nursing instructors at colleges, universities, or professional schools make over $84,000 on average, according to recent statistics.
—U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Nursing Education Leaders Are Thriving in Diverse Careers
Given the growing nurse educator shortage, earning your certificate in nursing education is both a rewarding decision and a solid career move. Once you master subjects like curriculum development, instruction and evaluation, and current technology in nursing education, your role in nursing can take on a whole new dimension. Our 3,000-plus nursing education alumni have great jobs and satisfying careers:
Job Titles
- Director of nursing
- Chief nursing officer
- Quality director
- Clinical nurse leader
- Project manager
Diverse Industries
- Hospitals
- Health systems
- Cancer centers
- Local, state, or federal government
- Hospice providers
Major Employers
- Anthem
- Ascension Health
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- U.S. Army
- UCLA Health System
WGU Grads Hold Positions With Top Employers
Hospitals and clinics around the country know the benefit of a degree from WGU, so your healthcare degree is valuable.
ADMISSIONS
Admissions Requirements Unique to This Program
To be considered for this post-master's certificate program in nursing, you must:
- Possess an M.S. in Nursing from an accredited institution or state board of nursing approved program.
- Possess an active, unencumbered RN license in your state of residence, or your state of employment. (Some license holders may be granted a waiver if they are not licensed in their state of residence or employment.) You must be licensed in the state in which you will complete your clinical experience.
Safety Notice: WGU and the College of Health Professions (CHP) are committed to the health, safety, and well-being of all patients, community members, and key stakeholders that interact with WGU students at various clinical/host sites. Interactions might include direct patient interaction, observation experiences, laboratory experiences, project development, or conducting research. Standard compliance verification for students in applicable CHP programs is required to protect the public, meet CHP program expectations, reasonably assure compliance with state regulatory board requirements, meet WGU’s contractual and legal obligations with clinical partners, and support WGU’s mission to prepare students who will be qualified to enter their desired field. Compliance items may include, but are not limited to, background checks, immunizations, and drug screens as needed.
Get Your Enrollment Checklist
Download your step-by-step guide to enrollment.
Get Your Questions Answered
Talk to an WGU Enrollment Counselor.
Transfer Credits
More About the Nursing Education Certificate
- General Program Questions
- Financial Aid Questions
In order to be eligible for this certificate program, you must be a registered nurse with an active, unencumbered RN license and hold a MSN degree from an accredited program.
Yes! WGU does offer scholarship opportunities for students in post-master's certificate programs.
As a nonprofit university, WGU doesn’t need to benefit shareholders. Our students are our only focus. We also try to keep our operating costs low. And since we’re an exclusively online university, we don’t need to maintain expensive classroom buildings, a campus, or other nonacademic programs.
A post-master's certificate in nursing is a great option for MSN graduates who are looking to change the trajectory of their careers. For example, MSN-educated nurses who want to become a clinical instructor can benefit from a post-master's certificate in nursing education.
WGU is approved to offer federal student aid. You will need to apply using the FAFSA, which is used to determine your eligibility for aid. WGU’s FAFSA school code is 033394.
Scholarships are available for new WGU students and returning graduates. This video shows more about scholarship opportunities and how they can help you pay for school. Get information on:
- How to apply
- Eligibility requirements
- Examples of scholarships
- What happens after you apply
- FAQs
- Other financial aid options
WGU's tuition is a flat rate that is charged every six months. You can take as many courses as you are able in that six-month term—with no extra cost. You simply pay for the term and do as much work as you can or want to during that time. This means that finishing faster helps you save money—a major benefit you won't find at most other schools.
Ready to Start Your WGU Journey?
