Nursing Post-Doctoral Certificates

If you would like to develop or enhance your pedagogical knowledge and skills in nursing education, you can enroll in the nursing education certificate. In this program, you will learn to:

• Synthesize knowledge of the theoretical foundations of nursing education, and related fields, within the context of higher education.
• Integrate acquired knowledge into a philosophical and intellectual frame of reference that can be applied to nursing education.
• Evaluate curricular designs and outcomes based on internal and external contextual analysis.
• Engage in scholarly discourse with colleagues, nurse scholars, and leaders. 

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The nursing research certificate is available if you would like to develop or enhance your research knowledge and skills. You will learn to: 

• Apply the rigorous methods of disciplined scientific inquiry to develop new knowledge.
• Independently conduct and communicate research that advances and extends nursing knowledge and scholarship.
• Engage in scholarly discourse with colleagues, nurse scholars, and leaders. 
• Disseminate new knowledge gained from disciplined inquiry of concern to nursing and nursing education.

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• August 15—for matriculation in the fall semester
• December 15—for matriculation in the spring semester
• April 15—for matriculation in summer sessions

Registered nurses with a doctoral degree in nursing from an accredited program are eligible to apply for the post-doctoral certificate programs.

• Completed online application.
• Valid U.S. license as a registered nurse.
• Transcripts from previously attended higher education institutions, including your nursing doctoral degree program (DNP, PhD, DNS, etc.), and master's degree program, if in a major other than nursing. 
• A minimum of 3.5 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) in your doctoral program.
• Two references–one from an educator and one from an employer with a graduate degree. One of these must have a research doctoral degree.
• Curriculum vitae.
• Statement explaining goals for advanced work in nursing with emphasis on proposed area of specialization.
• Interview with a School of Nursing faculty member (this is arranged after a preliminary review of application materials). 

Transfer credits are not accepted for the certificate programs.

Additional Requirements for International Students

• International applicants, immigrants to the U.S., and U.S. permanent residents are required to submit the results of an English proficiency test taken with 2 years, unless they are from a TOEFL-exempt country.
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• International applicants who will be seeking licensure in the U.S. should work with Commission of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) to utilize their credentials evaluation service. 

Many area health care systems offer their employees discounted tuition rates for Widener's graduate nursing programs. If you don't see your organization listed, reach out to your HR department to advocate for a partnership.

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