Admission Requirements: Post-Master's Family Nurse Practitioner

Next Term Application Deadline

03.15.2025

Total Credits

Dependent on education
and professional experience

Next Term Starts

05.12.2025

SUMMER 2025 APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN

Request More Information from an Enrollment Advisor

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Program of Interest*
Program requires the completion of an associate degree program. Have you earned an associate degree?*
- Yes (*includes in-progress degree)
- No
Program requires the completion of a BSN degree program. Have you earned a BSN degree?*
- Yes (*includes in-progress degree)
- No
Desired Start Date*
*This program is now enrolling for Summer 2025.

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SUMMER 2025 APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN

Get started on your NursingCAS application today.

REGISTER FOR THE LIVE INFO SESSION ON WED., 1/22/24 @ 6:00 PM EST

Speak directly to the program director Sherry Donaworth, DNP, ACNP, FNP about the top-ranked University of Cincinnati's online Post-MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate program.

Admission Requirements

Designed for working nurses with busy schedules, our online Post Master of Nursing (Post-MSN) FNP graduate certificate program enables you to pursue your professional goals on your own time. Earn your graduate degree without forfeiting your current position. Courses can be completed on a full- or part- time schedule.

This Post-MSN graduate certificate allows you to earn the required licensure to advance your career to a leadership position in a high-demand specialization. Admission requirements for certificates differ slightly from the online MSN programs.

The online Post-MSN graduate certificates offered through the College of Nursing are designed for nurse practitioners and other advanced-level nurses who have already earned their master’s degree. Passionate and highly motivated professionals with a goal of working in an advanced specialization will benefit most from these post-master’s certificates.

The University of Cincinnati’s online graduate nursing programs are not currently available to students located in Arizona, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Tennessee. State restrictions are subject to change. We encourage you to contact the appropriate state licensing agency in your state or the state where you intend to work to seek the most up-to-date information regarding state licensure requirements before starting the program.

Applications for our online Post-MSN graduate certificate programs are accepted every semester. Applicants will be reviewed for admission based on their ability to complete this online program and on the criteria listed below.

Prerequisites for the Post-MSN Family Nurse Practitioner program

An active and unrestricted United States RN license
Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree conferred from a regionally and nursing industry accredited institution such as ACEN (formerly NLNAC) or CCNE
A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the last degree earned
Completion of an undergraduate statistics course with a 2.0 or higher on 4.0 scale.
Science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
Master of Science in Nursing degree conferred from a regionally and nursing accredited institution (ACEN or CCNE)

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Application Transcripts References Personal Goal Statement Professional Resume Additional Fees Restrictions

Application

Applications for the online Master of Science in Nursing and online Post-MSN Certificate programs are submitted through NursingCAS. For help on starting and completing your NursingCAS application, please view our tutorial videos here: https://online.uc.edu/nursingcas-tutorials/

Transcripts

Official transcripts from all institutions attended should be sent directly to NursingCAS (American Association of College of Nursing). NO TRANSCRIPTS should be sent to the University.

*Please note that international transcripts must be evaluated from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES)

References

Three letters of reference from previous educators, managers, supervising physicians and Advanced Practice Nurses in the specialty to which you are applying for admission.

Personal Goal Statement

Provide a concise written statement (500-750 words) that indicates your preparation and passion for the specialty in which you are applying. Discuss how your long-term career goals are served by completing the specialty program that you have applied to.

Resume

Provide your CV or resume in PDF format. Please be sure that it provides relevant work history and reflects any contributions beyond normal job expectations. Include military service, community service, membership in professional associations, and any certifications that you currently hold. Please also include any scholarship, such as publications or presentations.

Additional Fees

~~$20 non-refundable University of Cincinnati Graduate School application fee.~~ Currently waived through the Summer 2025 semester!
$80 NursingCAS application fee, paid directly to NursingCAS.
$200 non-refundable matriculation fee required upon acceptance but will be applied to tuition.

Restrictions

State & U.S. Territory Restrictions
- The University of Cincinnati’s online graduate nursing programs are not currently available to students located in Arizona, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Tennessee. For more information on restricted states, please visit our State Authorization page.
- Currently, we cannot admit students from any U.S. territory: America Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
International Student Restrictions
- An international student is defined as someone who holds citizenship in another country and is not a permanent resident of the United States.
- International students are admissible to our online programs, providing they meet the above prerequisites and commit to doing their clinical requirements in the United States.
- Due to the clinical requirements in our graduate online programs, international students must already have a visa that gives them legal status to work within the United States or must be able to obtain the legal status that will allow them to come to the U.S. and engage in clinical activities.
- International students are not eligible for student visas for online programs, including clinical requirements.
- It is the responsibility of the international student to have the appropriate work authorization documents or be able to obtain the appropriate work authorization before applying to online programs in the College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati.
Clinical Restrictions
- We cannot admit residents of U.S. Territories or in a country outside of the U.S. Only persons serving in the military who reside on a military base and can complete clinical requirements on the military base should apply to our College of Nursing graduate online programs. Prior to application to our program, the prospective student should confirm that they will have the ability to complete clinical requirements on the military base.
- Students cannot complete clinicals at a U.S. Embassy.

Federal regulations require the University of Cincinnati to publicly disclose whether completion of certain programs that lead or may lead to professional licensure or certification would meet a given state’s educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification required for employment in an occupation (regardless of whether the program is on-ground, online, or hybrid). To learn whether a University program meets a given state’s educational requirements, please visit the University of Cincinnati State Authorization webpage.