Program Overview

Certificate in Nursing Education

The Graduate Certificate in Nursing Education (GCNE) consists of a flexible five course (15 credit) program of study focused on teaching curricular knowledge and pedagogical skills needed to teach nursing. In order to make these courses available, they will be offered in blended classrooms, using synchronous and asynchronous web based learning. Some courses may be offered in intensive weekend or summer courses.

The GCNE consist of two core nursing courses, two electives from the School of Education, and a capstone teaching practicum. In the practicum, students will apply their nursing and pedagogical skills to working with nursing students in the classroom, online, and in clinical settings.

The GCNE is targeted at four complementary populations. First, students in our Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and PhD programs may elect to complete the GCNE in addition to the requirements of their programs, or in some cases as part of the requirements to fulfill their desired degree. A second, overlapping group are our teaching assistants who may want to enhance their teaching skills.  A third group of potential students are faculty teaching nursing programs across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who have advanced degrees, but no formal education in teaching strategies. Finally, a fourth group of potential students are nurses who work as educators in clinical settings. Many of these nurses have bachelor degrees, and no training in educational strategies. Individuals who complete this GCNE program, and have a master’s of doctoral degree in nursing will qualify to take the National League of Nursing (NLN) Certification for Nurse Educators.

Program Goals:

• Develop a grounding in pedagogical theories.
• Evaluate nursing curriculum using accreditation guidelines.
• Consider quality measure in nursing education in developing and evaluating nursing curriculum.
• Use creative teaching methods to enhance pedogogy.
• Reflect on own teaching style as a means of incorporating new teaching strategies.
• Prepare nurses for education roles in colleges, universities, and clinical settings.

Program Details

Students must complete five 3-credit courses (15 total credit hours) consisting of:

• Two required core nursing courses
• Two electives from the College of Educaton
• Completion of the capstone teaching practicum

Required courses:

• Nur 642: Teaching in Nursing
• Nur 697T: Curriculum Development and Evaluation Process in Nursing

Electives - Student will select two courses from the College of Education.  Some of the courses that can be used are:

• Educ 595K: Introduction to College Teaching
• Educ 692K: Foundations and Theories of Learning
• Educ 691E: Social Issues in Education
• Educ 615G: Integrating Tech with Instruction
• Educ 615K: Community College Leadership
• Educ 615T: College Impact on Students

Teaching Practicum:

Nur 698T: Teaching Practicum in Nursing:  This final culmination practicum course provides the framework, mentorship, and coaching for graduate students to develop skills in teaching in the classroom, in clinical settings, and in an online environment.

Admission Process

Students who are already matriculated in a University Graduate Program only need to complete the College of Nursing internal application for admission to the certificate program.  All other students will need to complete a “non degree application” form found at the Graduate School, https://www.umass.edu/gradschool/sites/default/files/nondegreeapp.pdf and then contact the College of Nursing for further information.

Contact

Contact Karen Ayotte at the College of Nursing for more information: kayotte@nursing.umass.edu
413-545-1302