Advanced practice post-master’s course offerings respond to the increased need for nurse practitioners and health care system specialists, generally, and the increased need for health care delivery in rural and underserved areas in the state. Applicants are nurses with master’s or doctoral degrees who desire additional preparation in an advanced practice area that their original master’s program did not include.
The UNC William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education serves as the conduit for the clinical courses in the post-master’s program. The School of Nursing Office of Admissions and Student Services coordinates the application process for post-master’s courses and the Office of Academic Affairs oversees advisement of post-master’s students and evaluation of their courses and teaching.
By taking a selected group of courses from the Master of Science in Nursing program, students become eligible to sit for appropriate national certification examinations and to be approved to practice as nurse practitioners in the state of North Carolina as either adult/gerontology nurse practitioners, family nurse practitioners, pediatric nurse practitioners/primary care, women’s health nurse practitioners or Psychiatric Mental Health as a Clinical Nurse Specialist/Nurse Practitioner. A post-master’s program in Health Care Systems is offered to train students for careers as administrators, informaticists, clinical nurse leaders, and nurse educators.
While the courses are taken with students in the master’s program, these courses do not constitute a degree-granting program. However, post-master’s students follow the honor code, participate in course and teacher evaluation, have academic advisors, are subject to health and safety regulations, have library privileges and are assigned mailboxes and lockers. Post-master’s students do not pay a Graduate Student Fee and are thus not eligible for Student Health Service.
Post-master’s students who are already nationally certified NPs in another population area and have been actively practicing (within 2 of the last 3 years) will meet with the Coordinator of their specialty area to develop an individualized plan of study. Post-masters’ students who are seeking preparation as an advanced practice registered nurse to serve a new population of interest and have not been actively practicing will require a longer plan of study.
A postmaster’s student will be unable to proceed in their program of study if he or she receives a grade of F, or if he or she receives a grade of L in more than 20% of the total credits in the student’s plan of study.