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Population Health Nursing Certificate

This program prepares nurses with public health concepts and skills in health promotion of a target population, clinical and translational applications of epidemiology, global perspectives of healthcare, change leadership and policy analysis.

The School of Nursing has paused admissions to the Population Health Nursing Certificate program for the 2025-2026 academic year. We are evaluating the future of this program and exploring options, including reimagining the opportunities contained within an advanced nursing practice pathway.

Program Description

Students may complete the 13-credit hour Population Health Nursing Certificate as a licensed professional with a nursing degree, as a post-graduate certificate, or concurrently with a graduate program in nursing or another health-related discipline. All courses are online.

The Population Health Nursing Certificate is approved as a stackable program. To encourage career and academic progression, students who have completed the Population Health Nursing Certificate may apply the five certificate courses (NRSG 808, NRSG 809, NRSG 811, NRSG 826, NRSG 880) toward degree requirements for the Master of Science or Doctor of Nursing Practice, Public Health Nursing specialty area.

Admissions

Application for the Population Health Nursing Certificate is an online process. Detailed instructions on how to apply are posted on the School of Nursing website.

Application deadlines
  • June 1 for fall semester
  • April 1 for summer semester
  • November 1 for spring semester
Admission requirements
  • Licensed registered nurse and baccalaureate degree or higher in nursing or health-related field.
  • Minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • Potential to provide expert service and leadership in functional area
  • Satisfactory criminal background check (completed once an offer of admission has been extended to applicant)
English Language Requirements

All applicants for study at the University of Kansas Medical Center whose native language is not English must demonstrate an established level of English language proficiency through either the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the academic format of the EILTS (International English Language Testing System). The test must have been taken within two years of the first semester of enrollment.

Applicants will be assessed based on these requirements. After an applicant has been admitted, a program may defer an applicant's admission for one year after which time the applicant must submit a new application.

See also Admissions in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.

Certificate Requirements

Certificate requirements are typically completed within one to two years of admission to the program, although a maximum of four years is allowed

  • Cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 for all graduate certificate coursework
  • Enrollment in a minimum of one credit hour during the semester program is completed
  • Graduate certificates may not be granted retroactively
  • Successful completion of the following courses:

Sample Plan of Study

Learners beginning in Fall 2024

Year 1

Fall 2024

NRSG 826, Global Perspective and Diversity in Healthcare (2 credit hours)
NRSG 811, Principles of Clinical Epidemiology (3 credit hours)
Total: 5 credit hours

Spring 2024

NRSG 880, Organizational Foundations for Leading Change (3 credit hours)
NRSG 808, Social Context for Health Care Policy (2 credit hours)
Total: 5 credit hours

Summer 2025

NRSG 809, Health Promotion (2 credit hours)
Total: 2 credit hours

Total: 12 credit hours required

KU School of Nursing

KU School of Nursing
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Mail Stop 2029
Kansas City, KS 66160
913-588-1619 | TTY 711
soninfo@kumc.edu