Nursing: Post-Master's or Post-NP Certificate of Advanced Study

Our Post-Master’s Certificates of Advanced Study (CAS) allow RNs holding a Master of Science in Nursing to expand their specialty training and become eligible for additional advanced practice certification.

The CAS can be earned on either a full or part-time basis. Students may apply for admission and begin their course of study in any semester. The program is open to licensed registered nurses with a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) (or higher) degree. Upon enrollment, a faculty member who is a clinical expert in your chosen field of specialization will be assigned to you to individualize a curriculum plan that meets your interests and assures eligibility for certification in your advanced practice specialty.

Emphasizing the critical mix of academic, clinical, and research experiences advanced practice nurses need in today’s complex and demanding health care environment, our Certificate of Advanced Study curriculum utilizes a teaching methodology that enables students to immediately meld theory with clinical practice in stages throughout the program and, as a result, more easily apply what they are learning to their knowledge and skill set.

To integrate classroom and clinical learning, our programs offer intensive but supportive clinical experiences. Students complete a minimum of 500 hours of supervised clinical practicum during their specialty programs, more if they have chosen specialties catering to various age groups or requiring performance in multiple health care settings. These experiences allow students to meet highly individualized learning objectives in a variety of settings and to continually practice what they learn in class with real patients. Our students enjoy priority placements at prestigious health care facilities, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Children’s Hospital Boston, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, McLean Hospital, Faulkner Hospital and North Shore Medical Center. These placements have often resulted in job offers after graduation.

As a student of this rigorous graduate degree program, you will be immersed in the science-based theory and evidence-based practice of the premier minds, practitioners, and facilities in the nursing field. You will be mentored by those defining the leading edge of today’s dynamic and growing nursing field and be charged with the pursuit of humanistic values, professionalism, and quality care.

In earning your credits, you will receive a clinical education across the continuum of socio economic, ethnic, and clinical sites, partake in a clinical experience with an underserved population, and have the opportunity to study with faculty who are engaged in research with the underserved population. You will also be prepared in the utilization of research as it impacts clinical care and outcomes and have the opportunity to be supported in studies and research related to your own interests.

Benefiting from intensive clinical practicum experiences with real patients, working one-on-one with a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, or physician in your specialty, you will practice your craft in collegial, non-competitive environments, including hospital and community settings.

As a result, you will hone your critical thinking, diagnostic reasoning, assessment, and decision making skills as a means for mastering ever-changing ways to promote, maintain, and restore health and as the foundation for a caring, holistic practice.