Nursing Graduate Studies
Accelerate Your Career. Elevate Your Life. Go Further. Faster.
Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing’s Department of Nursing Graduate Studies houses a variety of certificates and programs for Registered Nurses (RN) who hold at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree to take the next step and advance their career even further. Whether you’re an RN looking for a post-bacc career change or an experienced RN with a master’s degree, the Department of Nursing Graduate Studies can help you Be Brilliant as a nurse educator, a leader, or an executive; a nurse practitioner; or an occupational health nurse. Our ACEN-accredited programs will help you take that next step in your career in Utah and beyond.
Post-BSN to Master’s of Science in Nursing (Educator or Leadership & Management emphases available)
A Master’s of Science in Nursing MSN degree from our ACEN-accredited program will result in professional advancement and nursing leadership skills for academia and healthcare organizations.
Graduate students choose from two emphases: Nurse Educator and Nurse Leadership and Management. The 12-month program is 100% online except for a 90-hour residency arranged in your surrounding community.
Post-BSN to DNP: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
In the DNP Family Nurse Practitioner program, you’ll progress from a bachelor's prepared registered nurse to a clinical family nurse practitioner and an expert nurse leader at the doctoral level. Your education will focus on providing primary care in this ACEN-accredited program, including assessments, diagnostic reasoning, and appropriate interventions with attention to overall patient wellness, as well as systems-level changes to improve healthcare outcomes in various populations and environments. With your DNP degree in the Family Nurse Practitioner emphasis, you will be eligible to take the FNP certification exam, allowing you to care for patients across the lifespan in the primary care setting and function as an experienced leader in organizations and systems.
Post-BSN to DNP: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
In the DNP Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program, you'll progress from a bachelor's prepared registered nurse to a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner and an expert nurse leader at the doctoral level. This ACEN-accredited program focuses on providing mental health care, including assessments, diagnostic reasoning, and appropriate interventions with attention to health and wellness, as well as systems-level changes to improve healthcare outcomes in various populations and environments. With your DNP degree in the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner emphasis, you will be eligible to take the PMHNP certification exam, allowing you to provide patients with specialty care in mental health and function as an expert leader in organizations and systems.
Post-Master’s Certificates (Educator or Leadership & Management certificates available)
Nurses with master’s degrees in nursing can strengthen or expand their roles at the Department of Nursing Graduate Studies with ACEN-accredited post-master’s certificates in nursing education and administrative leadership. Students can complete the Nurse Leadership and Management Certificate (12 credits) and the Nurse Educator Certificate (14 credits) in two semesters, with a community-based residency experience in nursing clinical, academia, or administrative leadership.
Post-MSN to DNP: Executive Leadership
Designed to elevate master's-prepared nurses to the highest level of leadership in nursing practice at the doctoral level, our DNP Executive Leadership program will prepare you to shape professional practice environments, lead interdisciplinary care teams, and develop evidence-based practice standards and processes for patient care. This ACEN-accredited program will offer opportunities for practical, real-life experience in facilitating change and implementing health care delivery improvements at the organizational and systems level. As a DNP-prepared nurse leader, you will be able to provide interdisciplinary leadership, develop and implement local and national health care policies, promote standards of patient care and safety, use information technology to effect change, and critically analyze and apply current research to improve healthcare outcomes.
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Occupational Health Nursing
New or experienced Registered Nurses (RNs) passionate about creating healthier work environments and promoting workplace wellness can Be Brilliant in Occupational Health Nursing (OHN) with the Department of Nursing Graduate Studies’ post-baccalaureate OHN certificate. RNs can enroll in this 100% online certificate program, jointly offered by Weber State University, the University of Utah, and the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, through WSU.