Nurse Educator Certificate

• You fulfill the general UCF graduate admissions requirements (see Admissions section of the UCF Graduate Catalog).
• You are a licensed RN in Florida. (Out of state applicants must be licensed in the state or country in which they practice.)
• You have earned – or are in progress of earning – an MSN degree from a regionally accredited institution or equivalent. (Registered Nurses with a Non-Nursing Bachelor’s can apply but must take prerequisites.)
• You completed and passed an undergraduate statistics course.

No, you don’t need a BSN. You can apply to the Nurse Educator graduate program if you are an RN and have a bachelor’s degree in another area of study. However, if you have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, you must complete three prerequisite courses before enrolling in graduate level courses.

Your career goals should be the deciding factor. If you are currently enrolled in another MSN program (such as the Nurse Leadership & Management or Healthcare Simulation) or have already earned a MSN degree, you may want to apply to the Nurse Educator post-graduate certificate program if you plan on teaching at some point in your career. However, if you want to be a full-time faculty member at a college or university, then you may want to consider the MSN Nurse Educator program.

Tuition may vary each academic year and may depend on your residency (in-state or out-of-state). Click here for current information on tuition and costs for UCF Online graduate programs.

No, all courses are offered online and in an asynchronous mode (no specific class meeting times).

Yes, you may pursue this UCF College of Nursing online program as long as you will be physically located in a Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) state for the duration of your education.

UCF College of Nursing faculty are authorized to teach in NLC states. Due to nursing education restrictions imposed by non-NLC states, UCF is unable to offer courses, clinicals, or other educational services regardless of modality within non-NLC states. Should you be physically located within a non-NLC state for more than a vacation or brief visit, regardless of your legal state of residence or the type of license you have, you will be unable to apply or continue your nursing degree program at the UCF College of Nursing. This includes, but is not limited to, students accepting traveling nurse positions in a non-Nurse Licensure Compact state.

UCF is also an approved institution of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA). Membership in NC-SARA requires the university to disclose information regarding state licensing and certification requirements for the selected program of study when licensing and/or certification are a requirement to practice in the profession after graduation.

While licensure or certification may be available in this field of study, this program does not lead to such licensure or certification upon graduation. The professional preparation you receive in our program may still assist you in such pursuits; however, we are unable to confirm the specific licensure and certification requirements of each state, territory, or foreign entity in which professional credentialing may be possible. If you intend to pursue such credentialing in your state or elsewhere, we advise you to contact the applicable state credentialing authority to familiarize yourself with its specific requirements and determine if our program meets its academic criteria.

You are welcome to contact the College of Nursing’s Assistant Dean of Students with questions in this regard, and we will do our best to assist you in your career planning.

Yes, the online format is convenient and allows for flexibility around your work schedule. However, the graduate program is rigorous in nature and will require time and commitment to studies.

Graduates of this program are eligible to take the optional national exam to become a Certified Nurse Educator® (CNE®) or Academic Novice Nurse Educator® (CNEn®). Graduates are also eligible to take the optional national exam to become a Certified Academic Clinical Nurse Educator® (CNE®cl) after three years of professional practice in any area of nursing. Taking the certification exam is your choice. It is not a program requirement.

While licensure or certification may be available in this field of study, this program does not lead to such licensure or certification upon graduation. The professional preparation you receive in our program may still assist you in such pursuits; however, we are unable to confirm the specific licensure and certification requirements of each state, territory, or foreign entity in which professional credentialing may be possible. If you intend to pursue such credentialing in your state or elsewhere, we advise you to contact the applicable state credentialing authority to familiarize yourself with its specific requirements and determine if our program meets its academic criteria.

UCF is an approved institution of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA). Membership in NC-SARA requires the university to disclose information regarding state licensing and certification requirements for the selected program of study when licensing and/or certification are a requirement to practice in the profession after graduation.

You are welcome to contact the College of Nursing’s Assistant Dean of Students with questions in this regard, and we will do our best to assist you in your career planning.

Visit our Graduate Certificate Admissions page for details on the application process and requirements.