Certificate Level: Graduate
Admission Requirements: Master's degree
Certificate Type: Post-Master's Certificate
Number of Credits to Completion: 37.0
Instructional Delivery: Online, Campus
Calendar Type: Quarter
Maximum Time Frame: 2 years
Financial Aid Eligibility: Eligible
Disclaimer:
Drexel University accepts New York residents into this program. Clinical Rotations, however, cannot be in New York State. This will not affect New York certification and licensure.
State Regulations
Disclaimer:
Drexel University is authorized by the Washington Student Achievement Council and meets the requirements and minimum educational standards established for degree-granting institutions under the Degree-Granting Institutions Act. This authorization is subject to periodic review and authorizes Drexel University to offer field placement components for specific degree programs. The Council may be contacted for a list of currently authorized programs. Authorization by the council does not carry with it an endorsement by the council of the institution or its programs. Any person desiring information about the requirements of the act or the applicability of those requirements to the institution may contact the Council at P.O. Box 43430, Olympia, WA 98504-3430.
**Drexel University is approved by the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission to provide practice experiences in Washington State for MSN/Clinical Nurse Leader, MSN/Clinical Trials Research, MSN/Leadership in Health Systems Management, MSN/Nurse Educator and Faculty Role, MSN/Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP, MSN/Adult Gerontology Primary Care NP, MSN/Family Individual Across the Lifespan NP, MSN/Pediatric Acute Care NP, MSN/Pediatric Primary Care & Pediatric Acute Care NP, MSN/Pediatric Primary Care NP, MSN/Psychiatric Mental Health NP, and MSN/Women’s Health Gender Related NP programs. For more information, go to the following website.
State Regulations
State restrictions may apply to some programs
Program
The Drexel Online Women's Health/Gender Related Nurse Practitioner Post Graduate Certificate program provides MSN prepared nurses with the skills necessary to provide advanced care to women and their partners throughout the lifespan with a specialized emphasis on reproductive and gynecologic health needs.
The program's graduates are also qualified to provide a myriad of gender related services focusing on health promotion and disease prevention and range from well-woman care, prenatal and postpartum care, and common and complex women’s health issues in both primary settings and women's health specialty practices.
The WH/GRNP Post Graduate Certificate track is well positioned to improve the health and quality of life for women and their partners of all ages while recognizing their individual physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Program of Study
This certificate is offered to those individuals who have earned a master's degree in nursing and seek further preparation to become a Women's Health/Gender Related Nurse Practitioner (WH/GRNP). The program consists of 37 credits and can be completed in aproximately one and a half years of part-time study. Transcripts will be reviewed and course work will be determined on an individual basis.
All post-master's students in nurse practitioner tracks have the option to transfer in three credits (quarter or semester) of master’s-level advanced pathophysiology (or advanced physiology), and advanced pharmacology. If these courses are not transferred in they must be taken at Drexel prior to the first clinical course. Students should check with the program coordinator for the exact schedule.
What you'll learn
This program prepares nurse practitioners for roles as advanced-practice clinicians, educators, researchers, and leaders in a collaborative and multi-disciplinary healthcare environment. It was designed to embrace the competencies and skill sets required for today's versatile nurse practitioner as medical knowledge expands, healthcare systems evolve and technology advances in response to health care needs and high-quality and innovative research.
The WH/GRNP curriculum includes a wide range of issues specific to women and their partners, including well women evaluations, preconception, prenatal and postpartum care, menopausal issues, complementary and alternative therapy options, family planning, and various primary care issues related to the health care of women throughout the lifespan.
Key Program Features:
- Synchronous online lectures offer a highly-interactive learning format that challenges and engages students;
- Fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)*;
- An experienced and board certified faculty from Drexel's acclaimed College of Nursing and Health Professions;
- Upon completion of the program, students are eligible for Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Certification through the National Certification Corporation (NCC).
The WH/GRNP Post Graduate Certificate program produces highly competent, confident, and well prepared women's health professionals. This high-quality certificate program demands a major commitment of time by advanced practicing nursing students and combines the convenience of rigorous synchronous online didactic classes with a clinical component to effectively teach students to diagnose and manage health promotion and health issues of women from adolescence to older adulthood.**
On-Campus Requirements
The College of Nursing and Health Professions' NP faculty members are committed to quality and excellence in all online Nurse Practitioner programs. During your time in the program, you will participate in a mandatory on-campus and/or virtual intensive. The required intensive/s will be held during clinical courses. Exact dates and times will be confirmed with students prior to the term.
During the on campus visits, students will participate in trandisciplinary, simulated clinical learning experiences conducted in the College of Nursing and Health Professions' state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary patient simulation lab. These exercises are designed to promote a better understanding and respect of discipline-specific roles, improve existing communication and collaboration and initiate teamwork development in order to promote safety and high quality patient care. These visits also allow professors to offer students direct support, guidance, and mentoring while providing students with the opportunity to interact with faculty members and collaborate with their peers.
What makes the WH/GRNP Post Graduate Certificate program unique?
- Synchronous online lectures are offered in a highly interactive, e-learning method that challenges and engages students.
- Clinical education offered via distance learning concurrently with clinical preceptorships close to home.
- Convenient format ideal for working professionals.
- Clinically active faculty with national board certification.
- You are part of the Drexel College of Nursing and Health Professions with access to clinical practice environments and interprofessional simulated health care scenarios.
Pennsylvania RN licensure is required prior to the start of your clinical components. While this is not a requirement for admission, we recommend starting the process immediately after admission.
*The nurse practitioner programs in the Division of Graduate Nursing at Drexel University provide students the flexibility of finding and coordinating their own clinical site and preceptor. The Division of Graduate Nursing offers students resources to assist in this process. Accessibility to clinical sites and preceptors varies from state to state. Students may be required to travel to access clinical sites/preceptors and achieve the necessary clinical hours.
COMPLIANCE
The College of Nursing and Health Professions has a compliance process that may be required for every student. Some of these steps may take significant time to complete. Please plan accordingly.
Visit the Compliance pages for more information.
Application Deadline
August 1, 2025
Admission Requirements
Degree:
A master's degree with a major in nursing (MSN) from a regionally accredited program.
A GPA of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0.
Standardized Tests:
N/A
Transcripts:
- Official transcripts must be sent directly to Drexel from all the colleges/universities that you have attended. Transcripts must be submitted in a sealed envelope with the college/university seal over the flap. Please note that transcripts are required regardless of number of credits taken or if the credits were transferred to another school. An admission decision may be delayed if you do not send transcripts from all colleges/universities attended.
- Transcripts must show course-by-course grades and degree conferrals. If your school does not notate degree conferrals on the official transcripts, you must provide copies of any graduate or degree certificates.
- If your school issues only one transcript for life, you are required to have a course-by-course evaluation completed by an approved transcript evaluation agency
- Use our Transcript Lookup Tool to assist you in contacting your previous institutions
Prerequisites:
N/A
References:
Two professional references required from previous or current supervisors, managers, nursing faculty members or program directors who can attest to applicant's clinical knowledge, skill, and potential aptitude for graduate study. References will not be accepted from colleagues or family members.
Personal Statement/ Essay:
Personal statement (800 to 1,600 words) that will give the admissions committee a better understanding of:
- Why you are choosing this particular program of study
- Your plans upon completion of the graduate degree
- How your current work experience will enhance your experience in this M.S.N. program.
Interview/Portfolio:
A personal interview via phone or in-person may be required.
CV/Resume:
Required.
Licenses:
A copy of your RN license or eligibility for licensure as a registered nurse. License verification from your nursing license registry Web site are acceptable.
Clinical Work/Volunteer Experience:
N/A
International Students:
International applicants, as well as immigrants to the United States and U.S. permanent residents whose native language is not English and who have not received a bachelor's degree or higher in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom, must show proficiency in English speaking as well as listening, writing and reading. American citizens born on U.S. military bases abroad may be waived from the TOEFL requirement after providing documentation of this status. Otherwise, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:
If you take the TOEFLiBT exam, you must have:
- a minimum combined score for listening, writing, and reading sections of 79 plus a speaking section score of 26 or higher.
- a minimum score of 550 or higher and a Test of Spoken English score (TSE) of 55 or higher.
Tuition and Fee Rates:
Please visit the Drexel Online Women's Health/Gender Related Nurse Practitioner Post-Masters Certificate tuition page.
Application Link (if outside organization):
N/A
Nursing Program Mission and Values
The Nursing program faculty and staff are committed to educating nurses to embrace both the art and science of nursing, to integrate caring into practice, to think critically and practice competently, compassionately and safely in complex rapidly changing practice environments. The Nursing program supports administrators, faculty, staff and students in developing holistic evidence-based programs, which create healing and caring environments at all levels that reflect innovative education, interdisciplinary practice and research.
The highest goals of the program include demonstrating efficacy, quality and cost-effectiveness of evidence-based nursing interventions in promoting health, preventing disease, preserving human dignity, reducing health disparities and caring for the sick and injured.
All efforts in the Nursing program are designed to build nursing knowledge, enhance nursing practice, foster professional integrity, promote innovation, engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and ultimately improve the health outcomes of patients and families from diverse communities across the continuum of care.
The Nursing program is committed to excellence in nursing education through educational programs that are:
- Authentic: We value a deep connection to others, appreciation of diverse opinions and respect for the other’s frame of reference. We value going beyond objective assessment to understand the context of the other, creative use of self and engagement in the artistry of the caring-healing process—the essence of Nursing.
- Complex: We value complexity science by recognizing that our Nursing program is a complex, dynamic, unpredictable, emerging, self-organizing and adaptive system that cannot be reduced to the sum of its members. As such, we seek that administrators, faculty, staff and students develop skills to improvise, build on the innovations of others, develop positive interpersonal interactions, appreciate the reciprocity that our actions have on the larger system and ourselves and embrace surprise as an opportunity to learn, make sense of our dynamic reality and make a positive impact on the health of our clients.
- Rigorous: We continuously review and redesign programs, courses, technology-infused learning systems and educational products for depth and quality with the learner's experience and background in mind.
- Relevant: We continuously examine changing market forces, the progression of nursing knowledge and the best practices in health care and education to redesign educational programs. There is a strong commitment to population-focused care practice in diverse communities; therefore, we strive to ensure clinically relevant education and simulation experiences. Our faculty serves as excellent role models for developing clinicians.
- State of the Art: We value the use of technological innovation and patient simulation scenarios which foster advanced and evidence-based interdisciplinary communication and teamwork, multiple patient management and crisis resource management skills, provision of culturally relevant care, decreased prevalence of errors and adverse events and a higher intellectual standard in both undergraduate and graduate nursing education.
- Learner-Friendly: In consideration of the demanding, fast-paced lives of our students and nurse consumers, we offer high-quality educational programs in convenient and contemporary formats, including access to academic online courses with attention to user-friendly interfaces as well as resources to enhance academic success. In addition, the College of Nursing and Health Professions is committed to being a challenging and rewarding work environment for faculty, staff and administrators. Information and data on all aspects of the college’s operations are widely shared with faculty, staff and students and all are encouraged to participate in its decisions and activities.