Certificates and Microcredentials

Advance your career in Correctional Health with the skills and knowledge to provide high-quality, compassionate
care to this specialized population.

As the prison population continues to grow, so does the demand for skilled correctional health nurses. HSC’s graduate-level certificate program in Correctional Health is suited for:

• Nurses interested in correctional health who want to learn more about this specialty.
• Current correctional health nurses who want to pursue administrative roles within correctional health care systems, overseeing nursing staff, developing and implementing health care policies and procedures, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
• Nurses who want to move into consulting, providing expertise and guidance to correctional facilities on health care-related issues.

Program length

• Four, eight-week courses over two semesters (12 graduate certificate hours)

Program delivery

• Online, asynchronous

Program courses

• NURS 5340: Professional Role and Responsibilities in a Correctional Environment
• NURS 5341: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention of Incarcerated Patients
• NURS 5342: Promotion of Safe and Secure Health Care in a Correctional Environment
• NURS 5343: Clinical Management of Incarcerated Patients

Upon completion of the certificate, students earning a grade of B or better in each course who are admitted to the MSN in Nursing Practice Innovation program may apply all 12 credit hours to their degree.

Application deadline: May 12, 2025

“The health challenges prior to incarceration, during incarceration and post incarceration, they don’t disappear. They’re actually stacked on top of each other. I feel it’s my duty to educate our nurses in how to navigate that.”

Dr. Jan Jowitt
RN, AGPCNP-BC, CCHP
Associate Professor
HSC College of Nursing

As a nurse, you’re at the core of patient support for substance use disorder. Gain the skills to provide holistic, high-quality care for your patients.

Substance use disorder (SUD) doesn’t just affect individuals — families, communities and society are all impacted. Evidenced-based intervention strategies are critical to effectively treat patients.

Our graduate-level SUD certificate provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to understanding, assessing, intervening and addressing the community implications of SUD.

You’ll explore various intervention approaches to tailor treatment plans for the unique needs of each patient. Our curriculum addresses psychological, social and economic challenges ensuring a holistic approach to recovery and increasing the likelihood of successful outcomes.

Program length

• Four, eight-week courses over two semesters (12 graduate certificate hours)

Program delivery

• Online, asynchronous

Program courses

• NURS 5315: Introduction to the Neurobiology of Substance Use Disorders
• NURS 5316: Assessment of Substance Use Disorder
• NURS 5317: Intervention Strategies for Substance Use Disorder
• NURS 5318: Substance Use Disorder and Community Implications

Upon completion of the certificate, students earning a grade of B or better in each course who are admitted to the MSN in Nursing Practice Innovation program may apply all 12 credit hours to their degree.

Application deadline: May 12, 2025

Expand your knowledge beyond the bedside to the critical and increasingly complex business and management side of health care.

Our Graduate Certificate in Health Care Management for Nurses addresses a critical need in today’s health care landscape: understanding the growing complexities of data management, financial expertise, insurance dynamics and population health analytics.

There is an urgent demand for professionals who can adeptly navigate the challenges of escalating costs, evolving patient needs and advancing technology.

In this program, you will learn about capital acquisition, budgeting and revenue cycle management. We will also address the critical need for fiscal responsibility within health care organizations while safeguarding the quality of patient care.

Program length

• Four, eight-week courses over two semesters (12 graduate certificate hours)

Program delivery

• Online, asynchronous

Program courses

• NURS 5323: Health Care Data Management and Analytics
• NURS 5324: Health Care Finance I
• HMAP 5314: Health Insurance and Managed Care
• HMAP 5322: Population Health Analytics

Upon completion of the certificate, students earning a grade of B or better in each course who are admitted to the MSN in Nursing Practice Innovation program may apply all 12 credit hours to their degree.

Application deadline: May 12, 2025

“With rising health care costs and financial constraints, we need professionals with a deep understanding of the barriers to patient resources and ways to develop creative health care solutions.”

Dr. Cheryl Thaxton
DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP
Associate Dean & Chair for Graduate Studies
HSC College of Nursing

Advance your knowledge of chronic diseases from pathophysiology to management.

Chronic disease management is a growing challenge for health care providers, resulting in more complex patient cases. According to the CDC, of the $4.5 trillion spent on health care, 90% is for chronic and mental health conditions.

Enhance your knowledge of chronic diseases and their impact on communities while earning 12 graduate level credit hours.

You’ll explore chronic diseases from the lens of epidemiology, pathophysiology, behavior management, implementation science and digital technology.

Program length

• Four, eight-week courses over two semesters (12 graduate credit hours)

Program delivery

• Online, asynchronous

Program courses

• NURS 5311: Advanced Management of Chronic Disease I
• NURS 5312: Advanced Management of Chronic Disease II
• NURS 5313: Epidemiology and Implementation Science
• NURS 5314: Application of Digital Technologies and Innovation in Management of Chronic Diseases

Upon completion of the certificate, students earning a grade of B or better in each course who are admitted to the MSN in Nursing Practice Innovation program may apply all 12 credit hours to their degree.

Application deadline: May 12, 2025

Broaden your knowledge of quality improvement methodologies, patient safety concerns, evidence-based practice and regulatory guidelines in health care.

Patient safety is the cornerstone of high-quality health care that includes supporting the patients’ whole health and well-being.

The Patient Safety certificate empowers health care professionals with the knowledge and skills to identify risks, implement best practices and foster a culture of safety across all health care settings.

Course topics include: principles of safety and risk management, measurement of quality care, health care regulation and ethical standards related to patient safety.

Program length

• Four, eight-week courses over two semesters (12 graduate credit hours)

Program delivery

• Online, asynchronous

Program courses

• NURS 5336 : Creating a Culture of Safety
• NURS 5337: Quality, Safety, and Risk Management
• NURS 5338: Performance Standards in Health Care Quality
• NURS 5339: Regulations in Health Care

Upon completion of the certificate, students earning a grade of B or better in each course who are admitted to the MSN in NPI program may apply all 12 credit hours to their degree.

Application deadline: May 12, 2025

Position yourself as a leader in palliative and hospice nursing, enhancing your professional impact and opening doors to specialized nursing roles in clinics, hospitals, and community settings.

HSC’s graduate certificate in Palliative and Hospice Care equips health care professionals with the expertise to deliver compassionate, patient-centered care that supports individuals and their families during life’s most challenging moments.

This graduate-level certificate program highlights palliative and hospice care communications skills, ethical decision-making, advanced pain and symptom management, disease trajectories, advance care planning and end-of-life care.

Program length

Four, eight-week courses over two semesters (12 graduate credit hours)

Program delivery

Online, asynchronous

Program courses

• NURS 5348: Palliative & Hospice Nursing I: Evidence-based Communication Strategies and Ethical Considerations
• NURS 5349: Palliative & Hospice Nursing II: Disease Trajectories and Advanced Care Planning
• NURS 5350: Pain and Symptom Management
• NURS 5351: End-of-Life Care Across the Lifespan

Upon completion of the certificate, students earning a grade of B or better in each course who are admitted to the MSN in Nursing Practice Innovation program may apply all 12 credit hours to their degree.

Application deadline: May 12, 2025

Lead the future of health care education: Earn a graduate certificate in simulation to advance skills, improve patient care and excel in health education.

HSC’s Simulation in Health Care and Nursing Graduate Certificate is suited for any health care professional interested in using simulation to help improve patient care and decrease skill decay for underutilized skills.

Learn from a globally recognized leader in health care simulation education in this graduate-level certificate program.

By gaining knowledge in simulation, you will become more familiar with simulation technology, which may increase your career marketability in academic, simulation and clinical educator roles.

Program length

• Four, eight-week courses over two semesters (12 graduate credit hours)

Program delivery

• Online, asynchronous

Program courses

• NURS 5344: The Basics of Simulation Learning in Health Care
• NURS 5345: Theoretical Foundations in Simulation Learning
• NURS 5346: Advanced Concepts of Simulation Learning in Health Care
• NURS 5347: Applied Simulation Operations in Nursing

Upon completion of the certificate, students earning a grade of B or better in each course who are admitted to the MSN in Nursing Practice Innovation program may apply all 12 credit hours to their degree.

Application deadline: May 12, 2025

In the era of A.I., technology is dominating health care delivery systems. Our Digital Health Innovation graduate certificate positions nurses and other clinicians to be at the forefront of digital health innovation and leadership.

Our graduate certificate will help you gain skills in digital methodology, data analysis and the use of artificial intelligence to improve outcomes, enhance patient engagement and drive innovation.

Designed for forward-thinking professionals, this certification offers insights into emerging technologies, change management and the ethical considerations of digital health adoption. Taught by academic and industry leaders, our program prepares you to champion innovation and drive meaningful change in health care settings.

Program length

• Four, eight-week courses over two semesters (12 graduate credit hours)

Program delivery

• Online, asynchronous

Program courses

• NURS 5329 Foundations of Digital Health Methods, Ethics and Leadership
• NURS 5322 Sociocultural and Environmental Determinants of Health
• NURS 5321 Applied Epidemiology for Health Care Innovation
• NURS 5330 Digital Health Innovation for Health Management

Upon completion of the certificate, students earning a grade of B or better in each course who are admitted to the MSN in Nursing Practice Innovation program may apply all 12 credit hours to their degree.

Application deadline: May 12, 2025

Working professionals can now advance their public health training with HSC’s flexible and convenient online Public Health Graduate Certificate.

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Identify theoretical approaches used in facilitating behavioral, social and cultural changes needed for improving population health.
• Apply basic biostatistics in research design and data analysis.
• Discuss the environmental (physical, chemical and biological) determinants of health.
• Identify how epidemiology contributes to the identification, assessment, evaluation and prevention of disease at the population level.
• Discuss health management and policy and the impact of delivery, quality and costs of health care for individuals and populations.

Program length

• Four, eight-week courses (12 graduate certificate hours)

Program delivery

• Online

Program courses

• BACH 5300 Theoretical Foundations of Individuals and Community Health
• BIOS 5300 Principles of Biostatistics
• EOHS 5300 Environmental Determinants of Health I
• EPID 5300 Principles of Epidemiology

Upon completion of the certificate, students earning a grade of B or better in each course who are admitted to the MPH program may apply all 12 credit hours to their degree.

HSC’s iTEACH microcredential is training nurse educators to increase nurse competency and nursing faculty. Supporting nurse preceptors improves the retention of novice nurses, and experienced, qualified RN preceptors can help grow the workforce.

• Eight-week program (Four, two-week modules)
• Guest lecturers include internationally renowned educators and simulationists.
• Four-hour hands-on practice at HSC’s Regional Simulation Center
• Modules include:
  • Promoting Active and Engaged Learning
  • Fostering Student-Faculty/Preceptor Engagement for Enhanced Learning
  • Cultivating Collaborative Learning and Teamwork
  • Providing Timely and Constructive Feedback

“My biggest takeaway from iTEACH is there are so many different ways to teach our students to really apply what they know into practice. A lot of the basic foundational knowledge I did not have. So iTEACH really gave me a lot of that foundational knowledge I needed to be the best educator I can be.”

Yvette Valadez
Pathway and Magnet Program Director
VA North Texas Health Care Center

Click below to receive updates on the program and registration information.

Our new forensic nursing microcredential is training registered nurses how to provide forensic exams and high-quality, trauma-informed care to sexual assault and domestic violence survivors. Created to address the shortage of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) in North Texas, the program is funded through a $1.5 million federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

• 40 hours adult/adolescent sexual assault nurse examiner education (in person)
• High-fidelity sexual assault exam and strangulation assessment simulation using standardized patients in HSC’s state-of-the-art Regional Simulation Center
• Court testimony simulation in mock courtroom space
• Assistance with preceptor placement
• Community of practice to support provider resilience and wellbeing
• Receive a $5,000 award toward tuition in our RN to BSN or MSN programs

“For nurses called to provide care to patients experiencing interpersonal violence, a microcredential in forensic nursing is not just a great career step, but a pathway to becoming a healing presence. In the care of a well-prepared forensic nurse, patients will receive not only excellent medical treatment, but dignity, empowerment and the first steps toward healing.”

Nancy R. Downing
PhD, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P, FAAN
Professor
HSC College of Nursing

RNs who want to become SANEs can receive a stipend toward tuition for HSC’s RN to BSN, MSN in Practice Innovation or MSN in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs.

Click below to receive updates on the program and registration information.