Health Education, Nurse Educator with three nursing students

The health professional education certificate is a collaborative program between the School of Nursing, School of Biomedical Sciences & Health Care Administration, School of Education and the School of Rehabilitation Sciences & Technology.

The certificate provides health professionals with a stronger foundation in educational principles and theory. Certificate holders will be better prepared to educate patients as well as students and staff in health professions. This program is open to students simultaneously enrolled in a graduate degree program, as well as to health professionals who have completed a baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degree.

Program Type

Graduate Certificate

Program Format

On Campus

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The Health Professional Education Certificate at UW-Milwaukee leads health care professionals to explore and understand educational theory and practices.

Gainful Employment

This certificate program is subject to federal gainful employment regulations.

Due to new federal financial aid regulations, beginning with the summer 2017 term, students who had not previously been awarded federal financial aid at UWM and are enrolled in a standalone certificate program will no longer be eligible for federal Title IV aid. Students in a standalone certificate program who are seeking financial assistance may be eligible for private loans. Private loans are not guaranteed as they are subject to lender approval including a credit check.

FastChoice is a tool that will help you learn what to look for when shopping for a private loan. At the end of the short tutorial, it will provide a comparison shopping tool allowing you to sort, filter, and compare up to five lenders at one time.

Upon applying for the loan of your choice and being approved, the UWM Financial Aid Office will be notified by the lender to provide enrollment information. At such time the loan will be added to your financial aid award.

For previously enrolled students who have been awarded federal financial aid, see the Gainful Employment Certificate Disclosure Information: Gainful Employment Certificate Disclosure Information.

The certificate requires the completion of five courses (15 credits). All students are required to complete two core courses (six credits), one course in the area of curriculum/program planning and evaluation (three credits), one course in teaching/instructional strategies (three credits) and one elective course (three credits).

Required Core Courses

CourseCourse NumberCredits
Principles and Foundations of Adult EducationAD LDSP 757 (657)3
Practicum & Seminar in Health Professional EducationNURS 7313

Curriculum/Program Planning and Evaluation Course

Students must select one course (3 credits) from the following:

CourseCourse NumberCredits
Program Planning in Adult EducationAD LDSP 6673
Coordination of Staff Development and Training ProgramsAD LDSP 6073
Evaluation of Adult Education and Training ProgramsAD LDSP 6473
Curriculum Development in Nursing EducationNURS 7523

Teaching/Instructional Strategies

Students must select one course (three credits) from the following:

CourseCourse NumberCredits
Instructional Design and Teaching StrategiesAD LDSP 6873
Using Technology with the Adult LearnerAD LDSP 7073
Seminar in Adult and Organizational LearningAD LDSP 8273
Instructional Strategies for Patient EducationNURS 7053

Elective Courses

Students must select one additional course (three credits) from above or:

CourseCourse NumberCredits
Seminar in Continuing Education in the ProfessionsAD LDSP 8673
Administration of Adult Education ProgramsAD LDSP 7873
Planning & Implementing Education Program for Older AdultsAD LDSP 5473
Changing Health BehaviorsNURS 7643
Teaching in a Practice DisciplineNURS 7513

Applicants are admitted to the certificate program in one of three categories:
post-baccalaureate, current student in a UWM graduate health profession program, or postgraduate student.

  • Post-baccalaureate students must have completed a bachelor’s degree in a health profession discipline with a grade point average of 2.75 or above (4.0 scale) and not be currently enrolled in a graduate degree program at UWM.
  • The admission requirements of the health professional education certificate for students enrolled in good standing in a UWM graduate health profession program are consistent with those requirements specified by the program.
  • Postgraduate students must have completed a graduate degree in a health profession or related discipline with a grade point average of 3.0 or above (4.0 scale).

Grade Point Average Requirement

A minimum cumulative 3.0 grade point average in certificate courses taken at UWM is required.

Transfer Credit

No more than 20% of the required credits may be taken at an institution other than UWM. These courses are subject to Graduate School transfer policy and must be approved by the director of the certificate program.

Articulation with Degree Programs

Credits and courses required for a certificate may double count toward meeting UWM graduate degree requirements subject to the following restrictions:

  • Degree programs must approve the courses from certificates that can double count toward the degree.
  • All credits taken in completion of certificate requirements may count toward a UWM graduate degree as long as they do not contribute more than 90% of the total credits needed to obtain the degree. (Note: Students in PhD programs must still complete the minimum residency requirements.) Certificate courses used toward meeting degree requirements must be completed within the time limit for transfer credit.

Courses completed for a degree may be counted toward a subsequent certificate, subject to all certificate policy requirements.

A course may count toward no more than one certificate and one degree.

Students may not earn a certificate subsequent to a concentration in the same area.

  • Students wishing to obtain this certificate must declare their intention by applying to the program office or director.
  • All graduate certificate applicants-even those already enrolled in a UWM graduate progra-—must apply to the Graduate School through the Panthera admission application.
  • Graduate degree and previously admitted graduate nondegree students who decide to pursue a certificate program must submit the Panthera application before completing six credits in the certificate sequence.

Time Limit

Certificate program time limits shall be established as follows:

  • 18 or fewer credits/Three years from initial enrollment in the certificate sequence.
  • 19 or more credits/Four years from initial enrollment in the certificate sequence.

For certificates that are designed as add-ons to degree programs and are awarded concurrent with the degree, the time limit shall be the same as that of the degree program.

Jennifer Daood
  • Graduate Program Manager