TTUHSC's post-graduate nurse practitioner certificates
TTUHSC runs three post-graduate NP certificates, in family practice, adult-gerontology acute care and psychiatric mental health, each with a plan built for the individual student and clinical courses drawn from the matching MSN track. As in the MSN, you bring the preceptor and TTUHSC approves both the preceptor and the site. We find that preceptor near you and prepare the details approval needs.
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Tell us your TTUHSC program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your TTUHSC course.
Three NP certificates at a glance
The 2026-27 catalog lists three nurse practitioner certificates for nurses who already hold a graduate nursing credential, plus a nurse-midwifery certificate covered in our post-graduate midwifery guide. A pediatric NP certificate does not appear in the catalog or on TTUHSC's program list. CCNE accredits TTUHSC's post-graduate APRN certificate program alongside its BSN, MSN and DNP.
TTUHSC prints each certificate's credits as a ceiling because the plans are individualized. Your admitted plan, not the published list, decides which courses you take and in what order.
| Certificate | Credits listed | Clinical courses | Entry experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family NP | Up to 36 | NURS 5540, NURS 5641, NURS 6660 | Master's-prepared RN, 1 year of RN experience, ACLS |
| Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP | Up to 38 | NURS 5460, NURS 5561, NURS 6652, NURS 6400 | 1 year of acute care, ICU or emergency RN work within 5 years, ACLS |
| Psychiatric Mental Health NP | Catalog 28 or 40; website up to 41 | Catalog: NURS 5120, NURS 6500 | An MSN; separate versions for current APRNs and for non-APRNs |
Individualized plans and your clinical timing
TTUHSC's catalog says plans of study for post-graduate students are individualized. In practice that means two certificate students admitted in the same term can reach their first clinical course at different points, because each plan is built for the person holding it.
Confirm the entry term with the Admissions Team, and ask your advisor for the semester-by-semester plan as soon as it is issued. Once you know which term holds your first clinical course, count back and begin the preceptor search well ahead of it.
Readiness items follow the track. Family and acute care students must hold ACLS by the time their first specialty clinical course begins, BLS applies to everyone, and the usual TTUHSC clearance applies: background check, drug screens, immunizations, yearly HIPAA training and health insurance for online programs with clinical work.
An individualized plan can put a clinical course earlier than you expect, so request your plan in writing before assuming you have a year to search.
Family NP certificate: its own course numbers
The FNP certificate's clinical run is three courses: NURS 5540 Primary Health Care I, NURS 5641 Primary Health Care II and NURS 6660 Family Nurse Practitioner Practicum. The practicum is shared with the MSN, but the first two carry different numbers from the MSN plan, which uses Primary Care I and NURS 5541 Primary Care II. Keep the certificate numbers in front of you when you talk to a preceptor or fill out an agreement.
Around those courses the published list includes well-child foundations, role and leadership essentials, advanced health assessment and diagnostic reasoning, pharmacotherapeutics, pathophysiology and mental health in primary care. NURS 6660 lists current ACLS as a prerequisite. The FNP clinical courses guide sets out the full FNP sequence, MSN and certificate side by side.
AGACNP certificate: the same four acute care courses
Certificate students in adult-gerontology acute care take the same clinical courses as the MSN: NURS 5460 Adult-Gerontology Acute Care I, NURS 5561 Acute Care II, NURS 6652 the Acute Care Practicum and NURS 6400 the Acute Care Immersion. Applicants need a year or more as an RN in acute care, intensive care or emergency work, inside the last five years.
The two program pages disagree on weekly clinical hours. For three of those courses, the certificate page prints a different number of clinical hours per week than the MSN page. TTUHSC gives no reason. One possible factor is the catalog's shift of NP clinical courses to 4.25 clock hours per credit, phased in by track from Summer or Fall 2026, though TTUHSC does not tie the two together. Your course faculty confirm which figure applies to your section, and the AGACNP clinical courses guide covers the four courses in more depth.
PMHNP certificate: three versions and a credit conflict
The catalog carries the psychiatric certificate in three forms. Current APRNs take a 28-credit version. Nurses who are not yet APRNs take a 40-credit version that adds advanced health assessment, pharmacotherapeutics and pathophysiology. A third option joins the 28-credit certificate to the Post-Master's DNP for APRNs certified in another population, with admission to the doctoral side decided through a separate application; see our Post-Master's DNP guide.
The website shows a single page, lists the certificate at up to 41 credits and sends readers to the School of Nursing for the curriculum. Treat 28 or 40 from the catalog as the official figures and confirm your version with Admissions.
Clinical courses are the other open question. The catalog names NURS 5120 Specialty Practice for the PMHNP and NURS 6500, a course on managing complex psychiatric patients across the lifespan, while the MSN web plan lays out three different rotations. The PMHNP rotations guide compares them; your program director settles which your plan uses.
Who finds the certificate preceptor
TTUHSC's graduate FAQ assigns the job of securing preceptors to the student, and nothing on the FNP, AGACNP or PMHNP certificate pages sets up a different arrangement. An older, now archived TTUHSC post-graduate page spoke of clinical learning guided by preceptors close to where each student lives.
The approval side mirrors the MSN. Two approvals come from SON staff and faculty, one for the clinician and one for the site, each term brings a new electronic agreement for every preceptor, and enrolled graduate students can start from TTUHSC's record of preceptors used in recent years. Our guide to finding your own preceptor covers the whole path.
If you live outside Texas, check TTUHSC's licensure disclosure for your state, and keep in mind that a move to another state while enrolled online needs at least 60 days' warning to TTUHSC.
Why certificate students choose us
A certificate is usually studied around a working schedule, which leaves little room for cold calls to clinics. We take the search off your hands: we look near where you live for family practice, acute care or psychiatric preceptors whose settings fit the course on your plan, and we verify license, certification and practice details before anything goes to TTUHSC.
We also compile the site details reviewers ask about, prepare each term's electronic agreement content, and work ahead of the calendar so approval is straightforward. If a preceptor steps away, we find a replacement. The final call belongs to TTUHSC's staff and faculty; our part is handing them a file that needs no second round. Tell us which certificate you are in, and share your plan, via the contact page.
Questions TTUHSC students ask
How many credits is TTUHSC's post-graduate FNP certificate?
TTUHSC lists it at up to 36 credit hours. The number is a ceiling, since plans for post-graduate students are individualized. The published plan includes three clinical courses, NURS 5540, NURS 5641 and NURS 6660, along with didactic courses; your advisor confirms which courses your own plan contains.
Do post-graduate certificate students find their own preceptors at TTUHSC?
Plan on it. TTUHSC's graduate FAQ places the preceptor search with graduate students, and the FNP, AGACNP and PMHNP certificate pages set out no different arrangement. Every clinician and site still needs SON approval, and the agreement is renewed each term. Midwifery works differently, with placement that TTUHSC coordinates.
Can a current APRN add a PMHNP certificate and a DNP together?
Yes, through a combined route in the 2026-27 catalog: the PMHNP certificate plus the Post-Master's DNP, for APRNs already certified in a different population. The certificate portion is 28 credits, and the doctoral portion has its own application and admission decision. Ask the Admissions Team how the two plans fit together before you apply.
When does the first clinical course fall in a TTUHSC NP certificate?
It depends on your individualized plan, so the first clinical term is known only once TTUHSC issues it. Ask for the plan early, mark the clinical semesters, and start looking for a preceptor and facility well before the first one. Family and acute care students should also have ACLS in place before that first specialty clinical.
Are the certificate clinical courses the same as the MSN courses?
Mostly. The AGACNP certificate uses the same four acute care courses as the MSN, though the two pages print different weekly clinical hours. The FNP certificate shares NURS 6660 with the MSN but numbers Primary Health Care I and II differently. PMHNP clinical courses differ between the catalog and the MSN web plan.
Can you find preceptors for a TTUHSC post-graduate certificate?
Yes. Tell us your certificate and the course on your plan, and we look near where you live for FNP, AGACNP or PMHNP preceptors whose settings fit it, confirm their credentials and practice details, and prepare what TTUHSC's approval and electronic agreement ask for. TTUHSC's staff and faculty approve every preceptor and facility, and we stay on call if one withdraws.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-26
We check these pages against TTUHSC's catalog, Student Handbook, program pages and licensure disclosures. Your course faculty, your program director and the plan of study for your cohort have the final word.
- TTUHSC 2026-27 Catalog: Family Nurse Practitioner Post-Graduate Certificate
- TTUHSC 2026-27 Catalog: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP Post-Graduate Certificate
- TTUHSC 2026-27 Catalog: PMHNP Post-Graduate Certificate (current APRN)
- TTUHSC Post-Graduate Psychiatric Mental Health NP program page
- TTUHSC SON Graduate FAQ (archived April 2026)
Your TTUHSC preceptor search, run by specialists.
Tell us your TTUHSC track, your next clinical course and the town you'll train near. We find preceptors who fit the course and pull together what SON staff and faculty need to approve both the clinician and the facility, early enough for the electronic preceptor agreement to go through before the term.
- Preceptors matched to the track: family primary care, adult-gerontology acute care, pediatrics, psychiatric mental health
- License, certification and facility details ready for TTUHSC's preceptor and facility approval
- In Lubbock, Amarillo, Abilene, the Permian Basin, Dallas-Fort Worth and the states TTUHSC accepts
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