Graduate Certificate FAQs

The GPA is calculated on the last two years of full-time study or the last 20 half course equivalents of the bachelor’s degree.

Please contact the Graduate Programs Office

A minimum number of practice hours are not required.

No, there are no in person sessions or clinical sessions for the graduate certificates.

Once admitted into the Advanced Nursing Practice I program, does it mean I am automatically enrolled in the Advanced Nursing Practice II Master of Nursing Certificate?
 
No, Advanced Nursing Practice I, Advanced Nursing Practice II, and Master of Nursing Course-based are all stand-alone programs. Students need to apply for Graduation at the end of each program. When you complete Advanced Nursing Practice I, you need to meet the academic requirements to be eligible to apply for Advanced Nursing Practice II.

Students who successfully complete one specialization of the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice I, a second specialization of the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice II, and meet the academic requirements will be eligible to apply for admission into the Master of Nursing course based program.

The application process is competitive and acceptance is not automatic.

English is the official language of instruction at the University of Calgary.

For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English submit a minimum:

• TOEFL score of 97 (Internet-based test);
• IELTS score of 7.0;
• PTE score of 68; or
• CAEL overall score of 70 (no less than 70 on reading and writing sections).
• This requirement can also be met by completing the Academic Communication Certificate  with a minimum grade of "A-" in writing courses.

References are not required for applications to the graduate certificate programs or the MN course-based laddered program.

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We will accept late documents only within a short time frame. You must notify the Graduate Programs Office of your intentions, otherwise your application will be closed.

Applications must be submitted online using the Graduate Studies Web Application. 

Access to the online application can be found near the bottom of the Graduate Certificate MN Program information page, under “I’m ready to apply.” when the portal opens each term.

Applicants must request official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended (including transcripts from the institutions where the degree was awarded, from any institution where any transfer credit was received towards a program of study, or from where any independent coursework was taken) The transcript must be received by the Graduate Program Office in a sealed envelope from the originating institution with its logo on it. Applicants must not open the envelope or it will be deemed unofficial.

Official hard copy transcripts can be sent to the attention of:

Faculty of Graduate Studies
University of Calgary ES 1010
2500 University Drive NW
Calgary, AB T2N 1N4
Canada

Electronic transcripts are now being accepted, please forward to:

Unofficial transcripts may be uploaded to the online application as an interim placeholder for evaluation purposes.

Applicants must request official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended (including transcripts from the institutions where the degree was awarded, from any institution where any transfer credit was received towards a program of study, or from where any independent coursework was taken) The transcript must be received by the Graduate Program Office in a sealed envelope from the originating institution with its logo on it. Applicants must not open the envelope or it will be deemed unofficial.

Official hard copy transcripts can be sent to the attention of:

Faculty of Graduate Studies
University of Calgary ES 1010
2500 University Drive NW
Calgary, AB T2N 1N4
Canada

Electronic transcripts are now being accepted, please forward to:

Applicants will be notified by email of their admission. 

Check your status on myUCalgary Student Centre.

Admission can be deferred up to one year with the permission of the Associate Dean, Graduate Programs at the Faculty of Nursing.

Please contact Graduate Programs Office

Applicants are asked indicate their first choice in area of specialization and an alternative choice should their first choice be full.

Enrollment into specializations is on a first come, first served basis, with the following exceptions:

• Those who were unable to get their first choice of specialization for the Advanced Nursing Practice Certificate I will be guaranteed it if they re-apply for the Advanced Nursing Practice Certificate II and indicate that same first-choice specialization again.

Students are only allowed to take one specialization at a time.

Enrollment into specializations is on a first come, first served basis (see above.)

Students are only allowed to take two specializations in total (see above.)

Students can expect to commit about 6-10 hours per week.

This will vary depending on the course, the scheduling of assignments, and the student.

Graduate Certificates and the MN course-based program are part-time programs

A few scholarships are now available to part-time students registered in the MN course-based program.

Contact a program specialist for more details. 

Each Graduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice is part-time and takes one year to complete. One course each semester over four standard semesters (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.)

The maximum completion time for each graduate certificate is two years.

The maximum completion time for the Laddered Certificate Pathway to the MN Course-based degree is six years.

Graduate Certificates and MN course-based programs are delivered online.

UCalgary Nursing online courses are delivered through a learning management system called Desire2Learn (D2L) and Zoom.  There are usually both synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous (time-independent) online components to these types of courses.

It’s important you read the course outline to understand the expectations around synchronous and asynchronous learning and plan your schedule accordingly.

Connect days are offered at the early part of each Graduate certificate course.

• Dates for Connect Days and synchronous sessions will be posted before the course starts and available in your Course Outline.
• All courses in this program require students to attend instructor-led Connect Days, which are delivered online at scheduled dates and times (as listed in course outline). Students who do not attend Connect Days will normally be withdrawn from the associated course.
• Synchronous sessions are those ‘class times’ offered throughout the course. 

Students can expect the courses to be more demanding, requiring a higher degree of independent learning, analysis and time commitment.

University of Calgary Information Technology (IT) provides support for D2L users.

• IT Support  or call 403.210-9300, Monday to Friday 8:30-1630 MST. 

Faculty of Nursing online support for students and instructors with issues related to Desire2Learn.

• Technology Integrated Learning Team (TILT), Faculty of Nursing