Post-Master's
Gerontological Nursing Curriculum Overview

The program of study combines online courses with face-to-face courses and clinical experiences offering flexibility to students. The curriculum includes 28 to 30 semester hours distributed as shown below. Applicants may submit transcripts to receive equivalency credit for advanced practice core courses. Requirements for the degree depend upon the chosen functional role. Students must choose a functional role of Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) or Nurse Practitioner (NP). The curriculum is designed for prospective students who are advanced practice nurses. Individuals who are not advanced practice nurses should consult with the director of the Gerontological Nursing clinical concentration.

Course # Course Title CNS Hours NP Hours
Advanced Practice Core
N5529 Pharmacology for Advanced Practice Nursing† 3 3
N6151 Advanced Pathophysiology† 3 3
N6152 Physical Exam and Differential Diagnosis† 3 3
N6156 W Advanced Practice Role and Health Policy* 1 1
N6157 W Health Promotion and Education* 1 1
N6158 W Legal and Ethical Foundations for Advanced Practice* 1 1
N6159 W Health Care Systems and Practice Management*   1
 
Clinical Focus
N6551 Diagnostic Tests and Procedures    
N6724 Roles and Competencies for Clinical Nurse Specialist Practice 1  
N6312 W Gerontology I: Physiology and Social Issues in Aging* 1 1
N6313 W Gerontology I: Primary Care and Pharmacotherapeutics in Aging† 1 1
N6555 Gerontology II: Chronic Disease Management† 2 2
N5551 W Gerontology III: Syndromes in Aging† 2 2
N6721 C CNS Clinical Practicum I — Gerontology 2  
N6722 C CNS Clinical Practicum II — Gerontology 2  
N6723 C CNS Clinical Practicum III — Gerontology 2  
 
Role Seminar/Preceptorship
N6720 C Clinical Nurse Specialist Role Preceptorship — Gerontology 5  
N6754 Advanced Clinical Practice: Nurse Practitioner Role & Preceptorship — Gerontology††   8
Total 30 27
†† N6754 preceptorship is calculated as 1 credit hour of clinical = 4.6 contact hours per week
† Blended Course – course has a mix of online and traditional face-to-face activities.
* Online course.


Each student will be assigned an academic advisor at the time of admission to the program. The student and the academic advisor will complete a plan to specify which courses are to be taken to complete the certificate requirements.

Note: 1 semester hour of credit is earned for

  • 3 clock hours per week of clinical experience,
  • 1 clock hour per week of lecture, or
  • 2 clock hours per week of seminar.

Consult individual course descriptions in the catalog for details on clinical, lecture, and seminar hours and prerequisite or corequisite requirements.

For additional details on preceptorships, review the Preceptor Guidelines(pdf) which provide an outline of preceptor and clinical site selection criteria and the roles and responsibilities of the student, preceptor, faculty, and clinical site in the precepted clinical experience.

§ The University of Texas School of Nursing at Houston and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston reserve the right to withdraw courses at any time, to change fees or tuition, calendar, curriculum, degree requirements, graduation procedures, and any other requirements affecting students. Changes will become effective whenever the proper authorities so determine and will apply to both prospective students and those already enrolled.

Additional Information

For more information:

Student Affairs Office
The University of Texas School of Nursing at Houston
6901 Bertner, Room 220
Houston, Texas 77030
Phone: 713-500-2100 or 800-232-8876
Fax: 713-500-2107
Email: soninfo@uth.tmc.edu