Cardiology Subspecialty Highlights
Complete in 3 Part-time Semesters
The program consists of two 3-credit-hour didactic courses plus 3 credit hours of lab and immersion experiences.
Online Format
Perfect for working nurse practitioners, the 9-credit hour certificate program includes flexible online learning, supervised clinical practicum and immersive experiences on campus.
Robust Clinical Experience
Students benefit from 210 hours of supervised clinical practicum tailored to their population focus. A three-day cardiology clinical immersion course provides hands-on experience, including intensive clinical skills and simulation experiences.
Specialized Education Beyond a Degree
The subspecialty program provides a rigorous and concentrated educational experience that leads to a certificate of completion—enhancing professional preparation without conferring a new degree.
For NPs Only
Applicants must be certified as family nurse practitioners, adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioners, adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioners or enrolled at Vanderbilt in an FNP, AGACNP or AGPCNP program. Those students may take the cardiology courses as electives to gain specialized expertise in addition to their core NP education
Cardiology Subspecialty Curriculum
Coursework
The curriculum balances online learning with in-person experiences. It deepens knowledge of cardiovascular anatomy, pathophysiology and pharmacology. You will learn advanced cardiovascular assessment, interpretation of diagnostic studies and implementation of guideline-directed therapies. Progressing through the course, you'll build from foundational principles to diagnostic reasoning, case integration and evidence-based decision-making, gaining the knowledge necessary for collaborative cardiovascular care across practice settings.
Content is guided by American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and cardiology-specific NP competencies.
New Expertise
Emphasis is placed on collaboration between cardiovascular team members. Students will develop evidence-based management strategies, the ability to coordinate multidisciplinary plans of care, and skills to support longitudinal disease management.
Outcomes
New Expertise
You’ll learn to diagnose and manage a variety of cardiovascular conditions encountered in clinical practice, including interpreting diagnostic tests and managing complex chronic and acute presentations. You will create and implement patient-centered management plans that incorporate pharmacologic optimization, device therapy and knowledge of procedural interventions.
Career Growth
Cardiology experience is in demand in inpatient, outpatient and transitional care settings. Some projections show increased in employment of up to 46% by 2032.
Work-Life Balance & Compensation
NPs in cardiology report high job satisfaction, with 70% saying they’d choose the same career path again. They cite autonomy, patient relationships, high salaries and work-life balance as aspects they value. Cardiology NPs are among the highest paid nurse practitioners.
Practice Readiness
NPs will be equipped to diagnose and manage cardiovascular conditions in a variety of settings. They’ll be able to develop treatment plans, manage medications, perform and interpret diagnostic tests, and assist with procedures.
Why a Cardiology Subspecialty Certificate?
Increased Demand
The creation of the Post-master’s Cardiology Subspecialty Certificate is driven by an urgent national need to expand the cardiovascular workforce amid rising clinical demand, an aging population and increasing geographic disparities in specialty care access. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality in the United States, yet most nurse practitioner programs provide limited exposure to advanced cardiology.
Greatest Need
More than 85% of rural counties are without cardiologists, despite rural residents having higher risk for heart disease. Graduates can address disparities in access, particularly in underserved areas with limited specialty care and among diverse high-risk populations.
Why choose Vanderbilt?
Drawing on its 100+ years of nursing expertise, Vanderbilt built the cardiology subspecialty certificate to incorporate VUSN’s nationally recognized cardiology expertise, strong academic-clinical partnerships, and commitment to competency-based education and interprofessional collaboration.
Admissions & Tuition
- Master's degree or higher in Adult Gerontology Primary Care, Adult Gerontology Acute Care, or Family Nurse Practitioner; or be a current VUSN student enrolled in one of these programs.
- Recommended GPA of at least 3.0 from an accredited program.
- Current registered nursing and advanced practice nursing license in good standing and ANCC or AANP certification.
- At least one year of APRN practice is preferred; subspecialty experience encouraged.
- A statement of purpose that reflects your understanding of the role and your interest in the subspecialty.
- Three letters of academic and/or professional recommendation. One recommender must hold a master's degree or higher.
- Official or unofficial transcripts from all colleges/universities attended
Tuition for 2025-2026 is $2,057 per credit hour; tuition cost for the dermatology subspecialty certificate is $18,513 over three semesters.
Subspecialty certificate students will be charged student service fees of $66 per semester, for a total of $198. Student service fees cannot be waived.
All subspecialty certificate students must pay a one-time university transcript fee of $100, which covers transcript charges for a lifetime. Vanderbilt alumni have already paid the university transcript fee.
If you have health insurance, please complete this online petition to waive insurance.
Take the Next Step
Request information about the program or contact your admissions counselor.