Hospice and Palliative Care, Certificate
Improve the lives of older adults and those facing serious illness. You'll build skills and competencies to provide necessary care, and expand your opportunities for employment.
Quick facts
Locations
Credits
Additional facts
Accreditation
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Certificate description
Hospice and Palliative Care undergraduate certificate description
The certificate program in hospice and palliative care provides you with the skills you need to be a health and health care worker that leads and manages chronic and end-of-life care in a variety of settings, including home health care.
You learn from interprofessional instructors who are involved in hospice and palliative care as physicians, social workers, nurses and bereavement counselors. These professionals work with children and adults, as well as palliative care and hospice patients.
Through this program, you:
- complete an internship at Hospice of the Valley, where you can help address the nonclinical care needs of patients and their families
- explore how contemporary issues are burdening the health care system under its current structure
- have the opportunity to shadow health professionals and learn about their roles through field experience at a health care facility
- learn through evidence-based research and the most advanced technology in hospice and palliative care
- receive specialized instruction on dementia and Alzheimer's disease
Why earn a hospice and palliative care undergraduate certificate at ASU?
Many undergraduate health programs offer only limited exposure to hospice and palliative care, even as demand keeps rising for professionals with real expertise in serious illness and end-of-life care. This certificate gives you a dedicated path to that knowledge.
Courses
This undergraduate certificate includes courses focused on a specialized topic, so you can advance your skills for further professional opportunities. Explore all courses below:
2026-2027 Catalog Year
The certificate requires 18 credit hours. A "C" minimum is required for all courses in the certificate, although students must maintain a 3.00 GPA in the post-baccalaureate certificate program.
| Requirement | Minimum grade | Credit hours |
|---|---|---|
|
The certificate in hospice and palliative care consists of 18 credit hours, of which 12 must be upper division. A minimum grade of "C" (2.00 on a 4.00 scale) is required for each course, with the exception of MED 484, which is graded on a satisfactory basis.
|
||
|
MED 325 Elements of Hospice and Palliative Care
3 credit hours
Minimum
grade:C
|
C | 3 |
|
MED 375 Alzheimer's and Other Dementias
3 credit hours
Minimum
grade:C
|
C | 3 |
|
MED 475 Palliative Care: Managing Complex Serious Illness
3 credit hours
Minimum
grade:C
|
C | 3 |
|
MED 484 Internship
This course is directed by Dr. Gillian Hamilton at Hospice of the Valley. A cumulative ASU GPA of 3.00 or higher is required to enroll.
3 credit hours
Minimum
grade:Y
|
Y | 3 |
|
6 credit hours
Minimum
grade:C
|
C | 6 |
|
Prerequisite courses may be needed in order to complete the requirements of this certificate.
|
What you'll learn
The following learning outcomes highlight some of the knowledge and skills you'll develop to support your future success.
- Analyze the health consequences of chronic disease and impact on patients during end of life care.
- Formulate decisions in accordance with ethical and legal principles of the hospice and palliative care field in assigned projects.
Analyze the health consequences of chronic disease and impact on patients during end of life care. Enrollment requirements
GPA Requirement: 3.00
Incompatible Majors: None
Other Enrollment Requirements: None
A student pursuing an undergraduate certificate must be enrolled as a degree-seeking student at ASU. Undergraduate certificates are not awarded before the completion of an undergraduate degree. A student who already holds an undergraduate degree may pursue an undergraduate certificate as a nondegree-seeking graduate student.
Here are the admission and application details
Paying for college
Use our calculator to estimate your full-time or part-time tuition fees for this program prior to any financial aid. Keep in mind that most of our students receive financial aid, which can reduce out-of-pocket costs.
Get an estimateCareer opportunities
Careers this hospice and palliative care undergraduate certificate prepares you for
Graduates with this certificate have gained in-depth experience in health care settings and specialized training in hospice and palliative care.
Those who wish to pursue admission to medical school or other professional programs --- such as dental, pharmacy or optometry school --- can leverage this certificate as an additional credential to strengthen their application.
Contact information
Use the contact information below to get in touch if you're a current student or have general questions.
School of Clinical Health Sciences
|
HLTHN 401AA
chs@asu.edu
602-496-3300
Frequently asked questions about degree programs
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
