Palliative Care Graduate Programs
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Grow Your Skills to Support Patients with Serious Illnesses
Build your expertise in palliative care that supports the whole person.
The online palliative care graduate programs offered by the University of Colorado Anschutz are designed to give you the flexibility you need to earn a degree and grow your expertise without putting life on pause. CU Anschutz currently offers an Interprofessional Palliative Care Graduate Certificate (IPCC) and a Master of Science in Palliative Care (MSPC) degree. Both programs feature practical assignments and projects to help you implement new strategies and skills and begin providing consultation and care to patients and caregivers in your geographic area.
Apply by March 1, 2026 and enroll in Fall 2026 classes in order to receive a one-time $500 scholarship.
EXPAND YOUR SKILLS
EXPAND YOUR SKILLS
Expand the skills you already have as a professional to build and support excellent palliative care programs
LEARN FROM PROFESSIONALS
LEARN FROM PROFESSIONALS
Learn from other healthcare and allied health professionals in an interdisciplinary setting
EXPEDITED ROLLING ADMISSIONS
EXPEDITED ROLLING ADMISSIONS
Rolling admissions expedites the decision process by continually evaluating applications
Palliative Care Programs
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Offered BySchool of Medicine
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Tuition In StateCost Per Credit: $829**2025-2026 Tuition for Colorado Resident or WRGP Approved Student
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Tuition Out of StateCost Per Credit: $1214**2025-2026 Tuition
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Application DeadlineMay 1Application Opens September 15, Priority Deadline March 1
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Number of Credit Hours12 for Graduate Certificate, 33 for Master's Program
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Time to Completion10 Months for Graduate Certificate, 22 Months for Master's
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Student to Faculty Ratio4:1
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Course Length8 Weeks
Our Students Can Go Into These Careers
Palliative Care Certificate Program Features
- The Graduate Certificate can transition easily into the Master of Science in Palliative Care degree program with stackable credits
- Designed for full-time professionals with flexible course designs
- Practical coursework helps you improve palliative care in your community and workplace
- Fully online with one virtual weekend intensive for the Graduate Certificate, or two virtual weekend intensives for the Master's program
Find the support and flexibility you need to earn your degree at the University of Colorado. Our team is here to help you take the next steps and see the possibilities in yourself, your future, and your education. Start today by filling out the form on this page.
Accessible Health Science Education for Every Learner
We believe that every student should have the opportunity to earn a world-class degree or certificate — regardless of where they live. CU Anschutz brings the same high quality programs from our campus straight to your home with the Office of Digital Learning. We partner with the campus to provide innovative and unique digital learning experiences that fit into your busy life.
Build Industry-Specific Skills
During your CU Anschutz program, you will learn from and interact with active industry professionals, leaders, researchers, and subject-matter experts who are currently shaping healthcare and public health. Through a hands-on curriculum, collaborative projects, and experiential learning opportunities, you’ll be able to ask questions, get feedback, and build your knowledge alongside a diverse range of faculty and classmates.
Why Should You Choose CU Anschutz
Flexible Lifestyle
Flexible Lifestyle
All of our degree programs are built to be online or hybrid, so you can learn from anywhere in the world and take your courses at a time that works for you.
Global Community
Global Community
As a CU Anschutz student, you'll be connected to a dynamic network of over 480,000 University of Colorado alumni around the world.
Acclaimed Education
Acclaimed Education
When you earn your degree in an online or hybrid format, you'll receive the same world-class education and University of Colorado diploma as our on-campus students
Get All the Details About Our Programs
Attend a virtual information session to learn more about the palliative care programs, including the format, curriculum, outcomes, and faculty. This is a great way to explore your options and see how continuing your education can fit into your life, all in a relaxed, no-pressure environment. Plus, attending an information session will wave your application fee.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Palliative care is available for patients at any stage of a chronic, serious, or life-threatening illness, whereas hospice is offered to patients in the final months of life. Palliative care providers find themselves treating patients across their lifespan. Our palliative care programs will teach you to manage long-term symptoms and pain by integrating both clinical and a psycho-social-spiritual approaches and perspectives.
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The master's degree can help prepare you to take a certification exam. Nurses, social workers, spiritual care providers can take a certification exam through their respective organizations:
- CHPN/ACHPN through HPNA
- APHSW-C through SWHPN
- BCC-PCHAC through BCCI
The master's program is excellent preparation but not required. Physicians may use the MSPC with the Community Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship program to become board-eligible. The Fellowship must be applied to separately from the MSPC.
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The program includes one three-day weekend intensive completed virtually during the third weekend in September. The intensive incorporates experiential learning of communication skills in individual and group settings. It also facilitates networking, meeting faculty, and resilience exercises.
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All MSPC courses are online; most are asynchronous, and students are able to complete their assignments over the course of one week per module. Some assignments are synchronous Zoom video conferences at designated dates/times.
The program includes two three-day weekend intensives completed in virtual synchronous Zoom sessions. The first year includes a three-day virtual synchronous intensive in late September. The second year has an additional three-day virtual synchronous intensive in early August the summer between first and second year. The intensive incorporates experiential learning of communication skills in individual and group settings. Students will also learn macro skills, meet faculty, and complete resilience exercises, including psycho-social, spiritual, legal and ethical modules that pertain to palliative care.
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Students complete the first 12 credit hours of the MSPC program in the graduate certificate program. Upon completion of the IPCC, students may choose to continue their study in the MSPC program. Students who want to continue should contact the program director and administrator for additional details.
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The CHPM is an ACGME-certified palliative care fellowship in which physicians may become board-eligible in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Only physicians enrolled or accepted as students in the MSPC can apply for this program. If physicians are interested, they should apply to the MSPC and will be invited to apply for the CHPM Fellowship. Typically, students must complete the first year of the IPCC/MSPC in order to begin the CHPM fellowship.
The CHPM Fellowship allows mid-career physicians interested in palliative care to pursue a fellowship without leaving their community. The program is 40 credit hours over 2+ years and includes a clinical component within a palliative care/hospice setting. Students are expected to work with their home institution and the CHPM leadership to secure a learning agreement (PLA) prior to beginning the fellowship.