Advanced Practice Nursing - D.N.P. Download to print

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree prepares advanced practice nurses (APRN) to become clinical scholars. Students will develop leadership skills to effect health outcomes for individuals and populations by translating scientific evidence into clinical interventions, managing healthcare systems, and collaborating with other health care providers.

Applicants to the Advanced Practice Nursing program must have:

• An active, unrestricted RN license in the state in which practica will be completed
• A current national APRN certification. Proof of the appropriate licensure must be obtained within the first semester of the student's program. or prior to beginning practicum hours, whichever comes first
• A master's degree from a CCNE or NLNAC accredited advanced practice program with a minimum overall 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 point scale
• The successful completion of an undergraduate or graduate level statistics course
• GRE scores
• Professional experience in nursing as evidenced by: a resume or curriculum vitae and a pre-admission interview
• Three letters of reference from a health care professional or academic faculty who can speak to the applicant's professional and academic abilities
• Completion of a 300-word essay describing professional goals and reasons for seeking the professional practice doctorate
• International applicants must show evidence of one of the following:
  • a minimum internet TOEFL score of 83
  • a paper based TOEFL score of 560
  • a MELAB score of 78
  • a PTE minimum score of 55 or a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 for admission

Students selected for admission to the nursing program must meet the College of Nursing's Clinical Compliance Policy

For more information about graduate admission, please visit the Graduate Studies website.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) degree in Advanced Practice Nursing is comprised of 30 credits of DNP courses and 525 clinical practice hours. In addition to completion of the DNP program with a grade point average of at least 3.000, the student must complete and successfully defend a Scholarly Project to a committee that minimally includes the academic advisor and a preceptor in the healthcare community. The project must result in a manuscript suitable for publication.

Grade Point Requirement
Students must earn a course greade of B (3.000) or higher. Prior to retaking the course, the student cannot take other coures requiring it as a prerequisite. If the student retakes the course and does not earn a B (3.000) grade, he/she may be dismissed from the DNP program.

Scholarly Paper/Project
NURS 74392 Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project Practicum IV, must be completed prior to the defense of the Scholarly Project. Successful defense of the Scholarly Project is required for graduation.

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Develop systems and strategies to promote health and fiscal outcomes across the healthcare continuum.
2. Provide expert, advanced nursing care to select populations within a variety of settings based on evidence, ethics, theory, professional standards and models of care.
3. Provide leadership and interdisciplinary consultation and collaboration to plan,implement and evaluate programs of care delivery to improve health outcomes.
4. Synthesize and translate evidence for implementation and dissemination to improve healthcare outcomes.

The College of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education