Nursing Practice, Doctor of

(39 credits) 

The Doctor of Nursing Practice Program requires 85 post baccalaureate graduate credit hours and a total of 1,200 hours of supervised clinical preceptorship. A post-master’s nurse who enters the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program is required to complete 39 credit hours.

Students must have a completed master’s degree with a major in nursing to be eligible to enroll in the program. They may apply a maximum of 48 graduate credits and 700 hours of formal clinical supervised hours from their master’s degree toward the doctoral degree requirements. Consistent with other doctor of nursing practice programs, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty, there is no dissertation requirement.

Applicants must meet the admission requirements for the College of Graduate and Professional Studies and have the following requirements: 

• Earned master’s degree in nursing from a nationally accredited program of nursing.
• Minimum of two years nursing experience.
• GPA 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale in graduate studies
• Current unencumbered licensure as a registered nurse in the state in which practice will occur for all applicants.
• National certification for all nurse practitioner applicants.
• Successful completion of a graduate statistics and research courses.
• Resume or CV.
• Three letters of reference pertaining to academic ability (One academic letter and two professional).
• DNP Goal Statement.
• Non-Nurse Practitioner applicants will submit a digital portfolio of professional practice that highlights and provides evidence of educational, professional and community activities, including scholarly work(s).
• Telephone or in-person interview may be required as part of the admission process
• If English is second language, evidence of TOEFL score ≥ 550
• Meet all health clearance, criminal background checks, and other requirements for clinical practice