Nursing (D.N.P.)

The online Post Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (PM DNP) program is for nurses with a master’s degree in nursing or another field who bring their own knowledge, interests, expertise, and insights to this leadership specialty. Students build on these assets while focusing on innovative design and implementation in the healthcare setting.

PM DNP admits cohorts twice a year with start dates in January and August. Applicants will be scheduled for a virtual interview when their application is complete. Asynchronous courses are delivered 100% online in 8-week blocks so students may plan their own study times.The PM DNP program can be completed in 2.5 years or in 1.5 years with an accelerated plan of study.

The PM DNP curriculum has 8 core courses and 3 DNP Scholarly Project courses (11 courses; 33 credits). This program has variable credits. Once a student is admitted, a doctoral committee reviews their graduate transcripts and may grant a course waiver for equivalency with one or more DNP core courses. Individual plans of study are created around each student’s needs and interests. Students may apply up to 500 hours earned during their master’s program toward the 1,000 required practicum hours.

Post Master’s DNP program (33 credits; 500 practicum hours)

The online Doctor of Nursing Practice degree (Post-Master’s entry) requires students complete 21-33 credits via 11 courses.  The online DNP program aims to produce graduates prepared to improve health and care outcomes through coursework in organizational and systems leadership, quality improvement processes, and translation of evidence into practice, to name a few.

Degree Requirements

Students are required to successfully complete DNP coursework, have 1,000 documented advanced practice clinical hours (includes up to 500 clinical hours earned in master's program), produce a publishable scholarly paper, and present their DNP Project.

If a student completed fewer than 500 clinical hours in their Master’s program, the student must enroll in NURS 970 Clinical Practicum for Advanced Practice Nurse, under the supervision of the DNP director.  NURS 970 is a 2-credit course and allows the student to complete up to 250 clinical practicum hours; this course may be repeated once. 

• Employ strategic leadership skills to shape practice environments to produce positive, patient centered, healthcare outcomes at individual and system levels.
• Serve in a healthcare leadership and change agent role as part of a diverse, complex, and patient-centered health care system.
• Act as a practice scholar to design, direct and evaluate system changes to promote safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient-centered care.
• Use data analytic methods, information systems and technology to evaluate, integrate and apply knowledge that will improve programs of care, outcomes of care and care systems.
• Use translational science and analytic methods to develop, identify, implement, and evaluate best practices to improve health care and health care systems.
• Design and implement health promotion and clinical prevention strategies across the health/illness continuum to optimize health and disease management.
• Systematically use improvement methods to monitor and evaluate care processes and outcomes and applies data for continuous improvement and safety
• Advocate for social justice through policy, professional and political engagement.
• Applies leadership principles that support inter-professional practice.
• Facilitate interprofessional collaboration to implement practice models, peer review, practice guidelines, health policy, and standards of care.