DNP Program

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program will prepare advanced practice nurses and nurse administrators with a doctoral degree that focuses on practice leadership. The emphasis of the program is the delivery of advanced practice nursing (APN) to culturally diverse populations, especially the burgeoning group of persons over 65 years old. Graduate education in nursing occurs within the context of societal demands and needs as well as the inter-professional work environment. The Institute of Medicine (IOM, 2003) and the National Research Council of the National Academies (2005) have called for nursing education that prepares individuals for practice with interdisciplinary, information systems, quality improvement, and patient safety expertise.

The program is designed for advanced practice nursing leaders to develop skill in shaping and evaluating practice models in their own practice settings. Only students with a Master’s Degree and certification in advanced practice or administration will be accepted into the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program in its initial phase. The Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree will require students to take a minimum of 40 credits post master’s degree. The program will accept a limited number of applicants. Meeting minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission. Applications are due by February 1st.

In order to meet the need of practicing professionals, the program is designed to be a part time program with classes offered on Friday or Saturday on alternate weekends. All classes are Web-assisted.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing recommends that students complete 1000 hours of clinical practicum hours (including time spend during MS degree). Clinical practice hours in the second year of study are designed to develop new practice skills and to test new models of care.