Doctor of Nursing Practice

Program Description

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is an online doctoral completion program for advanced practice nurses and nurses in advanced roles who have earned a master’s degree in nursing. The DNP program prepares, supports, and empowers students for 21^st century practice focused on interdisciplinary knowledge, leadership, innovation, along with the tools needed to positively impact nursing, healthcare systems, and population health change. Progressive development of the AACN (2021) level 2 sub-competencies is integrated throughout the curriculum in multiple contexts with increasing complexity and critical reflection. Each course begins and ends with leadership development. Using the principals of improvement science, students appraise and translate theory and evidence into a culminating project in their own practice.

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of their program, the student should be able to:

Demonstrate competency-based judgement and holistic caring concordant with an advanced nursing practice specialty or role in diverse populations.
Generate, synthesize, translate, apply, and disseminate scientific evidence for advanced nursing practice.
Apply ethical principles to shape the future of healthcare delivery with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion; systems‐based practice; team-based care collaboration, informatics and technology; and career‐long learning.
Demonstrate a professional identity which includes accountability, perspective, collaborative disposition, and comportment, that reflects nursing’s characteristics and values.
Implement an advanced nursing practice specialty or role in selected practice settings.

Potential Occupational Titles

Potential occupational titles for this program include, but are not limited to Doctor of Nursing Practice, advance practice registered nurse, nurse educator, nurse leader, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse midwife, nurse anesthetist, and titles that describe other advanced nursing roles.

Program Content

A minimum of 32.00 semester credit hours is required for graduation.

Required Core Courses

All courses, 24.00 semester credit hours, are required.

NU 700 - Knowledge for Nursing Practice Semester Credit Hours: 3.00
NU 710 - Improvement Science Semester Credit Hours: 3.00
NU 711 - Clinical Decision Making and Collaboration Semester Credit Hours: 3.00
NU 725 - Technology and Nursing Informatics in Advanced Practice Semester Credit Hours: 3.00
NU 726 - Professionalism and Leadership for Advanced Practice Semester Credit Hours: 3.00
NU 730 - Systems-Based Practice Semester Credit Hours: 3.00
NU 760 - Scholarship for Nursing Practice Semester Credit Hours: 3.00
NU 780 - Population Health Semester Credit Hours: 3.00

Required Project Residency Core Courses

All courses, 8.00 semester credit hours, are required.

NU 800 - Project Development Semester Credit Hours: 1.00
NU 810 - Project Management Semester Credit Hours: 1.00
NU 820 - Project Residency I Semester Credit Hours: 2.00
NU 830 - Project Residency II Semester Credit Hours: 2.00
NU 840 - Project Residency III Semester Credit Hours: 2.00