Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Program Focus
The DNP has been designed with a focus on advanced practice and leadership roles, with a particular emphasis on translational techniques for evidence-based practice. The DNP program is unique and distinguished from the PhD Program in the School of Nursing in terms of program objectives as well as curriculum. The DNP offers a clinically focused curriculum to prepare expert clinicians and has been structured to award a professional degree.
Program Objectives
Graduates of the program will meet outcome competencies and upon completion of the program will be able to:
- Design and evaluate new models of care based on integration of theoretical and empirical knowledge from nursing and related disciplines
- Translate evidence to guide practice and improve outcomes of care
- Analyze data which predicts and explains variations in practice
- Provide inter-professional leadership within an increasing complex health care delivery system
- Prepare leaders to use information systems and technology to support and improve patient care and health care systems
- Prepare leaders to direct and deliver high quality, cost-effective care
- Shape health policy and systems of health care in the local, regional, state, national, and international forums
- Perform independently at the most advanced level of ethical specialty nursing practice
The Doctor of Nursing Practice Program is a practice focused doctoral program designed to prepare expert nurse clinicians and executive leaders for the highest level of practice to improve health and healthcare outcomes. The emphasis is on innovative and evidence-based nursing practice, applying research processes to decision-making, and translating research findings to increase the effectiveness of both direct and indirect patient care outcomes.
Translational Research
All candidates are required to enroll in a sequence of three core courses devoted to translational development. The courses will focus on populations, translation of evidence to support quality care, management of care, senior leadership roles in healthcare and the development and implementation of health policy.
Scholarly Project
DNP candidates will prepare a scholarly project that demonstrates a synthesis of the student’s abilities, lay the groundwork for future practice scholarship and demonstrate mastery of an advanced practice specialty.
Residency
DNP students must meet a minimum 1,000 hours of advanced clinical experience. The Residency will allow students to build and assimilate knowledge for advanced specialty practice at a high level of complexity. The Residency may be up to 6 credits based on the students’ previous clinical experience.
DNP Course Schedule
The DNP Program is offered in a flexible, executive-type approach designed to accommodate students that wish to work as an advanced practice nurse while going to school. The courses use a blend of on-campus and distance technology approaches to support students who live locally or at a distance. Courses require visiting campus once a month for classroom sessions with faculty and peers. These campus visits are on Thursday/Friday sessions, depending on the courses a student is taking during a given academic term. During the intervening, non-campus weeks, courses continue using a variety of synchronous and asynchronous technologies with faculty and peers. Each course is one semester in length and requires four visits to campus per semester.
The dates for on-campus class time are set well in advance to allow students to plan their course requirements and balance their doctoral student responsibilities with demands they face outside of school (such as work and family). The schedule for on-campus class times will follow the below sequence:
| Fall 2011 | Winter 2012 | Spring/Summer 2012 | Fall 2012 |
| September 8-9 | January 5-6 | May 3-4 | September 6-7 |
| October 6-7 | February 2-3 | May 31 - June 1 | October 4-5 |
| November 10-11 | March 8-9 | June 21-22 | November 8-9 |
| December 8-9 | April 12-13 | July 19-20 | December 6-7 |
See the application requirements for this program.
Curriculum
Listed below is the basic plan of study and required courses for the DNP Program. The School of Nursing is committed to working with students to help them balance the demands of graduate education with their other personal and professional commitments. As such, students can select from full-time and part-time program plans.
Course Number | Course Name | Pre or Co-reqs | Credit Hours | Semester commonly offered |
| N810 | Scientific Foundations for the Practice Doctrate | Statistics Epidemiology | 3 | Fall |
| N811 | Health Informatics | 3 | Fall | |
| N812 | Clinical Leadership in Complex Systems | 4 | Winter | |
| N815 | Quality and Safety | 3 | Fall | |
| N816 | Policy Analysis and Transformation in Healthcare | 3 | Winter | |
| N900 | Seminar in Research Synthesis | N810 | 3 | Winter |
| N910 | Translation, Implementation Science and Comparative Effectiveness | N900 | 3 | Spring/Summer |
| N950 | DNP Residency | 3-6 | Fall, Winter, Spring/Summer | |
| N955 | DNP Scholarly Project | N900 | 6 | Fall, Winter, Spring/Summer |
| Epidemiology | 3 | TBD by student | ||
| Statistics | 3 | TBD by student |
Sample Plans of Study for DNP Students
Sample Plan of Study: Full Time, 18 Months (37 credits), Fall Term Start
| Fall Term | Winter Term | Spring/Summer Term | Fall Term | ||||
| Epidemiology | 3 | N900 | 3 | N910 | 3 | N811 | 3 |
| Statistics | 3 | N812 | 4 | N955 | 3 | N950 | 3 |
| N810 | 3 | N816 | 3 | N955 | 3 | ||
| N815 | 3 | ||||||
| Total Credits | 12 | Total Credits | 10 | Total Credits | 6 | Total Credits | 9 |
Sample Plan of Study: Full Time, 24 Months (37 credits), Fall Term Start
| Fall Term | Winter Term | Spring/Summer Term | Fall Term | Winter Term | |||||
| Epidemiology | 3 | N900 | 3 | N910 | 3 | N811 | 3 | N816 | 3 |
| Statistics | 3 | N812 | 4 | N955 | 2 | N815 | 3 | N950 | 1 |
| N810 | 3 | N950 | 2 | N955 | 3 | ||||
| N955 | 1 | ||||||||
| Total Credits | 9 | Total Credits | 7 | Total Credits | 5 | Total Credits | 9 | Total Credits | 7 |
Sample Plan of Study: Part-time, 36 Months (40 credits), Fall Term Start
| Fall Term - Year 1 | Winter Term - Year 1 | Spring/Summer Term - Year 1 | |||
| Epidemiology | 3 | N812 | 4 | N950 | 3 |
| N811 | 3 | ||||
| Total Credits | 6 | Total Credits | 4 | Total Credits | 3 |
| Fall Term - Year 2 | Winter Term - Year 2 | Spring/Summer Term - Year 2 | |||
| N810 | 3 | N900 | 3 | N910 | 3 |
| Statistics | 3 | N816 | 3 | N955 | 2 |
| Total Credits | 6 | Total Credits | 6 | Total Credits | 5 |
| Fall Term - Year 3 | Winter Term - Year 3 | ||||
| N815 | 3 | N950 | 3 | ||
| N955 | 2 | N955 | 2 | ||
| Total Credits | 5 | Total Credits | 5 | ||
Sample Plan of Study: Part-time, 24 Months (40 credits), Winter Term Start
| Winter Term - Year 1 | Spring/Summer Term - Year 1 | Fall Term - Year 1 | |||
| N812 | 4 | Epidemiology | 3 | N815 | 3 |
| N816 | 3 | N950 | 3 | N810 | 3 |
| Statistics | 3 | ||||
| Total Credits | 10 | Total Credits | 6 | Total Credits | 3 |
| Winter Term - Year 2 | Spring/Summer Term - Year 2 | Fall Term - Year 2 | |||
| N900 | 3 | N910 | 3 | N910 | 3 |
| N955 | 2 | N955 | 2 | N955 | 2 |
| N811 | 3 | ||||
| Total Credits | 5 | Total Credits | 5 | Total Credits | 8 |
