Degree – Doctor of Nursing Practice, DNP
Concentration: Family Nurse Practitioner

Description of Program

The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program is a practice-focused doctoral nursing degree designed for the Post Master’s Family Nurse Practitioner student seeking careers in advanced clinical nursing practice.

The DNP program emphasizes research application and utilization in clinical practice settings as well as interdisciplinary team building skills, organizational leadership and management development, utilization of information technology and quality improvement techniques, development and initiation of public policy, and the establishment of evidence-based practice. Graduates from the DNP program will be instrumental in translating research into nursing practice to improve health outcomes and decrease health disparities in their communities and beyond.

A DNP Project and clinical practicum hours are required. The clinical practicum hours will assist in the development and completion of the DNP Project and assure that students have mastered the DNP Essentials for doctoral level advanced nursing practice. The DNP Project indicates mastery of an advanced practice specialty area and is a requirement for the DNP degree. Examples of DNP projects include, but are not limited to, a pilot study; evaluation of an existing practice model; a quality improvement project; an evaluation of a new practice model; or a consulting project. Visit School of Nursing DNP webpage.

Learning Outcomes

  • Synthesize theoretical, philosophical, ethical, and empirical knowledge to develop therapeutic interventions in complex health systems.
  • Develop leadership skills within complex health systems to improve safe, cost-effective, and quality health care for diverse populations.
  • Utilize clinical scholarship and analytical methods to design, implement, evaluate, and disseminate evidence-based practice.
  • Utilize information systems and patient care technology for the improvement and transformation of health care in diverse populations.
  • Provide leadership in the analysis, development, and implementation of health care policy on local, regional, national, and global levels.
  • Employ professional interprofessional communication and collaboration to improve health care and health care outcomes for diverse populations.
  • Evaluate advanced practice care in complex situations and systems to improve health care services to patients, families, and populations.

Admission Requirements:

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  • Completion of the pg电子下载 State University Graduate School Application.
  • Must be a graduate of an accredited nursing program.
  • Three (3) letters of recommendation [professional, academic, and personal] on official letterhead with original signatures specifying in detail the applicant’s capabilities for graduate study and for future nursing practice.
  • Official transcript from an accredited school (if a student has attended more than one school, transcripts must be submitted from all schools attended). At least one transcript must document the student has a bachelor’s degree with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0. Some departments have additional requirements students must meet for admission
  • Must have cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in pre-requisite and nursing courses.
  • A grade of “C” or better in an undergraduate introductory-level statistics course.
  • A copy of current unencumbered license to practice nursing in a state or US territory and eligibility for licensure in the state in which you will complete your clinical practicums.
  • Immunization Record
  • Individual Nursing Student Professional Liability Insurance in the amount of $1,000,000/$3,000,000 (prior to the first clinical practicum course).
  • An interview with Graduate Nursing Faculty.

Decisions are made only after receipt of all credentials by the department’s admission committee. The department uses an admission formula to accept students. The entire application packet, including all supporting materials, must be submitted to the Graduate School. Official test scores must be submitted from Education Testing Service (ETS) and must not be older than five years, official transcripts from the sending school, and Credential Evaluations (International students) from an approved Credential Evaluation Service.

Standardized Test:

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test is the official standardized test required for admission to the Doctor of Nursing Practice. WAIVED

Degree Requirements:

The curriculum for the Doctor of Nursing Practice program requires 36 credit hours of coursework and a DNP Project for degree completion. An oral defense of the DNP Project is required for progression to degree completion.

Graduation expectations require the following:

  • A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate instruction must be completed in residence at pg电子下载 State University
  • Earn no more than two Cs in coursework
  • Earn a grade of ‘B’ or higher in a project course
  • Write an acceptable DNP Project and defend it orally
  • Official transcripts on file for all transfer credits accepted by the University
  • Must fulfill all other requirements required by the Graduate School and the Graduate Nursing Program by published deadlines

Academic advisors are allowed to accept up to six semester credit hours earned at an accredited university with a grade of “B” or higher for graduate coursework completed. Substitutions of coursework are allowed with the approval of an advisor and department administrators up to nine hours if the substitution(s) meet curriculum requirements.

See Transfer of Credits Policy for additional information.
See the Substitution of Courses Policy for additional information.

Academic Track: DNP Project

The DNP Project is an exit requirement for the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. Graduate Nursing has specific expectations for selection of topics and the type of DNP project. Students pursue independent research on a question or problem of their choice in the relevant disciplines under the guidance of a graduate faculty to produce a paper that reflects understanding of the topic and in the respective discipline.

 

Doctoral Degree Audit:

Before candidacy for graduation can be confirmed, each student progression to degree completion will be evaluated to determine if the student has met all academic requirements for course work and other aspects of the student’s course of study and Graduate School requirements. When these requirements are met, the student is cleared for graduation.

Time to Degree Completion

pg电子下载’s time to degree completion policy allows 6 years to complete the doctor of nursing practice program. Degree completion depends on the pace a student completes the curriculum. If the time exceeds six years, the student must petition the Graduate School to consider an appeal for more time to degree completion.

See the Student Academic Appeals Policy for Expiration of Timeline for additional requirements

Degree Plan and Course Sequence

The Doctor of Nursing Practice follows the prescribed curriculum for completion of 36 hours of coursework.

Semester 1 (Fall)
NU 700 Advanced Health Informatics
NU 701 Clinical Epidemiology
NU 702 Healthcare Quality Improvement

Semester 2 (Spring)
NU 703 Evidence-Based Practice, Theory, Design, and Method
NU 704 Population Health
NU 710A DNP Project I

Semester 3 (Summer)
NU 705 Leadership in Health Systems
NU 710B DNP Project II

Semester 4 (Fall)
NU 706 Leadership in Health Systems
NU 707 Advanced Healthcare Policy and Politics
NU 710C DNP Project III

Semester 5 (Spring)
NU 708 Business Management in Clinical Practice
NU 710D DNP Project IV

For More Information Contact:
Dr. Brenda Collins 601-304-4303 (Department of Graduate Nursing)