Doctor of Nursing Practice  

Post-Master’s Option

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is designed for nurses holding a master’s degree (MS) and a national certification in an APRN specialty to obtain a terminal degree in nursing. The DNP builds on master’s education to provide expanded unique knowledge and expertise. These graduates will have a broader capability to provide high quality health care in a complex and increasingly strapped health care system. The DNP is a clinical doctorate with emphasis on expert clinical practice. The summative outcome is a scholarly project that demonstrates the integration and translation of research evidence to enhance clinical practice.

Admission Criteria 

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  • Master’s degree in nursing from a regionally accredited University and a nationally accredited nursing program. If the institution and the program are outside of the US, equivalent accreditation standards must be met.
  • Minimum of a 3.00 cumulative GPA (scale is 4.0=A) in all nursing coursework of your master’s degree program.
  • Current national certification as a Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Midwife, Nurse Anesthetist or Clinical Nurse Specialist.
  • Current Registered Nurse License in good standing.
  • Graduate descriptive and inferential statistics course from a college or university with a grade of “B” or better.
  • Graduate pathophysiology course from a college or university with a grade of “B” or better.
  • Graduate pharmacology course from a college or university with a grade of “B” or better.
  • Graduate physical assessment course from a college or university with a grade of “B” or better.
  • Recommendation from three professional persons knowledgeable about the applicant’s potential to work effectively in advanced professional and scholarly roles.
  • A comprehensive statement about your experiences, interests and goals.
  • Structured interview with faculty may be required.

Plan of Study

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) curriculum consists of a minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework completed at NAU that directly supports the DNP requirements (see below). Students may transfer up to 41 credit hours of coursework completed in their advanced practice specialty master’s degree for a total of 71 credit hours.

Transcripts will be evaluated for graduate level course credits (up to 41 hours) which are equivalents to NUR 510, 520, 530, 540, 560, 650, 675 and population-specific didactic and clinical courses required for national certification as an APRN. Acceptance of transfer credits is subject to approval by the SON Graduate Committee and the NAU Graduate College.

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The DNP degree includes the following courses:

NUR 700*      (3)     Introduction to Doctor of Nursing Practice: Designing Theory
and Research Guided Models of Care

NUR 677*      (3)     Research Methods for Advanced Practice Nurses

NUR 646*      (3)     Epidemiology in Public Health 

NUR 701*      (3)     Healthcare and Policy for Advanced Practice Nursing

NUR 702*      (3)     Healthcare Technology and Informatics for Advanced Practice Nursing

HS 643*       (3)     Comparative Healthcare Systems

NUR 703       (4-9)  Doctor of Nursing Practice Clinical Practice

Clinical practicum (1000 hours with minimum of 240 hours completed at NAU – could be up to 9 credits to allow for the total of 1000 clinical hours) 

NUR 704*      (2)     Scholarly Inquiry Doctoral Project Research

NUR 705*      (3)     Leadership for Advanced Practice Nurses in Clinical Practice

NUR 706*      (3)     Dissemination of Scholarly Inquiry Project for
 Advanced Practice Nursing in Clinical Practice

 

*Must be taken at NAU

Apply Now

Application Deadline:

Fall – May 15

Apply to the Graduate College.