Degree Requirements
Beginning Fall 2014 and pending final University approval, the College of Nursing (CON) will implement a revised curriculum for both the Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). The CON’s reconceptualization of graduate nursing education is evidence of our responsiveness to the changing dynamic in health care and our commitment to preparing the most sophisticated and skilled nursing professionals for today and the future. Our academic programs are consistent with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) call to produce advanced nursing clinicians who are able to address the complex care needs of this environment in direct care and specialty practice roles.
The DNP degree requirements vary by entry route (Post-Baccalaureate, Post-Master’s) and by specialty focus. Individual program plans are created by a faculty advisor upon admission into a DNP program. Most students will complete the program in 2-6 years (varies by specialty, route or entry, and part-time or full-time enrollment).
DNP Practicum Requirements
To qualify for the DNP, all students must document a minimum of 1000 hours of supervised clinical practicum work completed as part of an education program between the BSN and the DNP. Therefore, all Post-Master’s DNP students must submit verification of the number of supervised clinical practicum hours in their advanced practice educational programs. Students are responsible for obtaining this documentation from the school in which the program was completed and submitting it during the first semester of the DNP program. Advisors will use this documentation to determine how many hours of the practicum the student will need in the plan of study for the Post-Master’s DNP.