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.
  • Accepted students will be required to provide an official letter directly from the degree issuing institution with the actual total number of clinical hours completed.
  • 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.  Note:  Arizona Advanced Practice Registered Nurse License prior to July 1, 2004, are exempt from certification requirement.  
  • Current Arizona Registered Nurse License and Arizona Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Certificate (APRN) in good standing or current multistate registered nurse licensure in good standing in another compact state and Arizona Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, or Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist National Certification.
  • Graduate descriptive and inferential statistics course from a college or university with a grade of B, P, or better.  Another option is graduate statistics completed prior to enrollment in NUR 677 (Research Methods).
  • Graduate advanced pathophysiology course from a college or university with a grade of B, P, or better.
  • Graduate advanced pharmacology course from a college or university with a grade of B, P, or better.
  • Graduate advanced physical assessment course from a college or university with a grade of B, P, 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 Pratice

NUR 677*      (3)     Research Methods for APNs

NUR 707*      (3)     Epidemiology for Advanced Practice Nursing

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

NUR 678*      (3)     Legal and Ethical Environments in Healthcare and Clinical Practice

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

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*      (3)     Scholarly Inquiry Doctoral Project Research

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

NUR 706*      (2)     Dissemination of Scholarly Inquiry Project for Advanced Practice Nursing in Clinical Practice

 

*Must be taken at NAU

Updated 2013-05 for 2013-2015 cohort

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Application Deadline:

Fall – May 15

Apply to the Graduate College.