Admission

1. An approved graduate-level statistics course taken within the last ten years;
2. A nursing master’s degree from an accredited school, with a GPA of 3.500 or higher in all master’s work;
3. Individual/Family focus applicants are required to:
   1. Present proof of active APRN licensure, and
   2. Present proof of, or eligibility for, national certification as a nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, certified registered nurse anesthetist, or clinical nurse specialist;
4. Some latitude may be given in the following GPA requirements on an individual basis (3.000 or higher in the following areas):
   1. All undergraduate coursework;
   2. All undergraduate nursing courses;
   3. Any graduate-level courses taken;
   4. The following four science courses taken with an overall GPA of at least 3.000 and no grade that generates less than 2.000 credit points per credit hour in any one course: anatomy/physiology, microbiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology;
5. One application must be submitted to the Graduate School by October 15 (spring admission only); and
6. Admission for post-master’s applicants will be to the practice specialization area in which their nursing master’s degrees were completed.

Program Requirements

DNP Project

Students complete an evidence-based project. Students work collaboratively with at least one graduate nursing faculty member who is chairperson of their committee and one other graduate faculty member to identify an evidence-based practice problem and plan the implementation to address the problem. Successful defense of the evidence-based project proposal is the expected outcome within the Evidence-Based Project III course. After successful completion and defense of the Evidence-Based Project III proposal, the candidate may enroll in NURS 962. The Evidence Based Nursing Project IV allows the student to complete/disseminate the results of the project and develop a portfolio documenting practice scholarship. The residency hours may be taken in 2-, 4- or 6-hour increments and may be repeated until requirements are met. The candidate completes an oral defense of the project at the end of the residency.

Applied Learning

Students in the DNP individual/family focus program are required to complete an applied learning or research experience to graduate from the program. The requirement can be met by completing all coursework culminating with the DNP Project. This evidence-based project stems from a series of courses and practicum work and is finalized and defended during the NURS 962 Evidence-Based Nursing Project IV course.