Admission

1. An approved graduate-level statistics course taken within the last ten years;
2. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing from a nationally accredited school (NLN or CCNE);
3. A GPA of 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;
4. One application must be submitted to the Graduate School. The application must be submitted by May 1 (fall admission only);
5. All students will request entrance to a specific specialization upon application;
6. Evidence of license as a registered nurse in Kansas;
7. Coverage by professional and general liability insurance. CNS and NP students must have NP student coverage prior to enrollment in practicum coursework. Minimum coverage required: $1,000,000 single incident/$3,000,000 aggregate for both professional and general liability;
8. Computer literacy is an expectation of the graduate nursing program. Skills should include: word processing, email, file attachments and internet searches. If courses require Blackboard, students are highly encouraged to complete the Blackboard orientation. Students may elect to take PC 105, or another basic computer skills course, to fulfill the computer literacy expectation; and
9. Technical standards must be met.

Program Requirements

Elective Courses

Elective coursework is available in many topic areas, including education, diabetes, human lactation, dermatology and low back pain. Students should see their advisor for assistance with elective choices.

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 residency hours. The residency 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 AG/ACNP 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 960 residency course.