Post-Baccalaureate & Post-Masters Options

Post-Baccalaureate Option

This option is for students who are registered nurses and hold a baccalaureate degree in nursing, a post-baccalaureate nursing certificate, or a pre-licensure Master’s in Nursing degree and wish to pursue a clinical doctoral degree in an advanced practice nursing specialty (clinical nurse specialist, nurse midwife, nurse practitioner, or nurse anesthesia), public health nursing, health innovation and leadership, informatics, or integrated health and healing. There are 11 specialty tracks for the DNP program and the program length is approximately 3-calendar years (8-9 semesters) of full-time study. For most specialties, there are 4-year part-time options as well. All DNP students take a set of core courses and the remaining courses are specific to the specialty area. Review the program plan for each specialty.. All post-baccalaureate programs of study include a combination of coursework, practicum experiences, and a practice-based scholarly project.

Post-Masters Option

This option is for students who already hold a master’s degree in nursing and have nursing specialty preparation at the graduate level. The post-masters option includes the core DNP courses, a practice-based scholarly project, and preceptor–supervised practicum hours tailored to the students’ academic and professional goals. The total number of practicum hours required will vary based upon the preceptor supervised practicum hours earned during their master’s nursing program.