Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner 

If you want to care for adult patients with acute, critical, or chronic illnesses, then the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) DNP program may be the best fit for you.

You’ll learn differential diagnosis, disease management, therapeutic interventions, and more.

Here’s what else you need to know about the AGACNP BSN-DNP degree:

• Comprises 74 credits and 1,260 clinical hours
• Can be completed in 6 semesters and 2 summer sessions
• Costs approximately $83,000

View required courses for the BSN-DNP program and the Post-Master’s DNP program.

Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist 

Are you driven to give direct care to adult patients and work with nursing systems and organization? 

The Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (AGCNS) DNP program: 

• Comprises 72 credits and 1,140 clinical hours
• Can be completed in 6 semesters and 2 summer sessions
• Costs approximately $81,000

View required courses for the BSN-DNP program and the Post-Master’s DNP program.

Family Nurse Practitioner 

If you enjoy working with people of all walks of life and ages, look no further than the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) DNP program.

Here’s what else you need to know about the FNP BSN-DNP degree:

• Comprises 74 credits and 1,080 clinical hours
• Can be completed in 6 semesters and 2 summer sessions
• Costs approximately $84,000

View required courses for the BSN-DNP program and the Post-Master’s DNP program.

Nurse Educator

Prepare for various Nurse Educator roles, such as in professional staff development and academic teaching at a university or other settings.

• Comprises 72 credits and 1,080 clinical hours
• Can be completed in 4 years
• Costs approximately $81,000

View required courses for the BSN-DNP program and the Post-Master’s DNP program.

Nursing Leadership

Want to be an innovative leader in the healthcare field? The Nursing Leadership (NL) DNP program:

• BS-DNP pathway: Comprises 72 credits and 1,080 clinical hours, can be completed in 6-8 semesters
• Post-Master’s DNP pathway: Comprises 31 credits and 540 clinical hours, can be completed in 4 semesters
• Costs approximately $81,000

Once you graduate and meet additional eligibility criteria related to work experience, you’ll be prepared for the following certification exams:

• Nurse Executive Certification (NE-BC)
• Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC)
• Certified in Executive Nursing Practice (CENP)
• Certified Nurse Manager and Leader (CNML)

View required courses for the BS-DNP program and the Post-Master’s DNP program.

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner 

Are you passionate about helping others of all ages who have behavioral and mental health problems and disorders? 

The Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) DNP program: 

• Comprises 74 credits and 1,260 clinical hours
• Can be completed in 6 semesters and 3 summer sessions
• Costs approximately $84,000

View required courses for the BSN-DNP program and the Post-Master’s DNP program.

Expected Program Outcomes 

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs are designed so that each student will be able to:

1. Synthesize theory and evidence-based practice to critically assess, plan, implement, and evaluate healthcare strategies for the unique needs of clients.  
2. Utilize clinical judgment to design and deliver person-centered, compassionate care for clients. 
3. Collaborate effectively, using leadership skills, within interprofessional teams to design, implement, and evaluate client outcomes, respective of their unique needs.  
4. Exemplify professionalism by applying principles of scholarship, quality improvement, evidence-based practice, safety, health policy, and informatics, while leveraging effective communication to advance healthcare for clients.  
5. Exhibit advanced leadership through ethical and legal accountability, innovation, to advocate for health policy to address client outcomes, such as social, physical, or economic conditions impacting health. 

Please note that the term “clients” includes learners, individuals, families, communities, populations, systems, and organizations.

These outcomes were approved by the Department of Graduate Nursing on March 24, 2025.

Plans of Study

Plans of study provide detailed outlines of courses students will take for our DNP degree programs.

An elective used to complete any Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree is any graduate-level course (preferably 3 credits) that a student’s graduate adviser approves.

View the Schedule of DNP Electives (PDF) for course titles and terms.