Nursing (D.N.P.)
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) program was established in 2008 for registered nurses seeking advanced education for leadership in clinical positions, health policy development, evaluation and application of patient care research, and systemic efforts in health promotion and risk reduction. Through this program, students are prepared to use clinical research to improve and transform health care.
Admission Requirements
Admission to this program is contingent upon admission to the Graduate School. In addition, applicants must comply with the following:
Applicants must have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in nursing from an Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredited institution. They must have a minimal grade point average of 3.0 in the most recent nursing program. International students must meet University and College English language requirements and satisfy all WSU and State Board of Nursing requirements for nurses practicing in Michigan. Two professional letters of recommendation (one reference from a doctoral-prepared individual is preferred), a professional goal statement, a resume, and transcripts from all postsecondary institutions are also required. All qualified applicants will be interviewed.
Registered Nurse Licensure: Applicants must obtain current Michigan Registered Nurse Licensure by the end of the second semester of the program. All applicants educated outside the U.S. must be certified by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS). Verification of a student's CGFNS certification must be forwarded to the State of Michigan Board of Nursing by the CGFNS in order to take the RN licensure examination, NCLEX. Post-masters nursing students must be certified by a nationally recognized body in their area of specialization.
There may be additional requirements in each of the specialty clinical major areas. Please refer to the major program and consult with a clinical specialty coordinator for specific requirements.
Application: The D.N.P Program admits students every Fall semester. The final deadline is August 1. Informational meetings are held monthly and applicants are encouraged to attend before completing the application. The schedule is listed on the College of Nursing website under the Admissions tab, then Information Meetings.
Admission decisions are based upon all materials submitted and reflect careful consideration of the applicant's professional goals, DNP Project interests, interview and the resources of the College of Nursing. Even if an applicant meets all minimum requirements, admission may not be granted because of
- unavailable program space and/or
- inadequate College resources relevant to the applicant's specific interest.
A graduate level statistics course must be completed in the first semester of the program.
Students must successfully complete the first semester NUR 8620 Foundations of Nursing as a Discipline in order to progress in the D.N.P. program.
Readmission The D.N.P. student who withdraws from the program in good standing should contact the Office of Student Affairs one semester prior to the semester for which re-enrollment is desired. Following a review by the Director of Advanced Practice and Graduate Certificate Programs, the D.N.P. Committee and the Office for Academic and Clinical Affairs, the student will be informed of the steps required for readmission.
Revalidation of Credit: The DNP committee reserves the right of revalidation of over-age (10 years) credits. Credits earned at other institutions may require revalidation at the time of WSU admission. In revalidation cases, the advisor and the student must set a terminal date for completion of all degree requirements, including such additional requirements as may be prescribed to revalidate the over-age credits.
Program Requirements
All course work must be completed in accordance with the academic procedures of the College of Nursing and the Graduate School governing graduate scholarship and degrees.
The D.N.P. program must include a minimum of thirty credits (excluding the DNP Project) of graduate coursework completed in residence at Wayne State University. Neither courses numbered in the 9000s nor classes elected as "visitor" may be used to fulfill this requirement. Early in the program the student, in consultation with the academic advisor, plans a sequence of courses. This Plan of Work is approved by the academic advisor and the Director of Advanced Practice and Graduate Certificate Programs.
Time Limitation: Students in all paths have a seven-year time limit to complete all requirements for the D.N.P. degree. The seven-year period begins with the end of the semester during which the student was admitted to doctoral study and was taking work toward meeting the requirements for degree. Students whose seven-year time limit has expired may be considered for an extension, provided that the Preliminary Examinations have been successfully completed. Subsequent extensions will not be considered in the absence of substantial progress during the previous year.
Required Clinical Experience Prior to APRN Clinical Courses: Several specialties require RN staff nurse experience in that specialty population prior to the start of the three sequential clinical courses after . Failure to complete this requirement may result in a delay in progression.
- NNP - the equivalent of two full-time years of RN experience in a Level III or higher NICU;
- PNP (Acute and Primary) - the equivalent of one full-time year of pediatric experience (in-hospital experience for PNP Acute Care);
- PMH - the equivalent of one-year of experience in a psych-mental health setting.
Curricular Options
There are three curricular paths for students to complete the requirements for the Doctor of Nursing Practice. These options are oriented to the applicant’s educational level at the time of admission and professional career goals. One path is for students entering the program post-B.S.N., and two paths for those entering post-M.S.N. Full-time and part-time study options are available. Students in path I and path III have several clinical specialty options:
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
- Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
- Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner-Acute Care
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner-Primary Care
Path I: Post-B.S.N. Clinical Leading to the A.P.R.N. Specialty and the D.N.P.
Total Credits: 76-81
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Focus: Clinical specialty, DNP Project, leadership development, and translation of research into practice (Michigan RN license required) | ||
| Theory | ||
| NUR 8620 | Foundations of Nursing as a Discipline | 3 |
| NUR 8625 | Evidence Based Nursing Practice: Theoretical and Methodological Issues | 3 |
| Domain of Knowledge | ||
| NUR 8210 | Determinants of Health and Health Disparities | 3 |
| NUR 8615 | Informatics Innovations in Nursing | 3 |
| NUR 8635 | Clinical Practice Outcomes: Evaluation and Benchmarking Methodologies | 3 |
| NUR 8650 | Advanced Professional Leadership | 3 |
| NUR 8665 | Health Policy, Economics, Ethics and Evaluation in Advanced Practice Nursing | 4 |
| Research and Statistics | ||
| NUR 8895 | Population Health for Nursing | 3 |
| NUR 8604 | Health Analytics and Data Management | 4 |
| D.N.P. Project | ||
| NUR 9508 | DNP Project Proposal Development Practicum I | 4 |
| NUR 9510 | DNP Project Practicum III | 4 |
| NUR 9520 | DNP Project | 4 |
| Advanced Practice Nursing Specialty Courses | ||
| (Minimum credits 35, total credits dependent on major. NUR 7030 is a clinical course) | 35 | |
| Advanced Nursing Assessment | ||
| Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan for APRNs | ||
| Select from the following: | ||
FNP students must select (3 credits): | ||
| Family Centered Health Promotion and Risk-reduction | ||
PMHNP students must select (5 credits): | ||
| Psychopathology and Therapeutic Frameworks Across the Lifespan for PMHMP and Psychopharmacology and Advanced Psychiatric Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Advanced Neonatal Pharmacology | ||
| Advanced Pediatric Pharmacology | ||
| Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice | ||
| Students will take 24 credits of APRN didactic and clinical courses. NUR course numbers will be specific to the specialty chosen. | ||
| Total Credits | 76 | |
Path II: Post-Master's with Clinical Specialty Leading to the D.N.P.
Total Credits: 41
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Focus: DNP Project, leadership development, and translation of research into practice (Specialty Certification required) | ||
| Theory | ||
| NUR 8620 | Foundations of Nursing as a Discipline | 3 |
| NUR 8625 | Evidence Based Nursing Practice: Theoretical and Methodological Issues | 3 |
| Domain of Knowledge | ||
| NUR 8210 | Determinants of Health and Health Disparities | 3 |
| NUR 8615 | Informatics Innovations in Nursing | 3 |
| NUR 8650 | Advanced Professional Leadership | 3 |
| NUR 8665 | Health Policy, Economics, Ethics and Evaluation in Advanced Practice Nursing | 4 |
| NUR 8635 | Clinical Practice Outcomes: Evaluation and Benchmarking Methodologies | 3 |
| Research and Statistics | ||
| NUR 8895 | Population Health for Nursing | 3 |
| NUR 8604 | Health Analytics and Data Management | 4 |
| D.N.P. Project | ||
| NUR 9508 | DNP Project Proposal Development Practicum I | 4 |
| NUR 9510 | DNP Project Practicum III | 4 |
| NUR 9520 | DNP Project | 4 |
| Advanced Practice Nursing Specialty Courses | ||
| None required for this option since already certified | ||
| Total Credits | 41 | |
Path III: Post-M.S.N. Clinical Leading to A.P.R.N. Specialty and the D.N.P.
Total Credits: 76-81
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Focus: Clinical specialty, DNP Project, leadership development, and translation of research into practice (Michigan RN license required) | ||
| Theory | ||
| NUR 8620 | Foundations of Nursing as a Discipline | 3 |
| NUR 8625 | Evidence Based Nursing Practice: Theoretical and Methodological Issues | 3 |
| Domain of Knowledge | ||
| NUR 8210 | Determinants of Health and Health Disparities | 3 |
| NUR 8615 | Informatics Innovations in Nursing | 3 |
| NUR 8635 | Clinical Practice Outcomes: Evaluation and Benchmarking Methodologies | 3 |
| NUR 8650 | Advanced Professional Leadership | 3 |
| NUR 8665 | Health Policy, Economics, Ethics and Evaluation in Advanced Practice Nursing | 4 |
| Research and Statistics | ||
| NUR 8895 | Population Health for Nursing | 3 |
| NUR 8604 | Health Analytics and Data Management | 4 |
| D.N.P. Project | ||
| NUR 9508 | DNP Project Proposal Development Practicum I | 4 |
| NUR 9510 | DNP Project Practicum III | 4 |
| NUR 9520 | DNP Project | 4 |
| Advanced Practice Nursing Specialty Courses | ||
| (Minimum credits 35, total credits dependent on major. NUR 7030 is a clinical course) | 35 | |
| Advanced Nursing Assessment | ||
| Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan for APRNs | ||
| Select from the following: | ||
FNP Students Must Select (3 credits): | ||
| Family Centered Health Promotion and Risk-reduction (FNP only) | ||
PHMNP Students Must Select 5 credits: | ||
| Psychopathology and Therapeutic Frameworks Across the Lifespan for PMHMP and Psychopharmacology and Advanced Psychiatric Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Advanced Neonatal Pharmacology | ||
| Advanced Pediatric Pharmacology | ||
| Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice | ||
| Students will take 24 credits of APRN didactic and clinical courses. NUR course numbers will be specific to the specialty chosen. | ||
| Total Credits | 76 | |