Post-MSN Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Shelia Talbott, Program Director

The Post-MSN-DNP program is a 31-credit hour program delivered 100% online in a part-time format. This Post-Master’s DNP completion program places an emphasis on enhancing skills in leadership, health policy, patient advocacy, evidenced-based practice, and systems-level thinking.

Additional requirements:

In alignment with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accreditation standards and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education, all DNP graduates must complete a minimum of 1,000 post-baccalaureate clinical/practicum hours to demonstrate competency at the doctoral level. Students entering with fewer than 1,000 clinical hours from their MSN program will complete additional supervised DNP practicum hours as part of the DNP curriculum. Clinical hours may include a combination of direct and indirect patient care experiences and are individually assessed and planned to meet each student’s learning needs and professional goals.

See DNP Main Page for additional DNP academic policies

Admissions Requirements

PURPOSE: The purpose of the policy is to describe the criteria for admission to the post-MSN to DNP Program.
POLICY APPLIES TO: The policy applies to post-MSN to DNP program applicants for admission. 
POLICY: Students applying for admission to the post-MSN to DNP program must meet minimum requirements to be considered for acceptance to the program. 
PROCEDURE: The following criteria are considered when reviewing all graduate applications for admission:

1. Current unrestricted RN license in the Commonwealth of Virginia or state participating in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA)
2. Curriculum Vitae or Resume
3. Official transcripts
4. Completion of an undergraduate or graduate Statistics course with a grade of “C” or higher
5. 3.0 GPA or above out of 4.0 scale in all undergraduate and graduate work
6. Earned MSN from an accredited CCNE or ACEN School of Nursing with a GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale
7. Current BLS certification