The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a practice focused degree that prepares clinical scholars for leadership, evidence-based care, and health care delivery that improves systems and patient outcomes. The purpose of the DNP is to develop competencies in quality improvement and safety that enhance outcomes important to patients, families, providers, and organizations.
- Two entry points are post Baccalaureate and post Master
- Two clinical areas are Nurse Anesthesia and Nurse Practitioner
- Nurse Practitioner program overs several advance practice specialty areas: Adult/Gerontology Acute Care, Family, and Psychiatric/Mental Health.
- Non- nurse practitioner tracks are Nurse Leadership and Administration, Nurse Informatics,
Advisement
All DNP students are advised by a PhD or DNP faculty member throughout the program. The student is assigned an advisor upon admission to the program. The advisor provides advisement assistance in the transition into the DNP program. The advisor serves as the DNP Project advisor. Selection of the advisor is based on a match between the student’s clinical interest and that of the faculty member’s expertise.
Degree Plan
The student and the advisor will complete a degree plan to specify which courses are to be taken to complete the degree requirements. Both student and advisor will sign the completed plan and submit it electronically to the Senior Administrative Coordinator for the DNP program, who will file in the CSON Student Affairs Office. Any changes must be approved by the faculty advisor.
Graduation Policy
The following outlines requirements for eligibility to graduate:
- Complete the required credit hours as listed on the student’s degree plan;
- Earn a grade of “B” or higher in all required courses;
- Submit an acceptable DNP Portfolio (formerly known as Clinical Scholarship Portfolio [CSP]);
- File an “Application for Degree” prior to the deadline established each term;
- Be enrolled during the term of graduation;
- Complete the “Notice of DNP Transfer Courses” form. If a student has planned to transfer any credit from another institution provide transcripts to Cizik SON for that course work;
- Pay required graduation fee of $150;
- Clear through all designated services on the clearance form provided by Student Affairs Office;
- Complete the DNP curriculum within five years of admission or have been granted an extension;
- Documentation of a minimum of 1,000 supervised practice hours from graduate level programs.
Academic Requirements for DNP Progression Withdrawing from Courses
Students may withdraw from a course with the approval of the instructor at any time up to and including the last day of class in any semester. The symbol “W” is recorded to indicate a drop without prejudice and penalty. See the “Schedule of Classes for deadline date. If a graduate student with a grade less than “B” chooses to withdraw after the deadline for “W” grade, a grade of “WF” will be recorded. WF is considered a failing grade and is used in calculating the GPA value. See the “Schedule of Classes” for deadline dates.
On the recommendation of the instructor and with approval of the Dean, a student may be required to drop a course at any time because of neglect or for lack of preparation. Under such circumstances, the symbol “W” will be recorded.
Withdrawal Requiring Application for Readmission
Students withdrawing from the Cizik School of Nursing who wish to be considered for readmission must submit a written request to the CSON Student Affairs Office. (This excludes taking a semester off for Inactive Status.)
Student Responsibility
The student is held responsible for knowing degree requirements and enrolling in courses that fulfill the degree program. Students are also held responsible for knowing the Cizik School of Nursing’s policies for continuance in the DNP Program.
The policies and procedures for the DNP program can be found here.