The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is offered as a post-master nursing degree. The DNP is designed for nurses seeking a terminal degree in nursing practice to help prepare the graduate for the changing demands of the healthcare environment, the complexity of patient care, and the nation’s concerns about the quality of care and patient safety (AACN, 2018, para. 1). The DNP Program reflects the DNP Standards and Essentials as described by the American Association of the Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). 

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements include the following:

• A Master’s degree in nursing from a CCNE, COA, ACEN, or CCNEA accredited program.
• A minimum graduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
• A current unencumbered RN license in the USA with national specialty certification as appropriate.
• For primary language other than English TOEFL score of 79 on the internet-based test..

Applicants can transfer no more than 9 credit hours toward degree requirements. Transfer work is evaluated on an individual basis.

Application Deadlines

Students may acquire detailed information about the application process and pre-requisite courses by contacting the School of Nursing at 870-972-3074 or visiting the website at http://www.astate.edu/college/conhp/ departments/nursing.

Course Requirements

The Doctor of Nursing program requires full-time study. The curriculum of 36-39 credit hours, includes a minimum of three clinical internship courses requiring 540 clinical clock hours.

The DNP degree program consists of a core curriculum of 27-30 graduate credit hours. This core curriculum serves as a common body of knowledge aimed at developing didactic and clinical competencies. 

In addition to the DNP core, students also complete one concentration consisting of 9 credit hours as described below.

• Concentration in General Practice: Complements the DNP core with in-depth coverage of the unique issues in general practice. To earn this concentration, students must complete the DNP core, 9 hours of specialty general hours, and meet the 1000 clinical hours expectation.
• Concentration in Education: Complements the DNP core with in-depth coverage of the unique issues in educating nurses for the nurse education. To earn this concentration, students must complete the DNP core, 9 hours of specialty graduate nursing education hours, and meet the 1000 clinical hours expectation.
• Concentration in Leadership: Complements the DNP core with in-depth coverage of the unique challenges in leading nurses and healthcare systems. To earn this concentration, students must complete the DNP core, 9 hours of specialty graduate nursing leadership hours, and meet the 1000 clinical hours expectation.

Other:

DNP Post Master’s options will be required to satisfactorily complete a capstone/project in lieu of a comprehensive exam.

Transfer/Course Substitution eligibility:

Credit for prior learning to be articulated on an individual basis after review of courses for equivalency.  

Eligible courses:

• NURS 5113 - Leadership in Health Professions  Sem. Hrs: 3
• NURS 6373 - Healthcare Law and Quality Improvement  Sem. Hrs: 3
• NURS 6353 - Budgeting and Financial Management  Sem. Hrs: 3

English Proficiency Requirements

The School of Nursing requires a high level of proficiency in English so that all students will be able to fully meet academic and clinical objectives as well as meet criteria for professional licensure. All foreign born students and nurses must take one of the following tests:

1. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 79 on the preferred internet- based test (iBT),570 on the paper-based test, or 213 on the computer-based test.
2. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a score of at least 6.5 and a spoken band score of 7.
3. Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE) with a score of 56.