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Advanced Nursing Practice, DNP

Advanced Nursing Practice, DNP

Academic programs / Graduate degrees / Advanced Nursing Practice, DNP

ASU Health - Clinical, Doctor, Doctor of Nursing Practice, Nurse, Practice, Practitioner

Advance to the highest level of clinical nursing with a focus on evidence-based care, leadership and system-level impact. You'll be well prepared to improve patient outcomes and help shape the future of health care delivery.

Program description
Degree awarded: DNP  Advanced Nursing Practice

The Doctor of Nursing Practice in advanced nursing practice prepares you to apply research to and integrate research into clinical practice, using innovative approaches to improve health care outcomes of populations and individuals across multiple settings.

All programs are offered in a flexible format requiring you to travel to an ASU campus for up to one week for orientation at the beginning of the program and two to three times per semester.

Courses are designed for clinical experts and emphasize systems thinking in complex health environments, evidence-based practice, implementation science, and dissemination of outcomes to advance health care practices and policies. The program emphasizes innovation, leadership in professional relationships, and impacting organizational culture. Practicing faculty with systems-based experience teach much of the coursework and residency experiences, enriching your learning.

The DNP program engages you to meet doctoral-level competencies in systems-level thinking, complexity science, quality and safety, evidence-based practice, and the development of a doctoral project within a partner organization to improve outcomes at the patient, provider or health care system level. You are educated as a leader at the highest level of nursing practice to translate research into practice, lead in multidisciplinary teams, and engage in health care policy and advocacy to improve patient outcomes.

At a glance
  • STEM-OPT extension eligible: No

Degree requirements

84 credit hours including the required applied project course (DNP 707)

Required Core (13 credit hours)
DNP 704 Principles of Evidence-based Care in Advanced Practice (4)
DNP 705 Health Care Outcomes Management (3)
DNP 708 Systems Thinking in a Complex Healthcare Environment (3)
DNP 709 Individual and Innovation Leadership in Healthcare Practice (3)

Other Requirement (23 credit hours)
DNP 679 Biostatistics: Principles of Statistical Inference (3)
DNP 703 Innovation in Communication-scholarly and Professional Writing (2)
DNP 711 Healthcare Policy and Innovation (3)
DNP 712 Clinical Residency and Management (12)
DNP 715 Dynamics and Principles of Information in Health Care (3)

Electives and Research (45 credit hours)

Culminating Experience (3 credit hours)
DNP 707 Disseminating Evidence to Advance Best Practice in Health Care and Health Policy (3)

Additional Curriculum Information
Completion of an evidence-based doctoral applied project focused on a clinical issue relevant to advanced nursing is required.

Students complete 540 hours of clinical practice residency, in addition to the 500 hours from their awarded master's degree.

For electives or research, students should see the academic unit for the approved course list. Other coursework may be used with the approval of the academic unit.

When approved by the student's supervisory committee and the Graduate College, up to 30 credit hours from a previously awarded master's degree can be used for this program.

Other requirement coursework may be substituted with approval of the academic unit if the student is in an approved concurrent program.

Admission requirements

General university admission requirements:

All students are required to meet general university admission requirements.
U.S. applicants | International applicants | English proficiency

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in nursing from a nationally recognized, regionally accredited institution.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

  1. graduate admission application and application fee
  2. official transcripts
  3. proof of an unencumbered RN license
  4. three professional letters of recommendation
  5. resume
  6. goal statement
  7. admission essay
  8. health and safety requirements
  9. proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

International students who need an F1 or J1 visa need to apply to and be accepted to a graduate degree program before being considered for the certificate program. International students residing in the United States on other types of visas must adhere to all Graduate College policies and procedures regarding admission to be considered for admission to this certificate program.

A current unencumbered RN license in the state in which the student plans to do clinical practicums is required. All students are also required to have an unencumbered Arizona RN license or an unencumbered compact state RN license as mandated by the Arizona State Board of Nursing. The RN license must remain unencumbered throughout enrollment in any nursing program.

Applicants must be board certified as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse.

Applicants offered admission must meet health and safety requirements, which include a passing disposition on a background clearance, satisfactory completion of a substance screen, and required health and safety documents. Applicants offered admission must complete health and safety requirements by the provided deadlines, or their admission offer is withdrawn.

An interview with program faculty is required.

An admission examination is not required.

Applicants requesting review of previously completed courses must have a gap analysis. These applicants must submit primary source documents (e.g. syllabi) for faculty review.

Applications are reviewed on a space-available basis after the priority deadline.

Tuition information
When it comes to paying for higher education, everyone’s situation is different. Students can learn about ASU tuition and financial aid options to find out which will work best for them.
Application deadlines
Session Modality Deadline Type
Session A/C In Person 12/15 Priority
Program learning outcomes

Program learning outcomes identify what a student will learn or be able to do upon completion of their program. This program’s learning outcomes include the following:

  • Develop strategies to influence organizational culture toward innovative evidence-based practice models.
  • Develop nursing practice recommendations using evidence based rationales.
  • Evaluate the theoretical underpinnings of advanced nursing practice and leadership that influence the nurse practitioner role in complex healthcare systems.
Career opportunities

Graduates of the DNP program have the knowledge and training to provide health care for patients across the life span in a wide variety of settings. This broad base of comprehension and clinical expertise enables them to effectively participate and lead within clinical, community and academic arenas.

Career examples:

  • business owner
  • community advocate
  • nurse practitioner
  • professor
Professional licensure

ASU programs that may lead to professional licensure or certification are intended to prepare students for potential licensure or certification in Arizona. Completion of an ASU program may not meet educational requirements for licensure or certification in another state. For more information, students should visit the ASU professional licensure webpage.

Contact information

Program term definitions

Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.

Accelerated master's

These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).

Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.

Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.

Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.

ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.

ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.

The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) provides a reduced tuition rate to non-resident graduate students who qualify. Visit the WRGP/WICHE webpage for more information: https://graduate.asu.edu/wiche.

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