Doctor of Nursing Practice
Our program prepares nursing professionals to work at the highest level of professional practice and equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead within complex health care systems, drive innovation, and apply best practices to improve quality of care.
The Utah Advantage
The University of Utah College of Nursing offers advanced practice nursing programs as a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. The DNP degree is designed for bachelor's prepared nurses seeking a terminal degree in nursing practice and offers an alternative to research-focused doctoral programs. The DNP curricula provides education in evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and systems leadership, among other key areas.
Remain Within Your Community
We offer distance-accessible education for five DNP Specialty Tracks.
Nationally Ranked Programs
Our Doctor of Nursing Practice programs are ranked #23 among public universities within the United States.
Guaranteed Clinical Placements
Our DNP program guarantees clinical placement sites for our students along the Wasatch Front region in Utah.
Outstanding Certification Pass Rates
Our combined national certification pass rate for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Certification stands at 99.5%.
BS to DNP Programs
The BS-DNP program specialty tracks includes:
Post-MS to DNP Programs
The Post-Master of Science to Doctor of Nursing Practice (MS-DNP) program of study is designed for master's prepared nurses to obtain the DNP degree in one of two pathways:
- Direct care for advance practice registered nurses (APRNs)
- Organizational Leadership (APRNs and non-APRNs, i.e. nurse administrators, business managers, educators)
Expected Learning Outcomes
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Integrate nursing science with knowledge from ethics, the biophysical, psychosocial, analytical, and organizational sciences to provide the basis for advanced nursing practice.
- Provide, manage and evaluate the care of individuals and populations using evidence-based concepts related to physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, as well as community, environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic dimensions of health.
- Demonstrate advanced levels of clinical judgment and decision-making, systems thinking, and accountability in designing, delivering, and evaluating evidence-based care.
- Develop and evaluate initiatives that will improve the quality of care delivery.
- Analyze and communicate critical elements necessary to the selection, use, and evaluation of healthcare information systems and patient care technology.
- Actively engage in interdisciplinary collaborations aimed at improving healthcare delivery, care coordination, and policy.
- Demonstrate professionalism, value lifelong learning, and recognize the need to adapt the practice to changing social, political, and global healthcare environments.
Nursing Education Xchange (NEXus)
The College of Nursing is a member of the Nursing Education Exchange (NEXus). NEXus is a collaboration between participating doctoral programs in nursing that allows doctoral students enrolled at member colleges and universities to take courses for a common price that may not be offered at a student's home institution. Enrollment, registration, tuition, and contact information may be found by visiting the University of Utah NEXus page.
Eligibility for Licensure within US States and Territories
The nursing programs in the College of Nursing are board approved and possess national certifications from recognized national organizations. Please click HERE to access a list of states/jurisdictions that indicate whether or not our undergraduate (BS) and graduate (DNP) curricula meet one of the following options: meets requirement for licensure, does not meet requirements for licensure, or has not yet been determined.
Contact Us
Gillian Tufts, DNP, APRN, CFNP
Assistant Dean, MS and DNP Programs
gillian.tufts@nurs.utah.edu
Shelley Kern, MPC
DNP Program Manager
shelley.kern@nurs.utah.edu
Office of Student Services
(801) 587-3194
Resources
Graduate Certificates
We offer graduate certificates in:
We offer post-APRN licensure certificates in: