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Doctor of Nursing Practice

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 best way to learn more about our DNP Program is to attend an information session. We will discuss the application process and then move to break out rooms with specialty track faculty and current students. Dates and details will be posted at https://nursing.utah.edu/information.

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.

 

Guaranteed Clinical Placements

Our DNP program guarantees clinical placement sites for our students along the Wasatch Front region in Utah.

Remain Within Your Community

We offer distance-accessible education for five DNP Specialty Tracks.

Distance Learning Overview

Nationally Ranked Programs

Our Doctor of Nursing Practice program is ranked #23 among public universities within the United States. 

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 is completed in three years (eight consecutive semesters). This program is only available as a full-time plan of study. Click here for a sample Program of Study. Classes are offered in a combination of in person and online. The DNP program is not a fully online program.

 The BSN_DNP specialty tracks includes:

Post-MS to DNP Programs

Courses are taught in executive and online formats each semester. The executive format requires the student to attend class by video conference 4 - 5 times over the semester. campus attendance is not required. 

Full-time (completed in 5 semesters) or part-time (one additional year) programs of study available. 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)

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.

Post-APRN Licensure Certificates

Post-APRN licensure certificates are available to advanced practice nurses who are certified in one area of practice and wish to expand their area of advanced practice to another population. Students who fulfill the course and practicum requirements will be issued a certificate of completion of training, leading to eligibility to sit for national certification in the new area of care. Click here for more information.