Doctor of Nursing Practice
South University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice degree (DNP) is designed to help you achieve your nursing career goals*. The DNP program may help your career by giving you advanced skills and knowledge, as well as help prepare you to pursue leadership and management roles. South University’s DNP is offered with online courses and in person practicum experiences.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the Master of Science in Nursing, and Doctor of Nursing Practice Programs at South University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
*Programs, including all Clinical/Medical programs, have a required in-person clinical, practicum, or externship. We cannot guarantee flexibility in these components of the program.
Course Requirements
(51 credit hours for students who have a Nurse Practitioner degree)
Program credits are determined based on evaluation of MSN program of study and clinical/practicum hour attainment.
*Practice Immersion Experience courses are eligible for PLA (Prior Learning Assessment) based on post-baccalaureate clinical experiences. Students are required to have a minimum of 1000 documented hours of post baccalaureate clinical experience to earn the DNP degree.
Admissions Requirements
Procedure for Admission to the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program
Note: Not all Online Program offerings are available to residents of all U.S. states. Please contact an admissions representative for further information.
The criteria used to determine admission to the Doctor of Nursing Practice program include:
- Completion of an application for admission.
- Completion of a master's degree in nursing (MSN) from an accredited institution.
- A cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
- Completion of graduate-level courses with a grade of "B" or better in Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Health Assessment, and Advanced Pathophysiology.
- A single comprehensive course that integrates all three core components may be substituted if it demonstrates equivalent depth and breadth of content. If students who do not meet this admissions requirement, NSG6104 Pharmacology, Pathophysiology, & Physical Assessment for the Nurse Educator fulfills this requirement.
- Submission of official documentation of the actual number of verified clinical hours completed during the post-baccalaureate program of study within 5 weeks after the initial start date. This requirement may come in the form of the credentialing documents used to verify the hours for certification examination or a statement from the graduate degree-granting institution verifying the actual number of hours completed during the master's program.
- Submission of official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended within 5 weeks of the class start date (refer to Conditional Acceptance).
- A valid unencumbered single-state and/or a valid unencumbered Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC) multistate license as a registered nurse in all U.S. states or territory in which the student is licensed, including the state in which the student completes all assignments for the program. (Note that military, federal, and foreign educated nurses must meet this state requirement for nursing licensure). An unencumbered license(s) must be maintained throughout the program.
- All applicants must meet English Language Proficiency as stated in the academic catalog.
Once all required admissions documents and information are submitted, the application will be reviewed and evaluated for an admission decision.
For additional admissions information please see the admissions section here.
Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:
Students will model the knowledge and skills required to deliver quality nursing care given the student's scope of practice.
Students will integrate leadership skills into all aspects of advanced practice nursing.
Students will incorporate contemporary healthcare science and emerging research into practice to improve outcomes across the healthcare continuum.
Students will propose forward thinking quality improvement methods through health promotion to positively impact patient outcomes.
Students will integrate information technology and informatics in healthcare delivery to provide scalable solutions for real-world systems problems.
Career Outlook
These are some of the career options* you can explore when you have earned your degree:
- Nurse Practitioner
- Graduate Nurse Education
Individuals in these roles are typically found within various sectors, including but not limited to, hospitals, private physician and counseling practices, nursing facilities, community clinics and agencies, and research organizations. They choose to further their nursing education to the Doctor’s degree level in order to gain in-depth and hands-on skills to provide care for individuals, families, and communities.
*South University does not promise or guarantee licensure, employment, or salary amounts.
New Student Orientation
The New Student Orientation helps students develop skills and behaviors of a successful college student:
• Learn about South University and the resources available to support their success.• Practice using the same tools they will encounter in their courses, including Discussions, Microsoft Word/PDF document uploads, and Quizzes.
• Build confidence navigating University systems through an interactive Virtual Scavenger Hunt Quiz.
• Actively engage with course content rather than simply acknowledging completion.
BrightSpace
BrightSpace is an online learning management platform that keeps students connected to classwork and instructors.