Doctor of Nursing Practice
DURATION
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
21 Jul 2025
EARLIEST START DATE
06 Jan 2025
TUITION FEES
USD 1,160 *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
* 1,160 USD ; per unit | 45,240 USD ; base cost
Introduction
The DNP program prepares graduates for advanced nursing practice in direct roles (such as those who are RNs or APRNs) and indirect roles (health care systems leadership). The program conforms to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing standard and the AACN Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021).
Program at a Glance
The nationally ranked School of Nursing prepares nurses to lead the way in healthcare by providing a deeper level of compassionate care in clinics, hospitals, schools, and beyond.
Program Information
- Program Units: 39
- Location: Online
Gain Hands-on Experience
- Achieve the highest level of degree for nursing practice.
- Study in a program that utilizes an evidence-based clinical approach.
- Focus on the prevention, assessment, and treatment of complex health issues.
Program Details
The Doctor of Nursing Practice program offers doctoral-level studies in a clinically focused learning environment. The DNP degree prepares advanced practice nurses and nurse leaders to bring the highest level of clinical expertise to patients, nursing students, healthcare systems, health policy formation, and clinical research. Graduates of the DNP program help contribute to the body of nursing knowledge and the practice of nursing to improve health care globally.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Academic Agreements and Scholarships
APU’s School of Nursing offers preferential pricing to Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) graduates from community colleges that have entered into an academic agreement with APU for that purpose. Learn more about academic agreements and scholarships.
Nurse Faculty Loan Program
The Nurse Faculty Loan Program is a government loan program set up to increase the number of qualified nursing faculty by providing loans to students in advanced nursing education programs. Students must be pursuing a MSN or doctoral nursing degree. The NFLP loans will be forgiven—up to 85 percent of the amount received—over a consecutive 10-year period if the student commits to serve as full-time faculty at a school of nursing following graduation for four years. Faculty at private universities, state schools, and community colleges are eligible. Students receiving these loans must also complete the nursing education courses prior to graduation.
Kaiser Permanente Southern California Institute of Nursing Excellence (IONE)
The Institute of Nursing Excellence (IONE) promotes nursing education, including enabling nursing staff and leadership to obtain advanced degrees and the expansion of the nursing workforce in Southern California. The program is available to Kaiser Permanente employees who work full-time at a Kaiser Foundation Hospital and are seeking a degree in Doctor of Nursing Practice.
Academic Agreements
Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) students and graduates can advance their nursing education with the help of a partial tuition scholarship for Azusa Pacific’s accelerated RN to BSN program.
APU’s School of Nursing offers this preferential pricing to ADN graduates from community colleges that have entered into an academic agreement with APU for that purpose.
Through these academic agreements, ADN graduates of qualifying schools who enroll in the RN to BSN program receive a 10% partial tuition scholarship. View the list of eligible colleges below, and include the name of your school when you apply to the RN to BSN program.
Academic Practice Partner Discount
For employees of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Methodist Hospital of Southern California, Rady Children's Hospital, Redlands Community Hospital, and Riverside University Health System, Azusa Pacific pays 10 percent of tuition for the RN to BSN program or 15 percent for the MSN in Healthcare Administration and Leadership, MSN in Nursing Education, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), or Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) programs (limited to three doctoral DNP or PhD students) for the duration of the agreement with the employer.
Students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress, be continuously enrolled in fall and spring terms at least half-time, and must submit an MOU Discount Form along with verification of employment. This discount cannot be combined with other institutional aid. Contact student financial services for complete eligibility details.
Association of California Nurse Leaders (ACNL) Discount Partial Tuition Scholarship
- Partial tuition scholarships of 10% for eligible ACNL members who meet criteria for admission and enrollment to the Accelerated RN to BSN program at APU;
- Partial tuition scholarships of 15% for eligible ACNL members who meet criteria for admission and enrollment to the MSN in Nursing Education, MSN in Healthcare Administration and Leadership, MSN in
- Pediatric or Adult/Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist, or its Post-Master's Certificate Clinical Nurse Specialist tracks at APU, and;
- Partial tuition scholarships of 15% for eligible ACNL members who meet criteria for admission and enrollment to the Doctor of Nursing Practice or Nursing PhD program at the APU School of Nursing.
School of Nursing Alumni Tuition Discounts
Students must be in good academic standing and maintain satisfactory academic progress with a minimum cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0. Students must be enrolled at least half-time. If qualifications are met, the discount may be renewed each term. APU will pay $500 per term (up to $2,000 over the course of the program). This discount cannot be combined with other institutional aid.
Curriculum
The curriculum provides theoretical and empirical knowledge essential for advanced nursing practice, clinical research, health policy formation, and nursing education.
Core courses include: wellness promotion theory, statistical analysis, social ethics, epidemiology and population health, program evaluation, translational research, informatics, spirituality and health, and organizational leadership. The courses prepare students to implement the use of translational research approaches in health care. Coursework in these areas enables students to identify and formulate a translational research project as the culmination of their program.
The program courses address DNP Essentials1 to:
- Provide students with the theoretical and scientific foundations of the discipline.
- Enable students to use frameworks for understanding sources of knowledge in nursing, modes of inquiry, and models of scholarship.
- Enable students to critique, articulate, test, apply, evaluate, and implement translational research.
- Enable students to articulate the intersections of the profession with the Christian worldview.
- Empower students with the knowledge base to formulate healthcare policies.
- Allow students to critically examine, evaluate, and effectively translate nursing and other scientific knowledge with the goal of bringing positive changes to healthcare practice and general population health. (DNP Essentials I)
- Empower students to, based on scientific findings, utilize organizational and systems leadership competencies to effectively and ethically engage current and future health, safety, and other quality improvement issues to diverse organizational cultures and populations. (DNP Essentials II)Enable students to engage in collaborative leadership for the implementation, evaluation, and generation of evidence-based practice to guide improvements in practice and health outcomes. (DNP Essentials III)
- Enable students to demonstrate proficiency in the analysis and utilization of information systems/technology and patient care technology to improve quality in health care delivery. (DNP Essentials IV)
- Empower students to critically analyze health policy proposals/policies and advocate for equitable and ethical policies within health care. (DNP Essentials V)
- Help students effectively lead in the development and implementation of interprofessional collaboration for the improvement of patient and population health outcomes. (DNP Essentials VI)
- Allow students to employ evidence-based prevention through the analysis of epidemiological, bio-statistical, environmental, and other appropriate data related to individual, aggregate, and population health. (DNP Essentials VII)
- Prepare students to practice a specialization within the larger domain of nursing by demonstrating refined assessment skills and base practice on the application of nursing and other sciences as appropriate to their area. (DNP Essentials VIII)
DNP Scholarly Project
The DNP is a practice-focused doctorate that includes integrative practice experiences and an intense practice immersion experience. This is reflected in the clinical residency courses. Each student generates an evidence-based scholarly project as an integral part of their practice experience. There are a number of practice doctorates at the university, so DNP students have opportunities for interprofessional coursework and collaborative projects.
Residency
The DNP program offers clinical and leadership residency. The clinical and leadership residency course is GNRS 732, in which students concentrate on the development of their clinical and leadership roles in advanced nursing practice. The focus of the clinical portion of the residency hours is within an advanced nursing practice specialty area. The focus of the leadership portion of the residency hours is developing students for leadership roles in healthcare organizations. During the leadership residency, students are expected to progress in the conceptualization, implementation, and evaluation of their DNP scholarly project.
Residency Practice Hours
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) requires a minimum of 1,000 hours of clinical residency in a DNP program, and Azusa Pacific University’s School of Nursing requires 1,000 hours of clinical and leadership experience. Students who have completed an Advanced Practice RN (APRN) program, such as Nurse Practitioner (NP), Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), or Certified Nurse Mid-Wife (CNMW) from an accredited institution may transfer up to 500 clinical hours from the APRN program to the DNP program, and must then complete the other 500 clinical hours. Students who have not completed an APRN program are required to complete a total of 1,000 hours of advanced clinical and leadership experience. Non-APRN students who graduate from an accredited institution may also transfer up to 500 direct clinical hours from their master’s program (though generally there are fewer clinical hours in other master's programs) to the DNP program and must then complete the other 500 clinical hours. The DNP program requires that students have ongoing clinical work experience.
Program Outcome
Program Learning Outcomes
- Utilize nursing, bioethical, physical, spiritual, psychosocial and organizational sciences in the planning, implementation and evaluation of advanced clinical nursing practice.
- Provide transformative and collaborative leadership in the organization and management of healthcare delivery systems for ethnically and culturally diverse populations to improve patient and population outcomes.
- Critically examine, develop and translate research and other evidence as a basis for developing, implementing, and evaluating advanced clinical nursing practice and health care delivery.
- Employ current technological and informational advances from health care and other disciplines to promote the highest level of health care delivery.
- Actively participate in evaluating, formulating and implementing health care policies that address health disparities and health care from a social justice and ethical framework.
- Integrate faith traditions and Christian values in the development of professional and advanced nursing practice.
Career Opportunities
- Nurse Practitioners - Diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team. May focus on health promotion and disease prevention. May order, perform, or interpret diagnostic tests such as lab work and x rays. May prescribe medication. Must be registered nurses who have specialized graduate education.
- Medical and Health Services Managers - Plan, direct, or coordinate medical and health services in hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, public health agencies, or similar organizations.
- Registered Nurses - Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. Administer nursing care to ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients. May advise patients on health maintenance and disease prevention or provide case management. Licensing or registration required.
- Acute Care Nurses - Provide advanced nursing care for patients with acute conditions such as heart attacks, respiratory distress syndrome, or shock. May care for pre- and post-operative patients or perform advanced, invasive diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
- Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses - Assess, diagnose, and treat individuals and families with mental health or substance use disorders or the potential for such disorders. Apply therapeutic activities, including the prescription of medication, per state regulations, and the administration of psychotherapy.
- Critical Care Nurses - Provide specialized nursing care for patients in critical or coronary care units.
- Clinical Nurse Specialists - Direct nursing staff in the provision of patient care in a clinical practice setting, such as a hospital, hospice, clinic, or home. Ensure adherence to established clinical policies, protocols, regulations, and standards.
- Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary - Demonstrate and teach patient care in classroom and clinical units to nursing students. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.