Nursing Practice, DNP

Program Description

The School of Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is designed to prepare graduates for advanced nursing practice. Our DNP program will graduate nursing leaders who have the knowledge and skills to address the health disparities of vulnerable populations, including rural. The program will prepare graduates to function in a variety of community and acute care health settings as primary care providers, leaders, managers, educators, and consultants.

Program Options

The BSN to DNP program has options in either Practice Leadership, Adult Gerontology-Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. 

Each option will prepare graduates to practice in the advanced nursing role.  The Practice Leadership option consists of online courses and the NP program consists of both online and on-campus courses. The student is required to hold licensure as a registered nurse in the U.S.

The Post-Master’s (PM) DNP-Leadership Program is a 32 credit hour (minimum) online program for nurses with a Master’s in Nursing degree. The online program can be completed with full-time study in 5 semesters, or in part-time study. 

Accreditation

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Missouri State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education: www.aacnnursing.org/CCNE.

Application Process

1. Submit an application to NursingCAS with all required documentation, including transcripts and references. The application fee does not guarantee acceptance into the desired program of your choosing. 
2. Submit transcripts of all completed academic coursework. Post-Master’s applicants must have a cumulative GPA of all previous graduate-level education coursework of 3.25 (on a 4.00 scale), BSN to DNP applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 for the last 60 hours of coursework attempted. Students who have less than a 3.25 GPA must submit verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing scores on the Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE) (minimum Verbal: 150; Quantitative: 145; Analytical Writing: 3.5).
3. Submit proof of completion of all prerequisite courses. BSN to DNP requires: undergraduate human pathophysiology, nursing research, health assessment healthcare informatics and graduate-level inferential statistics with a grade of “C” or higher. Post-Master’s requires: graduate human pathophysiology, graduate health assessment, graduate pharmacology, graduate epidemiology, graduate-level inferential statistics, and healthcare informatics, with a grade of “C” or higher before the program begins. Admission will be contingent on the student completing prerequisite courses prior to enrolling in DNP courses. 
4. Submit evidence of completed clinical practice experience that equates with one year minimum (two or more preferred) of full-time experience. Exceptions considered on individual basis.