The Duke Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program has two primary points of entry:

Post-BSN Entry allows students who enroll in the DNP program after earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing and being admitted to the DUSON MSN Program to prepare for an advanced practice role as part of their DNP Program. For these students, completion of the DNP degree requires a minimum of 71 to 83 credit hours post-BSN, depending on the advanced practice major selected.
Post-MSN Entry allows students who enter the DNP program with an earned master’s degree in nursing in an advanced practice major master’s-prepared nurses to build upon their experience and education. For these students, completion of the DNP degree requires a minimum of 35 credit hours, including 6 credit hours of graduate electives and 5 credit hours of Nursing 975 (DNP Project).

DNP courses are delivered either fully online or in a distance-based format. On-campus sessions, which are two to three days in length, are typically scheduled once per semester.

Nursing 975, DNP Project is the integrating course that brings together the practice and scholarship elements of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The project is a 4-5 semester scholarly project designed to address a practice issue affecting groups of patients, health care organizations, health care systems, or professional organizations. Students will work with clinics, inpatient units, hospitals or health care systems to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate an initiative jointly agreed upon by the practice setting, the student, and the student’s advisory committee. For more information about the DNP Project, consult the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program Student Handbook.

No students enrolled in graduate programs of the School of Nursing may take undergraduate courses (those numbered 500 or under) to meet requirements of their degrees. Undergraduate courses may not be applied toward the required credits needed for a post-baccalaureate degree and will not be included in cumulative GPA or cumulative credit calculations.

R-DNP - Doctor of Nursing Practice

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