Offered at South University, Savannah; South University, Tampa; and South University, Online Programs.

Note: The Doctor of Nursing Practice offered through South University, Online Programs is a term-based program. Students enrolled through South University, Online Programs will follow all campus based and term based policies.

Program Description

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program in the College of Nursing is designed as the highest degree for advanced nurses who wish to maintain nursing practice as their area of professional emphasis. The DNP program provides options for current nurse practitioners and other advanced practice nurses to incorporate progressive and thoughtful clinical practice, inquiry, and leadership competencies into their clinical practice repertoire.

The DNP program is offered as a post-master’s program, providing a pathway for master’s prepared nurses to achieve doctoral level competencies consistent with a clinical program of study. Coursework in the program emphasizes current topics in nursing, field experiences, and scholarship while offering program electives drawn from a broad range of interdisciplinary fields from the South University College of Business and College of Health Professions. The program is offered in a hybrid format incorporating both online and on-ground educational experiences that support ongoing education for working nurses. Courses are provided online or in a blended format with the clinical component (i.e., advanced nursing field experiences which are guided by agency mentors) provided on-ground in the students’ geographical regions.

In 2004 the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) endorsed the DNP degree and proposed that the DNP is the terminal degree for nursing practice. The Essentials for Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (AACN, 2004) outlines the eight competencies that are the foundation for all DNP graduates, regardless of speciality.The South University College of Nursing is uniquely qualified to provide the framework for this practice doctorate degree. As an integrated, national system of higher education, the exposure to outstanding faculty, coupled with state-of-the-art online coursework and industry-standard clinical opportunities in the student’s geographical area provides a dynamic environment for DNP students to grow into new leadership roles and clinical arenas.

For more information about the Doctor of Nursing Practice within the nursing profession, please visit the American Association of Colleges of Nursing website at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/DNP/index.htm.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates should be able to:

1. Provide the highest level of nursing practice through integration of advanced competencies in leadership, ethics and the practice sciences, including biophysical, psychosocial, analytical, organizational, and public health sciences.
2. Demonstrate organizational and systems leadership for quality improvement.
3.  Use contemporary healthcare science to address and resolve complex healthcare problems and disparities.
4. Evaluate scientific findings for clinical applicability and potential to affect transformative care.
5. Integrate information technology and informatics to provide scalable solutions for real-world systems problems.

Ultimately, the DNP degree is designed to provide practicing clinicians with the depth and breadth of clinical skill, leadership, and clinical inquiry competencies essential to achieving the highest level of clinical excellence.