Offered at Savannah, Tampa and Online Programs.

Note: Not all Online Program offerings are available to residents of all U.S. states. Please contact an admissions representative for further information.

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, experiences, and scholarship. The program is offered in an online format as well as a hybrid format incorporating both online and campus-based educational experiences that support ongoing education for working nurses. Courses are provided online or in a blended format with the practice component (i.e., advanced nursing field experiences which are guided by agency mentors) provided campus-based 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, 2006) outlines the eight competencies that are the foundation for all DNP graduates, regardless of specialty. 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 care systems leadership for quality improvement through advancing nursing practice.
3. Use contemporary healthcare science to advocate through policy change for resolution of complex healthcare problems and disparities.
4. Evaluate scientific findings health promotion and disease prevention and impact on transformative care and outcomes.
5. Integrate information technology and informatics to provide scalable solutions for real-world systems problems.