DNP - Graduate Programs - School of Nursing

DNP Overview

Featured DNP alum

Alternate iframe text

Heidi Good (SON '14), earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, and is one of the co-authors of “The Prevalence of Uncontrolled Pain in Long-Term Care: A Pilot Study Examining Outcomes of Pain Management Processes,” which has been published in the February 2015 issue of the Journal of Gerontological Nursing.

Graduates who possess a DNP degree are prepared to assume clinical and leadership roles in both academic and practice settings. Knowledge acquisition in the DNP program includes:

the ability to analyze organizational and clinical systems
critique evidence to support clinical practice and improve patient outcomes
develop practice guidelines to enhance patient safety

The DNP graduate will:

Integrate the science and theory of nursing practice with scientific and theoretical knowledge from other disciplines to improve nursing practice and patient outcomes.
Integrate knowledge of effective communication and leadership skills based on professional standards to work as an effective member of an inter-professional team in the provision of safe, high quality, patient-centered care.
Demonstrate the appropriate and ethical use of information technology and research methods to improve practice and the practice environment.

The baccalaureate degree in nursing/master's degree in nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice at Oakland University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

Why Choose
Oakland's DNP

Building on the foundation of the master’s program, the DNP program will prepare the student for the highest level of clinical nursing practice. The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree requires Registered Nurses who graduated with a clinical focus in their master’s programs to complete a minimum of 38 credits, depending on prior course/clinical work taken at the master’s level.

All DNP students satisfy a minimum of 1,000 supervised clock hours of practice experiences to demonstrate attainment of the doctoral level competencies. Students may receive credit for up to 640 clock hours from their master’s educational program; each applicant’s supervised clock hours of practicum experiences from their master’s programs are validated as part of the admission process.

DNP applicants without a clinical focus in their master’s program must complete the necessary coursework to obtain a post-master’s certificate in a clinical area and pass their respective certification exam, in addition to completing the 38 credits of DNP coursework.

Program highlights:

Curriculum emphasizes advocacy, clinical leadership, population health, patient care technologies and more
Graduates become a leader in clinical health care
Flexible Plan of Study: Full-time working nurses can complete the program by following a full-time or part-time plan of study
The health care policy experience includes a trip to Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. or Lansing, MI and other courses emphasize leadership, clinical prevention and translational research
Curriculum includes an elective to support the student’s area of interest

How to Apply

To be considered for graduate admissions, applicants must have fully completed and submitted a graduate application through NursingCAS and must have all applicable supporting documents uploaded into the NursingCAS application by the published deadlines below. All supporting documents are either completed through or uploaded to Nursing CAS. For the Post-Master's DNP, they include:

A written professional statement of 500 to 1,000 words. The statement should focus on career goals after completion of the program, how recent clinical experiences have prepared you for the advanced practice role, and plans for professional development.
Completion of the DNP Supplemental Application (validation of supervised clinical practice hours).
An official transcript with the master's degree posted.
Copy of unrestricted license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the United States or its territories.
Two recommendations completed through NursingCAS. Note that both recommendations must come from nursing professionals. At least one must come from a nursing colleague in an advanced practice role who has familiarity with the applicant.

To start the NursingCAS application for the Post-Master's DNP or for more information on setting up a NursingCAS account, prospective students may visit https://www.nursingcas.org.

DNP applications are admitted for the fall semester only

February 15 (early)
April 15 (regular)
August 15 (late)