The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program is a professional degree designed to create practice-ready advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) to lead the transformation of healthcare and provide evidence-based, holistic, innovative, and fiscally responsible healthcare. The APRN is prepared to deliver care that is diverse and inclusive of the determinants of health to positively impact individuals and communities in which they practice, particularly the Inland Empire region. 

This three-year BSN-DNP Program utilizes a hybrid synchronous and asynchronous approach. Students complete online didactic courses and 1,000 clinical hours; three on-campus advanced clinical skills development immersions (135 on-campus clinical hours), DNP Project implementation (70 hours), health assessment lab (45 hours), and direct patient care clinical rotations within assigned clinical sites (750 hours of in-person). Students apply the knowledge gained throughout the program to develop and implement a DNP Scholarly Project.

Upon completion of the DNP Program students will have accomplished the requirements to make them eligible to complete the national certification exam in the family nurse practitioner (FNP) specialty.

Admission Requirements

Admission shall be granted on a competitive basis; meeting the following minimum requirements qualifies an individual for but does not guarantee admission to the program. In addition to the general university admission requirements, specific requirements for admission to classified graduate status include:

1. A baccalaureate or master’s degree in nursing from a CCNE-accredited program, or a regionally-accredited baccalaureate or master’s degree in nursing. The applicant has a completed equivalent academic preparation as determined by the Department of Nursing (DON) Graduate Affairs.
2. A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in an acceptable bachelor’s degree in nursing or master’s degree in nursing as determined by the appropriate campus authority.
3. Active registered nurse (RN) license, unencumbered, unrestricted, with no disciplinary action pending or imposed from the state in which the applicant will complete direct clinical hours.
4. Meet eligibility requirements for credentialing or certification as a family nurse practitioner upon graduation. These can be found at www.aanp.org or www.nursingworld.org.
5. Hold a current American Heart Association BLS Certification.
6. A minimum of 2,000 hours of documented work history as a registered nurse.
7. Two (2) satisfactory letters of professional recommendation. These must be dated and signed within the past six months. You should request recommendations from those who can speak to your professional and academic readiness to attend a rigorous graduate program. At least one letter must be from a direct supervisor.
8. A satisfactory written personal statement that describes what the applicant expects to accomplish in the DNP program and how the DNP program will advance the applicant’s nursing career and practice.
9. Successful completion of a personal interview.
10. Successful completion of a college-level statistics course equivalent to MATH 1201 – Introduction to Statistical Thinking.
11. Preference will be given to applicants who reside in the Inland Empire and Southern California service areas and those with military service.

Applicants may consult the Department of Nursing webpage for details on how to apply for admission to the DNP Program. To be considered for admission, applicants must submit a complete application with all required documentation during the application period. All eligible applications are reviewed by the graduate admission committee using a holistic and inclusive review process.

Advancement to Candidacy

In order to be advanced to candidacy, the student must have:

1. Achieved classified graduate status.
2. Completed all DNP core course work with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 ("B") and approval by DNP Program Director.
3. Filed an approved Program Plan for completion of the graduate degree. The degree program must be prepared in consultation with the faculty advisor and approved by the DNP Program Director and the Dean of Graduate Studies.
4. Demonstrated professional and academic competency.
5. Successfully completed the DNP Qualifying Assessment.

Degree Requirements (87 units)

NURS 7000	Foundations of Scholarly Writing	1
NURS 7005	Health Promotion & Population Health	3
NURS 7010	Human Diversity and Health Equity	3
NURS 7015	Biostatistics and Epidemiology	3
NURS 7020	Health Policy, Economics, and Fiscally Responsible Care	3
NURS 7025	Introduction to the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Role	2
NURS 7030	Introduction to Integrative Health & Self-Care for the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)	2
NURS 7035	Leadership Role and Interprofessional Collaboration	3
NURS 7040	Quality Improvement and Evidenced-Based Practice Methods	3
NURS 7045	Information Systems Technology and Telehealth	3
NURS 7100	Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology	3
NURS 7105	Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics 1	3
NURS 7110	Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan	3
NURS 7110L	Advanced Health Assessment Lab	1
NURS 7120	Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics 2	3
NURS 7400	Pediatric Health Management and Pharmacotherapeutics	3
NURS 7410	Family Health Management Theory 1	3
NURS 7410L	Family Health Management Simulation Lab 1	1
NURS 7415	Diagnostic and Management Reasoning	3
NURS 7420	Women's Health and Obstetrics	2
NURS 7430	Family Health Management Theory 2	3
NURS 7430C	Family Health Management Clinical 2	4
NURS 7430L	Family Health Management Simulation Lab 2	1
NURS 7440	Concepts of Behavioral Health	2
NURS 7450	Family Health Management Theory 3	3
NURS 7450C	Family Health Management Clinical 3	6
NURS 7450L	Family Health Management Simulation Lab 3	1
NURS 7460	Family Clinical Practicum	8
NURS 7500	DNP Systems Thinking 1	1
NURS 7510	DNP Systems Thinking 2	2
NURS 7520	DNP Systems Thinking 3	1
NURS 7530	DNP Systems Thinking 4	2
NURS 7540	APRN Role Transition to Practice	2
Total Units		87

The DNP Project is a written product of a systematic, rigorous evidence-based quality improvement project that is focused on a significant clinical practice issue. In accordance with Section 40513 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, the project shall be submitted in written form, with an oral presentation and shall identify: the problem statement and purpose; major theoretical perspectives; significance of the undertaking; relevance of scholarly and professional literature; appropriate methods of gathering, implementation, and analyzing data; and offer a conclusion or recommendation. Students must successfully defend the DNP Project proposal to their DNP Project Committee, obtain IRB approval for implementation, implement the project, and successfully defend the findings to the DNP Project Committee in the DNP Project Defense. The DNP project is completed within the four DNP Systems Thinking courses (NURS 7500, NURS 7510, NURS 7520, NURS 7530). Students who do not successfully defend their project on their first attempt may petition the Department of Nursing Graduate Affairs Committee for a second and final attempt within one year. For more information related to the comprehensive examination process contact the DNP Program Director.