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**Review** Graduate Catalog 2025-2026

Nursing D.N.P. – Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Concentration (Post Bachelor’s)

Program Overview

College of Natural and Health Sciences

General Doctoral Degree Admission Requirements

View delivery options, start terms and admission requirements.

Director: Melissa Henry, Ph.D.

Location: Gunter 3080
Telephone: 970-351-2293
Fax: 970-351-1707
Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/nursing/

Post Bachelor's in Nursing – Graduates are qualified to be recognized as a Family Nurse Practitioner, apply for national certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center or American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and be recognized as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) from the CO State Board of Nursing.

Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Concentration: The post-bachelor's DNP program is for BSN nurses who are interested in a practice-focused doctorate. You will be prepared as a clinical expert with a focus on the critical thinking, leadership and political policy skills needed to advocate and create changes in healthcare practice at the individual, population and organizational systems levels. BSN to DNP graduates will provide primary care health promotion and disease management for patients with episodic or chronic illnesses across the life span, focusing on the underserved.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice prepares expert clinicians for advanced practice roles in hospitals, primary care clinics, specialty settings such as long term care facilities, and virtually any area they wish to practice within the healthcare industry. These highly skilled practitioners will be the leaders in healthcare delivery and care management.

Specific exceptions to the Graduate School requirements for doctoral degrees have been approved. Due to the clinical focus of this degree, rigorous academic standards are maintained throughout the program. To earn the Nursing DNP degree, students will be required to complete a DNP Scholarly Project instead of a doctoral dissertation. DNP students must complete the following as a part of the requirements for the DNP degree: a DNP Scholarly Project Proposal and a formal Final Defense of the completed DNP Scholarly Project.

Degree Requirements — 84 Credits

A minimum grade of ‘B’ or better or satisfactory in all nursing courses must be earned.

Nursing Science BS to D.N.P. Core — 22 credits

NURS 602Theory for Advanced Practice Nurses

2

NURS 608Advanced Health Care Concepts

3

NURS 618Epidemiology in Advance Nursing Practice

3

NURS 658Applied Nursing Genomics

3

NURS 668Population Centered Health Care

3

NURS 678Professional Practice and Healthcare Finance Seminar

3

NURS 700Advanced Nursing Theory

2

NURS 707Leadership in Health Policy

3

Nursing Practitioner Concentration — 16 credits

NURS 612Advanced Pharmacology

4

NURS 613Advanced Health Assessment

4

NURS 614Advanced Pathophysiology

3

NURS 624Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Advanced Practice of Nursing

3

NURS 690Advanced Professional Role

2

Nursing Practice FNP Concentration — 28 hours

NURS 654Acute Care of Adults

3

NURS 656Care of Chronic Illness in Adults

3

NURS 674Care of Women and Pediatric Populations

3

NURS 675FNP Clinical I

4

NURS 676FNP Advanced Clinical Topics

2

NURS 677FNP Clinical II

4

NURS 669FNP Clinical III

3

NURS 689FNP Clinical Synthesis

1-6

Note: NURS 689: Take 6 hours

DNP Translational Research Core — 18 credits

NURS 606Research and Evidence-based Practice in Nursing

3

NURS 616Leadership in the Measurement of Clinical Outcomes for Advanced Nursing Practice

3

NURS 725Translational Research Methods

3

NURS 726Introduction to the DNP Scholarly Project

3

NURS 727DNP Scholarly Project Proposal Development and Defense

3

NURS 798DNP Scholarly Project

1-3

Note: NURS 798: Take 3 credits

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