Program Overview
College of Natural and Health Science
Director: Melissa Henry, Ph.D.
Location: Gunter 3080
Telephone: 970-351-2293
Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/nursing/
The Doctor of Nursing Practice Post Master's concentration is designed for clinicians with an APRN certification. Graduates of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program will be prepared as clinical experts 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.
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 formal Final Defense of the completed DNP Scholarly Project.
Admission
Location: Online
Start Term: Fall
General Doctoral Degree Admission Requirements
Nursing D.N.P. (Post Master's)
Admission Deadline
Starts Each Fall Term
The deadline for completed applications (including all supplemental materials) for fall 2025 is July 15. Additional applications will be considered on a space available basis. You may contact nursing@unco.edu to see if applications are still being accepted for the upcoming fall term.
Admission Requirements
Admission Requirements: NursingCAS
Applicants must apply to the program through the Nursing Centralized Application Service (NursingCAS). Please submit all required materials by the application deadline to avoid a delay in the evaluation and screening of your application. All official transcripts are submitted to NursingCAS, and do not need to be resubmitted UNC.
The UNC School of Nursing will review applications following the application deadline. Official admission notifications will be sent in the 2-4 weeks that follow.
Admission Requirements: Graduate School
Applicants must apply to the program through the Nursing Centralized Application Service (NursingCAS) before the program area reviews the applicant’s request for admission. Failure to submit all required materials will delay the evaluation and screening of your application.
Each applicant must:
Take the following steps to be considered for admission:
Step 1: Complete the Application
Complete the NursingCAS application.
- Answer the application questions.
- Send your requests for letters of recommendation.
- Request three (3) academic or professional letters of recommendation from those who can attest to your academic potential and abilities. You will be asked to supply information for your recommenders in the application.
- Send to NursingCAS an official transcript from each college or university where courses were taken including documentation of a bachelor's degree or higher was earned (or is in progress). Help with Transcripts – NursingCAS
Step 2: Request Transcripts
Please Note: As all official transcripts are submitted to NursingCAS, they do not need to be resubmitted to the Office of Admissions.
Applicants with academic credentials from outside the U.S. will need to follow the requirements for submission of foreign transcripts. Click on the Transcripts tab for information about international transcripts.
Step 3: Note About the GRE
This program does not require GRE scores.
Step 4: Supplemental Items
You will need to submit the following in NursingCAS:
- A statement of career goals articulating "why now" for your practice doctorate.
- Current vita or resume
- Copy of current RN license
- Copy of national APRN certification and APRN license
- Submission of a brief sample of professional writing (maximum of 10 pages). Examples:
- Describe a scholarly evidence-based case study that best exemplifies your practice.
- Describe a current practice related concept including its scope and significance, the patient population and the clinical setting of interest. Discuss alternative approaches described in the literature and identify an approach that you might take in addressing the concept.
A personal interview may be required.
International applicants (non-U.S. citizen/non-U.S. Permanent Resident) please refer to the International Admissions Requirements page for further information about submitting transcripts, English proficiency scores, passport copy and financial documentation.
For More Information
For more information about the admission process, please email the Office of Admissions at grad.admissions@unco.edu or call 970-351-2881.
Degree Requirements — 44 Credits
A minimum grade of ‘B’ or better or satisfactory in all nursing courses must be earned.
DNP Major Core Courses — 17 credits
| NURS 618 | Epidemiology in Advance Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NURS 658 | Applied Nursing Genomics | 3 |
| NURS 668 | Population Centered Health Care | 3 |
| NURS 678 | Professional Practice and Healthcare Finance Seminar | 3 |
| NURS 700 | Advanced Nursing Theory | 2 |
| NURS 707 | Leadership in Health Policy | 3 |
Translational Research Core — 15 credits
| NURS 616 | Leadership in the Measurement of Clinical Outcomes for Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NURS 725 | Translational Research Methods | 3 |
| NURS 726 | Introduction to the DNP Scholarly Project | 3 |
| NURS 727 | DNP Scholarly Project Proposal Development and Defense | 3 |
| NURS 798 | DNP Scholarly Project | 1-3 |
Electives — 12 credits
12 credits of electives are required. Students may bundle into a graduate certificate of their choice, based on interest and approval by their faculty advisor. Eligible electives may include graduate level courses (500 - 700) offered through nursing (NURS), the CO School of Public Health, and Montfort College of Business.
The combined clinical hours from the masters APRN and the DNP must equal a minimum of 1000 hours. The masters APRN program clinical hours must be at a minimum equal to 750 clock hours. Any deficit in hours will be attained through the NURS 685 DNP Practicum course as determined by the DNP Program Coordinator and may alter the time to degree completion. Compliance requirements for clinical placements must also be met.