Online Doctor of Nursing Practice
College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Dean
Carrie Keib, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Interim Program Director
Jill Matthes, DNP, RN, CHSE
Family Nurse Practitioner Track Director
Tracy Crum, DNP, APRN, NP-C
Health Systems Leadership Track Director
Valerie Burris, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC
Doctor of Nursing Practice Program
The Doctor of Nursing Practice Program (DNP) is a practice-focused degree that prepares nurses to function at the highest level of practice in the current health care environment based on a strong scientific foundation for practice. Emphasis is on evidence-based practice, leadership, cultural competence, organizational analysis, and policy.
The DNP program offers 2 tracks of study: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and Health Systems Leadership (HSL).
Admission Requirements
Bachelor of Science or Master of Science in Nursing Degree Minimum 3.0 GPA
Valid RN license
One year of clinical practice experience
Undergraduate or graduate level statistics course
Interview
BS/BSN-DNP
Applicants possessing a Bachelor of Science in nursing from an accredited institution, with a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.00 scale, currently practicing as an RN with at least one year of clinical experience, and a successful interview will be eligible for admission to the DNP program.
MS/MSN-DNP
Applicants possessing a Master of Science in nursing from an accredited institution, with a cumulative graduate grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.00 scale, current Certificate of Authority, with at least one year of experience as an Advanced Practice Nurse, and a successful interview will be eligible for admission to the DNP program.
How to Apply
The following materials must be submitted to finalize the application process:
Completed Ashland University Application
Submit a $30 application fee
Submit a copy of your resume or vitae
Submit official academic transcript(s) from accredited institutions of higher education documenting all undergraduate and graduate degrees awarded.
Three letters of recommendation; two academic and one professional.
Submit a copy of your RN Licensure
If you are pursuing the MS/MSN to DNP submit your Certificate of Authority for advanced practice
Submit a 2-3 page paper on why you are pursuing the DNP degree and discussing a potential clinical area of interest for the DNP Scholarly Project.
Interview
Transcripts, application fees paid by check or money order, or other correspondence should be mailed to:
Ashland University
Attn: Enrollment Services
401 College Avenue
Ashland, OH 44805
Official Electronic transcripts should be submitted to:
enroll-grad@ashland.edu
Curriculum Transition for DNP Program
The online format of the program allows for flexibility, although each cohort will be required to participate in residency requirements throughout the program. The DNP Project is an integral part of the total program of study as well as the culminating activity. The project represents an original application of knowledge in the area of student specialization. The target benefits of the intervention or innovation designed by the student would be beyond the individual patient or family and focus more on institutions, patient populations, or communities.
DNP Family Nurse Practitioner Program Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the FNP graduate program, the student will be able to:
Implement nursing practice, including innovative approaches, based on scientific knowledge.
Evaluate health care policy and systems.
Plan for patient and family needs, anticipating their changing requirements, and ensuring patient comfort and safety in planning care.
Engage in interprofessional collaboration to meet the health needs of client systems in varied health care delivery systems.
Enhance the culture of safety in health systems through the application of information technologies.
Generate nursing practice knowledge to stimulate research and improve clinical outcomes.
Demonstrate professional values and ethical behavior in the advanced practice nursing role.
Assume specialized roles in advanced clinical practice.
Design culturally competent health services for vulnerable populations.
DNP Health Systems Leadership Program Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the HSL graduate program, the student will be able to:
Implement best practice to improve health care and health systems using analytical methods.
Assume leadership positions at the systems level, integrating nursing science with organizational leadership and ethics.
Design, implement and evaluate quality improvement projects in health care systems to promote safe, effective and efficient patient centered care.
Evaluate health care policy and systems that provide care for individuals, communities and populations.
Engage in interprofessional collaboration to promote health, reduce risk and improve outcomes in varied health care delivery systems.
Enhance the culture of safety in health systems through the application of information technologies.
Improve patient outcomes locally, nationally, and globally through research and health policy.
Practice
Design culturally competent equitable health services for vulnerable populations.
Program Progression/Completion
A BSN to DNP student is required to satisfy the DNP degree requirements within 5 years from the semester in which the student completes the first course in their specialty track (i.e. (NUR 9210 and NUR 9575). An MSN to DNP student is required to satisfy the DNP degree requirements within 5 years from the semester in which the student completes the first course for the degree. All students are expected to follow the approved program plan. Students are required to be continuously registered for credit each semester from admission through graduation. If a student is unable to register for a class for a semester, an official leave of absence must be requested and approved by the DNP Program Director in order to maintain a place in the program.
Transfer of Credits
A maximum of nine (9) graduate level credits from an accredited college or university may be transferred toward completion of the requirements for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. Official transcripts certifying graduate level courses completed at another institution prior to admission to Ashland University should be submitted at the time of application and will be evaluated by the DNP program director for acceptability as transfer credit.
Transfer credit will only be accepted for courses in which a grade of B (3.0 on 4.0 scale) or higher has been received. Courses taken over 5 years (over 2 years for APN) prior to admission are subject to the Gap Analysis evaluation.
The student is responsible for initiating the request for transfer credit. For each course for which the student requests transfer credit, the student must:
Complete a Request for transfer credit form as part of the DNP Admissions application identifying the institution attended, course title, semester and year completed, and the number of credits for which transfer is requested.
Attach a copy of the transcript, which includes the grade received for the requested transfer credits, and a detailed course description/outline.
Submit these materials to office of Graduate Admissions with the application. The request will be forwarded to the DNP Program Director.
Approval/disapproval of accepted transfer credits will be included in the admission letter to the applicant.
Approved transfer credits will be forwarded to Administrative Assistant for Graduate Programs for inclusion in the student file and processing with the Registrar’s Office.
Evaluation of Graduate Clinical Hours
New Admits: Students who have been admitted to the DNP program with a MS/MSN must obtain a letter documenting their clinical hours completed from the program where they obtained their MS/MSN degree. This letter will be evaluated by the program director for approval. The student may receive credit for up to but not exceeding 700 hours. Three hundred hours must be completed while a student at Ashland University.
Transfer Students: Students who have been admitted to the DNP program with a MS/MSN, but are transferring from another doctoral program to complete course-work at Ashland University must obtain a letter from the program where they obtained their MS/MSN degree as well as the program from which they are transferring documenting their clinical hours completed from each program. This letter will be evaluated by the program director for approval. The student may receive credit for up to but not exceeding 700 hours. Three hundred hours must be completed while a student at Ashland University.
BSN-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner Track
(Enter with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and complete a Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree including the Family Nurse Practitioner track.)
Course Number and Title | Hrs. | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|
NUR 9110+ DNP Role and Interprofessionalism | 3 | Admission |
NUR 9240+ Scientific Basis for Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9520+ Epidemiology and Biostatistics | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9530+ Research Methods and Evidence Based Practice | 3 | NUR 9520 |
NUR 9540+ Healthcare Informatics | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9550+ Healthcare Delivery, Quality, and Safety | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9560+ Health Policy and Advocacy | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9570^ Principles of Practice Management | 2 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9580+ Interprofessional Seminar | 2 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9810+ Scholarly Project I (taken twice for 1 ch each for a total of 2 ch) | 2 | NUR 9530; NUR 9540 |
NUR 9820+ Scholarly Project II (taken twice for 1 ch each for a total of 2 ch) | 2 | NUR 9810 |
NUR 9830+ Residency I (taken three times for a total of 4 ch) | 4 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9840+ Residency II (taken three times for a total of 4 ch) | 4 | NUR 9830 |
NUR 9210^ Advanced Pathophysiology I | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9211^Advanced Pathophysiology II | 3 | NUR 9210 |
NUR 9220^ Advanced Pharmacology I | 3 | NUR 9211 |
NUR 9221^ Advanced Pharmacology II | 3 | NUR 9220 |
NUR 9230^ Advanced Health Assessment I | 3 | NUR 9221 |
NUR 9231^ Advanced Health Assessment II | 3 | NUR 9230 |
NUR 9310^ Primary Care I Family | 5 | NUR 9231 |
NUR 9321^ Primary Care II Pediatrics & Women’s Health | 5 | NUR 9310 |
NUR 9330^ Primary Care III Adults & Older Adults | 6 | NUR 9321 |
NUR 9341^ Primary Care IV Acute ( | 6 | NUR 9330 |
+BSN-DNP core; ^FNP major
BSN-DNP Health Systems Leadership Track
(Enter with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and complete a Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree including the Health Systems Leadership track.)
Course Number and Title | Hrs. | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|
NUR 9110+ DNP Role and Interprofessionalism | 3 | Admission |
NUR 9240+ Scientific Basis for Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9520+ Epidemiology and Biostatistics | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9530+ Research Methods and Evidence Based Practice | 3 | NUR 9520 |
NUR 9540+ Healthcare Informatics | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9550+ Healthcare Delivery, Quality, and Safety | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9560+ Health Policy and Advocacy | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9580+ Interprofessional Seminar | 2 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9810+ Scholarly Project I (taken twice for 1 ch each for a total of 2 ch) | 2 | NUR 9530; NUR 9540 |
NUR 9820+ Scholarly Project II (taken twice for 1 ch each for a total of 2 ch) | 2 | NUR 9810 |
NUR 9830+ Residency I (taken three times for a total of 4 ch) | 4 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9840+ Residency II (taken three times for a total of 4 ch) | 4 | NUR 9830 |
NUR 9575~ The Healthcare Organization | 3 | NUR 9240, NUR 9550 |
NUR 9576~ The Healthcare Org. – Clinical | 3 | NUR 9240; NUR 9550; NUR 9575 or concurrent |
NUR 9577~ Managing the Healthcare Org. The Financial Perspective | 3 | NUR 9575 |
NUR 9578~ Managing the Healthcare Org. The Financial Perspective –Clinical | 2 | NUR 9575 |
NUR 9579~ Improving the Healthcare Org. | 3 | NUR 9577 |
NUR 9582~ Improving the Healthcare Org. – Clinical | 3 | NUR 9579 or concurrent |
NUR 9581~ Healthcare Organization: Leadership, Management and Communication | 3 | NUR 9575, 9576, 9577, 9578, 9579, 9582 |
NUR 9581L~ Healthcare Organization: Leadership, Management and Communication Clinical | 2 | NUR 9579 |
+BSN-DNP core; ~HSL major
MSN-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner
(Enter with a master’s degree in nursing specialty and complete a Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree including the Family Nurse Practitioner track.)
Course Number and Title | Hrs. | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|
NUR 9110+ DNP Role and Interprofessionalism | 3 | Admission |
NUR 9520+ Epidemiology and Biostatistics | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9530+ Research Methods and Evidence Based Practice | 3 | NUR 9520 |
NUR 9540+ Healthcare Informatics | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9550+ Healthcare Delivery, Quality, and Safety | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9560+ Health Policy and Advocacy | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9570^ Principles of Practice Management | 2 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9580+ Interprofessional Seminar | 2 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9810+ Scholarly Project I (taken twice for 1 ch each for a total of 2 ch) | 2 | NUR 9530; NUR 9540 |
NUR 9820+ Scholarly Project II (taken twice for 1 ch each for a total of 2 ch) | 2 | NUR 9810 |
NUR 9831+ MSN-DNP Residency (ch depends on the number from MSN program) | 1-4 | NUR 9110 or concurrent |
NUR 9210^ Advanced Pathophysiology I | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9211^Advanced Pathophysiology II | 3 | NUR 9210 |
NUR 9220^ Advanced Pharmacology I | 3 | NUR 9211 |
NUR 9221^ Advanced Pharmacology II | 3 | NUR 9220 |
NUR 9230^ Advanced Health Assessment I | 3 | NUR 9221 |
NUR 9231^ Advanced Health Assessment II | 3 | NUR 9230 |
NUR 9310^ Primary Care I Family | 5 | NUR 9231 |
NUR 9321^ Primary Care II Pediatrics & Women’s Health | 5 | NUR 9310 |
NUR 9330^ Primary Care III Adults & Older Adults | 6 | NUR 9321 |
NUR 9341^ Primary Care IV | 6 | NUR 9330 |
+MSN-DNP core; ^FNP major
MSN-DNP Health Systems Leadership
(Enter with a master’s degree in any nursing specialty and complete a Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree including the Health Systems Leadership track.)
Course Number and Title | Hrs. | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|
NUR 9110+ DNP Role and Interprofessionalism | 3 | Admission |
NUR 9520+ Epidemiology and Biostatistics | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9530+ Research Methods and Evidence Based Practice | 3 | NUR 9520 |
NUR 9540+ Healthcare Informatics | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9550+ Healthcare Delivery, Quality, and Safety | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9560+ Health Policy and Advocacy | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9580+ Interprofessional Seminar | 2 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9810+ Scholarly Project I (taken twice for 1 ch each for a total of 2 ch) | 2 | NUR 9530; NUR 9540 |
NUR 9820+ Scholarly Project II (taken twice for 1 ch each for a total of 2 ch) | 2 | NUR 9810 |
NUR 9831+ MSN-DNP Residency (ch depends on the number from MSN program) | 1-4 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9575~ The Healthcare Organization | 3 | NUR 9240, NUR 9550 |
NUR 9576~ The Healthcare Org. – Clinical | 3 | NUR 9240; NUR 9550; NUR 9575 or concurrent |
NUR 9577~ Managing the Healthcare Org. The Financial Perspective | 3 | NUR 9575 |
NUR 9578~ Managing the Healthcare Org. The Financial Perspective –Clinical | 2 | NUR 9575 |
NUR 9579~ Improving the Healthcare Org. | 3 | NUR 9577 |
NUR 9582~ Improving the Healthcare Org. – Clinical | 3 | NUR 9579 or concurrent |
NUR 9581~ Healthcare Organization: Leadership, Management and Communication | 3 | NUR 9575, 9576, 9577, 9578, 9579, 9582 |
NUR 9581L~ Healthcare Organization: Leadership, Management and Communication Clinical | 2 | NUR 9579 |
+MSN-DNP core; ~HSL major
MSN/APRN-DNP Nursing Practice
(Enter with a master’s degree in advanced practice nursing and be certified as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in any specialty and complete a Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree.)
Course Number and Title | Hrs. | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|
NUR 9110 DNP Role and Interprofessionalism | 3 | Admission |
NUR 9520 Epidemiology and Biostatistics | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9530 Research Methods and Evidence Based Practice | 3 | NUR 9520 |
NUR 9540 Healthcare Informatics | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9550 Healthcare Delivery, Quality, and Safety | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9560 Health Policy and Advocacy | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9570 Principles of Practice Management | 2 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9580 Interprofessional Seminar | 2 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9810 Scholarly Project I (taken once for the entire 2ch) | 2 | NUR 9530; NUR 9540 |
NUR 9820 Scholarly Project II (taken once for the entire 2ch) | 2 | NUR 9810 |
NUR 9831+ MSN-DNP Residency (ch depends on the number from MSn program) | 1-4 | NUR 9110 |
MSN/APRN-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner
(Enter with a master’s degree in advanced practice nursing AND be certified as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in another specialty and complete a Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree including the Family Nurse Practitioner track. *Subject to GAP Analysis.)
Course Number and Title | Hrs. | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|
NUR 9110+ DNP Role and Interprofessionalism | 3 | Admission |
NUR 9520+ Epidemiology and Biostatistics | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9530+ Research Methods and Evidence Based Practice | 3 | NUR 9520 |
NUR 9540+ Healthcare Informatics | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9550+ Healthcare Delivery, Quality, and Safety | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9560+ Health Policy and Advocacy | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9580+ Interprofessional Seminar | 2 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9810 Scholarly Project I (taken once for the entire 2ch) | 2 | NUR 9530; NUR 9540 |
NUR 9820 Scholarly Project II (taken once for the entire 2ch) | 2 | NUR 9810 |
NUR 9831+ MSN-DNP Residency (ch depends on the number from MSN program) | 1-4 | NUR 9110 or concurrent |
NUR 9210^# Advanced Pathophysiology I | 3 | NUR 9110 |
NUR 9211^# Advanced Pathophysiology II | 3 | NUR 9210 |
NUR 9220^# Advanced Pharmacology I | 3 | NUR 9211 |
NUR 9221^# Advanced Pharmacology II | 3 | NUR 9220 |
NUR 9230^# Advanced Health Assessment I | 3 | NUR 9221 |
NUR 9231^# Advanced Health Assessment II | 3 | NUR 9230 |
NUR 9310^# Primary Care I Family (3 didactic, 2 clinical) | 5 | NUR 9231 |
NUR 9321^# Primary Care II Pediatrics & Women’s Health (3 didactic, 2 clinical) | 5 | NUR 9310 |
NUR 9330^# Primary Care III Adults & Older Adults | 6 | NUR 9321 |
NUR 9341^# Primary Care IV Acute | 6 | NUR 9330 |
+MSN-DNP core; ^FNP major, #Subject to GAP Analysis | ||
Courses and Descriptions
* CONHS program student handbooks with additional policies pertaining to the program may be accessed as a Catalog addendum.