BS to Doctor of Nursing Practice (BS-DNP)
This program is offered fully online.
Practicum experiences are required in health assessment, advanced practice, leadership, and/or DNP project courses, depending on the student’s specialization. The program also includes one on-campus immersion day each semester during the DNP project courses.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) is a doctoral degree that prepares nurses to practice in an advanced nursing role in a specialization and to lead innovative, evidence-based practice initiatives that positively impact quality improvements and outcomes in healthcare systems.
There are 3 specializations for the post-bachelor’s DNP: Family Nurse Practitioner, Educational Leadership and Healthcare Leadership.
The Family Nurse Practitioner track prepares DNP graduates to be leaders in primary care by developing clinical expertise in managing health and illness across the lifespan within diverse settings. This track allows graduates to address healthcare issues affecting individuals and communities by implementing evidence-based interventions to create healthier individuals and communities.
The Educational Leadership track prepares DNP graduates to be educational leaders in healthcare facilities, community organizations or academic institutions. The focus is on the continuum of education in nursing beginning with educating nursing students in academic settings to professional development of nurses in a healthcare setting to health promotion and disease prevention activities for patients and communities.
The Healthcare Leadership track prepares DNP graduates to lead complex healthcare systems in multiple settings, including primary care, acute care, academic, professional, governmental, accrediting agencies, and nonprofits. Nurses in administrative roles and those seeking administrative roles would benefit from a DNP with a track in healthcare leadership.
The program of study requires a minimum of 1,000 post-baccalaureate hours of supervised clinical practice in an advanced nursing role and in the leadership component of the D.N.P. program.
All clinical requirements must be maintained as outlined in theGraduate Nursing Student Handbook.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Northern Illinois University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http: //www.ccneaccreditation.org).
Admission
Admission to the D.N.P. program is limited and competitive. To apply to the D.N.P. program, prospective students must submit completed application materials to the Graduate School no later than the application deadline as posted on the D.N.P. program website. Admission decisions will be made within two months from the application deadline.
Prospective students may apply to either the post-bachelor’s D.N.P. degree or the post-master’s D.N.P. degree program. Study in the post-bachelor’s degree D.N.P. program may be full or part time and will focus on education to practice in an advanced nursing role in a particular specialization (i.e., the advanced role component) as well as to lead innovative practice initiatives. Study in the post-master’s degree D.N.P program will be part time for 6 semesters and will focus on education to lead innovative practice initiatives in healthcare systems (i.e., the D.N.P. leadership component).
Students are admitted to the nursing program provisionally until they have provided proof of meeting the clinical requirements outlined in the Nursing Student Handbook. Full admission to the nursing program is required to enroll in nursing courses.
Post-Bachelor’s Degree D.N.P.:
Eligibility to Apply
Current licensure with no encumbrances as a professional Registered Nurse (RN) in the U.S. Prior to beginning course work, students must hold or have applied for RN licensure in Illinois.
A baccalaureate or master’s in nursing degree from a school accredited by an accrediting agency officially recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education, such as the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), or from a program seeking initial accreditation which includes an upper-division major in nursing equivalent to the undergraduate nursing major at NIU. If the applicant is a graduate of a non-graded baccalaureate program in nursing, CCNE accreditation is required. The applicant must provide documentation of course work which is essentially equivalent to that required in the baccalaureate nursing major at NIU.
A minimum 3.00 GPA for the last 60 hours of the baccalaureate program, or completion of 9 semester hours of graduate course work in nursing at NIU with a GPA of 3.20 or better.
Transcript Evaluation: Applicants who completed their nursing education at a non-U.S. school are required to submit non-U.S. transcripts to the Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE; www.ece.org) or the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS; http://www.cgfns.org/) or World Education Services (WES; www.wes.org) for evaluation of credentials. The evaluation report must show that the non-U.S. education is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s or master’s degree in nursing to be considered for admission.
Prefer one year experience as a professional Registered Nurse in clinical practice.
Application Components
Online completion of the application to the NIU Graduate School.
Submission of the applicant’s curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.
Official transcripts and transcript evaluation, as needed.
Current U.S. RN license.
A 2-page, double-spaced Goal Statement to address:
Professional goals, desired field of study (for the advanced nursing role component) and how the NIU D.N.P. program will promote goal achievement. This statement should also include a paragraph regarding clinical practice experience in the past three years and the area(s) of practice specialty.
Identification of an issue (i.e., topic or problem) that requires a system-wide change in healthcare services or policies and a general plan for remediating this issue. The topic will serve as the basis for the applicant’s D.N.P. Scholarly Project. The statement must include a description of potential sponsors and location for Scholarly Project implementation.
Three professional letters of reference to provide evidence of the applicant’s professional qualifications. At least one reference should be from a professor or nursing colleague who can address the applicant’s potential for academic success in the D.N.P. program. At least one reference must be from a current, professional nurse colleague (e.g., a supervisor or mentor) who can address the applicant’s professional qualifications as a licensed professional registered nurse. One professional recommendation of the applicant’s choosing (e.g., the sponsor from a potential clinical site for the D.N.P. Scholarly Project). References should be provided on the Graduate School reference form. Ratings and comments must be included. Family members and personal friends are not considered professional references.
Qualified applicants may be contacted by faculty to schedule a pre-admission interview. Not all applicants will be chosen to interview.
Approval will be determined by the nursing program Graduate Admissions Committee upon review of the aforementioned criteria.
The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required for admission to NIU graduate nursing programs.
Course Requirements
Post-bachelor’s degree D.N.P. students must complete the curriculum for an advanced role as a Family Nurse Practitioner in addition to completing the minimum 33 credits of D.N.P. courses.
BS-DNP with Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Specialization (73)
NURS 743 - DNP Project Practicum Credits: 1-3 credit hours per semester. Students must complete minimum of 6 credit hours over minimum of 3 semesters prior to graduation. May be repeated as needed to meet needs of project and minimum clinical hours required by AACN.
Students must complete minimum of 6 credit hours over minimum of 3 semesters prior to graduation. May be repeated as needed to meet needs of project and minimum clinical hours required by AACN.
BS-DNP with Educational Leadership Specialization (63)
NURS 743 - DNP Project Practicum Credits: 1-3 credit hours per semester. Students must complete minimum of 6 credit hours over minimum of 3 semesters prior to graduation. May be repeated as needed to meet needs of project and minimum clinical hours required by AACN.
Students must complete minimum of 6 credit hours over minimum of 3 semesters prior to graduation. May be repeated as needed to meet needs of project and minimum clinical hours required by AACN.
BS-DNP with Healthcare Leadership Specialization (56)
NURS 743 - DNP Project Practicum Credits: 1-3 credit hours per semester. Students must complete minimum of 6 credit hours over minimum of 3 semesters prior to graduation. May be repeated as needed to meet needs of project and minimum clinical hours required by AACN.
Students must complete minimum of 6 credit hours over minimum of 3 semesters prior to graduation. May be repeated as needed to meet needs of project and minimum clinical hours required by AACN.
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