Nursing Practice (DNP)
Admissions Criteria
A holistic review process is used when considering applications for admission to the DNP program. The holistic review considers multiple criteria for admission, including the applicant's professional career goals, academic capabilities, GPA, work experience, leadership, and community engagement.
The University of Louisville School of Nursing participates in Nursing's Centralized Application Service (NursingCAS), which provides you with an online application. NursingCAS collects and processes your application documents and verifies your transcripts. The School of Nursing will receive your application information from NursingCAS and use it to make admission decisions.
To be considered for admission to the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, the following items must be submitted:
To the Graduate School
- Completed Graduate Admission Application including a reduced application fee.
To NursingCAS
- Transcripts
- BSN -DNP applicant: Official transcripts representing all college coursework with a recommended undergraduate cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. BSN degree must be from a regionally accredited institution and a CCNE-, ACEN-, or NLN-accredited nursing program.
- MSN-DNP applicant: Official transcripts representing all college coursework with a recommended graduate cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.25 on a 4.0 scale. BSN degree must be from a regionally accredited institution. BSN and MSN degrees must be from CCNE-, ACEN, or NLN-accredited nursing programs.
- Applicants who have attended a college or university outside the United States are also required to submit a course by course evaluation of their transcript through World Education Services (WES) or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE). Please note that transcript evaluations can sometimes take several weeks.
- Two letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak of academic and/or professional capabilities and potential for a scholarly career. Recommendation should be requested from former faculty, current or immediate past employers, or other nursing/health professionals. Recommendations must be completed within the last year.
- Current resume or curriculum vitae (CV) including your RN license number.
- Unencumbered RN license from a US state board of nursing.
- Responses to all questions asked on the NursingCAS application.
- Students for whom English is not their primary language must show English Proficiency.
Additional Admission Requirements for Acute Care Specialties
Neonatal specialty: Minimum of one year of RN clinical experience in a Level III or Level IV NICU prior to admission. All NNP applicants must have the equivalent of two years of full-time RN clinical experience within the last five years in a Level III or Level IV NICU inpatient setting before beginning clinical courses.
Adult Gerontology Acute Care specialty: One year of RN clinical experience in an ICU or one year of RN clinical experience in any area and a commitment to complete one year of RN clinical practice in an ICU before beginning clinical courses. Applicants that do not have one year of RN experience at the point of application, but will complete one year before beginning clinical courses, will satisfy the work requirement.
Pediatric Acute Care: One year of RN clinical practice experience in an acute care setting or one year of RN experience in any area and a commitment to complete one year in an acute care setting before beginning clinical courses.
Program Requirements
BSN-DNP Curriculum
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses Required for All Specialties | ||
| NURS 605 | Theoretical Application for Practice | 3 |
| NURS 607 | Foundational Concepts of Evidence Based Practice | 3 |
| NURS 657 | Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Culturally Diverse and Vulnerable Populations. | 3 |
| NURS 725 | Leadership and Health Policy for the Doctorally Prepared Nurse | 3 |
| NURS 740 | Advanced Pharmacology 1 | 3 |
| NURS 741 | Advanced Pathophysiology | 4 |
| NURS 742 | Advanced Physical Assessment 1 | 3 |
| NURS 743 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| NURS 744 | Synthesis and Evaluation of Evidence in Practice | 3 |
| NURS 745 | Health Information Technology | 3 |
| NURS 746 | Program Development & Evaluation | 3 |
| NURS 747 | Finance Management | 2 |
| NURS 748 | Application of Leadership and Health Policy | 3 |
| NURS 749 | The Business of Healthcare | 3 |
| NURS 750 | DNP Project I: Project Inception | 3 |
| NURS 751 | DNP Project II: Project Implementation | 3 |
| NURS 752 | DNP Project III: Project Evaluation, Analysis and Dissemination | 3 |
| NURS 787 | Clinical Practicum for the DNP NP I 1 | 4 |
| NURS 788 | Clinical Practicum for the DNP NP II 1 | 3 |
| NURS 789 | Clinical Practicum for the DNP NP III 1 | 1 |
| NURS 791 | Applied Statistics for Evidence Based Practice | 3 |
| Minimum Total Hours | 62 | |
MSN-DNP Curriculum
Academic Plan Code(s): NURSDNPMSN
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 725 | Leadership and Health Policy for the Doctorally Prepared Nurse | 3 |
| NURS 740 | Advanced Pharmacology 2 | 3 |
| NURS 741 | Advanced Pathophysiology 2 | 4 |
| NURS 742 | Advanced Physical Assessment 2 | 3 |
| NURS 743 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| NURS 744 | Synthesis and Evaluation of Evidence in Practice | 3 |
| NURS 745 | Health Information Technology | 3 |
| NURS 746 | Program Development & Evaluation | 3 |
| NURS 747 | Finance Management | 2 |
| NURS 748 | Application of Leadership and Health Policy | 3 |
| NURS 749 | The Business of Healthcare | 3 |
| NURS 750 | DNP Project I: Project Inception | 3 |
| NURS 751 | DNP Project II: Project Implementation | 3 |
| NURS 752 | DNP Project III: Project Evaluation, Analysis and Dissemination | 3 |
| NURS 754 | Clinical Reasoning in Advanced Practice Nursing 2 | 1 |
| NURS 791 | Applied Statistics for Evidence Based Practice | 3 |
| Specialty coursework required for non-nurse practitioner MSN-DNP or for nurse practitioner seeking an additional specialty. | ||
| Minimum Total Hours | 46 | |
- 1
Not required for Neonatal
- 2
Required for advanced practice if not a licensed nurse practitioner.
DNP Specialties
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care
Academic Plan Code(s): NURSDNPAAC
Adult Gerontology Acute Care specialty requires one year of RN clinical experience in an ICU or one year of RN clinical experience in any area and a commitment to complete one year of RN clinical practice in an ICU before beginning clinical courses.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 754 | Clinical Reasoning in Advanced Practice Nursing | 1 |
| NURS 760 | Gerontology Pharmacology | 1 |
| NURS 776 | Procedures and Diagnostics for the Acute Care NP I | 1 |
| NURS 777 | The Adult/Gerontology Acute Care NP Role | 1 |
| NURS 779 | Diagnosis & Management in Acute Care I | 4 |
| NURS 780 | Procedures and Diagnostics for the Acute Care NP II | 2 |
| NURS 781 | Diagnosis & Management in Acute Care II | 3 |
| NURS 783 | Diagnosis & Management in Acute Care III | 1 |
| Minimum Total Hours | 14 | |
Adult-Gerontology Primary Care
Academic Plan Code(s): NURSDNPAPC
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 753 | Adolescent Well Child Theory | 1 |
| NURS 754 | Clinical Reasoning in Advanced Practice Nursing | 1 |
| NURS 755 | Diagnosis and Management of Adult Health in Primary Care | 4 |
| NURS 756 | Procedures & Diagnostics for Adult Health | 2 |
| NURS 757 | Diagnosis and Management of Women's Health in Primary Care | 2 |
| NURS 758 | Diagnosis and Management of Mental Health in Primary Care | 2 |
| NURS 759 | Diagnosis and Management of the Older Adult in Primary Care | 2 |
| NURS 760 | Gerontology Pharmacology | 1 |
| Minimum Total Hours | 15 | |
Family Nurse Practitioner
Academic Plan Code(s): NURSDNPFNP
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 754 | Clinical Reasoning in Advanced Practice Nursing | 1 |
| NURS 755 | Diagnosis and Management of Adult Health in Primary Care | 4 |
| NURS 756 | Procedures & Diagnostics for Adult Health | 2 |
| NURS 757 | Diagnosis and Management of Women's Health in Primary Care | 2 |
| NURS 758 | Diagnosis and Management of Mental Health in Primary Care | 2 |
| NURS 760 | Gerontology Pharmacology | 1 |
| NURS 761 | Pediatric & Adolescent Well Child Theory | 2 |
| NURS 762 | Diagnosis & Management of Pediatrics in Primary Care | 2 |
| Minimum Total Hours | 16 | |
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
Academic Plan Code(s): NURSDNPNNP
Neonatal specialty requires a minimum of one year of RN experience in a Level III or Level IV NICU prior to admission. All neonatal applicants must have the equivalent of two years of full-time RN experience within the last five years in a Level III or Level IV NICU inpatient setting before beginning clinical courses.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 761 | Pediatric & Adolescent Well Child Theory | 2 |
| NURS 763 | Advanced Neonatal Physiology & Pathophysiology I | 3 |
| NURS 764 | Neonatal Diagnostic Reasoning I | 1 |
| NURS 765 | Advance Neonatal Physiology & Pathophysiology II | 3 |
| NURS 766 | Neonatal Diagnostic Reasoning II | 1 |
| NURS 767 | Neonatal Residency I | 3 |
| NURS 768 | Neonatal Residency II | 3 |
| NURS 769 | Neonatal Residency III | 3 |
| NURS 784 | Advanced Neonatal Pharmacology | 3 |
| NURS 785 | Advanced Neonatal Assessment | 3 |
| NURS 786 | Human Embryology and Genetics | 3 |
| Minimum Total Hours | 28 | |
Pediatric Acute Care
Academic Plan Code(s): NURSDNPPAC
Pediatric Acute Care specialty requires one year of RN experience in an acute care setting or one year of RN experience in any area and a commitment to complete one year in an acute care setting before beginning clinical courses.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 761 | Pediatric & Adolescent Well Child Theory 1 | 2 |
| NURS 762 | Diagnosis & Management of Pediatrics in Primary Care 1 | 2 |
| NURS 800 | Pathophysiology for Pediatric Acute Care | 1 |
| NURS 801 | Pharmacology for Pediatric Acute Care | 1 |
| NURS 802 | Procedures for Pediatric Acute Care | 1 |
| NURS 803 | Diagnosis and Management for Pediatric Acute Care I: Special Needs in Chronic Illness | 3 |
| NURS 804 Diagnosist & Management Pediatric Acute Care II: Acute Illness | 2 | |
| NURS 806 Pediatric Acute Care Role | 1 | |
| NURS 805 Diagnosis and Management for Pediatric Acute Care III: Critical Illness Management | 3 | |
| Minimum Total Hours | 16 | |
- 1
NURS 761 and NURS 762 are waived for Family or Pediatric Nurse Practitioners upon gap analysis of first population focus transcript.
Psychiatric Mental Health
Academic Plan Code(s): NURSDNPPMH
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 770 | Advanced Psych Assessment & Clinical Interview | 2 |
| NURS 771 | Psychopathology | 2 |
| NURS 772 | Psychopharmacology | 2 |
| NURS 773 | Management of Psychiatric/Mental Health Conditions: Foundation of Individual Psychotherapy | 3 |
| NURS 774 | Diagnosis and Management in Psych/Mental Health: Group Psychotherapy and Care of Special Populations | 3 |
| NURS 775 | Diagnosis and Management of Special Populations in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing | 3 |
| Minimum Total Hours | 15 | |
DNP graduates from the UofL School of Nursing are prepared to apply for APRN certification in their population track upon graduation; however, educational preparation does not guarantee professional licensure. If you have questions regarding Kentucky APRN licensure, please contact the Kentucky Board of Nursing (https://kbn.ky.gov/Pages/advanced-practice-registered-nurse.aspx). For APRN licensure questions in other states, please contact the respective state board of nursing (https://ncsbn.org/contact-bon.htm).
