The University of Saint Joseph’s highly regarded Nursing program offers a rigorous academic curriculum combined with clinical, real-world experience. Our Doctor of Nursing Practice program will prepare you for professional advancement and leadership roles in managing the clinical care of patients, improving health care systems and clinical education.
Graduates of the program will practice at the highest level using advanced knowledge from Nursing and other disciplines to improve health outcomes. This will be accomplished by educating students to critically analyze the effects of health policy and current evidence-based research as it relates to clinical practice.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at the University of Saint Joseph is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202.887.6791.
Program Outcomes
- Apply scientific knowledge, evaluation methods and quality improvement strategies to advance evidence based clinical practice and improve health care systems and outcomes.
- Lead organizations and systems as a practice scholar through the application of quality improvement strategies, systems thinking, and information technology.
- Advance patient and population health outcomes through scholarship, advocacy, leadership, and communication/collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.
- Influence public policy to minimize health disparities and promote access to quality care.
Admissions requirements
Submit an application, available at www.usj.edu/grad-application include:
- $50 non-refundable application fee
- Official sealed Master’s (M.S., Nursing) transcript from a regionally and nationally accredited institution with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2
- Two letters of recommendation
- Essay: Discuss a practice problem in your field that, in your experience has a broad impact on patient care and outcomes; state professional goals for the next 5-10 years and explain how this degree will help you reach your goals
- Immunization records
- Nursing supplemental health form
- Certified background check
- Certification form documenting previous master’s-level supervised clinical hours signed by the previous school’s program director
- Copy of valid RN license and APRN license if applicable
- Resume or CV
- On-campus interview
A comprehensive curriculum
Using the America Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials:Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education for Advanced-Level Nursing, the D.N.P. program at the University of Saint Joseph prepares graduates for the following domains for nursing:
- Knowledge for Nursing Practice
- Person-Centered Care
- Population Health
- Scholarship for the Nursing Discipline
- Quality and Safety
- Interprofessional Partnership
- Systems-Based Practice
- Informatics and Healthcare Technologies
- Professionalism
- Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development
M.S. to D.N.P students pursuing nurse practitioner certification will have clinical experiences during their program. Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner students are offered clinical experiences in community and hospital settings, whereas Family Nurse Practitioner students will have experiences solely in outpatient settings. Upon completion of required clinical hours, students are eligible to sit for the national certification examination through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners or the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Continuation Requirements
- Students must earn a B or higher in all DNP program courses (all 500 and 700 level courses on a student’s plan of study)
- Students who earn any grade below a B will be placed on departmental probation and reviewed by the Graduate Nursing Admission and Progression Committee. The student’s transcript will be reviewed and standing in the program will be determined
- Failure to achieve a B or higher in a course requires the course to be repeated
- Only one course may be repeated one time
- Students may withdraw from any course only one time
- Students who do not make satisfactory progress in the clinical competencies required of a clinical course will fail the course with a maximum grade of C+
- All students must maintain a minimum nursing cumulative GPA of 3.0 throughout the program
