Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Majors

Overview of DNP Program

The Alverno College Doctor of Nursing (DNP) Program, available to women and men, carries on the College’s tradition in the professional liberal arts with particular focus on integrative, experiential, and reflective approaches to learning. The DNP curriculum supports students’ development of advanced knowledge and competence in the abilities that frame the undergraduate curriculum at Alverno College: namely, Communication, Analysis, Problem Solving, Valuing in Decision Making, Social Interaction, Developing a Global Perspective, Effective Citizenship, and Aesthetic Engagement. Practicum experiences and didactic courses are designed to support the learner in applying selected abilities with individuals, families, and groups across the developmental lifespan in diverse health care settings.

The DNP program is a post-master’s program, meaning, it is designed for nurses, who have previously earned a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Building on the essential elements of master’s education in nursing, two leadership tracks are offered Educational Leadership and Executive Leadership. The DNP program is delivered asynchronously online and offers flexibility for full or part-time study.

Students entering the leadership track have previously graduated with an MSN degree from an accredited graduate nursing education program that may or may not have been focused in an APRN role. The leadership track is ideal for students whose prior graduate nursing education and specialty role experience have been focused in health care administration and organizational leadership, health policy development and law, informatics, or nursing education. Students are required to maintain employment in their leadership role specialty as a condition of their ongoing enrollment in the DNP program. Students enrolled in either the DNP-Executive Leadership track or the DNP-Educational Leadership track complete a 35 to 40 credit curriculum along with 500 - 1,000 clinical practicum hours (i.e., 5-10 credits). The total number of required clinical hours is determined on a case-by-case basis at the time of admission. Total required clinical hours are to be split evenly (to the closest whole credit) across two courses (DNP-830 and DNP-930). For example, if 10 credits are required, the student takes 5 credits in DNP-830 and 5 credits in DNP-930; if only 5 credits are required, the student takes 3 credits in DNP-830 and 2 credits in DNP-930 or 2 credits in DNP-830 and 3 credits in DNP-930. The split is determined in consultation with the student’s DNP Project Committee Chair.

Admission Requirements:

  • Unencumbered RN licensure (or multi-state licensure, if applicable) in the State where the applicant’s DNP clinical practicum requirements will be completed
  • Master of Science (MSN) degree conferred by a college or university accredited by a regional institutional accreditor and an academic nursing program accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education
  • MSN degree program (and all other graduate-level coursework, if applicable) cumulative GPA > 3.0
  • Official transcripts for all prior graduate-level coursework (applicant must submit)
  • Documented evidence of the number of faculty-supervised post-baccalaureate clinical practice hours completed in a graduate-level nursing program. Official documentation is used to determine, on a case-by-case basis, the number of DNP clinical practicum hours required of individual students (min 500 hours; max 1,000 hours). 
    • DNP- Educational Leadership (DNP-EDL) track:
  • Clinical hours completed in a pre-licensure direct entry MSN program are not considered, accepted, or counted toward meeting DNP-EDL clinical hours requirements
  • Practicum hours completed in a non-nursing graduate-level program (e.g., master’s or doctorate in Education) are not considered, accepted, or counted toward meeting DNP-EDL clinical hours requirements
  • No clinical hours are awarded for APRN or other work hours (employee, volunteer, etc.) or APRN or other practice experience
    • DNP-Executive Leadership (DNP-EXL) track:
  • Clinical hours completed in a pre-licensure direct entry MSN program are not considered, accepted, or counted toward meeting DNP-EXL clinical hours requirements
  • Practicum hours completed in a non-nursing graduate-level program (e.g., MBA, Healthcare Administration, etc.) are not considered, accepted, or counted toward meeting DNP-EXL clinical hours requirements
  • No clinical hours are awarded for APRN or other work hours (employee, volunteer, etc.) or APRN or other practice experience
  • Personal statement created without the use of AI, addressing the following:
    • Reasons for pursuing a DNP degree
    • Short and long-term professional goals
    • Why you chose Alverno College
    • Successful completion of the DNP requires effective writing and verbal communication skills and advanced analytical thinking and problem-solving skills. The program is rigorous but supportive. If you believe that your academic record does not accurately reflect your current level of readiness for DNP-level coursework, please explain what makes you prepared to succeed in at this time
  • Current curriculum vitae or resume
  • Minimum of one year of leadership experience relative to the applicant’s desired DNP specialty track
  • At the discretion of the Dean or Associate Dean of Nursing, or DNP Program Director, Conditional Admission may be offered to applicants who have not met all admission requirements at the time of application.

Post-Admission Requirements: 

The following conditions must be met prior to the start of first-semester classes and for continued enrollment in the program:

  • Successful completion of a State and/or Federal criminal background check in accordance with the regulatory requirements of the State in which the clinical practica occur, with no bars to clinical placement; FBI Fingerprint Clearance Card may be required.
  • Clear urine drug screen with no bars to clinical placement
  • JoAnn McGrath School of Nursing and Health Professions Technical Standards for Nursing met
  • Ongoing compliance with all requirements set forth by the clinical agency wherein the clinical practica occur

Prerequisite Course:

Completion of an approved undergraduate or graduate-level statistics course with a grade of “B” or better within five years of admission; alternatively, DNP students can meet the statistics requirement by successfully completing BSC-257 or MSN-650 online with Alverno College, if either course is offered prior to or during their first semester of study

Foundations of the DNP Program Curriculum

Three American Nurses Association (ANA) documents espouse the basis for all nursing practice, and Alverno nursing faculty use these documents to underpin the curriculum and structure its content and learning experiences:

  • Code of Ethics for Nurses (ANA, 2025)
  • Guide to Nursing’s Social Policy Statement: Understanding the Profession from Social Contract to Social Covenant (Fowler, 2015)
  • Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (ANA, 2021)

In addition, the following documents espouse standards, competencies, and criteria that specifically serve to ground the DNP curriculum:

  • IPEC Core Competencies for Interprofessional Education (Interprofessional Education Collaborative, 2023)
  • QSEN Competencies. Competencies | QSEN
  • Standards for Accreditation of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education [CCNE], 2024
  • The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education. (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 2024)

DNP Program Learning Outcomes

The DNP program graduate:

  1. leads in the vision, development, implementation, and evaluation of patient-centered care delivery approaches that ensure ethical stewardship, accountability, quality, and patient safety.
  2. critically analyzes and creates innovative, evidence-based approaches to practice to optimize health care outcomes, reduce disparities, and improve health delivery theories and models.
  3. optimally selects, uses, evaluates, and designs information systems/technology for improvement and transformation of health care.
  4. spearheads the creation, implementation, and evaluation of health care policy to advance the nursing profession and advocate for social justice, equity, and ethical policies in all aspects of health care.
  5. exhibits mastery of communication skills in multiple modes to lead crucial interdisciplinary team efforts that promote collaboration to create and evaluate safe and effective outcomes within integrative health care delivery systems.
  6. demonstrates advanced levels of clinical judgment, systems thinking, and accountability in designing, delivering, and evaluating care in complex situations.
  7. demonstrates expertise, advanced knowledge, and mastery in an area of specialized nursing practice.

Foundations of the DNP Program Curriculum

Three American Nurses Association (ANA) documents espouse the basis for all nursing practice, and Alverno nursing faculty use these documents to underpin the curriculum and structure its content and learning experiences:

  • Code of Ethics for Nurses (ANA, 2025)
  • Guide to Nursing’s Social Policy Statement: Understanding the Profession from Social Contract to Social Covenant (Fowler, 2015)
  • Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (ANA, 2021)

In addition, the following documents espouse standards, competencies, and criteria that specifically serve to ground the DNP curriculum:

  • IPEC Core Competencies for Interprofessional Education (Interprofessional Education Collaborative, 2023)
  • QSEN Competencies. Competencies | QSEN
  • Standards for Accreditation of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education [CCNE], 2024
  • The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education. (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 2024)
DNP Program Learning Outcomes

The DNP program graduate:

  1. leads in the vision, development, implementation, and evaluation of patient-centered care delivery approaches that ensure ethical stewardship, accountability, quality, and patient safety.
  2. critically analyzes and creates innovative, evidence-based approaches to practice to optimize health care outcomes, reduce disparities, and improve health delivery theories and models.
  3. optimally selects, uses, evaluates, and designs information systems/technology for improvement and transformation of health care.
  4. spearheads the creation, implementation, and evaluation of health care policy to advance the nursing profession and advocate for social justice, equity, and ethical policies in all aspects of health care.
  5. exhibits mastery of communication skills in multiple modes to lead crucial interdisciplinary team efforts that promote collaboration to create and evaluate safe and effective outcomes within integrative health care delivery systems.
  6. demonstrates advanced levels of clinical judgment, systems thinking, and accountability in designing, delivering, and evaluating care in complex situations.
  7. demonstrates expertise, advanced knowledge, and mastery in an area of specialized nursing practice.

Doctor of Nursing Practice - Executive Leadership (DNPEXL.C.DNP) Major Requirements 26-27 Catalog

DNP CORE COURSES
DNP-800Orientation to the DNP Program0
DNP-810Epidemiology & Biostatistics3
DNP-820Practice-Based Inquiry3
DNP-830Clinical Practicum I1
DNP-835Measurement, Instrumentation, Statistics For Translational Research3
DNP-840Information Technology and Data- Driven Inquiry3
DNP-850Translational Research3
DNP-860Scholarly Project I3
DNP-910Health Systems & Public Policy2
DNP-920Ethical Leadership in Health Care2
DNP-930Clinical Practicum II1
DNP-960Scholarly Project II2
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP REQUIREMENTS6
DNP-845Quality, Safety, and Regulatory Process in Health Care2
DNP-855Health Care Economics and Financial Management2
DNP-945Creating Agility in Dynamic Environments2
Total Credits38

Doctor of Nursing Practice - Educational Leadership (DNPEDL.E.DNP) Major Requirements 26-27 Catalog

DNP CORE COURSES
DNP-800Orientation to the DNP Program0
DNP-810Epidemiology & Biostatistics3
DNP-820Practice-Based Inquiry3
DNP-830Clinical Practicum I1
DNP-836Higher Ed Roles, Resp, & Leadership3
DNP-838Instructional Design-Fundamentals3
DNP-839Teaching/Lrning in Diverse Ed Contexts3
DNP-840Information Technology and Data- Driven Inquiry3
DNP-850Translational Research3
DNP-860Scholarly Project I3
DNP-910Health Systems & Public Policy2
DNP-920Ethical Leadership in Health Care2
DNP-930Clinical Practicum II1
DNP-960Scholarly Project II2
EDUCATIONAL NURSING LEADERSHIP REQUIREMENTS 6
DNP-812Equity in Diverse Educational Settings3
DNP-831Higher Education Legal Issues & Accreditation3
DNP-832Higher Education Curriculum & Assessment3
Total Credits47