Doctor of Nursing Practice
October 20, 2026 2026-10-20 9:48Doctor of Nursing Practice
A practice-focused doctoral program designed to prepare scholars, educators, and professionals to advance knowledge and address complex challenges in health and healthcare through evidence translation, advanced practice inquiry, and implementation of improvements that strengthen nursing practice, care quality, patient safety, and health outcomes.
Doctor of Nursing Practice
76 Graduate Credits
Subject to institutional confirmation
4 Years
2 Years
4 Required
76 Credits
Advance Nursing Practice Through Evidence and Inquiry
Develop advanced knowledge in advanced nursing practice, evidence implementation, healthcare leadership, quality improvement, informatics, population health, and practice evaluation.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice is a practice-focused doctoral program designed to prepare scholars, educators, and professionals to advance knowledge and address complex challenges in health and healthcare. It emphasizes evidence translation, advanced practice inquiry, and implementation of improvements that strengthen nursing practice, care quality, patient safety, and health outcomes.
Students develop advanced knowledge in advanced nursing practice, evidence implementation, healthcare leadership, quality improvement, informatics, population health, and practice evaluation. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods preparation supports rigorous study design, critical evaluation of scientific evidence, health data analysis, and communication of findings to academic, professional, and policy audiences.
The program combines advanced research preparation, discipline-specific study, four doctoral seminars, supervised proposal development, independent investigation, and a DNP project with an oral defense. Graduates may pursue nursing leadership, practice improvement, policy analysis, program evaluation, and education roles in universities, public health agencies, healthcare organizations, community organizations, and nonprofit institutions. The degree does not confer nursing licensure, prescribing authority, or a new advanced practice specialty. Clinical activities must remain within the student’s existing professional authorization.
Doctor of Nursing Practice
4 Years
2 Years — subject to preparation and satisfactory research progress
Principal supervisor and co-supervisor
Applied DNP project report in the approved university format
Program Specifications
Key requirements and program structure.
| Requirement | Program Specification |
|---|---|
| Total credits | 76 graduate credits |
| Standard duration | 4 years |
| Research fast-track | 2 years, subject to preparation and satisfactory research progress |
| DNP project | Applied DNP project report in the approved university format |
| Supervision | Principal supervisor and co-supervisor |
| Doctoral seminars | 4 required |
| Scholarly dissemination | Final project presentation and dissemination product |
| Program cost | Subject to institutional confirmation |
Curriculum and Credit Structure
The six-credit foundational course precedes an integrated 70-credit practice and project component. The four seminars account for 24 credits; proposal development, supervised doctoral practice, project implementation, evaluation, and examination account for 46 credits.
| Program Component | Credits |
|---|---|
| Advanced Graduate Studies and Research | 6 |
| Doctoral Seminar I | 6 |
| Doctoral Seminar II | 6 |
| Doctoral Seminar III | 6 |
| Doctoral Seminar IV | 6 |
| Proposal supervised practice DNP project and examination | 46 |
| Total | 76 |
Advanced Graduate Studies and Research
This six-credit course prepares students to define a research problem, synthesize literature, develop a framework, formulate research questions or hypotheses, select an appropriate design, plan sampling and analysis, address ethics, cite accurately, and write for doctoral and professional audiences.
Foundational Course
6 Graduate Credits
Research problem definition, literature synthesis, framework development, study design, ethics, and doctoral-level academic writing.
Core Courses and Areas of Study
The six core courses below define the proposed subject coverage. Under this practice-focused doctoral structure, their learning activities are integrated into the doctoral seminars and supervised practice. They do not carry additional credits beyond the 76-credit total. Formal course coding and allocation are subject to university curriculum approval.
Advanced Evidence-Based Nursing Practice and Implementation Science
Critical appraisal, evidence synthesis, implementation frameworks, stakeholder engagement, and translation of evidence into sustainable practice improvements.
Healthcare Leadership, Finance, and Organizational Change
Leadership, governance, teamwork, strategic planning, budgeting, resource allocation, and management of organizational change.
Healthcare Quality, Patient Safety, and Improvement Science
Systems analysis, safety culture, quality measures, improvement methods, risk management, and evaluation of care processes and outcomes.
Health Policy, Population Health, and Health Equity
Policy analysis, advocacy, prevention, social determinants, community needs, and equitable population-focused nursing practice.
Health Informatics and Clinical Decision Support
Health information systems, data quality, clinical decision support, workflow, privacy, and evaluation of technology in practice.
Applied Research Methods, Biostatistics, and Ethics in Nursing Practice
Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods; outcomes analysis; evaluation design; ethical decision-making; participant protection; and responsible data management.
Four Required Seminars
Select a seminar to view its description.
Seminar I — Research Direction
6 credits. Topic selection, preliminary problem, significance, early literature, research setting, feasibility, and a work plan.
Seminar II — Proposal and Research Design
6 credits. Problem, purpose, questions, theoretical or conceptual framework, methodology, sampling, analysis plan, ethics, and expected contribution.
Seminar III — Research Progress and Analysis
6 credits. Evidence generated, data quality, deviations from the approved plan, preliminary analysis, research challenges, and remaining work.
Seminar IV — Findings and Examination Readiness
6 credits. Completed study, principal findings, original contribution, limitations, recommendations, and readiness for DNP project examination.
Seminars include advanced discipline-specific study related to the approved DNP project topic. The supervisory team determines the relevant readings and analytical tasks.
Research Focus and Supervision
DNP projects may focus on care transitions, medication safety, nursing workforce outcomes, access to services, infection prevention, health equity, or implementation of an evidence-based care process. Faculty and qualified practice preceptors guide the approved work. CIU must establish practice-hour requirements, evaluate documented prior hours where permitted, and approve placements and competency assessments. Credit totals do not specify clock hours.
The principal supervisor provides overall scholarly direction and monitors alignment among the problem, literature, framework, methods, findings, and contribution. The co-supervisor adds a second academic perspective and specialist expertise where appropriate.
Students prepare for meetings by submitting completed work, identifying problems and possible solutions, requesting focused guidance, and recording agreed actions and deadlines.
Overall scholarly direction and alignment across problem, literature, framework, methods, findings, and contribution.
Second academic perspective and specialist expertise where appropriate.
Qualified practice preceptors guide the approved work and competency assessments.
Research Milestones
At each milestone, faculty may approve the work, request revisions, or require additional evidence. Students maintain a dated record of submissions, feedback, decisions, revisions, deadlines, and approval dates.
| Stage | Required Work |
|---|---|
| Research direction | Topic statement, preliminary rationale, and feasibility assessment |
| Literature and framework | Critical literature synthesis, research gap, framework, and aligned questions |
| Proposal | Written proposal and oral presentation before supervisors and designated faculty |
| Ethics and methods | Required approvals, research instruments, and secure data management plan |
| Research and analysis | Evidence collection, research records, and transparent analysis |
| DNP Project preparation | Findings discussion, original contribution, limitations, and recommendations |
| Pre-defense review | Complete DNP project and fourth seminar |
| Final examination | Oral defense, required corrections, final submission, and formal approval |
DNP Project Requirements
The DNP project must demonstrate a defensible contribution to nursing practice.
The report should include the practice problem and setting, evidence synthesis, intervention and implementation plan, ethical and institutional approvals, evaluation methods and findings, limitations, sustainability, and recommendations. An original research dissertation and a fixed dissertation word count are not requirements of this proposed practice doctorate.
Candidates must attribute sources accurately, obtain required ethics approval before formal data collection, maintain secure research records, engage with supporting and contradictory evidence, and limit conclusions to what the evidence establishes.
Practice problem and setting · Evidence synthesis · Intervention and implementation plan · Ethical and institutional approvals · Evaluation methods and findings · Limitations · Sustainability · Recommendations
Original research dissertation · Fixed dissertation word count
Publication, Oral Defense, and Completion
Candidates complete a final project presentation and an appropriate dissemination product, such as a professional report, conference presentation, practice guideline, or journal manuscript.
Peer-reviewed publication is encouraged but is not a mandatory requirement in this proposed curriculum. Students document individual contributions, obtain permissions, protect confidential information, and report dissemination status accurately.
Examiners assess the candidate’s command of the problem, literature, framework, methods, analysis, findings, limitations, and original contribution. Outcomes follow approved CIU doctoral regulations and may include a pass, minor or major corrections, resubmission or re-examination, or failure to satisfy degree requirements.
Completion requires supervisory approval to submit, DNP project examination, oral defense, completion and approval of corrections, final submission, and formal authorization of the degree award, including verification of required practice hours and competencies.
Supervisory approval to submit · DNP project examination · Oral defense · Completion and approval of corrections · Final submission · Formal authorization of degree award · Verification of required practice hours and competencies
Responsibilities of Doctoral Candidates
Students should protect regular research time, maintain a literature matrix, preserve data and analysis files, submit work in time to use feedback, and keep the problem, questions, methods, results, and contribution aligned. Preparation for the oral defense begins with the first research decisions.
Advance Nursing Practice at the Doctoral Level
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