School of Nursing Specific Admission Requirements
The Catholic University Conway School of Nursing employs a "whole person" philosophy for evaluation of applicants for admission to the D.N.P. program. To be considered for admission, in addition to meeting University admission requirements, at a minimum, an applicant must:
Post-Baccalaureate D.N.P. Applicants must:
- Have earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree from a program or school, accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Transcripts of undergraduate study provide evidence of academic ability to complete the program.
- Have one to two years of clinical nursing experience preferred, but clinical experience can also be obtained concurrent with coursework.
- Present transcripts of undergraduate study that give evidence of strong academic ability. A GPA of 3.2 or higher on a 4-point scale is preferred.
- Submit a professional portfolio that includes:
- Curriculum vitae or résumé.
- Copy of RN license from at least one state.
- Narrative description of current and past clinical practice.
- Three letters of reference (at least one from a former dean, faculty member, or academic adviser and one from current or former supervisor).
- Statement of reason for seeking the D.N.P. degree and a short description identifying a potential topic or focus for an evidence-based practice project. This may be a practice improvement issue, a clinical management problem, or area of clinical translational research that the applicant will address while in the program. The project does not have to be fully developed, but the applicant should provide a general idea of their area of interest.
- An academic writing sample or publication
- Meet the School of Nursing's Health-Related Behavioral Standards for clinical programs.
Post-Master's D.N.P. Applicants must:
- Have earned a master's degree from programs accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Present transcripts of undergraduate and graduate study that provide evidence of academic ability to complete the program. Undergraduate and graduate GPAs of 3.2 or higher on a 4-point scale are preferred,
- Submit a professional portfolio that includes:
- Curriculum vitae or résumé.
- Copy of RN license from at least one state.
- Documented completion of 500+ post-baccalaureate clinical hours. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.
- Three letters of reference (at least one from a current or former dean, faculty member, or academic adviser, and at least one from a current or former supervisor).
- Academic writing sample or publications.
- Statement of reason for seeking the DNP and a short description of a potential topic or focus for an evidence-based practice project. This may be a practice improvement issue, a clinical management problem, or area of clinical research that the applicant will address while in the program. The project does not have to be fully developed, but the applicant should provide a general idea of their area of interest.
- Previous graduate level coursework in Health Policy, Bioethics, and Research are required as part of the master's degree or as independent courses.
- Meet the School of Nursing's Health-Related Behavioral Standards for clinical programs.
N.B. Applicants who are concurrently seeking preparation as a nurse practitioner in an advanced practice population must have the approval from the Associate Dean for Masters Programs for enrollment in the post-graduate certificate program.
General Degree Requirements
A total of 37-40 credits is required for the post-master's D.N.P. degree. Up to 6 transfer credits of graduate coursework from another university will be considered. Students who prepare for nurse practitioner certification eligibility will require additional coursework and credits. A post-baccalaureate D.N.P. entails 75-85 credits, depending on the nurse practitioner population focus.
Coursework:
The Programs of study are planned and sequenced to meet the needs of each student, in accordance with the student's field of study and career goals.
Under the adviser's direction and with the approval of the dean, six semester hours of graduate work earned at another institution prior to initial enrollment at The Catholic University of America with a grade level of B or higher may be applied toward degree requirements. Transfer of graduate work earned at another university will be considered only after the student has completed one full-time semester (or its equivalent) of graduate work at The Catholic University of America in accordance with the transfer policy of the University.
An incomplete grade (I) may be awarded based upon individual student circumstances that impacted their ability to complete course requirements. An Incomplete must be converted to a grade by mid-semester of the following semester (Fall, Spring, Summer) or it will automatically convert to a grade of F. All incompletes must be approved by the Program Director and Dean. Students should submit a formal written request to the course instructor with the reason for the incomplete at least 2 weeks prior to the end of the semester.
Grading:
A grade of B- or higher is required to pass all clinical and core (health assessment and diagnostic reasoning, pathophysiology, and pharmacology) courses. A grade of C or higher is required to pass all non-clinical courses. A failed course may only be repeated once.
Dismissal:
A student will be dismissed from the DNP program for a) failing to maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for two consecutive semesters, b) withdrawing from more than one nursing course, c) earning two or more failing course grades, and d) failing to maintain continuous enrollment (or failing to secure an approved academic leave). Please refer to the Graduate Studies Announcements for a full description of causes for dismissal.
Change of NP Population Option: Changes in a population-focus area must be approved by both the Associate Dean and Program Director responsible for the program.
Residence:
D.N.P. students must complete degree requirements within five years from the date of initial enrollment. Continuous enrollment must be maintained unless a written leave of absence has been granted. Students must maintain continuous enrollment during the project completion process.
School-Based Financial Support:
In addition to University-based aid, the School of Nursing has limited funds via traineeships, school-based scholarships, and special federal programs. The availability of funds varies from year to year.
To be eligible for any type of funding, applicants must a) complete a FAFSA and b) apply for funding annually. Additional information is available via the CUA School of Nursing website.
Candidacy for the Degree
To be considered for admission to candidacy for the D.N.P. degree, the student must satisfy these requirements:
- Complete program requirements with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
- Satisfactorily complete a total of 1000+ post-baccalaureate clinical hours.
- For those students in the post-baccalaureate D.N.P. program, completion of all nurse practitioner requirements and clinical hours
- Recommendation of the academic adviser.
Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Project: The EBP project is an integral requirement of the D.N.P. degree. The project is a scholarly experience that provides evidence of the student's critical thinking and ability to apply evidence-based practice principles through problem identification, review of evidence, development of plan, implementation, and evaluation of process and patient outcomes. The project reflects the culmination of knowledge and skills developed during the D.N.P. program. Following successful defense and implementation and evaluation of the project, the candidate presents the EBP Project in a forum that is open to the University community. Students are expected to participate in the oral defense in person as the culmination event of the program.
Clinical Policies and Regulations: D.N.P. students are bound by the same clinical policies and regulations required of M.S.N. students’ licensure requirements.