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Admission Requirements

DNP ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

To apply for the Carson-Newman Doctor of Nursing Practice program, please follow these steps:

Apply for admission

In addition to the common admission requirements for all C-N graduate programs, applicants to the MSN program must meet these minimum qualifications:

  • A bachelor’s degree in nursing from an NLN or CCNE accredited four-year program
  • A master’s degree or post-master’s earned from a nationally accredited program (CCNE, NLN, COA, ACME) as an advanced practice nurse (nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife, or clinical nurse specialist) with current advanced practice certification.
  • Official transcript from all previous post-secondary coursework.
  • A minimum overall GPA of 3.00 for an undergraduate degree
  • Current unencumbered active registered nurse license and advanced practice registered nurse licensure in the state where practice will occur
  • Resume or curriculum vitae
  • Three (3) Recommendations: (on-line recommendation request form)
  • Submit an Essay that communicates your professional goals.  Incorporate how the DNP will help you obtain these goals and how you plan to integrate the rigors of full-time doctoral study into your current situation recognizing that this typically requires a minimum commitment of 25-30 hours per week. This essay should be 2-3 pages, 11- or 12-point font, double-spaced.

Applicants accepted to the program must complete the following with instruction and counsel provided by the Department of Nursing.

  • Background Records Check submitted directly to Carson-Newman:  no second-party background checks are accepted
  • Drug screening prior to the first day of the DNP Introductory Seminar.
  • Additional requirements may be necessary based on the clinical site 

Graduation Requirements

To earn the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, the following criteria must be met:

1. Completion of all 33 credit hours in the DNP program while maintaining a gpa of 3.0 or higher within 5 years of beginning the program.

2. Completion of 1,000 hours or more of post-baccalaureate supervised academic program practice hours with a minimum of 400 hours completed at Carson-Newman University during the DNP program.

3. Recommendation of the student’s DNP Project Committee for graduation after the successful completion and dissemination of the DNP Project.