Accreditation

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at Cal State LA Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing  is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education(CCNE).

Program Overview

The DNP is an applied doctorate in the areas of clinical practice, nursing leadership and nursing education. The purposes of the DNP are to develop advanced competencies for increasingly complex practice, faculty, and leadership roles in nursing and to provide an advanced educational credential for those who require advanced practice knowledge but do not need or want a strong research focus. In addition to developing competencies in evidence-based practice, leadership, health policy and advocacy, graduates will develop in-depth skills in a focused area of nursing practice.

The DNP courses are held at the collaborating university campuses or are broadcast in a synchronous format. The curriculum has been developed as a program of 6-9 units per semester over 5 semesters. In addition, classes will be scheduled in late afternoons and evenings to allow for full-time employment. 

The culminating doctoral project includes a three-semester Integrative Clinical Scholarship experience, embedded in a clinical setting, where the student, under the supervision of a doctoral committee, prepares a scholarly product, such as a pilot study, a program evaluation, a consulting project or a quality improvement project. The theme that links these forms of scholarly experience is the use of evidence to improve practice or patient outcomes.

Admission Requirements

All Applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. Master Degree: Applicants seeking admission to the DNP program must have a master’s degree, from an accredited institution, in nursing or a health related field (i.e., public health, or health administration) and national certification as an APRN (CNS, NP, CNM or CRNA) for preparation as clinicians, leaders or educators, OR a master’s in nursing from an accredited institution in nursing leadership or administration, nursing education, or community health nursing for preparation as nurse educators or nurse leaders.
2. A grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale in overall graduate course work.
3. Pre-requisite courses for admission include master’s level coursework in Advanced Physical/Health Assessment, Advanced Pathophysiology and Advanced Pharmacology and a course in inferential statistics within the past five years. Students with a degree other than nursing will be required to make up deficiencies in preparation, such as nursing theory, research, and transcultural nursing.
4. Current, unrestricted, California RN licensure or eligibility and advanced practice national certification and national furnishing/prescriptive authority if applicable, CPR card (BCLS and for Nurse Anesthesia, ACLS and PALS), medical clearance (physical exam, PPD or chest x-ray, MMR, Tdap, Hepatitis B and Varicella), proper automobile licensure and insurance are also required.
5. Eligible for credentialing within clinical site(s) as appropriate.
6. Three letters of reference and a personal written statement of purpose.
7. Official documentation of nursing practicum hours attained during the master’s degree program or the post-master’s certificate program.
8. Completion of the School of Nursing Application and proof of University application.
9. Completion of interviews and on-site writing sample, as requested.

Degree Requirements

1. Each student will complete a minimum of 6 units of preparation for the faculty role, including curriculum development and teaching methods.
2. Students will complete a minimum of 1000 hours of clinical experience, inclusive of practicum experience within their master’s program and/or advanced practice education.
3. Students who may have completed prior equivalent graduate course work may complete the degree with a minimum of 30 units in residence.