The DNP program is designed for students with a master's degree in nursing seeking a terminal degree in nursing practice. Often student's desire a second professional advanced practice emphasis to enhance their practice options. The DNP provides an option for addition of a new area of emphasis. All students will choose one primary area of emphasis for their DNP program.
DNP students must meet DNP competencies and have foundational graduate and practice core or equivalent courses. Generally graduate and practice core has been completed at the master's level and credits from SAU or other accredited institutions may be used to fulfill these requirements if they were completed with a grade of B or better. When these courses have not previously been taken or are not recent enough (generally within five to ten years), they may be taken at SAU as part of the student program and are not pre-requisite to admission.
Prerequisite courses are not counted as part of the curriculum for which students have to complete 75% at SAU. These general and practice core classes may be counted as electives in the student's DNP program.