2024-2025 Graduate Catalog 
    
    Dec 22, 2024  
2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

Nursing (D.N.P.)

Location(s): Online


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Program Coordinator/Contact

Cami Veire, Nursing Advisor / Graduate Specialist
Graduate Nursing
SDSU Sioux Falls Campus (STC)
2300 N Career Ave
Sioux Falls, SD 57107
605-367-8400

Program Information

The D.N.P. program was established in 2009. The purpose of the D.N.P. program is to prepare Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to transform clinical practice as expert clinicians and leaders with a special focus on rural and underserved populations.

The program is open to registered nurses with a master’s degree in nursing with certification and licensure as a CNP, CRNA, CNS, and CNM. The program is designed for part-time study (including summers) and requires 31-36 course credits.

Accreditation, Certification, and Licensure

Accreditation

The Doctor of Nursing Practice at South Dakota State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036, 202-887-6791.

Licensure

Students must provide evidence of professional registration by submitting a copy of the most current RN and APRN license.

Course Delivery Format

Courses are delivered online. 

Program Outcomes


  • To prepare graduates as clinicians and leaders with a special focus on rural and underserved populations. 
  • To prepare graduates to deliver evidence-based direct patient care to individuals across the lifespan in primary care settings. 
  • To prepare graduates to produce and implement scientific evidence to guide practice. 
  • To prepare graduates to work collaboratively with frontier, urban, and rural communities in an effort to reduce health disparities.

Student Learning Outcomes


At the completion of the program, the graduate will successfully demonstrate the following competencies: 

  • Integrate theoretical and scientific underpinnings of nursing and other disciplines to address emerging healthcare and practice issues.
  • Engage in health policy at all levels to influence healthcare delivery concerns, such as health disparities, cultural sensitivity, ethics, access to care, health finance, and quality of care.
  • Employ evidence-based practice and advanced clinical judgment to comprehensively assess, design, and deliver care for individuals or populations.
  • Demonstrate leadership at the organizational and/or systems level to address health outcomes of individuals and populations though evidence-based initiatives.
  • Utilize advanced nursing knowledge and information systems/technology related to clinical prevention and health promotion to address gaps in healthcare.
  • Collaborate with the interprofessional team in the translation, implementation, analysis, and dissemination of evidence-based practice to improve healthcare outcomes.

Available Options for Graduate Degrees


Doctor of Nursing Practice Post Master’s to D.N.P. 31-36 Credit Hours

Core Requirements


Additional Admissions Requirements


GRE: Not required
TOEFL: Score of 81 Internet-based
TOEFL Essentials: 8.5
IELTS: 6.5 total band
Duolingo: 110

In addition to meeting the Graduate School admission requirements, applicants for graduate study for the Post Master to Doctor of Nursing Practice (who possess current certification as a NP, CRNA, CNM or CNS) must have:

  • Current licensure as a Registered Nurse in the United States or its’ territories prior to enrollment in first graduate nursing course.
  • National certification and licensure as a NP, CRNA, CNM, or CNS.
  • Completed and verified application to the Graduate Nursing program via NursingCAS website.
  • Interview assessment reviewed by graduate faculty.
  • Completed Compliance requirements: Clear Background check, clear FBI rolled fingerprint, clear drug screen, Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers, ACLS certification for FNP specialization, professional liability insurance, influenza vaccine, and TB test.

For applicants who completed their higher education within the United States:

  • Bachelor’s degree in nursing from an ACEN or CCNE accredited program with a minimum cumulative preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 point grading system.
  • Master’s degree in nursing (from an ACEN or CCNE accredited program) with a minimum cumulative preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 point grading system.

For applicants who completed their higher education outside the United States:

  • A degree deemed equivalent (by the World Education Service) to a Bachelor’s degree in nursing (within the United States Education System) with a minimum cumulative preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 point grading system.
  • A degree deemed equivalent (by the World Education Service) to a Master’s degree in nursing (within the United States Education System) with a minimum cumulative preferred GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 point grading system. 

General Requirements


Graduate students must consult with their advisor before registering for graduate coursework. For additional information, refer to the Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree Requirements .