Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) Program
Aims and Assumptions
The School of Nursing’s post-master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) program is designed for mid-career nurses who wish to build upon their previous education and experience to “sit at the tables” where decisions for health care practice, education, and policy are made. Leadership is the focus of the program. Upon successful completion of required course work, graduates will be awarded the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.
The Yale D.N.P. program combines, in the words of our founding dean, Anne W. Goodrich, “the adventure of thought and the adventure of action” in the service of YSN’s mission: better health for all people. Combining the Yale residential experience with online course work, the program is tailored for nurses who already have major professional commitments.
The curriculum is a hybrid of on-campus and online education. Progression to each succeeding course is contingent upon satisfactory completion of preceding courses, with the exception of the course 985, Achieving Health Equity, which must be completed sometime before graduation. Courses are offered both in monthly on-campus sessions and in short-term (three to six days) intensive periods between terms or at the beginning of the summer.
For the academic year 2012–2013, only part-time study will be available. The first courses to be offered are described later in this section. Beginning in academic year 2013–2014, both full- and part-time study will be offered. The program can be completed in two years of part-time study in addition to a one-year Capstone experience, or in one year of full-time study in addition to a one-year Capstone experience.
Admission Requirements and Application Procedures
Applicants must be registered nurses and hold a master’s degree or higher. Individual consideration will be given to applicants with an M.B.A., M.P.H., M.H.A., J.D., or other degree.
The following application materials are required:
- 1. Application form
- 2. Nonrefundable application fee ($100)
- 3. Current résumé/curriculum vitae
- 4. Personal statement/essay
- 5. One official transcript from each college or university attended (Note: Applicants with an international degree transcript must submit a course-by-course evaluation conducted by a credentialing agency such as www.wes.org or www.ece.org. In addition, a certified English translation must accompany all non-English transcripts.)
- 6. Three letters of recommendation (clinical, academic, and/or professional)
- 7. Scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the academic version of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are required of all applicants for whom English is a second language. This requirement can be waived if the applicant has completed a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university in the United States or other English-speaking country.
The Graduate Record Examination is not required.
Application information can be found by visiting http://nursing.yale.edu/admissions; by writing to the Office of Admissions, Yale School of Nursing, PO Box 9740, New Haven CT 06536-0740; or by calling 203.737.1793.
The application deadline is March 1. All application materials must be received by the YSN Office of Admissions by this date. Applications submitted after March 1 will not be considered for admission in the upcoming fall term.
Applications will be reviewed only after all application materials are received. Incomplete applications are not forwarded to the Admissions Committee for consideration. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all materials are received by the Office of Admissions in a timely manner.
Capstone
A Capstone experience is required of all students. A variety of options for the form the Capstone may take are available: a clinical change project; a safety/quality initiative and evaluation; a research project; a policy analysis; a policy case and analysis; a precepted, executive-level experience with a completed project delivered to the sponsor. Students will work with assigned YSN or Yale faculty to design and conduct the Capstone experience, which is projected to take one year to complete.
Courses
The following courses, in order, constitute the D.N.P. curriculum:
- 955, Ethical Analysis in Health Care (fall term)*
- 957, Evidence (winter intensive)*
- 963, Transformational Leadership in Professional Education (spring term)*
- 967, Theory and Application of Project Management (summer intensive)*
- 971, Health Care Policy, Politics, and Process (fall term)
- 977, The Business of Health Care (winter intensive)
- 981, Leadership in Systems of Care (spring term)
- 989, Capstone Seminar (summer intensive)
- 985, Achieving Health Equity (offered in intensive mode, winter and summer)
- 999, Capstone (final year)
The starred courses will be offered for the first time in 2012–2013. The part-time program will consist of 955, 957, 963, and 967 in the first year, followed by the other courses in the second year and the Capstone experience in the third year. The course 985 will be offered twice per year; prior to graduation, all students will be expected to successfully complete this course.
