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Simmons University Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) online programs

Simmons’ online Doctor of Nursing (DNP) programs prepare learners to reach the highest level of professional nursing practice, and emerge as nurse leaders who are capable of transforming health care systems. The online DNP offers two pathways: The BSN to DNP program, designed for those who have earned their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and the MSN to DNP program, created for RNs who have earned their Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).

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About the programs

  • Contemporary DNP programs: The online DNP programs prepare learners to take on the greatest challenges of today’s changing health care landscape.
  • Practice-based curriculums: Learners will advance their practice through hands-on experiences including interactive coursework, in-clinic research, and clinical hours.
  • CCNE-accredited degrees: The online Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

About Simmons University 

Simmons University began in 1899 as a small liberal arts college with a revolutionary mission to prepare women to earn independent livelihoods and lead meaningful lives. This mission expands with Simmons’ coeducational online doctorate programs that prepare professionals to reach the highest level of practice in their fields. As the nation experiences an ever-changing health care environment, Simmons offers online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs that prepare nurses to manage it. 

Tuition and fees

Tuition and fees are subject to change and may increase each academic year. Tuition does not include student fees, technology platform licensing, or support services. Learners are also responsible for travel and accommodation costs related to any in-person immersions or residentials.

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Curriculum

The online DNP curriculums combine evidence-based practice with analytical and leadership principles. Learners explore how to use informatics, data, and technology to design policies and establish interventions that improve patient outcomes.

BSN-DNP

The online BSN-DNP program at Simmons University can be completed in 32 months full time or 48 months part time and enables learners to earn their MSN, Leadership on the way to earning a DNP. Choose between three tracks: Executive Leadership, Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), and gain the advanced clinical expertise and leadership skills necessary to excel in health care leadership roles. The FNP and PMHNP tracks also prepare learners to sit for board certification exams.

MSN-DNP

The online MSN-DNP program from Simmons University prepares learners to advance to the highest level of professional nursing practice. The program takes 28 months to complete full time and 32–36 months to complete part time, depending on the chosen track. This program also allows learners to choose between three tracks: Executive Leadership, Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), and gain the expertise needed to drive meaningful change in health care as a nurse leader. Learners in the FNP and PMHNP tracks are prepared to sit for board certification exams during their program.

As a learner in either online DNP program, you’ll:

  • Develop skills through interactive coursework and clinical hours: gaining invaluable hands-on experience in the field and applying your knowledge to real-world practice. 
  • Complete a research- or practice-based final project: during which you will investigate problems, test solutions, and implement changes to solve a problem of practice within the field.
  • Participate in the Doctoral Symposium: where you will present your research to classmates, Simmons faculty, mentors, and experienced practitioners.
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Admissions

BSN-DNP

Applicants must hold a Bachelor of Science (BSN) degree from a regionally accredited U.S. postsecondary institution with a preferred GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. In addition, applicants must have successfully completed (with a grade of C+ or better) a 3-credit course in statistics within the last seven years, and are required to have a current unencumbered and unrestricted U.S. registered nurse (RN) license in an approved state.

The following items must be submitted during the application process: 

  • Online application

  • Current résumé

  • Statement of purpose

  • Official transcripts from all institutions attended, whether or not a degree was earned 

  • Two letters of recommendation

  • English language proficiency exam result (if your primary language is not English)

MSN-DNP

Applicants must hold a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from a regionally accredited U.S. postsecondary institution with a preferred GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. In addition, applicants must have successfully completed (with a grade of C+ or better) a 3-credit course in statistics within the last seven years. Applicants are also required to have: 

  • Completed at least 500 clinical hours in their master’s program (verification of these hours is required if the MSN was not earned at Simmons University). 

  • A current unencumbered and unrestricted U.S. registered nurse (RN) license in an approved state.

  • A minimum of two years of professional experience as a licensed registered nurse (RN). It is preferred that they also have either:

- Clinically focused experience: clinical excellence in their area of nursing expertise

- Leadership-focused experience: progressive professional leadership experience

Simmons alumni will be considered for the DNP program with less than two years of RN experience.

 The following items must be submitted during the application process: 

  • Online application

  • Current résumé

  • Statement of purpose

  • Official transcripts from all institutions attended, whether or not a degree was earned 

  • Two letters of recommendation

  • English language proficiency exam result (if your primary language is not English)

If you are missing any of these requirements, please contact an admission counselor to discuss other options. 



Simmons’ DNP project

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The online DNP programs culminate in a final project, which highlights a learner’s synthesis of course material, research, and clinical learning — and lays the groundwork for a learner’s future practice and scholarship in the field. 

As a learner, you will develop your DNP project over the course of three terms in a DNP Project Seminar. Throughout your DNP project, you will be able to directly apply your newfound knowledge to your clinical work. 

The final project can take a variety of forms, such as a practice portfolio, a research utilization project, or even a practice topic dissemination.

Below are three examples of DNP projects Simmons graduates have completed in the past:

  • “Survivorship Care Plans: Exploring Lymphoma Patients”

  • “Perceptions of Clinical Nurses About Professional Development”

  • “Nurse Leaders: Levels of Resilience”

Frequently asked questions

A DNP degree prepares board-certified nurse practitioners (NPs) to reach the highest level of professional nursing practice. DNP-educated nurses have the advanced skills needed to assume leadership roles in a variety of health settings, to improve patient outcomes, and to enhance health care delivery systems.

No. A nurse practitioner (NP) is a job title that refers to a nursing professional with graduate-level training. A DNP — or a Doctor of Nursing — is a terminal academic degree awarded to a nursing professional who has completed the highest level of training in nursing practice.

A DNP degree does not grant authority to write prescriptions. To write prescriptions in any of the 50 U.S. states, nurse practitioners (NPs) — some of whom hold an MSN alone, while others also hold a DNP — must be board-certified. (Note that in certain states, NPs must be supervised by a physician to write prescriptions.)

A DNP degree allows you to add the academic title of “doctor” to your name. However, it does not give you the professional title of “doctor,” which is reserved to physicians/medical doctors. Some states have strict legislation about where and when a nurse can be referred to as a “doctor.”

This depends on your current experience level. Different DNP programs offer different paths of study — which can take anywhere between two to four years to complete — based on a candidate’s current credentials, such as an RN license, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), or a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).

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