Doctor of Nursing Practice - Post MSN

Currently Accepting Applications for Fall 2023!

Start Class 08/22/23.

Apply Now!

Program Overview

Offered by the College of Nursing and Health Professions at USI, the 100% Online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) - Post MSN program is committed to quality nursing education and responsiveness to regional and national healthcare needs. This practice-focused doctorate will prepare you for multiple roles to make contributions to healthcare and nursing through scholarly practice, healthcare leadership, and nursing education.

The curriculum consists of a two-year (full-time) or three-year (part-time) plan of study for doctoral level coursework which will culminate in the completion of an evidence-based project.

In addition, the DNP program has synchronous intensives twice a year.

Click here to download and view our promotional flyer.

100% Online!

Build Upon Your MSN Credit Hours!

Tuition & Fees

We offer admission into the program once a year and work with our students to provide a plan of study that allows for timely graduation and achievement of their goals. 

The online graduate nursing programs are limited to working with certain states in the U.S. only. Moving into a state not recognized by the graduate nursing program will lead to inability to continue in graduate nursing coursework. The exception to this is active military status.  

General Disclosure of Program Licensure or Certification Requirements

Are you an out-of-state student interested in pursuing an online degree at USI or determining if the graduate nursing programs meet individual state requirements for employment?  Check your eligibility.

Student and Program Outcomes


The baccalaureate degree in nursing, master's degree in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice and post-graduate APRN certificate at the University of Southern Indiana are accredited by the
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791, 202-887-6791 (http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccne-accreditation). 


Current Student Handbooks

DNP Handbook

 CNHP Handbook


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Admission Requirements
  • Completed master's degree in nursing from a nationally-accredited nursing program and a regionally-accredited college or university.
  • Earned graduate program GPA of 3.0 based on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent.
  • Satisfactorily completed a course in graduate research (grade of B or better).
  • Complete application file.
  • Non-native speakers of English must meet English proficiency requirements as established by the USI Center for International Programs.
  • Faculty may request an interview with an applicant.
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Application Procedures

The graduate nursing online programs are limited to working with certain states in the U.S. only. Moving into a state not recognized by the graduate nursing program will lead to inability to continue in graduate nursing coursework.  The exception to this is active military status. Click here to see your availability.

  1. Submit an online application, a $40 application fee, and three references with contact information.
  2. Upload the following to your application account:
    • A current professional resume or curriculum vitae.
    • Your DNP Project Form. 
  3. Submit official transcripts to Graduate Studies.
  4. International applicants may be required to submit additional information.

Click Here to Get Started

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Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, you will be able to:

  • Integrate nursing science with knowledge from ethics and the biophysical, psychosocial, analytical, educational, and organizational sciences as the basis for the highest level of nursing practice.
  • Develop and evaluate care delivery approaches that meet current and future needs of patient populations based upon scientific findings in nursing science, clinical sciences, and organizational, political, and economic sciences.
  • Use analytic methods to appraise existing literature and other evidence to determine and implement the best evidence for practice.
  • Serve as a leader in the development and implementation of institutional, local, state, federal, and international health policy.
  • Advocate for the patients and the nursing profession within government, business, education, and healthcare communities.
  • Collaborate with interprofessional teams to analyze complex practice and organizational issues in leading change to improve patient, population, and system health outcomes.
  • Analyze epidemiological, bio-statistical, environmental, and other scientific data related to individual, aggregate, and population health.
  • Integrate advanced level of judgment, systems thinking, and accountability in designing, teaching, delivering, and evaluating evidence-based care to improve patient and healthcare outcomes.

Program Curriculum

You may apply a maximum of 42 graduate credits toward the required 78 hours for the degree. The USI DNP curriculum is built upon three distinct areas of graduate nursing content as determined by the AACN Essentials document. You can then choose one of the two concentrations: Advanced Nursing Practice or Organizational and Systems Leadership. In both concentrations, the plan of study includes the same 13 required DNP courses. Assignments within each course, in addition to the DNP project, will focus topics consistent with each concentration.

Sample Plan of Study

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Leadership and Organizational Systems Core Courses (15 Credit Hours)
  • NURS 721 - Systems Leadership and Interprofessional Collaboration (5 credit hours)
  • NURS 724 - Healthcare Policy and Strategic Planning (3 credit hours)
  • NURS 725 - Resource Utilization in Healthcare (4 credit hours)
  • NURS 727 - Healthcare Technology and Informatics (3 credit hours)
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Evidence-Based Practice Core Courses (15 Credit Hours)
  • NURS 713 - Theory and Practice (3 credit hours)
  • NURS 715 - Analytical Methods for Population-Based Care (4 credit hours)
  • NURS 717 - Cultural Diversity (2 credit hours)
  • NURS 854 - Critical Appraisal of Practice (3 credit hours)
  • NURS 855 - Synthesis of Nursing Practice (3 credit hours)
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Specialty Practice Courses (6 Credit Hours)
  • NURS 866 - DNP Proposal 1 (1 credit hours)
  • NURS 874 - DNP Project 1 (3 credit hours)
  • NURS 875 - DNP Project 2 (2 credit hours)

Program Calendar 

Course Start Intensive Date 1 Intensive Date 2
Fall 2022 August 2022 April 2023
Fall 2023 August 2023 April 2024

Looking for other Online Nursing Degrees?

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Contact

Dr. Constance Swenty
Assistant Dean for Nursing

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