Nurse Practitioner MSN to DNP

Institutional Accreditation

Information on FGCU institutional accreditation is available at www.fgcu.edu/accreditation

The D.N.P. program at FGCU is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

Public Notice: Posted December 9, 2022
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is seeking national reaccreditation of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) in 2023. CCNE site visitors will conduct an onsite visit on February 15, 2023 thru February 17, 2023.

Program constituents, including students, alumni, representatives from clinical agencies, and the public, are invited to submit comments concerning the DNP program’s qualifications for accreditation status. CCNE will share comments with the site visitors before the visit, and at no time will comments be shared with the Florida Gulf Coast University, the DNP Program, or the Board.

This notification indicates that written third-party comments will be received by CCNE 21 days before the scheduled onsite evaluation and must be received by CCNE by January 25, 2023.

All comments are to be directed by email to: thirdpartycomments@ccneaccreditation.org or if you prefer, mail comments to:

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Attn: Third-Party Comments
655 K Street, NW, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20001

Getting Started

Applicants must submit an application online per the individual program’s instructions below. Please contact Graduate Admissions at 239-745-GRAD or graduate@fgcu.edu for additional information about the application process. Satisfaction of minimum University and program requirements does not guarantee admission to a graduate program. Applicants should check with the program for the most up to date admission requirements prior to commencing the application process.

See program website at URL listed above.

The MSN to DNP is for students who hold a Master's degree in Nursing (MSN) with an advanced practice focus (clinical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife, and nurse practitioner) from a MSN program accredited by CCNE, ACEN, or COA, and a regionally accredited institution, or the equivalent bachelor's degree in a nursing program from a foreign institution. The MSN to DNP builds upon a candidate's specialty practice area through a core that focuses on utilization of research in the practice setting, quality of care delivery, examination of health care outcomes, leadership in practice, and fundamentals of nurse education. Students may transfer a maximum of 9 credit hours of graduate level nursing course work taken within the last 5 years upon determination of equivalency with required DNP program courses.

The application deadline for priority admission to the DNP Program is March 1. After March 1, applications may be accepted on a space available basis.

Students are admitted to the program for the Fall semester only.

MSN to DNP Major Application Requirements

1. Submit all applications and supporting documentation through NursingCas, a centralized application system for nursing programs, to be considered for admission to the DNP Program
2. Submit only official transcript(s) for all colleges and universities attended, including a bachelor's degree in nursing transcript from a nationally accredited (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education [CCNE] or Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing [ACEN]) nursing program, and a regionally accredited institution, or the equivalent bachelor's degree in a nursing program from a foreign institution.
3. Show evidence of a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
4. Provide copy of an unrestricted Florida RN or ARNP license, or eligibility for the appropriate licensure in Florida.
5. Provide a current resume or curriculum vitae.
6. Provide personal statement of professional goals in 300 to 350 words.
7. Show completion of the following graduate level nursing courses: Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, Physical Assessment, and Research.
8. Course work in the applicant's MSN program must demonstrate equivalency to the didactic and clinical practice hours of the pre-certification phase of the FGCU BSN to DNP Program.  If not, those courses must be completed prior to starting the core course work in the MSN to DNP Program.
9. If applicable, applicants who have attended but not completed another DNP or doctoral nursing program must provide an official transcript from that program and a letter of standing from the dean of the school of nursing (or designee) that also addresses potential for success in a DNP program.
10. A personal interview may be required with designated faculty
11. Provide three professional references that indicate your potential for doctoral study, clinical proficiency, and academic competence. References should include:

• one from a faculty 
• one from a supervisor 
• one from a registered nurse, APRN, or physician familiar with the applicant's professional expertise
• If not currently employed a supervisor reference may be from a service-related activity.
• Please request references through NursingCAS in the Applicant Evaluation Section.

Program Requirements for the 2023-2024 Catalog Year

Program Progression and Additional Graduation Requirements

Students admitted to the D.N.P. via the M.S.N. to D.N.P. entry path must meet specific progression, clinical and graduation requirements. See the D.N.P. Program Guidebook, General Academic Policies and FGCU Graduation Requirements.

• Students must follow a Program of Study approved by the Program Director or designee.
• Earn a minimum of 36 credits of doctoral level coursework.
• A cumulative GPA of 3.0 for coursework in the program.
• Completion of all courses with a grade of "B" or higher, or "S" (Satisfactory) where applicable.
• Completion of D.N.P. Clinical Practice requirements.
• Completion of D.N.P. Project requirements.
• Submit an application for graduation by the semester deadline listed in the FGCU Academic Calendar.
• Students must register for a minimum of one credit during the semester in which they apply for graduation.
• Earn more than 50% of the credits toward the degree through FGCU.

Program Requirements

Required Courses in the Major (36 credits)
NGR 6638 Advanced Health Promotion (3)
NGR 6712 Foundations of Nursing Educ. (3)
NGR 6872 Nursing Information Management (3)
NGR 7769 Advanced Practice Management (3)
NGR 7846 Biostatistics & Epidemiology (3)
NGR 7856 Evidenced-Based Trans. Research (3)
NGR 7895 Health Policy (3)
NGR 7899 Organization Syst. & Leadship (3)
NGR 7949L DNP Clinical Practice (7)*
NGR 7974 DNP Project (5)*

*Credits are spread over varying semesters

Total Credits Required: 36 HRS

Additional Graduation Requirements

1. Successful completion of a minimum of 36 credit hours of doctoral level course work.
2. Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater in the DNP program.
3. Completion of all courses with a grade of "B" or higher, or "S" (Satisfactory) where applicable.
4. Completion of clinical practice residency requirements.
5. Completion of capstone requirements.

Progression Requirements

• Students must follow a Program of Study approved by the Program Director or designee.
• Students must receive a grade of "B" ("S" if applicable) or better on all courses within the program curriculum.

Sample of MSN-DNP Full Time Progression Plan

Sample of MSN-DNP Part Time Progression Plan

Official Course Descriptions

Search for official course descriptions by using the Course Description Search utility.

Go to the Course Descriptions Search Web page, then follow these steps:

1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select a course prefix from one of the SUBJECT dropdowns (required)
3. Enter search words in the TEXT field (optional, but will narrow the search results)
4. Press Search

Getting started with the Course Schedule Search

Search for program courses by using the Course Schedule Search utility.

Go to the Course Schedule Search Web page, then follow these steps:

1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select one or more of the search options to narrow your results (for example, CAMPUS, COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT, LEVEL, PREFIX*, COURSE ATTRIBUTE**). For virtual or web courses, select VIRTUAL in the CAMPUS field.
3. Press Search.

*A course prefix is a three-letter designator for a major division of an academic discipline (for example, ACG for Accounting , BSC for Biological Science, ENC for English Composition). See the Degree Requirements page for a list of courses (with prefix and number) that can be used to fulfill degree requirements.

**A course attribute identifies specific characteristics of courses that can be used in a Degree Evaluation to satisfy a degree requirement. (Course attribute examples are Humanities courses - GEHM and Social Science courses - GESO.)

Graduates will:

1. Collaborate and communicate with other healthcare professionals to provide high quality, ethical patient-centered care that meets current standards of best practice.
2. Lead inter-professional teams to design, implement, and evaluate complex clinical practice strategies based on theoretical, scientific, and ethical knowledge.
3. Integrate advanced critical reasoning and judgment in the management of complex clinical situations and systems in a selected area of advanced practice nursing and organizational systems.
4. Implement health care delivery models and strategies designed for increased safety and quality improvement in health promotion, clinical prevention and population health.
5. Employ an evidence-based framework and information technology to evaluate and develop strategies and interventions to improve health status, access patterns, and identify gaps in care of diverse patients, populations, and organizations.
6. Advocate for change in health care practice and health care environments through policy development, implementation, and evaluation.

Tuition and Fees

Information on Tuition, Fees and estimated total Cost of Attendance is available on the Office of the Bursar web site.

Financial Aid Opportunities

Visit FGCU's Financial Aid Web site for information about grants, additional scholarships, loans, and student employment.