Post Masters Doctor of Nursing Practice
The Post Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice degree is available to currently licensed, certified and practicing Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (certified nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, certified nurse anesthetists, and clinical nurse specialists) who do not wish to add an additional practice population focus national certification. Graduates generate new knowledge through innovation of practice change, the translation of evidence, and the implementation of quality improvement processes in specific practice settings, systems, or with specific populations to improve health or health outcomes.
The annual application deadline is December 15th for the following fall semester
Distance Delivered Format:
All graduate courses are offered via distance delivery with video conference used to supplement content. See teaching methods for more information. Travel to Bozeman may be required for some coursework. Applications are limited to students from states: MT, UT, WY, ID, CO, or AK.
How to apply:
All graduate nursing program applications are conducted through the MSU Graduate School via MSU's graduate application portal . Please create an account to initiate the application process.
The following elements are required for a complete application:
- 3 personal essays (prompts can only be found on the first page of the application)
- 3 professional references that can speak to your nursing knowledge, motivation, work ethic, and writing ability.
- Official transcripts from all institutions where you completed coursework, even if a degree was not conferred.
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- Unofficial transcripts will be accepted for coursework completed at MSU-Bozeman
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- Ordered transcripts can be directly to Graduate Program Manager graduatenursing@montana.edu or the Graduate School.
- Completed and clear background check & urine drug screen via Complio (http://msucompliance.com)
More Details Below:
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Be physically located in MT, UT, WY, ID, CO, or AK.
- Undergraduate and graduate minimum GPA of 3.0 is preferred.
- A baccalaureate degree in nursing from a nationally accredited upper division program which included supervised clinical practice in a variety of nursing settings, including nursing leadership/management.
- Successful completion of undergraduate courses in research and statistics.
- Current unencumbered licensure as a registered nurse.
- If clinical education experiences are to be completed in Montana, RN licensure in Montana is required.
- If applicable, English proficiency scores as outlined by the Graduate School.
- Maximum number of transferable credits from prior nursing graduate work is limited to 9 credits from a non-conferred degree, and 30 credits from a conferred degree. Read more in our Graduate Program policy
The Post Masters Doctor of Nursing Practice Program requires 37 credits for graduation. A full breakdown of classes for Post Masters DNP can be found in the MSU Catalog
Full details on Montana State University's graduate cost of attendance and estimated fees can be found on the MSU catalog.
Computer proficiency and reliable Internet access is required for graduate students who are admitted to the program: refer to Technical Requirements.
All Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing graduate courses are offered via 'Distance Delivery'. This means there is a combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities and students are not expected to travel to Bozeman more than once a year.
Synchronous Intensive Classes: At the discretion of course faculty each semester, classes meet synchronously via video conference (WebEx) on a monthly basis. Dates and times are announced at the beginning of each academic year.
Asynchronous: These are times during a semester that individual students log on to Desire2Learn/Brightspace (at their convenience) to participate in class discussions, submit assignments, take quizzes or exams, complete content modules, or other similar activities.
Travel: Travel to Bozeman is not expected more than once per year. Fall semester face-to-face intensives for all students, orientation plus intensives for first year students., and graduation. Travel to other campuses (Billings, Great Falls, Kalispell, or Missoula) is not required.
Each student completes a DNP Scholarly Project developed in collaboration with a faculty chairperson and committee. Examples of exciting and innovative student projects include: development of mental health outreach programs to the rural elderly; examination of alternative health practices for healing; establishment of pediatric cancer support groups for the rural client; and development of a school-based clinic. An oral defense of the scholarly project and final professional paper is required for the DNP degree.
Please note: Post-graduate APRN applicants who are seeking national certification in a new population-focused area of practice (one in which they are not currently practicing or certified) must meet the educational and certification criteria for the additional practice area, as well as, the educational criteria for the DNP and should not apply to this option. Applicants seeking additional national certification should instead apply to the BSN to DNP – Family Nurse Practitioner, BSN to DNP - Nurse-Midwifery Option, or BSN to DNP-Psychiatric Mental Health option.
Accreditation Info:
