Doctor of Nursing Practice
DNP Program
The UCLA School of Nursing is proud to offer the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program. As a UCLA Bruin, you will study at a globally esteemed, premiere public research university with top nursing instructors. A DNP is a doctorally prepared, advanced practice nurse and a clinical expert and leader on the translation of evidence-base practice to improve health outcomes on a systems level. The DNP degree program is a clinical practice program for working professional nurses. You will integrate competencies for advanced nursing practice roles in clinical practice, leadership, health policy and education, as well as further develop your scholarship capacity in the area of evidence-based practice.
Key Information
- Translate research into clinical practice
- Elevate your executive leadership skills
- Influence patient outcomes and population health
- Earn your doctorate in less than two years
- Classes delivered in convenient hybrid format
- Continue working full-time throughout the program
- Clinical practicum and DNP Scholarly Project can be performed at your workplace
Admission
- Master's degree in nursing indicating that advanced practice coursework was completed, documented by an official transcript from each college or university attended
- Minimum grade point average of 3.0 for master's degree coursework
- Evidence documenting completion of a minimum of 500 clinical hours during the applicant's master's program or previous post-master's program; APRN national certification in one of the recognized APRN roles will satisfy this requirement
- APRN national certification in one of the recognized APRN roles: Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Midwife, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), or Nurse Executive
- Active, unrestricted RN licensure for practice in California where DNP clinical hours will occur
- An upper-division statistics course with content equivalent to Biostatistics 100A or Biomathematics 170A
- A resumé or curriculum vitae detailing work history, professional and volunteer activities appropriate to the advanced practice role
- Three confidential letters of recommendation from colleagues who are able to address both academic abilities and work-related experience
- A Statement of Purpose (maximum of 1000 words) describing the applicant's professional goals and rationale for applying to the program
- Criminal background check with evidence of clearance from all states of residence within a three-year period
- One year of experience in an advanced practice role preferred
There is no foreign language requirement for the proposed DNP degree program. Proficiency in a language other than English is desirable, but not required.
To learn more, RSVP to attend an Information Session.
A total of seven quarters or 61-quarter units will be required for graduation.
In addition, a DNP Scholarly Project is required to demonstrate the synthesis of evidence-based practice in a practice area specific to the student’s clinical specialty and will include the application of research and quality improvement principles.
The curriculum is delivered in a combination of in-class and online instruction. Students come to campus five times a quarter, on weeks one, three, five, seven, and nine of each 10-week quarter (in-classroom meetings take place at UCLA on alternating Fridays, generally from 8am-6pm). Remaining class activities are performed online on weeks two, four, six, eight and 10. Those include assignments such as papers, discussions boards, literature review, peer reviews, etc.
Courses
Quarter 1 (9 units)
- DNP Orientation/ Program Immersion
- Scientific Underpinnings for Practice (3u)
- Clinical Scholarship for Evidence Based Practice (3u)
- Communication & Ethics (2u)
- Education Practicum in Nursing Practice I (1u/ online)
Quarter 2 (10 units)
- Organizational & Systems Leadership (3u)
- Analytical Methods for Evidence Based Practice (3u)
- Clinical Prevention & Population Health (3u)
- Education Practicum in Nursing Practice II (1 unit/ online)
Quarter 3 (9 units)
- Financial & Management Cost Analysis of Health Care (3u)
- Informatics for DNP Practice (2u/online)
- Healthcare Policy & Advocacy in Healthcare (3u)
- Education Practicum in Nursing Practice III (1 unit/ online)
Quarter 4 (9 units)
- Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient & Population Health Outcomes (3u)
- DNP Scholarly Project A: Project Conceptualization & Planning (2u)
- Written Qualifying Examination (2u)
Quarter 5 (8 units)
- DNP Scholarly Project B: Project Proposal Seminar (2u)
- DNP Clinical Project Residency (6u/ site-based)
- Oral Qualifying Exam
Quarter 6 (8 units)
- DNP Scholarly Project C: Project Implementation Seminar (2u)
- DNP Clinical Project Residency (6u, project site-based)
- Dissemination & Translation of Clinical Scholarship (2u)
Quarter 7 (8 units)
- DNP Scholarly Project C: Project Implementation Seminar (2u)
- DNP Clinical Project Residency (6u, project site-based)
- Oral Defense of Scholarly Project
DNP Scholarly Project
The purpose of the DNP Scholarly Project is to demonstrate critical analysis and synthesis of scientific evidence for application to practice, and the creation of new knowledge for evidence-based practice (EBP), the essence of scholarship for the DNP. Graduates of the DNP program will be the leaders for the translation of research into practice.
To see the catalog of DNP program alumni DNP Scholarly Projects, click here.
The DNP Scholarly Project Options
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Quality Improvement: Analysis of performance and development of systematic efforts in order to improve outcomes
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Translating Evidence into Practice:
- Evaluation and application of best evidence to improve practice outcomes.
- Examination of a clinical or practice-based issue and implementation of best evidence to make a practice change.
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Program Development and Evaluation: Development of a program to address a gap in care and evaluation of outcomes.
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Health Care Policy: Analysis of a policy to determine its congruence within the current practice context and possible policy modification recommendations.
Updated 1/5/2023