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Nursing (DNP), Doctor of Nursing Practice

Program Location

Distance Education/Online

- Executive Leadership Track

Program Credits

- Executive Leadership Track:  30 Credits

Program Length*

Executive Leadership Track:

- 5 Trimesters, 80 Instructional Weeks or

- 6 Trimesters, 96 Instructional Weeks

Time to Complete

Executive Leadership Track:

- 20 Months or 24 Months

* Program length may vary.  WCU distance education programs may not be available to residents in all states.

Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Codes: 11-9111.00, 11-1011.00

Mission Statement

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program exists to promote foundational competencies that are core to all advanced nurse practice in an ever-changing and globally reaching healthcare environment.  Academic, practicum, and interpersonal preparation are characterized by increased depth in organizational and systems' leadership within a culture of integrity and personal accountability.  Standards of ethical behavior and decision-making are essential foundations that guide individuals to distinguish ethical principles and to understand the consequences and implications beyond personal and organizational self-interest.  By pursuing effective and innovative methodologies through which students utilize administrative knowledge with the ability to analyze problems, structure and facilitate development, and find and implement solutions, WCU graduates have the opportunity to make a positive impact on society.  

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Evaluate new practice approaches based on scientific knowledge and theories from nursing.
  2. Adapt organizational and systems leadership for quality improvement and systems thinking.
  3. Demonstrate clinical scholarship and analytical methods for evidence-based practice.
  4. Analyze critical elements necessary to the selection, use and evaluation of health care information systems and patient care technology.
  5. Influence health care policy at institutional, state and/or federal levels.
  6. Lead interprofessional teams in the analysis of complex practice and organizational issues.
  7. Analyze epidemiological, biostatistical, environmental, and other appropriate scientific data related to individual, aggregate, and population health.
  8. Demonstrate advanced levels of clinical judgment, systems thinking, and accountability in designing, delivering, and evaluating evidence-based care to improve patient outcomes.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the Doctor of Nursing Practice must meet the following admissions requirements:

  1. Complete an online application for admission.
  2. Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree.
    1. Graduate research methods course with a grade of C- or better.
    2. Applicants with a non-nursing master's degree are required to show prior completion of or take the following graduate level coursework to meet MSN Essentials:  
      1. Research, ethics, Policy, Health Promotion
  3. Submit official transcripts.
  4. GPA of 3.0 or higher. 
    1. Applicants with a cumulative graduate GPA of 2.7 to 2.99 may be admitted under probation.  A student admitted under the probationary admissions pathway must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better on all coursework attempted in the first nine (9) credits in the program.  Students failing to meet this requirement by the end of the first nine (9) credits will be dismissed from the program.  

    2. Students accepted under the probationary admissions pathway will be considered regular students and eligible for Title IV, if the student otherwise qualifies for funding, for the first trimester of their program of study while completing the requirements for full admission to their program.  

  5. Active, unencumbered license as a registered nurse required in the United States.
  6. Submit a current resume curriculum vitae, two (2 letters of recommendation, and a one (1) page statement of purpose describing:
    1. The reason for pursuing doctoral study.
    2. Short- and long-term professional and academic goals.
    3. Leadership experience.
  7. West Coast University requires proof of English Proficiency. Applicants submitting non-U.S. or non-English transcripts should refer to the International Admissions section of the catalog.   
  8. West Coast University offers conditional admission to DNP applicants who are academically qualified but have not met all the conditions for admission. 
  9. A virtual interview may be conducted as part of the admission process.

Recommendation for admission following an interview with the Admissions Committee. Past academic performance and professional activity will be evaluated, e.g., community, organizational, and volunteer service, and creative professional accomplishments. These qualifications will be evaluated using a rubric to determine the applicant’s level of qualification.

Clinical Requirements

Students will complete 1000 post-baccalaureate practice hours. Students will complete experiential hours that support the focus of the DNP. The DNP student will identify a practice problem and a site that will support application-oriented learning for implementation of the DNP project. These sites will require approval by the Clinical Practice Coordinator and the student’s nursing faculty advisor must approve the project.  Each student will have a preceptor, a healthcare leader at the project site where the student will be completing practice hours and their DNP project.

Program Information and Disclosures

RN License Disclosure

RNs who are not licensed in California, will be required to apply for a California RN license if their clinical practicum is to be completed in California. RNs wishing to complete their clinical practicum in their state of residence (where they resided when they enrolled at WCU for their current program of study) must identify a clinical site in their state of residence with which the university can execute a clinical affiliation agreement.  The RN license must be active and unobstructed.

Doctor of Nursing Practice Curriculum

To achieve the graduation requirement of 30 credits, all students must complete 30 credits of core and track courses.  Core courses provide students with the specific discipline experience required for the degree. All students will complete at least 26 core course credits as detailed below. The remaining 4 credits are based on the program specialty the student is enrolled in. The currently available tracks are:

  • DNP – Executive Leadership

Graduate Nursing Core

Core courses to be completed by all students (26 credits)
DNPC 700Advanced Nursing Practice Inquiry

3
DNPC 705Organizational & Systems Leadership

2
DNPC 710Informatics and Healthcare Technologies

1
DNPC 715Policy Development and Implementation

2
DNPC 720Translating Scholarship to Practice

3
DNPC 725Application of Applied Statistics

3
DNPC 780CDNP Project I: Project Design & Development

3
DNPC 785CDNP Project II: Project Implementation

3
DNPC 790CDNP Project III: Project Analysis

3
DNPC 795CDNP Project IV: Project Evaluation

3
Total Credit Hours:26
Track Courses:

Executive Leadership Track

Track courses to be completed in the Executive Track (4 credits)
DNPX 750Advanced Executive Leadership I

2
DNPX 755Advanced Executive Leadership II

2
Total Credit Hours:4

DNP Program Costs

For program costs, please see the Tuition and Fees section.