Doctor of Nursing Practice

School of Nursing

Nursing students in front of the Portland SON building

Earn your Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at the OHSU School of Nursing

We believe nurses change the world. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) represents the highest degree in nursing practice. Graduates at OHSU receive additional preparation to expand their practice in breadth and depth. Coursework and mentorship facilitate leadership and practice-related scholarship and prepares leaders in a culture of innovation and inquiry.

Practice-ready

The OHSU DNP graduate is ready for practice as an APRN in their specialty area.

Evidence-based

The OHSU DNP graduate has a strong foundation in clinical and improvement science.

Future-focused

The OHSU DNP graduate looks to the future and embraces emerging models of healthcare.

Leadership-oriented

The OHSU DNP graduate is prepared for growth in health care leadership in a variety of diverse settings.

DNP specializations offered

For each of the specialties listed below you can enter with a bachelor's degree in nursing and exit with the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree. The DNP curriculum is 3 years of full time coursework.

Post Masters DNP
The Post Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is designed to prepare leaders to drive the application of evidence to promote excellence in nursing practice and health care. As a practice-focused doctoral program, innovation and inquiry are central to graduating DNP -nurses prepared in leadership to identify, develop, and evaluate solutions to the most troubling challenges found in clinical practice and health care. In addition to the competencies for the MN degree and specialty, DNP graduates are expected to meet DNP program competencies.

We're here to answer any questions you have about the OHSU School of Nursing.

PhD or DNP?

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing provides fact sheets, toolkits and white papers on the DNP as well as the research focused PhD