• August 1, 2013 – (Regular Deadline Fall 2013 Start – Tuesday, September 3)
• November 1, 2013 – (Early Action Deadline for Spring 2014 Start, $50 app fee waived)

All courses in the DNP program will be offered as 16 week courses during Spring and Fall sessions, and as a 12 week course during Summer session.

Yes there is a one-time Immersion Fee of $150. There is also a one-time Clinical Agency Requirement fee of $90 that covers background check, immunizations, etc.

Each semester there is a technology fee of $85 for full-time students and $40 for part-time students, which is subject to change based on the Office of Student Accounts.

An interview is not required for all applicants. However, faculty reserves the right to conduct an interview to clarify aspects of the application and determine whether the student’s goals are a good match for Gonzaga’s DNP program. It also provides an opportunity for the student to ask questions of faculty. If indicated, interviews are conducted by phone.

Students are initially admitted as a cohort, but the program allows for flexibility should students need to take fewer credits in a particular semester.

The program can be completed within 5 semesters if the student requires only the minimum 30 credits and takes 6 credits per semester.  Should the student require more than 30 credits to complete program requirements or desire to be part-time, it will take longer to complete the program. However, students must complete the program within five years of initial enrollment.

The applicant must provide evidence of completion of a 3 semester credit graduate-level biostatistics or inferential statistics course within the last 5 years with an earned grade of B or better. If an applicant is unsure if the course meets the requirement, he or she can submit the course description with the completed application packet. If an applicant has not completed the course prior to being accepted into the DNP program, it can be taken during the first semester of course work.

There is one required campus visit, that must be scheduled prior to enrolling in the first practicum course (NURS 701). The DNP Immersion provides the student an orientation to the program and overview of program requirements.Students receive valuable information related to accessing electronic library resources, creating an electronic portfolio, conducting a scholarly DNP project, and writing for publication. The student has the option of coming to campus a second time for the oral defense of the student’s scholarly project proposal, which occurs during NURS 702, the second practicum course. This proposal defense can also occur electronically via Skype.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing requires the completion of a minimum of 1,000 hours of practicum experience spanning a MSN and DNP program. The minimum number of practicum hours that must be completed as part of Gonzaga’s DNP program is 360 hours, even if a student enters the program having completed the required 1,000 hours of practicum. Practice hours in the DNP program are not direct care hours; rather, they are considered indirect care hours that are completed as part of the student’s scholarly project.

There is one required campus visit, that must be scheduled prior to enrolling in the first practicum course (NURS 701). The DNP Immersion provides the student an orientation to the program and overview of program requirements.Students receive valuable information related to accessing electronic library resources, creating an electronic portfolio, conducting a scholarly DNP project, and writing for publication. The student has the option of coming to campus a second time for the oral defense of the student’s scholarly project proposal, which occurs during NURS 702, the second practicum course. This proposal defense can also occur electronically via Skype.

Students may complete practicum hours in the organizations in which they work. However, they cannot be precepted by a direct supervisor or complete practicum hours in the area of the organization where they are employed or during time on the job when being paid.

A student who has earned some credits, but has not completed a doctoral degree, may transfer up to 6 credits to apply toward completion of the degree requirements for the DNP at the discretion of the faculty.

The scholarly project allows the student to demonstrate mastery of DNP curricular content. The student refines the idea for the project in the first practicum course, NURS 701. In the second practicum course, the student designs the project and presents an oral defense. The student implements it in the third practicum course and completes the evaluation in NURS 704. The student is also expected to give an oral presentation and final defense of the project before his or her Scholarly Project Committee. Some examples of possible scholarly projects include a practice change initiative, a pilot study, a program evaluation, a quality improvement project, or an evaluation of a new practice model. The student utilizes evidence to improve an area of clinical or leadership practice in relation to a designated population.

The committee is comprised of a minimum of two doctorally-prepared Gonzaga nursing faculty, one of whom functions as the committee chair. An optional third member of the committee may be a non-faculty expert in the area of study.

The student has the option of documenting the completed scholarly project as an extensive paper that becomes a bound document or as a manuscript that is submitted to an appropriate scholarly journal for publication. If the student selects the latter option, the student must also submit an abstract for a poster or podium presentation at a major conference.

Gonzaga’s BSN and MSN programs are fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Gonzaga will apply for accreditation of its DNP program as soon as it is eligible to do so.

Students must complete their degree program within five years of starting GU (all programs).

Students must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in order to be eligible to graduate.