Doctor of Nursing Education FAQs

The Ohio State University Doctor of Nursing Education Program (delivered via distance education) holds pre-accreditation status from the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation, located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20037. 202-909-2487. Holding pre-accreditation status does not guarantee that initial accreditation by NLN CNEA will be received.

A nurse educator who holds a current, unrestricted RN license in the state where the experience takes place. They must also hold a doctoral degree, have at least two years of education experience and teach in one of the following areas:

• Board of Nursing approved academic program 
• ACEN or CCNE accredited pre-licensure nursing education program 
• CCNE accredited advanced practice nursing education program 
• Accredited continuing education/staff development program

A student’s immediate manager or supervisor may not serve as an immersion lead.

Possibly. The Doctor of Nursing Education meets certain criteria for CNE certification testing. All of the required criteria can be found here.

Past experience would not count for immersion hours. However, immersion hours can be completed at your place of employment.

Synchronous times when students must be online for their classes will be once-a-week per class, on a weekday, and could be offered any time during the day: morning, afternoon, or evening—e.g. ranging in time from 9 a.m to 8:30 p.m. EST.

Starting in the Autumn 2023 term, DNE students may apply for funding through the NFLP. More information can be found here.

Ohio State’s Autumn and Spring semesters are 14 weeks long and Summer semesters are 12 weeks long. All DNE courses are full-semester courses.

All DNE courses are designed for doctoral-level credit, so master’s level classes cannot be considered equivalent unless taken for dual master’s and doctoral credit. Completed doctoral-level courses in nursing education could potentially satisfy DNE course requirements in transfer. At the time of admission, students may submit any courses they feel align with the course requirements of the program to be evaluated by faculty. We cannot guarantee the transfer of any coursework prior to a student’s admission.

There are five courses in the program for which immersion hours are a required component and will be documented in Typhon. Immersion hours will be completed as the student progresses through the program, not in addition to course requirements.

Yes, you can complete some DNE courses as a non-degree student. Details and restrictions on this process can be found here.

Currently, no. Admission to the DNE program explicitly requires the student to hold a Master of Science in Nursing degree from an appropriately accredited program.

Curriculum revision based on needs assessment, national standards, and/or innovations in health care, such as: 

• targeting an area of weakness in graduates as identified on the institutional specific report from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing 
• incorporation of population health into the curriculum 
• incorporation of multidisciplinary telehealth into the curriculum 
• realignment with revised national standards from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing 

Revision and implementation of clinical assessment tool for a population of interest based on needs assessment, national standards, and/or innovations in health care, such as: 

• incorporation of newly revised accreditation requirements for midwifery education programs 
• comprehensive evaluation of existing or novel teaching-learning strategy in nursing education in the didactic and/or clinical setting, such as: 
  • a dedicated education unit (DEU) in a hospital 
  • interdisciplinary simulations for a population of interest 

Educational program customization based on needs assessment, national standards, and/or innovations in health care, such as: 

• targeting an area of clinical weakness in nurses in a residency program or a transition to practice program 
• incorporation of new or revised electronic nursing documentation 

Revision of a nurse residency program to align with national standards from accrediting body, such as: 

• standards for accreditation of entry-to-practice nurse residency programs 
• implementing EBP mentorship programs 

Comprehensive evaluation of existing or novel teaching-learning strategy in nursing professional development, such as: 

• simulations teaching early assessment and technical skills on hyperacute stroke units, handling neurologic emergencies on an interdisciplinary team 
• implementing EBP education and training programs to support contemporary healthcare delivery 
• implementing EBP competency testing for staff

The focus is on nursing education as opposed to advanced practice, as is a DNP program. The DNE program has been informed by 15 standards of excellence (at the state, national, and international levels), including the NLN Core Competencies for Nurse Educators (Halstead, 2019).