Doctor of Nursing Education (DNE)
Pursue your passion as a nurse educator and help shape the future of nursing.
Admissions | Curriculum | Tuition | FAQs | Information Sessions
The online Doctor of Nursing Education (DNE), launched in January 2023, is the first program of its kind in the country. It is designed to fill an urgent need: to educate and inspire more doctorally-prepared nursing educators. This novel professional doctoral degree program is designed for master’s-prepared nurses who are passionate about educating nursing students and nurses and seek to become expert educators specifically in the clinical discipline of nursing.
This program emphasizes best practices in teaching and learning in nursing, curriculum design and development related to nursing education and clinical practice and nursing education assessment and evaluation—a combination not offered in any other programs in the U.S.
You will choose from two specialization tracks to meet your specific goals:
- Academic nursing education
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The academic nursing education track is developed for nurses with earned master’s degrees who seek to teach in college or university level academic nursing programs to prepare nurses for clinical practice at all levels.
- Nursing professional development
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The nursing professional development track is targeted to masters-level nursing professional development practitioners (NPDs) who seek doctoral preparation to educate nurses in healthcare settings to enhance healthcare outcomes.
Whether you want to become an expert nurse educational leader in academia or healthcare, this program will prepare you to plan, implement and evaluate best evidence for nursing-specific instruction.
Program at a glance
- Format: online only; classes offered synchronously
- Length of program: you can expect to complete the program in five semesters (2 years) of full-time study or eight semesters (3 years) of part-time study, including summer semester coursework
- Clinical: not a requirement of the program
- Field experience: you will be required to engage in field immersion hours to build competencies and a culminating final project
Hear from DNE student Recia Mickens-Lopez about how the program’s Academic Nursing Education specialization is helping her pursue her passion and shape the future of nursing.
Director, Doctor of Nursing Education Program
Assistant Director, Doctor of Nursing Education Program
Distance Education
At this time, The Ohio State University College of Nursing is authorized to enroll distance learning students in many U.S. states. However, due to varying state laws and regulations, there are also many states in which we are not currently permitted to offer distance learning programs. Residents of these states are not able to participate in the programs.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit the University’s Online Programs State Authorization webpage or email us at nursing@osu.edu to find out whether their program of interest is available in their home state. Please check back often, as the College and University are aggressively pursuing authorization in all 50 states. Residents outside of the U.S. are not able to participate in distance learning programs. Admission into a program is granted at the time of initial acceptance into the program and is dependent on program availability in the state where the student is physically located at the time of admission. If a student moves to a state other than the state where the student was physically present when admitted into the program, continuation within the program will depend on the availability of the program within the new state where the student is physically present. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the institution of a change in physical presence.
Accreditation Status
The Ohio State University Practice Doctorate in Nursing Program is pursuing accreditation from the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA), located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20037; phone 202-909-2487.
*The Practice Doctorate in Nursing Program includes a Doctor of Nursing Education Track.
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. The final accreditation decision will be made in October 2025.
Application Deadline
- Autumn 2026
Opens: August 1, 2025
Deadline: March 1, 2026*
*Students interested in being considered for a fellowship or other available funding opportunities should have their completed application submitted by October 15.
Contact Us
Email nursing@osu.edu