Doctor of Nursing Education
Prepare for leadership roles in nursing education and shape the next generation of nurses while improving health outcomes worldwide.
Program overview
Ohio State’s Doctor of Nursing Education (DNE) program, launched in 2023, is the first of its kind in the nation. Designed for master’s-prepared nurses, the program addresses the growing need for doctoral-prepared nurse educators in academic and practice settings.
The DNE curriculum combines teaching and learning, curriculum design, assessment and evaluation — skills unique to Ohio State. Students apply knowledge in real-world settings, developing the expertise to inspire, lead and transform nursing education and healthcare.
Application deadline
Autumn 2027
Opens: Aug. 3, 2026
Autumn 2026 application is closed
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Online
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50 credit hours
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2-3 years
Eligibility requirements
- Master’s degree in nursing from a CCNE-, ACEN- or CNEA-accredited program (must be conferred by Aug. 1, prior to enrollment)
- Active, unrestricted RN license or APRN certification in the state where you practice
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in the most recent relevant degree
- GPAs are reviewed by Ohio State’s Graduate and Professional Admissions Office.
- Applicants with a GPA below 3.0 may still apply and be considered for admission.
- Reside in an authorized state
- 3,500 hours of recent direct care experience as an RN or APRN (approximately two years full time in the last five years)
- Clinical instructor experience may count
The program offers two specialties:
- Academic Nursing Education: For nurses who want to teach in college or university nursing programs
- Nursing Professional Development: For nurses who want to educate staff in healthcare settings to improve patient care
Graduates of the DNE program can:
- Apply evidence-based teaching and learning principles to nursing education and practice
- Lead in the development of practice models, policy, and competencies in nursing education and professional development
- Conduct educational scholarship using evidence-based and translational science methods
- Collaborate with teams to implement teaching strategies that promote critical thinking and decision-making
- Promote wellness across multiple educational and practice settings
Time to degree
- 2 years full-time
- 3 years part-time, including summers
Credit hours
- 50
Delivery format
- Online and include a synchronous component, which comprises approximately 50% of each course
- Each course will require one weekday scheduled synchronous session (weekday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET)
Immersion hours
- Complete a minimum of 450 immersion hours over the course of the program
- Students may complete these at their place of employment, with approval from their advisor and employer
Sample schedules
Year 1
Autumn
- Evidence-based Practice (3 credits)
- Wellness and Resilience in Nursing (2 credits)
- Building the Evidence (1 credit)
Spring
- Evidence-based Teaching (3 credits)
- Quality Improvement (3 credits)
- Designing Final Project (1 credit)
Summer
- Innovation in Nursing Practice (3 credits)
- Publication and Grant Writing (2 credits)
Year 2
Autumn
- Curriculum Design (3 credits)
- Specialty Coursework (3 credits)
Spring
- Assessment and Evaluation (3 credits)
- Personal and Professional Growth (2 credits)
- DNE Professional Exam
Summer
- Specialty Coursework (3 credits)
- Instructional Strategies (3 credits)
- DNE Professional Examination (if not taken Year 2 Spring semester)
Year 3
Autumn
- Professional Development (2 credits)
- Capstone Project I (5 credits)
- DNE Professional Examination (if not taken Year 2 Spring or Summer semester)
Spring
- Principles of Instructional Design (3 credits)
- Capstone Project II (5 credits)
- Capstone Project Presentation and Defense
Year 1
Autumn
- Evidence-based Practice (3 credits)
- Curriculum Design (3 credits)
- Wellness and Resilience in Nursing (2 credits)
Spring
- Evidence-based Teaching (3 credits)
- Assessment and Evaluation (3 credits)
- Quality Improvement (3 credits)
- Personal and Professional Growth (2 credits)
Summer
- Innovation in Nursing Practice (3 credits)
- Publication and Grant Writing (2 credits)
- Specialty Coursework (3 credits)
- Instructional Strategies (3 credits)
- DNE Professional Examination
Year 2
Autumn
- Capstone Project (5 credits)
- Specialty Coursework (3 credits)
- Professional Development (2 credits)
- Building the Evidence (1 credit)
- DNE Professional Examination (if not taken Year 1)
Spring
- Capstone Project (5 credits)
- Principles of Instructional Design (3 credits)
- Designing Final Project (1 credit)
- Capstone Project Presentation and Defense
Allow up to five business days for the status of materials to be updated on the application center. You can track the status of your application through your applicant center. Ohio State graduate transfer applicants can track their application status by emailing OnlineEnrollment@osu.edu.
- Deadline
- Submit your application and all required materials by the posted deadline.
- Decision
- Round 1: Early December
- Round 2: Late April
- You will be notified through your Applicant Center and/or by email from the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions.
- Accept
- Four weeks post decision
- Students who do not respond to their offer of admission by the deadline will have their offer cancelled. You cannot defer admittance. If you are unable to begin your studies in the term to which you applied, you will be required to reapply in the future.
- Requirements
- Admitted students must complete a conferred master's degree in nursing and a valid unrestricted RN license.
- Tara King, Director
- Tara O'Brien, Assistant Director
How to apply
- Submit an online application for the next available cohort.
- Pay the $60 application fee at the time of submission.
- Indicate your track:
- Nursing Professional Development
- Academic Nursing Educator
- Specify your attendance: full-time or part-time.
Submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities you’ve attended at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This includes coursework taken in high school that appears as transfer credit. Ohio State transcripts are not required.
- Official transcripts must be sent directly by the institution via mail or electronic transfer:
- Email: gpadocs@osu.edu
- Mail:
The Ohio State University
Graduate Admissions Office
P.O. Box 182004
Columbus, OH 43218-2004
- You may upload a copy of an official transcript with your application; these are considered unofficial but sufficient for application review.
- Web-based grade reports or other online documents are not acceptable. If admitted, official transcripts must be sent directly from your institution(s).
- For questions or details, contact the Graduate and Professional Admissions Office at 614-292-9444 or gpadmissions@osu.edu.
- Format your resume or CV like a job application.
- Include education, professional experience, community service, volunteer work, publications, presentations, research, and leadership activities.
- Include all experiences that contribute to 3,500 hours of direct patient care as an RN or APRN in the past five years.
- Submit your document with your application via the admissions uploader.
- Upload a statement describing your professional experience, career goals and alignment with the goals of the DNE program.
- Address this prompt: Describe a significant problem in academic nursing education or nursing professional development and how a DNE-prepared nurse could solve it.
- Keep your statement no longer than two double-spaced pages.
- The statement should demonstrate your writing skills and show alignment between your goals and those of the program.
- Complete a recorded online interview through HireVue after submitting your application.
- The interview includes questions about your interests and goals in nursing and the DNE program.
- You may complete the interview at any time during the application window, but it must be completed before the application deadline.
- Provide the names and email addresses of two individuals who can speak to your clinical and leadership abilities.
- After you submit your application, recommenders will receive an email with a link and instructions to upload their letters.
- Submit your application early so recommenders have enough time to respond.
- Letters should come from people familiar with your academic ability, professional experience, and potential for graduate study.
- Give your recommenders your intended degree, specialty, and purpose and goals statement.
- Letters should highlight your leadership, problem-solving skills, innovative thinking, use of evidence in nursing education, and enthusiasm for the specialty.
- If you are currently employed, one letter must come from your supervisor.
If you are currently or previously enrolled in a graduate program at Ohio State, you are considered a Graduate Intra-University Transfer Student. Select the application for current or former Ohio State students when you apply.
In addition to the online application, you must submit a supplemental application directly to the College of Nursing at CON-gradrecords@osu.edu.
Choose your preferred format:
Applicants must submit all application materials by 11:59 p.m. ET on the deadline to be considered for admission.
Contact
FAQ
This assessment will include academic preparedness and formative experiences in your professional background, education and life. We are also looking for applicants that demonstrate a preferred set of attributes, experiences and strengths described in the following list. This list is not all-encompassing, but is meant to guide you in what you may wish to highlight in your written application materials and in your recorded online video interview.
- A beginning understanding of the role of a DNE-prepared nurse and the alignment with professional goals for the future
- Experience with teaching in academia or practice, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, innovation and scholarship
- Demonstration of leadership, interprofessional collaboration and teamwork
- Evidence of resiliency, ability to overcome obstacles, critical thinking and personal and professional growth
- Varied backgrounds, perspectives and experiences
- Written and oral communication skills, organization of ideas and emotional intelligence
- Overall commitment to nursing education and advancing it forward
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/instruct in one of the following areas:
- Board of Nursing approved academic program
- ACEN, CNEA or CCNE accredited pre-licensure nursing education program
- ACEN, CNEA or 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 DNE meets certain criteria for CNE certification testing.
Past experience would not count for immersion hours. However, immersion hours can be completed at your place of employment while enrolled in the DNE program at Ohio State.
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.
Due to the specialized nature of the DNE curriculum, which is uniquely designed to prepare nurse educators at the doctoral level, most courses are not transferable from other programs. Courses from a master’s degree in nursing education cannot be considered equivalent unless taken for dual master’s and doctoral credit. Other doctoral programs, such as a DNP, typically do not align with the content, structure, or learning outcomes of the DNE program. As a result, transfer credit is rarely granted.
Immersion hours are a required component of four course and will be documented electronically in Reval. Students will complete immersion hours as they progresses through the program, not in addition to course requirements.
Yes, provided there are open seats available in a course, you can complete some of the DNE courses as a non-degree student. Current DNE students receive priority seating.
Curriculum revision based on needs assessment, national standards and/or innovations in healthcare, 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 healthcare, 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 healthcare, 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
This program admits students once-per-year for the Autumn semester.
The Ohio State University Doctor of Nursing Education Program (delivered online) holds initial-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.
