Post-Master's Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Transform care, lead with confidence and shape the future of healthcare.
Program overview
Ohio State’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program builds on your professional foundation to prepare you for the highest level of nursing practice. Through the DNP program, you will focus on evidence-based practice, advanced management of direct patient care, health systems leadership, innovation, wellness, ethical decision making and more.
Application deadlines
Spring 2027
Opens: July 1, 2026
Deadline: Oct. 31, 2026
Summer 2027
Opens: Nov. 1, 2026
Deadline: March 31, 2027
Autumn 2027
Opens: April 1, 2027
Deadline: June 30, 2027
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Online
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44 credit hours
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2-3 years
Admission requirements
- Master of Science in Nursing from a program accredited through the CCNE, ACEN or CNEA or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a non-nursing master's degree
- Degree must be conferred at least one month before beginning the program. Degree must be earned by the following dates for each term:
- Spring semester: Jan. 1
- Summer semester: May 1
- Autumn semester: Aug. 1
- International applicants must hold the equivalent BSN degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution
- All transcripts must undergo a course-by-course credential evaluation by an approved evaluation agency to verify program equivalency and calculate a GPA on a 4.0 scale
- Degree must be conferred at least one month before beginning the program. Degree must be earned by the following dates for each term:
- Active, unencumbered RN license in the state where you practice
- You may apply before receiving your RN license but must have a current, unencumbered RN license at least one month before beginning the program.
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in the most recent relevant degree.
- Applicants with lower GPAs may still be considered.
- Residence in an authorized state
Program length
- 2 years full-time
- 3 years part-time, including summers
Credit hours
- 44
Delivery format
- Online (most online classes will meet on a set day and time (ET) at least once a week)
Immersion hours
- Complete over course of the program.
- Students can complete at their place of employment, with approval from your advisor and employer.
Our curriculum emphasizes the core competencies that define modern nursing leadership: quality improvement, informatics, health policy, systems thinking and organizational change. Graduates emerge prepared to create meaningful impact across patient care and health systems.
Sample schedules
Year 1
Autumn
- Evidence-based Practice (2 credits)
- Quality Improvement (2 credits)
- Methods and Measurements (2 credits)
- Professional Seminar (1 credit)
Spring
- Health Promotion, Theory and Population Health (2 credits)
- Implementation of Evidence-based Practice (2 credits)
- Leadership (3 credits)
- Specialty Coursework Systems Application I (2-3 credits)
Summer
- Policy (2 credits)
- Health Informatics (2 credits)
- Systems Application II (3-5 credits)
Year 2
Autumn
- Healthcare Economics and Finance (2 credits)
- Systems Application III (4-5 credits)
- Final Project (1 credit)
- Professional Seminar (1 credit)
Spring
- Systems Application IV (5 credits)
- Final Project (1 credit)
Year 1
Autumn
- Methods and Measurements (2 credits)
- Quality Improvement (2 credits)
- Specialty coursework
Spring
- Health Promotion, Theory, and Population Health (2 credits)
- Evidence-based Practice (2 credits)
- Professional Seminar (1 credit)
- Specialty coursework
Summer
- Implementation of Evidence-based Practice (2 credits)
- Policy (2 credits)
Year 2
Autumn
- Leadership (3 credits)
- Healthcare Economics and Finance (2 credits)
Spring
- Systems Application I (2-3 credits)
- Health Informatics (2 credits)
Summer
- Systems Application II (3-5 credits)
Year 3
Autumn
- Systems Application III (4-5 credits)
- Final project (1 credit)
- Seminar (1 credit)
Spring
- Systems Application IV (5 credits)
- Final project (1 credit)
Applicants can track their application status through their Applicant Center. Allow up to five business days for material status updates to be reflected.
Graduate transfer applicants can track their application status by emailing OnlineEnrollment@osu.edu.
- Deadline
- The application and all required materials must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on the posted deadline.
- Decision
- Within three weeks of the deadline
- Applications are reviewed on a weekly basis
- Most applicants will be notified by email and through their applicant center
- Accept
- Two weeks prior to the admission term
- Students who do not respond to their offer of admission by the deadline will have their offer cancelled.
How to apply to the DNP program
Apply online through the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions. Pay the $60 application fee at the time of submission.
- Specify your attendance; if available for your program specialty of choice
- full-time or part-time
- on campus or online
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 as you would for a job application.
- Include education, professional experience, community service, volunteer work, publications, presentations, research, and leadership activities.
- 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 DNP program.
- Keep your statement no longer than three double-spaced pages.
- The statement should demonstrate your writing skills and show alignment between your goals and those of the program.
- Address the following:
- Why are you seeking education in the DNP program at this time in your career?
- What specifically are your academic and career goals for which the DNP will prepare you best?
- How have your life experiences prepared you for being a doctoral-prepared nurse?
- Identify a clinical area of interest and explain why this is an important issue to address in your area of expertise in nursing.
- Complete a recorded online interview through HireVue after submitting your application.
- The interview includes questions about your interests and goals in nursing and the DNP 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 three 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 address your potential for success in a rigorous graduate program and why they believe you would excel as an advanced practice nurse or nurse executive.
If you completed the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree or higher at an institution outside of the United States, you must submit a course-by-course credential evaluation that verifies U.S. degree equivalency and includes a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale.
The evaluation must be completed by an approved credential evaluation agency and sent directly to the university by the agency. Our preferred agency is TruMerit (formerly CGFNS International) as TruMerit credential evaluations are also required by the Ohio Board of Nursing for RN licensure.
You can find additional information on Ohio State's Graduate and Professional Admissions website.
We will also accept evaluations from the following approved agencies:
- World Education Services (WES)
- SpanTran (The Evaluation Company)
- Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
- International Education Evaluations (IEE)
- Josef Silny & Associates (JS&A)
- International Education Research Foundation (IERF)
- International Consultants of Delaware (ICD)
The course-by-course credential evaluation must include:
- Verification of U.S. degree equivalency
- A list of completed coursework with credit hours and grades
- Calculation of a cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale
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:
- MS Word Document: Supplemental DNP application
- PDF: Supplemental DNP application
Applicants must submit all application materials by 11:59 p.m. ET on the deadline to be considered for admission.
Contact
FAQ
Your application will be reviewed using a holistic approach, meaning all aspects of who you are as an applicant will be considered. 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:
- Clear understanding of the role of a DNP and the alignment with goals for the future
- Experience with evidence-based practice (EBP), 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
- Local to global community engagement, and diversity of thought, perspective and experience
- Written and oral communication skills, organization of ideas and emotional intelligence
- Overall commitment to nursing
The DNP is a practice-focused doctoral degree. Those who earn a DNP are experts in translating research into clinical practice. The PhD in nursing focuses on research and generating new knowledge to advance nursing science.
Students who enroll in two graduate-degree-granting programs concurrently are called dual degree students. Dual degree students must satisfy the credit hour requirements for each degree program. There may be little overlap between the two sets of coursework, which can result in students being required to fully complete the degree requirements for both programs to graduate. This can extend time to graduation. Due to the rigorous nature of some of our graduate clinical programs, prospective students interested in a dual degree option with the College of Nursing are advised to closely examine the curriculum requirements of our programs before applying. For degree programs with clinical components, it is important to recognize that adjustments to the standard curriculum plan may not be possible.
After you have reviewed dual degree information, contact the director of the program in which you are interested in further discussion. This discussion should occur before you begin applying to gain a better understanding of program requirements. Applicants interested in applying to a College of Nursing graduate program as a dual degree student must follow the application process listed for that academic program and adhere to all deadlines. Email nursing@osu.edu if you have any questions about how to apply.
Yes, most online, graduate nursing courses will include a synchronous component, This means you are required to be logged in and participating in class. Most classes meet once per week, on a weekday, in the afternoon or evening. All times listed are Eastern time. There may be classes or times that differ from these norms.
No, you will follow your established course schedule, either full time or part time, to graduation.
Yes, you may take classes as a Graduate Non-Degree (GND) student. Graduate Non-Degree provides more information. You may apply up to ten credits of coursework taken as a GND student to the DNP program.
Maybe, Ohio State offers a tuition assistance program for employees. Eligibility is based on your employment status. Contact your Human Resources representative if you have questions about tuition assistance.
Students interested in pursuing an APRN specialty track leading to advanced practice certification while also pursuing their DNP can do so through Ohio State’s BSN to DNP program.