Doctor of Nursing Practice in Dekalb United States | Northern Illinois University

An applicant whose native language is not English must present an IELTS score of 6.5 or alternatively, a TOEFL score of at least 80 on the TOELF ibt.
Master's degree in nursing from a program accredited by an accrediting agency officially recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education, such as the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher in a master's degree program in nursing.

Current licensure with no encumbrances as a professional Registered Nurse (RN) in the U. S.-Prior to beginning course work, students must hold or have applied for RN licensure.

Preferred current national certification as an advanced practice nurse in one of 4 roles: Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Practitioner, Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Nurse Midwife.

Preferred current licensure without encumbrances as an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) in one of the four roles by the start of course work for the D.N.P., APN licensure in Illinois preferred.

Preferred one year experience as an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN).
Three professional letters of reference to provide evidence of the applicant's professional qualifications. At least one reference should be from a graduate faculty member in the applicant's master's degree program who is able to address the applicant's academic potential in the D.N.P. program. At least one reference must be from a current, professional nurse colleague who can address the applicant's qualifications as a licensed professional RN and APN (if applicable) in a healthcare setting. One professional recommendation of the applicant's choosing (e.g., the sponsor from a potential clinical site for the DNP Scholarly Project). References should be provided on the Graduate School reference form. Ratings and comments must be included. Family members and personal friends are not considered professional references.

A two-page, double-spaced Goal Statement to address:

Professional goals and how the NIU post-master's degree D.N.P. program will promote goal achievement

Identification of an issue (i.e., topic or problem) that requires a system-wide change in healthcare services or policies and a general plan for remediating this issue. The topic will provide the basis for the applicant's D.N.P. Scholarly Project. The statement must include a description of potential sponsors and location for the Scholarly Project implementation.

Qualified applicants may be contacted by faculty to schedule a pre-admission interview. Not all applicants will be chosen to interview.

Verification of 500 hours of supervised clinical practice in an advanced nursing role is required.

A graduate-level statistics course must be completed prior to taking statistics in the D.N.P. program.

Approval will be determined by the nursing program Graduate Admissions Committee upon review of the aforementioned criteria.

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required for admission to NIU graduate nursing programs.