Doctor of Nursing Practice, DNP

Be the change in patients’ lives at the highest level of nursing practice.

You are ready to advance your nursing career. Our Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program will assist you in building upon your degree and in developing advanced competencies to serve others as a doctorally prepared nurse.

Two DNP Track Options

Our program offers two tracks.

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing to DNP with Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) certificate
• Post-Master's DNP

Bachelor of Science in Nursing to DNP Program

Our program allows you to build upon your baccalaureate nursing skills and develop advanced competencies to function as a family nurse practitioner.

The nurse practitioner role enables you to diagnose and manage acute minor illness and chronic disease processes. Certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner provides a wide variety of practice opportunities and is focused on maximizing health and prevention of disease in a variety of settings. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing to DNP program is designed for registered nurses and offers clinical specialization toward certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

Post-Master’s DNP Program

You will expand the skills you learned with your master’s degree in nursing and develop advanced competencies to function as a doctorally-prepared nurse.

This program is designed for registered nurses with master’s degrees such as:

• Master of Science in Nursing Nurse Anesthesia
• Master of Science in Nursing Administration
• Clinical Nurse Leader
• Any Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) who hold a master’s degree in a nursing-related field

As a DNP graduate, you will be a visionary leader for the practice of nursing and the delivery of healthcare in all settings, with the goals of improving individual patient care and population health outcomes.

Program Accreditation

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Lenoir-Rhyne University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202.887.6791

Accreditation Review
Lenoir-Rhyne University is scheduled for our Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) visit for the DNP program on October 28-30, 2024. As required by the CCNE procedures, at least two months before the scheduled on-site evaluation, the program must notify its constituents that an accreditation review is scheduled.

Any third-party comments should be sent directly to CCNE up until October 7, 2024 (21 days prior to the scheduled CCNE accreditation visit) for the DNP program at Lenoir-Rhyne University. All third-party comments should be directed to: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Attention: Third-Party Comments, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750 Washington, DC 20001 or thirdpartycomments@ccneaccreditation.org.

State Authorization & Professional Licensure

Lenoir-Rhyne University is approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. Although institutions that are members of SARA are authorized to provide education to students from all SARA member states, some states have an authorization process. This is an evolving area, therefore students who hold a license as a registered nurse outside the State of North Carolina are encouraged to contact the National Council on State Boards of Nursing and the professional certification board.