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Doctor of Nursing Pratice
Admission Requirements

Requirements include an earned:

  • Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree:
    • in an advanced practice registered nurse role (APRN: Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Anesthetist) or
    • in nursing administration.

OR

  • Master of Business Administration (MBA) or Master of Health Administration (MHA) (or equivalent).
  • Board certification as an APRN (CNS-BC; NP-BC; or CRNA) or Nurse Executive, Advanced (NEA-BC) prior to enrolling in DNP Program Residency courses.
    • Applicants are advised to ensure that they meet certification eligibility criteria prior to beginning the DNP Program.
    • Students may enroll in Core Courses while preparing for board certification examination.

To be considered for admission into the DNP program, an applicant must submit all materials and required forms to the Office of Graduate Admissions. The materials to be submitted are:

  1. Official transcript evidence of successful academic achievement in completing a:

    • baccalaureate and MSN Bridge, or master’s degree in Nursing from an NLNAC- or CCNE-accredited program  

    • baccalaureate degree in Nursing from an NLNAC- or CCNE-accredited program and MBA (or equivalent) from an appropriately accredited program.

  2. Evidence of national board certification, as appropriate.

  3. Evidence of unencumbered Pennsylvania RN license.

  4. Evidence of Advanced Practice Registered Nurse licensure, as appropriate.

  5. Curriculum vitae or resume.

  6. Competitive scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test, including verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing sections. Please note the following guidelines and exceptions:

    1. GRE testing is waived for applicants with an MSN degree cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.7 or above.

    2. For applicants with an MSN degree GPA from 3.5 to 3.7, the GRE requirement will be considered on an individual basis within the context of submitted application materials and discussion with the DNP Program Director.

    3. Applicants with an MSN degree GPA below 3.5 are required to submit GRE scores, preferably not older than ten years.

      1. In general, verbal and quantitative reasoning scores are expected to be 500 while a score of 4 is expected in the Analytical Writing section (GRE scores after 8/2011 are expected to be approximately 150 in verbal and quantitative reasoning)

      2. Applicants that have taken the GRE and earned competitive scores but do not have Analytical Writing scores may provide a proctored writing sample in lieu of the Analytical Writing score.

  7. A minimum scholastic MSN, MBA (or equivalent) GPA of 3.4 on a 4.0 scale.

    1. Students with a graduate studies academic GPA of less than 3.4 may be provisionally accepted and may take up to two courses, depending on GRE scores.  

    2. Students who are provisionally accepted must achieve a B or better in their first two doctoral nursing courses in order to be considered for formal acceptance by the Graduate Nursing DNP Admissions Committee.

  8. Two letters of reference, preferably one recent academic reference. One reference must be directly related to professional practice.

Additionally, candidates for admission must

  1. Interview with the DNP Program Director or designee.
  1. Provide documentation of a completed introductory statistics course (including inferential and descriptive) and a graduate nursing research course with grades of B or better.
  1. Complete and submit La Salle University’s electronic application.

Please Note:

  • Applicants must carefully follow all instructions to avoid delays in the processing of application materials.
  • Official transcripts are required.
  • Reference letters must be in sealed envelopes with the signature of the author across the back flap.
  • New students may earn credits as conditionally accepted students pending approval by the DNP Program Director. No more than six (6) credits earned with conditionally accepted student status may be applied to the DNP degree.
  • Students desiring to audit courses or take a course as a non-degree student must apply for admission in the same manner as DNP candidates.

Submit application materials on an ongoing basis to:

La Salle University
Office of Graduate Admission – Box 826
1900 West Olney Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19141

Important: Without exception, students may not begin Residency Courses without submitting:

  • Criminal and child abuse clearances; FBI background check.
  • Proof of:
    1. Current immunization/titers.
    2. Professional liability insurance.
    3. CPR Certification.
Patti Rager Zuzelo, EdD, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC
Patti Rager Zuzelo, EdD, RN, ACNS-BC, ANP-BC, FAAN
Director

Doctor of Nursing Practice Program
La Salle University
1900 West Olney Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19141 USA
Phone: 215.951.1904
Fax 215.951.1896
E-mail: dnp@lasalle.edu

La Salle University reserves the right to alter or change this information
at any time, without notice.

© Copyright 2012 La Salle University