Combined Post-Masters Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate and Doctor of Nursing Practice

Students may wish to earn both a Post-Masters Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) simultaneously. The Post-Masters Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate and DNP combined option will provide a solid academic and practical foundation for masters prepared nurses without current preparation as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse.

Admission, progression, and graduation requirements are a coordinated effort within the College of Health Professions graduate and doctoral programs. The combined Post-Masters Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate and Doctor of Nursing Practice program is 63 credits, 30 credits for the Post-Masters Certificate and 33 credits for the DNP. Students will be dual advised by the MSN-NP Program Chair and the DNP Program Chair.

Specific to the Post-Masters Nurse Practitioner Certificate, three courses (nine credits) may be accepted as transfer credit: MSN 6603: Advanced Pathophysiology, MSN 7702: Advanced Adult Health Assessment, and MSN 7703: Advanced Pharmacology. Specific to the DNP program, a maximum of six credits may be transferred and accepted for doctoral credit in accordance with the Wilmington University catalog.

Students will complete requirements for the Post-Masters Nurse Practitioner Certificate prior to completion of the DNP program, 24 months and 32 months, respectively. DNP courses can be completed 100% online, although core Nurse Practitioner courses are offered in a face-to-face and hybrid format. Admission to this combined program is open for students at the Wilson Graduate Center in New Castle, Delaware each January and September. Admission is open for students in Georgetown, Delaware each September.

The Family Nurse Practitioner track prepares students to care for patients in the primary care setting. Upon completion of the Post-Masters Certificate, students will be eligible for APRN licensure and national certification through the ANCC or AANP board certification programs.

Admission Requirements

Students must meet admission requirements for both the Post-Masters Nurse Practitioner Certificate as well as the Doctor of Nursing Practice programs:

1. Graduate application
2. Resume/CV
3. Goals statement
4. RN licensure
5. Official transcripts from BSN and MSN programs with a GPA of 3.0 or higher
6. One letter of recommendation from a doctorally prepared professional (i.e. EdD, PhD, DNP, MD, etc.)

*For more information regarding the Post-Masters Certificate Family Nurse Practitioner Program including application deadlines, please refer to: http://www.wilmu.edu/admission/msnpract_admission.aspx

*For more information regarding the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, please refer to: http://www.wilmu.edu/admission/dnp_admission.aspx