ETSU-TTU Joint DNP

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a doctoral degree focused on practice and designed to prepare experts in advanced nursing practice. ETSU-TTU Joint DNP program prepares advanced practice nurses and executive/nursing and healthcare nurse leaders to assess and evaluate evidence from research and translate or use the findings to affect practice change to enhance and promote quality of care. The program offers the opportunity to work with experienced faculty from two universities and interprofessional experiences with multiple disciplines. The blended/online program grants the conveniences of online study with face-to-face support, networking, and sharing.

• Admissions Criteria

  Admissions Criteria

  Applicants seeking admission to the ETSU-TTU Joint DNP program must fulfill all requirements for admission to both the ETSU Graduate School and the ETSU College of Nursing.

  Admission to the program will be based on competitive selection from the pool of applicants who meet the admission requirements. All applications will be reviewed by the College of Nursing Graduate Admissions Committee. 

  The Graduate School requires that all students submit the following materials:

  • Completed application with payment of nonrefundable application fee
  • Official transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate coursework
  • A written essay - instructions will be provided within the application

  
  College of Nursing Admission Requirements:

  The College of Nursing has determined that its Doctor of Nursing Practice program curriculum meets the educational requirements for licensure and/or certification for the the states listed on our Home page, in the drop-down for this program. [You may open the Home page by clicking here] 

   
  

• Application Details

   

  • Out of State Applications

    • Students who reside outside of the state of Tennessee are responsible to contact their State Board of Nursing to confirm whether the course or program meets online degree program requirements in their state of residence prior to application.

    • Continuation in the Graduate Nursing Program for students who relocate outside the state of Tennessee is dependent on the State Board of Nursing where the student is physically present.

    • It is the student’s responsibility to notify ETSU College of Nursing with a change in physical residence.

    • The College of Nursing has determined that its Doctor of Nursing Practice program curriculum meets the educational requirements for licensure and/or certification for the the states listed on our Home page, in the drop-down for this program. (You may open the Home page by clicking here.).  

  • Application Deadlines

    
    
    

    
    

    Dates for applications and all materials to be received by the ETSU Graduate School or the TTU College of Graduate School are:
    Semester	Deadlines
    Fall	Preferred - May 1 (BSN to DNP) Final - June 1 (BSN to DNP)
    Summer	Preferred - March 1 (MSN to DNP) Final - March 1* (MSN to DNP)

    
    

    • BSN to DNP will admit in Fall semester only
      
      
    • MSN to DNP will admit in Summer semester only

    Click here to apply for ETSU admission

• Contact Us

  
  

  College of Nursing

  Office of Student Services

  423-439-4578 / nursing@etsu.edu
  Nicks Hall Room 2-230

  ETSU Office of Admissions

  423-439-4221 / gradadmissions@etsu.edu 
  Burgin-Dossett Hall Room 309

• Format & Plans

  Format

  The program is offered in an Online/Blended format in which students complete most coursework online with required on-campus intensive sessions 2-3 times per academic year.

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  Concentrations

  East Tennessee State University and Tennessee Technological University are pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the new online/blended Joint Doctor of Nursing Practice Program to include the following concentrations: 

  • Executive Leadership/Nursing and Healthcare Leadership
  • Family Nurse Practitioner
  • Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
  • Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
  • Pediatric Nurse Practitioner—Primary Care
  • Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner

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  Resouces:

  • ETSU-TTU Joint DNP Handbook (pdf)
  • Graduate Catalog (link)

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  BSN to DNP Program Plans by Concentration
  .
  	Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner	TTU - Full Time
  	Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner	TTU - Part Time
  	Executive Leadership/Nursing and Healthcare Leadership	ETSU - Full Time
  	Executive Leadership/Nursing and Healthcare Leadership	ETSU - Part Time
  	Family Nurse Practitioner	ETSU - Full Time
  	Family Nurse Practitioner	ETSU - Part Time
  	Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner	TTU - Full Time
  	Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner	TTU - Part Time
  	Psych/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner	ETSU - Full Time
  	Psych/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner	ETSU - Part Time
  	Women's Health Nurse Practitioner	TTU - Full TIme
  	Women's Health Nurse Practitioner	TTU - Part Time

  ---

  MSN to DNP Program Plans
  .
  	Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner	ETSU - Full Time
  	Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner	ETSU - Part Time
  	Executive Leadership/Nursing and Healthcare Leadership	ETSU - Full Time
  	Executive Leadership/Nursing and Healthcare Leadership	ETSU - Part Time
  	Family Nurse Practitioner	ETSU - Full Time
  	Family Nurse Practitioner	ETSU - Part Time
  	Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner	TTU - Full TIme
  	Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner	TTU - Part TIme
  	Psych/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner	ETSU - Full Time
  	Psych/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner	ETSU - Part Time
  	Women's Health Nurse Practitioner	TTU - Full TIme
  	Women's Health Nurse Practitioner	TTU - Part TIme

• Mission & Goals

  Mission:

  The mission of the ETSU-TTU DNP Program is to facilitate the health of the community, state, and region through excellence in innovation in nursing education, research, service, scholarship and practice.

  Program Strategic Goals:

  1. Provide excellence in teaching and lifelong learning through cross institutional curricular and experiential collaboration.
  2. Offer the highest quality Doctor of Nursing Practice collaborative program to meet regional and state workforce needs.
  3. Preserve and protect diversity and inclusion of people and ideas through availability of opportunities for students and faculty.
  4. Impact systems and policies through professional leadership in the academic and healthcare communities.
  5. Engage in faculty and student research/scholarly activities that leads to improvement in the health of communities, advancement of nursing knowledge and practice and /or impacts health care delivery.
  6. Faculty and students participate in interprofessional education and practice.
  7. Provide DNP graduates the ability to address patient care needs in the delivery of innovative health care within communities while recognizing their unique placement and leadership in the nursing workforce.

  
  

   

• Outcomes

  Program Outcomes:

  The ETSU-TTU Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program is designed to produce leaders in nursing and healthcare practice. Specific objectives for the program are to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and values to:

  1. Integrate specialized knowledge, theories, and research from nursing science and related disciplines for application to nursing practice;
     
     
  2. Assume leadership roles as advanced clinicians, nurse educators, and/ or administrators;
     
     
  3. Demonstrate accountability in nursing practice according to accepted standards of patient care and safety;
     
     
  4. Use information technology to translate research findings into evidence-based practice at the individual and health system levels;
     
     
  5. Affect desired change by developing and implementing policies at different levels of the health care system and with different constituencies;
     
     
  6. Provide multidisciplinary leadership through analysis of critical indicators within health care systems to provide optimal client care and safety; and
     
     
  7. Demonstrate advanced knowledge and skill in planning and delivery of health management.

Apply Now!

• Before Applying for a DNP Program
• DNP and PhD Role Comparison

  	DNP	PhD
  Focus	- Clinical Practice - Scholarship	- Nursing Research - Scholarship
  Goal	Create leaders in nursing and health care practice who use evidence-based research to improve  patient  outcomes	Create nurse research scientists who conduct research projects aimed to enhance nursing knowledge or practice
  Objective	Translate evidence-based research findings to improve patient outcomes for healthcare systems, populations,  and communities	Design, conduct and disseminate research findings that will advance nursing practice and health care system
  Course Focus	Advanced knowledge of science and related disciplines to practice, leadership, patient care and safety, health care delivery systems, health policy, applied research methods, advance practice nursing	Nursing science, theoretical and conceptual foundations, research methods, data analysis, individualized courses that support research interests
  Program Entry BSN	-- BSN from accredited school of nursing with 2 years of RN experience -- Current unencumbered RN license -- GPA of at least 3.0	Not available at this time
  Program Entry MSN	-- Master’s Degree in Nursing from a nationally accredited nursing program  -- GPA of at least 3.0	-- Master’s Degree in Nursing from a nationally accredited nursing program -- At least two years of full-time nursing experience -- GPA of at least 3.0
  Program Entry MSN w/ NP certification	-- Master’s Degree in Nursing from a nationally accredited nursing program  -- GPA of at least 3.0 -- National certification in selected nursing specialty -- Minimum 500 clinical hour completion verification from Master’s program	-- Master’s Degree in Nursing from a nationally accredited nursing program -- At least two years of full-time nursing experience -- GPA of at least 3.0
  Program Entry for Executive Leadership	At least one year of experience in a nursing administration role	None
  GRE Required	Required if cumulative GPA less than 3.2 from BSN or MSN program	Submission of GRE required in admission process
  Credits Required	-- BSN-DNP 82-86 credit hours( depending on concentration) -- MSN-DNP  40 credit hours -- Nurse Exec. Leadership: 79 credit hours	-- 59 credit hours -- Research Residency 300 clock hours
  Clinical Hours	-- 500 minimum  relating to DNP Project (all concentrations; BSN to DNP and MSN to DNP) -- Total 1000 clinical hours with minimum 500 hours related to concentration specialty	None
  Program Hallmarks	A clinical practice immersion with completion of an applied practice project (DNP Project) culminating is a scholarly product	An intense research immersion mentored by faculty who are nurse scientists, culminating in an independent research project (dissertation) and publishable scholarly works.
  Employment Opportunities	Nurse Practitioner, Healthcare Administrator, Health Care system Leader, Faculty Member	Nurse Scientist, Health Policy, Health Care Organization Leadership, Faculty Member
  Final Outcome Product	DNP Project	Dissertation
  Online/Blended Distance Learning	Yes	Yes
  Part-time Study	Yes	Yes
  Full-time Study	Yes	Yes
  Financial Aid Options	Yes	Yes

• ETSU-TTU Joint DNP Program Documents

  All Concentrations

  • ETSU-TTU DNP Student Handbook 2024-25
  • Joint DNP Purposes, Goals, and Expected Competencies

  Nursing Administration and Nursing and Healthcare Leadership

  • Preceptor Guidelines
  • Documentation of Interprofessional Education (IPE) Hours

  Preceptor Forms & Resources

  •  
  • NP Clinical Placement Guidelines 2024-25
  • Nursing Administration/Nursing and Healthcare Leadership Clinical Placement and Preceptor Selection Guidelines
  • NA & NHL Preceptor Presentation for NRSE 5502
  • Overview of Preceptorship (ppt)
  • Preceptor Approval Process
  • Preceptor Responsibilities for Clinical Placement

  Clinical Documents & Resources

  • Student Responsibilities for Clinical Placement
  • Clinical Rotation Plan  (doc)
  • Clinical Hours Log
  • Joint Face-to-Face Faculty Site Visit
  • Joint Phone or Video Conferencing Evaluation Instructions for Students & Faculty
  • Medical Decision Making Guidelines

  Departmental Forms

  • Graduate School Forms
  • Registrar's Office Forms

  Joint DNP Residency & Project Forms

  • Joint DNP Project Guidelines 2024-25
  • Joint DNP Project Goals & Objectives
  • Joint DNP Project Proposal Approval Form
  • Appointment of Advisory Committee
  • Application for Change in Graduate Advisory Committee
  • Abstract and Final Project Defense
  • Results of Examinaiton, Residency Requirements and Joint DNP Project Defense
  • Verification of Practicum/Residency Hours
  • Residency/Practicum Non-Precepted Activity Form
  • DNP Scholarly Project Website

NOTICE: Regulatory requirements governing student clinical vary by state and are subject to change. Clinical placement outside of Tennessee is contingent upon approval by the appropriate regulatory bodies and will be evaluated on an individual basis upon admission to the program.

East Tennessee State University offers many programs of study which lead to the ability to be licensed or certified in a profession by individual states. Each program is listed below with information whether the program's curriculum meets a state's educational requirements for licensure or certification.

• Bachelor’s in Science in Nursing (BSN)

  The College of Nursing has determined that its Bachelor’s in Science in Nursing (BSN) program curriculum meets the educational requirements for licensure and/or certification for the following states:

  
  
  Alaska
  Arkansas
  Connecticut
  Delaware
  Florida
  Georgia
  Hawaii
  Indiana
  Kansas
  Maine
  Maryland
  Massachusetts
  Michigan
  Mississippi
  Missouri
  Nebraska
  New Jersey
  New Mexico
  North Carolina
  North Dakota
  Rhode Island
  South Dakota
  Tennessee
  Virginia
  Wisconsin

   

  
  For all other states, the college has not yet made a determination whether the Bachelor’s in Science in Nursing (BSN) program curriculum meets state specific requirements for licensure and/or certification.
  These states include:

  Alabama
  Arizona
  California
  Colorado
  Idaho
  Illinois
  Iowa
  Kentucky
  Louisiana
  Minnesota
  Montana
  Nevada
  New Hampshire
  New York
  Ohio
  Oklahoma
  Oregon
  Pennsylvania
  South Carolina
  Texas
  Utah
  Vermont
  Washington
  West Virginia
  Wyoming

  
  Students with questions about licensure or certification should contact the appropriate licensing agency in the state of interest.

  Each State Board of Nursing can be found on the website for the National Council of State Boards of
  Nursing (www.ncsbn.org).

• Master of Science in Nursing

  The College of Nursing has determined that its Master of Science in Nursing program curriculum meets the educational requirements for licensure and/or certification for the following states:

  
  
  Alaska
  Arkansas
  Connecticut
  Delaware
  Florida
  Georgia
  Hawaii
  Indiana
  Kansas
  Maine
  Maryland
  Massachusetts
  Michigan
  Mississippi
  Missouri
  Nebraska
  New Jersey
  New Mexico
  North Carolina
  North Dakota
  Rhode Island
  South Dakota
  Tennessee
  Virginia
  Wisconsin

   

   For all other states, the college has not yet made a determination whether the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program curriculum meets state specific requirements for licensure and/or certification.
  These states include:

  Alabama
  Kentucky
  New York
  Texas
  Arizona
  Louisiana
  Ohio
  Utah
  California
  Minnesota
  Oklahoma
  Vermont
  Colorado
  Montana
  Oregon
  Washington
  Illinois
  Nevada
  Pennsylvania
  West Virginia
  Iowa
  New Hampshire
  South Carolina
  Wyoming
  Idaho

  Students with questions about licensure or certification should contact the appropriate licensing agency in the state of interest.

  Each State Board of Nursing can be found on the website for the National Council of State Boards of
  Nursing (www.ncsbn.org).

• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

  The College of Nursing has determined that its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program curriculum meets the educational requirements for licensure and/or certification for the following states:

  
  Alaska
  Arkansas
  Connecticut
  Delaware
  Florida
  Georgia
  Hawaii
  Indiana
  Kansas
  Maine
  Massachusetts
  Michigan
  Mississippi
  Missouri
  Nebraska
  New Jersey
  New Mexico
  North Carolina
  North Dakota
  Rhode Island
  South Dakota
  Tennessee
  Virginia
  Wisconsin

   

  For all other states, the college has not yet made a determination whether the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program curriculum meets state specific requirements for licensure and/or certification for the following states:

  
  Alabama
  Kentucky
  New York
  Texas
  Arizona
  Louisiana
  Ohio
  Utah
  California
  Minnesota
  Oklahoma
  Vermont
  Colorado
  Montana
  Oregon
  Washington
  Illinois
  Nevada
  Pennsylvania
  West Virginia
  Iowa
  New Hampshire
  South Carolina
  Wyoming
  Idaho

  Students with questions about licensure or certification should contact the appropriate licensing agency in the state of interest.

  Each State Board of Nursing can be found on the website for the National Council of State Boards of
  Nursing (www.ncsbn.org).

• Tennessee Joint Doctor of Nursing Practice (TN Jt DNP)

  The College of Nursing and their partner, Tennessee Tech University Whitson-Hester School of Nursing, has determined that its Tennessee Joint Doctor of Nursing Practice (TN Jt DNP) program curriculum meets the educational requirements for licensure and/or certification for the following states:

  
  
  Alaska
  Arkansas
  Connecticut
  Delaware
  Florida
  Georgia
  Hawaii
  Indiana
  Kansas
  Maine
  Massachusetts
  Michigan
  Mississippi
  Missouri
  Nebraska
  New Jersey
  New Mexico
  North Carolina
  North Dakota
  Rhode Island
  South Dakota
  Tennessee
  Virginia
  Wisconsin

   

  For all other states, the college has not yet made a determination whether the Tennessee Joint Doctor of Nursing Practice (TN Jt DNP) program curriculum meets state specific requirements for licensure and/or certification for the following states:

  Alabama
  Kentucky
  New York
  Texas
  Arizona
  Louisiana
  Ohio
  Utah
  California
  Minnesota
  Oklahoma
  Vermont
  Colorado
  Montana
  Oregon
  Washington
  Illinois
  Nevada
  Pennsylvania
  West Virginia
  Iowa
  New Hampshire
  South Carolina
  Wyoming
  Idaho

  
  Students with questions about licensure or certification should contact the appropriate licensing agency in the state of interest.

  Each State Board of Nursing can be found on the website for the National Council of State Boards of
  Nursing (www.ncsbn.org).

NOTE: For more information about tuition and fees, visit our Bursar's Office https://www.etsu.edu/bf/bursar/