NP students learning in SIM lab

Post-Master's Doctor of Nursing Practice

(D.N.P.)

Develop leadership strategies to have an even greater impact on the future of health care.

Be prepared for leadership in the nursing field and increase your impact on patient care. Our D.N.P. faculty members leverage their own professional experience to ensure you’re getting a degree relevant to the real challenges you’ll face as a nursing leader.

Program type:
Doctoral Degree
Format:
Online
Est. time to complete:
5 Semesters
Credit hours:
37

Why earn your post-master's Doctor of Nursing degree at UND?

Application Deadline
Fall:
June 1

The field of healthcare is intricate. Its complexity continues to grow with the introduction of new technologies, diverse patient populations and the emergence of new illnesses. UND's post-master's Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) program will equip you with the skills and strategies to effectively navigate healthcare organizations through the ever-changing and unpredictable world of medicine.

UND's online D.N.P. program is designed for healthcare leaders. In addition to core D.N.P. courses, you'll take leadership-focused courses covering topics like:

  • Nurse education
  • Integrated leadership
  • Organizational systems focused practice
  • Safety and ethics

Nurses who complete D.N.P. programs are recognized for their ability to improve the nursing practice by reforming care delivery systems to be more cost-effective, locally acceptable and impactful on health care outcomes. You'll be prepared to:

  • Provide more efficient direct patient care
  • Manage the care of entire patient populations
  • Develop and implement health policy
  • Help shape health care policies and procedures
  • Provide enhanced levels of direct patient care
  • Manage health care systems
  • Train the next generation of nurses
  • Be a leader in nursing and health care organizations

UND's Post-Master's Doctor of Nursing Practice

What can you do with a post-master Doctor of Nursing Practice?

32%

Growth of employment of medical and health services managers to 2029

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

96K

Salary for Director of Nursing 

Payscale.com

You'll graduate with advanced clinical care and leadership strategies that will prepare you to pursue a wide range of new career opportunities. Some top roles in the field include:

  • Director of nursing
  • Patient care director
  • Chief nursing officer
  • Hospital chief executive officer

When you specialize your D.N.P. in nurse leadership, you can prepare to make top-down changes in health care by forming policy and administering care within organizations of all sizes.

  • Executive nurse leader
  • Health care lobbyist
  • Health policy specialist
  • Informaticist
  • Nurse educator
  • Professor of nursing
  • Public health program director

Post-Master's Doctor of Nursing Practice Courses

NURS 509. Foundations for Nurse Education. 3 Credits.

This course begins to compare and contrast multiple roles and responsibilities of nurse educators in various settings in academic and health service. It will build the conceptual foundation for educational processes with emphasis on ethics, learning theories, taxonomies of learning and current evidence necessary for development of competencies necessary for the practice of educating. Students will begin to formulate their individual philosophy of teaching and learning. Prerequisite: Admission to the Nursing Graduate Program or consent of the instructor. Prerequisite or Corequisite: NURS 500 or consent of the instructor. S.

NURS 602. Evidence Based Research I. 3 Credits.

This course focuses on the development of practice scholarship through the use of evidence to address clinical problems and inform future practice. Students in the class will define practice problems, evaluate evidence based methods to address those problems and design practice focused projects to measure outcomes. Middle range theories will also be explored and used as frameworks for study designs. Statistics and previous Evidence Based Practice course is highly recommended. Prerequisite or Corequisite: Admission to the DNP program. F.

NURS 604. Health Informatics. 3 Credits.

This course prepares the health care practice professional to use and evaluate emerging health care technology and data systems to support evidence-based practice. Prerequisite: Admission to DNP Program or consent of instructor. SS.

NURS 605. Health Policy. 2 Credits.

This course will prepare the health care professional to understand and apply knowledge of health policy to function as an advocate for populations and individuals. Prerequisite: Admission to the DNP Program or consent of instructor. SS.

NURS 608. Healthcare Economics, Finance and Leadership. 3 Credits.

This course focuses on healthcare economics, finance and practice leadership skills related to the role of the DNP prepared nurse within the complex health care system. Prerequisite or Corequisite: Admission to the DNP program or consent of instructor. F,S,SS.

NURS 612. Integrated Leadership DNP Core Concepts. 3 Credits.

This course provides an overview of the DNP advanced nursing practice roles. The AACN DNP Essentials is the framework used to explore practice leadership, clinical scholarship, and policy. Prerequisite: Admission to the DNP program. F,S,SS.

Explore More Options

Learn more about the post-master's doctor of nursing practice program at UND and determine if it's the right program for you. 

Department Contact
Mary Rivard, D.N.P., RN.-B.C
Post-Master's D.N.P. Program Director
P 701.777.4555
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