Doctor of Nursing Practice

The SJSU DNP degree program is designed to mesh with a professional, working schedule.

1. Majority online program
2. Three on-campus meetings; one at the beginning of the first semester (required orientation), one mid-program, and one at the end of the fifth semester (required presentation, and graduation celebration); otherwise, the program is entirely online
3. Admits as a cohort in the Fall semester
4. Occurs over five (5) semesters/twenty-three (23) months
5. Consists of three (3) courses per semester
6. Clinical hours accrued during Master’s work are applicable to required 1,000 post-Baccalaureate practicum hours
7. Computer Programs/Applications used:
   
   1. Coursework: online-learning platform Canvas
   2. Meetings: Zoom Meetings (Download the browser client/app. This is not an automatic download.)

   3. Email, calendar, and cloud storage: Google Workspace

See this guide for computer requirements.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program, part of The Valley Foundation School of Nursing at San José State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

Information about the whole School of Nursing can be found on our Accreditation page.

The program’s mission is to prepare nurse leaders, advanced practice clinicians, and nursing faculty in evidence-based practice implementation. Graduates will examine current healthcare practices, policies, and education from a broad theoretical and practical perspective, and formulate clinical, administrative, and leadership strategies to improve the quality of healthcare throughout the community. 

The program’s vision is to be an exceptional advanced nursing degree program, educating nurses throughout California, dedicated to improving health and wellness via evidence-based practice, collaborating across disciplines, and communicating knowledge to the broader healthcare community through a social justice lens.

Live-hosted online Info Sessions are held during the Fall and Spring semesters, via Zoom. The schedule can be found on the Future Student Information Session page.

Additional information, or general questions, contact doctornursingpractice@sjsu.edu.

Aren't able to make one of the scheduled live info sessions? Watch a pre-recorded info session, with insights from a program alum.

After reading through the Admissions section, please submit your initial application through Cal State Apply. The application process includes submitting transcripts, among other documents, so apply early!

Want a preview of what will be asked during the application process? Take this brief survey. 

The goal of the DNP program is to prepare nurses for advanced practice roles as clinical scholars and health policy leaders.

The PLOs of the DNP program are such that graduates will:

1. Provide safe, effective, and efficient care within the scope of advanced nursing practice.
2. Develop effective strategies to ensure the safety of patients and populations.
3. Critically analyze literature and develop best practices.
4. Translate research into clinical practice.
5. Measure patient outcomes.
6. Design, implement, and evaluate quality improvement measures.
7. Analyze the cost-effectiveness of practice initiatives.
8. Evaluate information systems and patient care technology.
9. Influence healthcare policy, educate others about health disparities, and advocate for social justice.
10. Demonstrate leadership skills to ensure patient outcomes, enhance communication, and create change in healthcare.

The goal of the DNP program is to prepare nurses for advanced practice roles as clinical scholars and health policy leaders.

The PLOs of the DNP program are such that graduates will:

1. Integrate knowledge for advanced nursing practice along with knowledge from other disciplines, including a foundation in liberal arts, natural sciences, and social sciences, to form the basis for clinical judgment and innovation.
2. Employ holistic person-centered care including effective communication with clients, families/caregivers to provide respectful, coordinated, and compassionate care that is developmentally appropriate across the lifespan.
3. Promote overall population health by promotion and disease prevention while taking into consideration health policy and the social determinants of health to provide diverse, equitable, and inclusive health outcomes.
4. Practice advanced scholarship for the nursing discipline by the generation, synthesis, translation, application, and dissemination of nursing knowledge to transform healthcare through evidence-based practice.
5. Demonstrate quality and safety in implementation and improvement science required in advanced nursing practice.
6. Foster interprofessional partnerships required in advanced nursing practice to optimize intentional multidisciplinary collaboration to strengthen healthcare outcomes.
7. Adopt systems-based practice to proactively coordinate resources to provide equitable care in advanced nursing practice to diverse populations.
8. Utilize informatics and healthcare technologies to evaluate and improve health care delivery and outcomes in advanced nursing practice.
9. Represent professionalism by incorporating advanced practice standards, policy and procedures, the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses, legal mandates, and high-quality care.
10. Embody personal, professional, and leadership development techniques that contribute to lifelong learning, support the acquisition of advanced nursing expertise, and sustain strong leadership.

The DNP program course roadmap outlines all required classes (and their order) needed to graduate.

Rather than a thesis, a dissertation, or a comprehensive exam as the culminating experience of the program, students earning their DNP degree will produce a Doctoral Project which will be presented publicly during the final semester of the program, and an article on the project will be submitted for publication.

Work related to a student’s Doctoral Project begins during the first semester, and is worked on throughout the entire program (via practicum hours). Applicants should consider developing a practice-related quality improvement, or evidence-based area of study, for their DNP Project and should be prepared to discuss this idea during the admissions process and in interviews.

For Doctoral Project inspiration, visit the ScholarWorks archive of project manuscripts, which includes work of our graduates as well as graduates of the Northern California Consortium Doctor of Nursing Practice program (direct predicessor of the current DNP program).

Applicants who require assistance in formulating appropriate topics are encouraged to contact the DNP team (see: Contact Information).

Students entering the Doctor of Nursing Practice program should have advanced education in a specialty field. Candidates who are eligible for clinical certification as advanced practice nurses (APNs) should have valid state licensure and state certification. Graduates from other advanced specialty areas (such as public health nurses, nurse educators, or health administrators) need not have APN certification; however, these individuals must be prepared to sit for a national certification examination in a specialty field to meet this requirement.

Keep up with news, highlights, and announcements from SJSU's DNP program! Sign up for our newsletter by emailing us at doctornursingpractice@sjsu.edu.

Interested in applying to the DNP program for Fall 2026 admittance? The application window opens on October 1st! Visit Cal State Apply to begin your application.

Want to know what documents will be asked of you during the application? Check out this short form for a preview. 

Cohort 6: Cohort 6 will have their Semester 4 Intensive on Friday August 15, 2025.

Cohort 7: Cohort 7 wil have their Semester 1 Intensive on Friday August 15 and Saturday August 16, 2025.

Reach out to doctornursingpractice@sjsu.edu for more information.

Find out more about the academic calendar on the Registrar's website.