View our EdD Early Childhood specialization completion requirements
Minimum degree requirements:
60 quarter credits
- Core courses (50 cr.)
- Capstone (10 cr.)
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For experienced nurses seeking the highest level of clinical education, an online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program offers a rigorous, flexible pathway to this goal. Walden University’s DNP degree program is designed to build on your existing nursing expertise with skills to contribute meaningfully in your healthcare organization and community.
Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), Walden’s DNP program meets nationally recognized standards for quality and relevance in nursing education, so you can pursue your Doctor of Nursing Practice degree with confidence.
What Can You Do With a Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree?
Earning a DNP degree can prepare you for advanced roles that extend well beyond direct patient care. Walden’s DNP program focuses on developing competencies related to:
- Advancing knowledge in a specialty area
- Mentoring the next generation of nurses
- Exploring greater practice and leadership responsibilities in healthcare
- Evaluating and applying research that supports better patient outcomes
- Promoting a more effective and efficient healthcare system
- Becoming a healthcare policymaker and advocate across public and private settings at every level of government
How Walden’s DNP Program Is Structured
Walden’s online DNP program combines rigorous coursework, experienced faculty, hands-on field experience, and a scholarly capstone project. Each element is carefully designed to support your development of doctoral-level competencies.
Comprehensive, Clinically Relevant Coursework
Walden’s online DNP program requires a minimum of 45 total quarter credits and takes approximately 18 months to complete. However, completion time may vary depending on the number of master’s-level practicum hours completed before enrollment. This format is designed to balance academic depth with your professional and personal responsibilities.
Core curriculum topics include:
- Healthcare policy and advocacy
- Quality improvement and patient safety
- Evidence-based practice
- Health information systems and technology
- Advanced nursing practice
- Organizational and systems leadership
These subjects are designed to reflect the evolving demands of today’s healthcare landscape, so your doctorate in nursing coursework is aligned with current topics in the field.
Faculty Who Are Scholar-Practitioners
Instructors bring both academic expertise and real-world clinical experience into the online classroom, combining theory with practice to broaden your perspective on the latest issues and best practices in nursing. 100% of our College of Nursing’s didactic faculty are doctorally trained.
Supervised Field Experience
A defining feature of Walden’s online DNP program is its structured practicum component. Completion of the DNP program requires a minimum of 1,000 post-baccalaureate practicum hours, with at least 400 hours at the DNP level.2
Approved sites might include:
- Hospitals and outpatient facilities
- Health departments and community centers
- Medical simulation centers
- Healthcare policy organizations
- Organizational and healthcare systems
- Health information systems and technology departments
A portion of your supervised hours may relate to your DNP project. However, the primary focus of all practicum terms is achieving the individual learning outcomes established for each course.
Evidence-Based DNP Capstone Project
A core component of any quality Doctor of Nursing Practice program is its capstone project. At Walden, you’ll work with a faculty mentor to identify a clinical or practice question, conduct a comprehensive review of relevant literature, and develop a focused, evidence-based initiative in your area of interest.
This project is your opportunity to apply knowledge to a practice-focused topic in your specialty.
Professional Networking
Students in Walden’s online DNP program are eligible to join Phi Nu, Walden’s chartered chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Membership connects you to a global community of nursing professionals committed to advancing nursing science, scholarship, and practice.
Take the Next Step Toward Advanced Nursing Practice
Earning a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree demonstrates a commitment to advancing clinical practice, leadership, and scholarly inquiry. According to research, DNP-prepared nurses are increasingly sought after in roles that shape how care is designed, delivered, and evaluated—from practice leadership to system-wide quality improvement to health policy.1
Whether you’re looking to expand your clinical scope, step into a leadership or administrative role, or become a stronger advocate for your patients and profession, Walden’s DNP online program is built to support your goals, on your timeline.
Walden University, an accredited institution, supports working professionals in achieving their academic goals and making a greater impact in their professions and communities. Students from all 50 states and from around the world pursue certificate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees online at Walden.
Explore Walden University’s online nursing degree programs and reimagine your future. Earn your doctoral degree in nursing through a flexible online format designed for working professionals. Start the application process here.
Walden University is an HLC-accredited institution offering a DNP program online. Earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing (BSN), master’s degree program in nursing (MSN), post-graduate APRN certificate program, and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at Walden University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (www.ccneaccreditation.org).