Degree Requirements

Candidates for the DNP degree must complete all required courses, including the courses required in their master level clinical major. Post licensure students will be awarded a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) if they meet the degree requirements for this degree. However, if the student completes NURS504 and NURS520, they do not need to complete NURS503 to be awarded the MSN (curriculum revised; see either Graduate Entry Program Director or MSN Program Director for details).

Time Frame for Completion of Degree

• Graduate Entry Program students (non-nurses) must complete the program within 7 years of initial enrollment.

• Post-licensure entry students must complete the DNP program within 5 years.

• Post-master’s entry students must complete the DNP program within 4 years.

• DNP students who do not complete the DNP program within the above timeframe should send a letter to the Director of the DNP program with a request for an extension and a proposed plan for completion of remaining requirements.

• Records of students who do not complete the program within the specified timeframe will be re-evaluated in terms of the curriculum in effect at the time of review. The student may be required to take additional course work to graduate.

Progression in the Program

Satisfactory Academic Standing

Progression in the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program is contingent upon satisfactory achievement in all required courses. To maintain satisfactory academic standing, students enrolled for the pre-licensure (Master of Nursing-MN) component of the Graduate Entry Program must attain and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above. C, the lowest passing grade, is viewed as borderline performance. An overall GPA of 3.0 is required to progress to the post-licensure component of the Graduate Entry Program. If a student’s semester GPA is less than 3.0 or the overall GPA is less than 3.0, the student will be placed on probation and an individualized plan will be developed and documented. The student will be removed from probation when the overall GPA is 3.0 or higher. If the student is on probation for two semesters, the student’s record will be reviewed by the Executive Committee to determine whether extenuating circumstances warrant an additional semester of probation or whether the student should be separated from the program.

DNP students in the post-licensure component of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program must select the letter grade option (A, B, C, F, or W) when registering for all required nursing courses (except NUND 500) and achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.0 for the semester. In the event that a student’s cumulative grade point average falls below a 3.0 during any semester of matriculation, the student will be placed on academic probation. In order to remove the academic probation the student must, in the next semester for which he or she is registered, achieve grades at a level sufficient to increase the overall GPA to a 3.0. If a student on academic probation fails to be removed from that status within one academic semester following the one with academic difficulty, the student will be excluded from the program. Students who enter the DNP program at the pre-licensure (MN) level must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above in all courses taken for credit as a DNP student at FPB to be awarded the DNP degree. Students who enter the DNP program at the post-licensure level must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above in all courses taken for credit as a DNP student at FPB to be awarded the DNP degree. All DNP students must successfully defend the thesis or research project.

When a student receives a grade of F for a required course, the student must register for that course the next semester in which the course is available. DNP students who receive two failing grades indicating unsatisfactory performance (F, NP, or U) in required courses will be excluded from FPB (policy changed 12/09; contact Graduate Entry Program Director for details). Progression from one semester to the next in the Pre-licensure (MN) Component of the DNP program is contingent upon passing grades in all courses taken in the preceding semester.

The grade of incomplete (I) will be given at the discretion of the instructor for work not completed in the semester. A grade of I must be removed by the end of the semester following the one in which the course was taken or before the student enrolls in a course for which the initial course is a prerequisite. No credit is given for an I grade. The I will remain a permanent part of the transcript if the student fails to complete course requirements within the next semester.

Approval of RN Licensure Applications

In order to have the “Program Completion” section of the application for RN licensure approved by the Program Director, students must meet the following criteria:

1. Qualify for the Master of Nursing (MN) degree.  

2. Demonstrate readiness to take the NCLEX-RN examination by achieving at least a minimum score on a NCLEX-RN predictor exam. (refer to separate procedure on “Demonstrating Readiness to the NCLEX-RN Exam” for details).

Scholarly Project

The DNP program culminates in successful completion of a scholarly project, which may be an independent thesis or an applied research project. The scholarly project is designed by the student in collaboration with a 3-member committee approved by the Director of the DNP Program and the Associate Dean for Doctoral Education. The thesis or applied research project must be a significant contribution to existing nursing knowledge and suitable for publication in a peer reviewed journal or a book. The procedures and written product must conform to the regulations of the FPB School of Nursing. The student must follow the appropriate approval process before applying for IRB approval (if necessary) and proceeding with the scholarly project. For a description of the independent thesis or an applied research project, please see the DNP curriculum. The applied research project could be a program needs assessment with program development and evaluation, evaluation of an existing program, development of an assessment instrument/protocol for clients, a cost/benefit analysis of program models, or other scholarly project as approved. The research project will be developed will be developed in consultation with the student’s research project committee.

Students must successfully defend their completed scholarly project in an oral examination with their committee members who are responsible for certifying that it meets acceptable scholarly standards. The defense is open to faculty and students; the chair determines whether the defense is open to those outside of the University. The committee determines the adequacy of the oral examination and written product. A student will pass if two or more of the committee members agree that the student successfully responded to questions during the defense and the written product met scholarly standards.