Below you'll find a list of all of the Doctor of Nursing Practice programs available in Massachusetts.
There are three pathways to the DNP program at MGH Institute for Health Professions. The RN to DNP program is delivered in a hybrid format and designed for RNs with a bachelor's degree in nursing or another field who want to become nurse practitioners. Students accepted to the program can choose to specialize in one of the following areas. Adult-Gerontology Acute Care, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care, Family, Pediatrics, Psychiatric/Mental Health Lifespan, Women's Health, and Dual Adult-Gerontology/Women's Health. The Post-Master's DNP program is offered online and has the following concentrations: Advanced clinical practice, Education, Global Health, Informatics, and Nursing administration. The DNP for Nurse Executives program is also offered online and designed exclusively for executive-level nurse leaders and chief nursing officers.
Full-time students who already have a master's degree can expect to complete the CCNE-accredited DNP program at Northeastern University in five continuous semesters. Pursuing the program on a part-time basis typically takes three years. The university's DNP program is delivered in a hybrid format and includes advanced coursework in informatics and health policy, leadership, population health, and research translation. Applicants must have two years of current experience in the nursing field, preferably in advanced nursing. The culminating experience of the program is a scholarly capstone project. This could be a program needs assessment with program development and evaluation, a cost/benefit assessment of program models, the development of an assessment instrument or protocol, or other scholarly project approved by the student's advisor.
The curriculum of the post-master's Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Regis College is designed to meet the advanced education needs of nurse practitioners, nurse leaders, clinical specialists, and nurse educators. Classes are offered in the evenings, on weekends, or online, and the program can be pursued on a full-time or part-time basis. Students can choose from the following areas of concentration: Education, Gerontology, Health Informatics, Health Policy, Hospitalist, Integrative Health, and Public Health. There is also a post-baccalaureate (BSN to DNP) program available with the following concentrations: Adult/Geriatrics, Family, Pediatrics, Psychiatric Mental Health, and Woman's Health. The DNP program at Regis College is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
Offered in a blended learning format, the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Simmons College is designed for experienced nurse leaders and advanced practice nurses. On-site classes are held two weekends each semester following an intensive residency format, with the remainder of coursework and requirements to be completed online. Students have the option of earning their DNP degree on a full-time (two years) or part-time (three or four years) basis. In order to provide their students with different health care settings for the implementation of their capstone project, the college maintains professional connections with teaching hospitals and research facilities in the area such as Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Both the BS to DNP and the MS to DNP Completion programs at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are offered completely online. Clinical internships (a program requirement) are arranged in the student's geographical area. Students who enter the program with a BS in nursing can choose from a four- or five-year plan of study. An individualized plan of study is created for MS to DNP students based on the master's degree courses that were taken. The university offers the following DNP specializations: Family Nurse Practitioner, Public Health Nurse Leader, and Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. The MS to DNP Completion program only considers APNs who hold current certifications as: FNP, AGPCNP, AGACNP, ANP, PNP, GNP, ACNP, Nurse Midwife, Nurse Anesthetist, and CNS.
The CCNE-accredited DNP program at UMass Medical School has four plans of study. The Graduate Entry Pathway (GEP to DNP) is designed for individuals with a bachelor's degree in a field other than nursing. The Bachelor's to DNP plan of study is for APNs who have a BSN. The third plan of study, Pre-Graduate to DNP Option, is for individuals with an associate's degree or diploma in nursing and a BS or BA in a non-nursing field. All of these programs have the following tracks: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, and Family Nurse Practitioner. The final plan of study is the post-master's to DNP program. This is open to nurse practitioners or nurse administrators with MSN degrees.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the University of Massachusetts Boston is a part-time, online program that can be completed with three years of continuous enrolment. Students are only required to come on campus for the following: a two-day orientation at the beginning of the fall semester, in the spring of the first and second years for DNP Intensives, and in the final year for the Capstone project defense. The program is open to MSN holders with preparation as family, gerontology, or adult nurse practitioners, as well as clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse anesthetists, and certified nurse midwives. The DNP program is CCNE-accredited and includes courses such as: Leadership/Management in Health Care, Principles of Epidemiology, Health Informatics, and Evidence Based Practice.
The CCNE-accredited BS - DNP program at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth offers a focus in Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. This program is open to students who have completed their BS in a nursing field. Applicants who are registered nurses but whose BS or BA degree is in another field, may be considered for the DNP Graduate Admission Program (GAP). In this program, students take the Transition to Advanced Practice Nursing course where they complete a portfolio documenting their achievement of undergraduate nursing program outcome objectives. Additional courses may be required as part of the preparation for graduate nursing study. The university also offers a post-master's DNP program for nurses with current APRN certification and an MSN.
Students accepted to the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at UMass Lowell have the option of pursuing the program on a full-time (two years) or part-time (three years) basis. The program is open to applicants who have an MS in Nursing (with APRN preparation) and national certification as an APRN. Applicants with a Master's degree in other nursing specialties may also be considered for the program. There is a DNP Fast-Track program for students who are already enrolled in the MSN program of the university. Students can apply to this program after completing at least 12 UMass Lowell credits in the MSN program (including Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning course).