Doctor of Nursing Practice

Drexel University's doctoral program in nursing practice infuses practice-focused doctoral education with innovation, practical clinical research and scholarship. Drexel’s Dr.NP provides the practitioner with the advanced skills and knowledge needed to elevate the level of advanced nursing practice necessary for the future of healthcare reform and to address the critical nursing faculty shortage the nation now faces.

Drexel's Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree Program is the first of its kind in the United States.

When the Drexel University School of Public Health made the decision in 2003 to offer the doctorate of public health degree (Dr.P.H.) rather than the Ph.D., Drexel's nursing faculty began to ask whether an equivalent research-based practice doctorate might also be appropriate in nursing. Since the Dr.P.H. degree has a long history in the United States and is an academic research doctorate more focused on public health practice than the Ph.D. in public health, the nursing faculty saw an opportunity to develop an equivalent nursing doctorate.

This unique hybrid doctorate combines the best of traditional professional doctorates and academic research doctorates.

The Drexel Dr.N.P. is a practice-focused, academic doctorate requiring the completion of a pilot-sized, clinical dissertation focusing on an area of nursing practice. The clinical dissertation, structured to be completed in one year, helps to add to the evidence base for nursing practice gives the student a skill set for defining and answering clinical questions in a systematic way.

Drexel University's College of Nursing and Health Professions is proud to offer the clinical research Dr.N.P. model—with four designated tracks (practitioner, educator, clinical scientist, and clinical executive) as a practice-doctorate degree that provides graduates with limitless career options. We hope you will consider applying to our Dr.N.P. program—and joining the community of faculty and student scholars who work and learn in Drexel’s innovative doctoral nursing education program.