How to Choose an Online DNP Program with No GRE

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What You Can Do With a DNP Degree

The most common type of doctoral nursing degree is the Doctor of Nursing Practice or DNP. This is the highest degree that you can get in nursing, along with a Ph.D. in nursing. Which one you decide to get will depend upon your career goals. A DNP degree is more for those who intend to continue to practice in clinical nursing, while a Ph.D. is more of a research and academic degree.

One reason to get a DNP degree today is that in 2013, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing recommended that in time, the DNP degree should be necessary to enter into most advanced nursing practice roles, including:

Nurse practitioner
Nurse midwife
Nurse anesthetist
Nurse educator

As of 2016, most employers in the healthcare field continue to accept advance nursing professionals with a master’s degree in nursing. However, you can expect in the next decade, more employers will require you to have your DNP degree.

After you get your DNP, you can choose an advanced nursing practice career field, and/or work in many different facilities where highly trained nurses are needed:

Hospitals: You will be able to have a major impact on plans for treating patients. Many nurses with a DNP degree do advanced research and also supervise entire nursing staffs so that new nursing policies can be implemented that improve patient outcomes and save lives.
Public health agencies: Many nurses with a DNP become highly respected experts in public health and are able to influence public health officials and legislators to come up with better solutions for public health issues. It is very rewarding to use your nursing skills to come up with programs that can prevent illness, not just treat it.
Research centers: Would you like to conduct research on health issues that are of great importance in your community? Some DNP holders do work in research, while many Ph.D.s in nursing do the same.
Independent nursing practice: With a DNP degree, you can work in your own private advanced nursing practice clinic, whether you are an NP or some other type of nursing professional.
Doctor’s office: You also can work as a nurse practitioner or another related advanced practice nurse with a doctor.

Whatever your career interest in nursing, with a DNP degree, you really have no limits on you. You will find that you are in demand in any health care related setting that you choose.

Featured Online Programs

Easily earn a Doctorate of Nursing or DNP degree from the following accredited schools online and on your time without the GRE requirement. Click request information to learn about tuition and financial aid, courses & curriculum, admissions and starting dates.

Accreditation

When you choose a DNP degree program online, you should be watching for the university’s accreditation from one of the below regional accreditation agencies. These agencies are recognized by the US Department of Education:

Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC-CIHE) Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)

With the above information in mind, please review the below recommended DNP programs that you can earn online with no GRE scores needed:

#1 Chamberlain University

Earn your DNP degree online with no GRE exam from Chamberlain University. You will gain the knowledge and confidence that you will need to lead the transformation of healthcare in areas where you can most influence it. Graduates of this three year program will benefit from a highly practice-centric curriculum that helps you put nursing knowledge into action.

The curriculum at Chamberlain helps you to develop and advance your nursing practice skills to very high levels. When you graduate, you will be ready to work as a leader in mahy healthcare delivery areas, and lead patient care services that will improve patient safety and quality improvement.

Your courses in this CCNE accredited program are:

Scientific Underpinnings
Application of Analytic Methods
DNP Project and Practicum I-IV
Applied Organizational and Leadership Concepts
Healthcare Informatics and Information Systems
Health Policy

For admission, you need to have a master’s degree in nursing, and have a current and active RN license.

More information:

Campus: Downers Grove IL; online
Type: Non-Profit
Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
Tuition: $750 per credit hour
GRE/GMAT Required: No
Minimum Time Commitment: 36 months
On Campus Requirements: No
Programs Offered: DNP

#2 University of Arizona

The DNP program at the University of Arizona is a CCNE-accredited nursing program. You may enter the DNP as a post BSN student, or as a post MSN student. You can attend the program either full or part time. Note that if you are becoming a nurse anesthetist, you must attend full time.

Generally, you will receive a very broad nursing education foundation that will prepare you for the advanced care of many types of specialty populations, depending upon your interests. You also will learn cutting edge nursing theories and nursing research techniques.

Health assessment, health promotion, and health care maintenance and clinical decision making are the foci of this program. You do need to complete a 1000 hour practicum in your local area.

All DNP students must complete a five day on campus residence before you start the fall term.

More information:

Campus: Tucson AZ; online
Type: Non-Profit
Accreditation: Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Tuition: $710 per credit hour
GRE/GMAT Required: No
Minimum Time Commitment: 36 months
On Campus Requirements: Yes
Programs Offered: DNP

#3 Drexel University

The CCNE-accredited DNP program from Drexel University is 100% online and does not require GRE scores for admission. This program is made for RNs who want a terminal degree in clinical nursing and are less interested in research. The purpose of this three year DNP program is to prepare you to be an executive level leader in a health care facility and to apply advanced nursing practice skills to improve patient outcomes.

This program has both a practitioner track and an executive track. Whichever your track, you need to complete 500 clinical hours.

After you graduate, you will be able to do the following:

Evaluate patient care delivery to meet the needs of your patient population
Translate nursing research into modern clinical practice and policy
Use highly advanced communication skills to bring quality improvement
Show high level of sensitivity to broad array of patients

Your required classes are:

Health Policy and Economics
Applied Epidemiology
Human Responses to Altered Function in Health and Illness Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Nursing Inquiry
Scientific Foundation of Nursing Knowledge Development
Quantitative Methods in Clinical Nursing
Leadership in Organizations and Systems
Health Information Technology and Information Systems
Doctoral Nursing Practice Clinical Practicum

More information:

Campus: Philadelphia PA; online
Type: Non-Profit
Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
Tuition: $925 per credit hour
GRE/GMAT Required: No
Minimum Time Commitment: 36 months
On Campus Requirements: No
Programs Offered: DNP

#4 University of Alabama in Huntsville

The University of Alabama in Huntsville has a fully online DNP program that is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools that takes 3-4 years to complete.

The purpose of this program is prepare advanced nursing graduates to provide the best complex hospital and community care for patients and their families. You also will learn to redesign and how to evaluate all types of nursing and healthcare programs. Further, learn how to address shortages of nursing faculty and how you can educate new generations of nurses.

Required classes:

Clinical Data Management and Analysis
Writing for Publication
Interdisciplinary Leadership and Role Development for Practice Excellence
Philosophical, Theoretical, and Conceptual Foundations for Advanced Practice Nursing
Evidence-Based Practice Design and Translation
Health Policy and Politics: Implications in Health Care
Population Health in Advanced Practice Nursing
Evidence-Based Practice Strategies

More information:

Campus: Huntsville AL; online
Type: Non-Profit
Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Tuition: $381 per credit hour
GRE/GMAT Required: No
Minimum Time Commitment: 36 months
On Campus Requirements: No
Programs Offered: DNP

Earning your DNP degree is an excellent way to take full advantage of the exciting advances that are occurring in the health care world. Also, you will be able to always find high paying work that is very interesting and highly rewarding on a personal level.

#5 Loyola University

Loyola University has a very highly regarded, online DNP program that is for current nurse practitioners or for nurses with an MSN degree who want to become executives in a healthcare setting. This university also offers a post-BSN to DNP option that will prepare the BSN nurse to be an NP in primary care. After you graduate, you will then be eligible to apply to be certified an an NP.

Students can choose one of these tracks:

Post-Baccalaureate to DNP – Family Nurse Practitioner
Post-Master’s to DNP – Nurse Practitioner
Post-Master’s to DNP – Executive Leader

The post-BSN to DNP track immerses the student in theory and practice that will develop your primary care skills through a diverse curriculum that combines advanced nursing practice skills, health care leadership and informatics, as well as hands on training.

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