1. MSN Clinical Nurse Leader (Completed before admission)

2. Bridge Course - (2 Courses, 6 Credit hours)

3. DNP Core Courses - (8 Courses, 24 Credit hours)

4. DNP Residency Courses - (4 Courses, 12 Credit hours)

Course Requirements

Bridge Courses (2 Courses, 6 Credit Hours)

1. 6 Credit hours:  NU 560, NU 565

DNP Core Courses (8 Courses, 24 Credit Hours)

1. 24  Credit hours:  NU 607, NU 608, NU 610, NU 611, NU 612, NU 613, NU 615, NU 616

DNP Residency Courses (4 Courses, 12 Credit Hours)

1. Executive Nursing Administration (12 Credit hours):  NU 661, NU 662, NU 663, NU 664

Subspecialties (8-11  Credit Hours)

Subspecialties are elective courses students may add to the degree program.

1. 11 Credit hours:  Addictions Nursing:  HSC 580, HSC 581, HSC 582, NU 510, NU 511, NU 512  May be added to any concentration.

2. 9 Credit hours:  Advanced Forensic Nursing:  NU 500, NU 502, NU 503, NU 504, NU 505  May be added to any concentration.

3. 8 Credit hours: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Healthcare Subspecialty: HSC 501, HSC 502, HSC 503, HSC 504 May be added to any concentration.

4. 11 Credit hours:  Nurse Educator:  NU 620, NU 621, NU 622, NU 623  May be added to any concentration.

5. 9 Credit hours: Palliative Care: AHN 530, AHN 531, AHN 532, AHN 533 May be added to any concentration.

Elective Courses - (1-3 Credit Hours)

1.  1 Credit hour:  NU 509 Bioethics in Advanced Practice Nursing

2. 3 Credit hours:  NU 597 Introduction to Scholarly Writing

3. 3 Credit hours: HSC 500 Addressing Gender Discrimination and Disparities in Healthcare

4. 1 Credit hour:  HSC 573 Responsible Prescribing of Commonly Used Drugs

5. 1 Credit hour: HSC 510 Interprofessional Teams for Behavioral Healthcare in Primary Care Seminar

6. 1 Credit hour: HSC 511 Interprofessional Teams and Telehealth Delivery of Integrated Behavioral Healthcare Seminar

7. 1 Credit hour: HSC 512 Motivational Interviewing and Trauma Informed Care in Interprofessional Behavioral Healthcare Seminar

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MSN IN CLINICAL NURSE LEADER BRIDGE TO DNP EXECUTIVE NURSING ADMINISTRATION

Admission Criteria

To be considered for admission to the DNP program, the applicant must meet the following requirements:

1. Citizen or Permanent Resident of the United States of America.
2. Current registered nurse licensure with no restrictions. Nurses with any restrictions on their license, including participation in a voluntary disciplinary alternative program, cannot be admitted.
3. Prior to enrolling in nurse practitioner clinical courses, students are required to have at least 2 years of experience in an area appropriate to their specialty.
4. Applicants to the MSN to DNP pathway must have a minimal GPA of 3.0 on all MSN work (A=4.0).
5. MSN degree must be from a regionally accredited institution.
6. Students must be in good standing with all academic institutions/nursing programs that they have attended in order to be admitted to the DNP program.
7. Submission of Health Data Forms and evidence of health insurance required upon admission.
8. Admission will be contingent on a negative drug screen and results of an acceptable background check.

Application Procedures

Admission to the program is limited and selective. Application forms and other information may be obtained from the College of Nursing's website at https://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/con/dnp/dnpapplic.html or by contacting the college directly at College of Nursing, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama 36688; condnpadmit@southalabama.edu; Telephone: (251) 445-9400.

1. Admission to the program is limited and selective.
2. Completion of Primary and Supplemental Applications is required.
   1. Primary Application submitted through Nursing Centralized Application System (NursingCAS) at www.NursingCAS.org. Official transcripts of all college and university studies, regardless of the outcome of enrollment, must be sent directly from the home institution to the NursingCAS. These documents become the property of the NursingCAS and will not be returned to the applicant. Applicants are responsible for any fees required by NursingCAS for their services.
   2. Supplemental Application submitted directly to the DNP Office at the USA College of Nursing. This application requires a non-refundable processing fee of $100.00, a Personal Goal Statement, and a résumé /CV documenting clinical experience.
3. Students are admitted to a specialty track and may not change their track without permission.

Application Deadlines

Applications are accepted three times a year, and must adhere to the following application deadlines:

• Fall Semester Deadline is March 1
• Spring Semester Deadline is July 15
• Summer Semester Deadline is December 1

Academic Progression Policy

Students in the MSN Clinical Nurse Leader Bridge to DNP Executive Nursing Administration Pathway program must meet the following requirements to progress in the program:

1. Maintain an overall GPA of 3.0. Any term in which a graduate student drops below a 3.0 Program GPA, the student is placed on probationary status and has a period of two terms to attain a 3.0 Program GPA or be dismissed.
2. Students in these programs can have a maximum of one “C”. A student earning a second "C" or lower will be academically dismissed from the program.
3. A student earning one grade of "F" in the program will be academically dismissed.
4. The final outcome of the DNP Project Planning and Development course and the Progression course is "Successful/ Unsuccessful."  Students receiving two grades of “U” in these courses will be academically dismissed.
5. Failure to show good ethical and moral character including but not limited to any of the following may result in dismissal from the program: (a) conviction of a crime, (b) disciplinary action against a nursing license in Alabama or any other state, (c) positive drug test, (d) adverse background check, or (e) disruptive behavior, including online behavior.  All students must notify the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or the Dean of the College of Nursing immediately or no later than 48 hours of any of the above stated incidents.
6. All students must notify the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or the Dean of the College of Nursing immediately or no later than 48 hours following an arrest. Failure to report an arrest may result in removal from the program.
7. All students are subject to testing for controlled substances and must submit to random drug testing as requested. A positive test or refusal to submit to testing will result in removal from the program.
8. All students are subject to a background check and must submit to additional background checks as requested. An adverse finding or refusal to submit to a background check may result in removal from the program.
9. A student who has been academically dismissed is not eligible for readmission to the DNP program and is not eligible for admission to the MSN program.

DNP Residency Coursework Policy

The DNP Residency Coursework includes the DNP Project Planning and Development, Residency I, Residency II, and Residency III. Students who do not meet all requirements in a course must complete a DNP Progression Course prior to moving forward with the next course in the DNP Residency progression.

Scientific Review Committee Policy

The DNP project will be reviewed by the USA College of Nursing DNP Scientific Review Committee to evaluate rigor and feasibility. The review process will occur during Project Planning and Development. The DNP project must be reviewed by the Scientific Review Committee before enrolling in Residency I.

Graduation Information

The program must be completed in five years of matriculation for the MSN Clinical Nurse Leader Bridge to DNP Executive Nursing Administration Pathway. Each candidate for the Doctor of Nursing practice degree must submit an application for the degree the semester preceding their anticipated graduation through the Registrar's Office. See the University Calendar for specific deadlines.   Deadlines for each semester application are located on the Registrar’s website at

https://www.southalabama.edu/departments/registrar/commencement/index.html.