What is the Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree?

The DNP is a practice-oriented doctorate, such as the Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Optometry, or Doctor of Physical Therapy, in contrast to the research-oriented PhD.  The purposes of the DNP are to develop advanced competencies for increasingly complex practice, faculty, and leadership roles in nursing and to provide an advanced educational credential for those in advanced practice.

Program Information

The Doctor of Nursing Practice Program is offered through a Consortium of the Schools of Nursing at California State University, Fullerton, Long Beach and Los Angeles.

Please complete an interest form and we will place you on our mailing list.
Please see the DNP Viewsheet or Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Attend An Information Session

For more information about the DNP program, please RSVP to dnp@fullerton.edu and attend an information session. Please specify which date you plan to attend so we can provide further details.

• Wednesday, June 12th at CSULA (6:00pm - 8:00pm Simpson Tower 412)
• Monday, August 12th at CSULB (6:00pm - 8:00pm Nursing Buildig 64)
• Thursday, September 12th at CSULB (6:00pm - 8:00pm Nursing Building 64)
• Thursday, October 17th at CSULA (6:00pm - 8:00pm)
• Monday, November 4th at CSUF (6:00pm - 8:00pm EC 605)

Accreditation

Each member school of the Southern California CSU DNP Consortium is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and each of their existing nursing programs is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). New programs are only eligible for accreditation review once they have enrolled students.  The Southern California CSU DNP Consortium enrolled its first DNP student cohort in Fall 2012 with approval from the CSU Chancellor’s office and WASC and will host a planned accreditation visit from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education in the Fall of 2013.

Please be advised that the Southern California CSU DNP Consortium Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program (a consortium of CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach, and CSU Los Angeles) is scheduled for an accreditation site visit from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).  The visit is scheduled for November 18-20, 2013.  CCNE requires that our community of interest be offered the opportunity to submit written third-party comments to CCNE.  Comments will be accepted until October 19, 2013.  Comments are confidential and not shared with the School of Nursing but must be signed to be included in the review process.

Comments should be addressed to: Catherine Sneed, Accreditation Coordinator, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, One Dupont Circle, NW Suite #530, Washington, DC 20036.