Loyola University Chicago

Program Information

Degree Offered

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Format: Campus

Program Description:

Loyola University Chicago’s Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing is pleased to announce its new program for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students. The DNP is a practice-focused degree designed to provide additional knowledge and skills so that nurses may further enhance the health and well being of the individuals and communities with whom they work. The changing demands of the nation’s complex healthcare environment require the highest level of scientific knowledge and practice expertise to assure high quality patient outcomes. The DNP curriculum builds on current master’s programs and provides education in evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and systems thinking. The DNP program enables nurses to become expert nurse leaders and collaborators in solving problems in health care systems.

As the terminal degree for nurses, a DNP offers an alternative to research-focused doctoral programs. The DNP program provides advanced practice nurses (APN), including nurse administrators, with the knowledge and skill for providing innovative leadership to the profession and for ensuring high quality health care across all settings through the dissemination of evidence-based practice initiatives to patients, families, communities and populations. These DNP leaders will be well-positioned for advancing the practice and translating the science of nursing as nursing leaders, clinical faculty, and/or practitioners.

Loyola’s program is designed as a two-year, post-MSN cohort program. Courses are scheduled for 6 SH per semester, including summer, which makes the student eligible for traineeships for full time study. Courses are offered primarily online, with a required two-three day class incorporating course work, seminars, and presentations held once each semester at the Loyola University Health Sciences Campus in Maywood, IL.

Loyola’s DNP program centers on the “Health of the Public” and the translation of evidence-based practices to improve outcomes. The program focuses on populations at risk for disease, populations that are experiencing alterations in health, populations across the nation and globe, and systems that promote safe and efficient health care environments. The program emphasizes leadership in the implementation of transformational change in the student’s area of practice. Completion of a faculty-supervised capstone project provides opportunity for students to demonstrate this expertise.

Tuition & Financial Aid

Financial Aid Offered: No

Classification: Doctoral/Research Universities - Extensive

Institution Sector: Private not-for-profit

Locale: Large City

Size & Settings: 10,000 - 19,999