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Doctor of Nursing Practice and Post-Masters Public Health Certificate

This dual option provides students the opportunity to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice and Post-Masters Public Health Certificate simultaneously. The Doctor of Nursing Practice and Post-Masters Public Health Certificate combined option provides a solid academic and practical foundation for master’s prepared nurses interested in a career as a public health specialist.

Public Health Certificate

The Public Health Certificate is designed for nurses interested in leading public health initiatives and improving population health outcomes.

For more information regarding the Post-Masters Public Health Certificate Program please refer to: https://www.wilmu.edu/health/nursing-leadership-certificate.aspx

Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree

The Doctor of Nursing Practice Program is designed for nurses who hold a master’s degree in nursing or a related field and offers an educational pathway to earn the highest clinically focused doctoral degree in nursing. Upon completion of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, students will possess forward-thinking clinical and systems leadership skills to promote the application of evidence-based practice to address the nation’s increasingly complex healthcare needs.

For more information regarding the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, please refer to: https://www.wilmu.edu/health/dnp.aspx

Program Information 

Admission, progression, and graduation requirements are a coordinated effort within the College of Health Professions and Natural Sciences graduate and doctoral programs. The combined Doctor of Nursing Practice program and Post-Masters Public Health Certificate is 42 credits and 500 practice experience hours for students enrolled in the Advanced Practice DNP concentration. Students enrolled in the Leadership DNP concentration will complete 57 credits and 1,000 practice experience  hours. Students will be dually advised by the MSN Leadership Program Chair and DNP Program Chair.

Admission Requirements

Students must meet admission requirements for both the Post-Masters Public Health Certificate as well as the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.

In addition, this program requires two applications, one to the Post-Masters Public Health Certificate program and one to the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.


Advanced Practice DNP Concentration (42 Credits, 15 Courses)

DNP Core Classes

GRN 7000 Scholarly Writing

GRN 8101 Healthcare Leadership and Innovation

GRN 8102 Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice

GRN 8103 Epidemiology and Population Health

GRN 8104 Healthcare Politics and Policy

GRN 8105 Healthcare Informatics

GRN 8106 Healthcare QI and Systems Thinking

GRN 8107 Healthcare Economics

GRN 8108 Applied Evidence-Based Practice

Public Health Certificate Courses

MSN 6615 Public Health Essentials

MSN 8705 Nurse Leadership Capstone I

MSN 8706 Nurse Leadership Capstone II

DNP Project Courses

GRN 9001 Doctor of Nursing Practice Project I

GRN 9002 Doctor of Nursing Practice Project II

GRN 9003 Doctor of Nursing Practice Project III


Leadership DNP Concentration (57 Credits, 20 Courses)

DNP Core Classes

GRN 7000 Scholarly Writing

GRN 8101 Healthcare Leadership and Innovation

GRN 8102 Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice

GRN 8103 Epidemiology and Population Health

GRN 8104 Healthcare Politics and Policy

GRN 8105 Healthcare Informatics

GRN 8106 Healthcare QI and Systems Thinking

GRN 8107 Healthcare Economics

GRN 8108 Applied Evidence-Based Practice

Public Health Certificate Courses

MSN 7710 Integrative Pathophysiology, Pharmacology and Physical Assessment (for Nurse Leaders)

MSN 6615 Public Health Essentials

MSN 8705 Nurse Leadership Capstone I

MSN 8706 Nurse Leadership Capstone II

DNP Project Courses

GRN 9001 Doctor of Nursing Practice Project I

GRN 9002 Doctor of Nursing Practice Project II

GRN 9003 Doctor of Nursing Practice Project III

Experiential Engagement Courses

GRN 8121 DNP Experiential Engagement I (125 Practice Experience Hours)

GRN 8122 DNP Experiential Engagement II (125 Practice Experience Hours)

GRN 8123 DNP Experiential Engagement III (125 Practice Experience Hours)

GRN 8124 DNP Experiential Engagement IV (125 Practice Experience Hours)



This information applies to students who enter this degree program during the 2024-2025 Academic Year. If you entered this degree program before the Fall 2023 semester, please refer to the academic catalog for the year you began your degree program.