This is a named option with the Nursing Practice, DNP.

  • Online course delivery

  • Population health positions

  • No certification exam

Admissions

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.

Fall Deadline December 1
Spring Deadline This program does not admit in the spring.
Summer Deadline This program does not admit in the summer.
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) Not required.
English Proficiency Test Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not exclusively in English, must provide an English proficiency test score earned within two years of the anticipated term of enrollment and meet the Graduate School minimum requirements (https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/requirements/#english-proficiency) and the Doctor of Nursing Practice's higher requirements:
  • TOEFL (iBT): 100
  • TOEFL (PBT): 600
  • IELTS: 8
  • Duolingo English Test: 130
Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT) n/a
Letters of Recommendation Required 3

Admission requirements for the DNP program (post-baccalaureate) are:

  • Graduation from an accredited baccalaureate program in nursing
  • GPA of 3.0 on the last 60 credits for the baccalaureate degree
  • Unencumbered RN license
  • At least one year of experience in nursing, public health, or a health-related field
  • Grade of B or better in an approved statistics course within the last 5 years. (Note: The course does not need to be taken before applying, but must be successfully completed prior to the start of the fall term.)
  • Application essay (see School of Nursing website for specific criteria)
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Curriculum vitae or resume
  • English proficiency scores (if applicable)

Post-BS applicants have a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Applicants who have a non-APN master’s degree (i.e., nurse education) are considered post-BS applicants and are able to satisfy up to 18 credits based on previous graduate coursework, pending review of syllabi.

Admission requirements for the DNP program (post-master's) are:

  • Graduation from an accredited baccalaureate program in nursing
  • Master’s degree from an accredited program
  • GPA of 3.5 for the master’s degree
  • Unencumbered RN license
  • At least one year of experience in nursing, public health, or a health-related field
  • Grade of B or better in a graduate level statistics course within the last 5 years. (Note: The course does not need to be taken before applying, but must be successfully completed prior to the start of the fall term.)
  • Application essay (see School of Nursing website for specific criteria)
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Curriculum vitae or resume
  • English proficiency scores (if applicable)

Additional admission requirements for international applicants are:

  • CGFNS Certification
  • English proficiency test scores (see table above for specific minimum scores)

All application materials must be received by the deadline for admission in the fall semester.

Funding

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Information

Students enrolled in this program are not eligible to receive tuition remission from graduate assistantship appointments at this institution.

On This Page

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements, in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Named Option Requirements

Mode of Instruction

Face to Face Evening/Weekend Online Hybrid Accelerated
No No Yes No No

Mode of Instruction Definitions

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

Curricular Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirement 58 credits
Minimum Residence Credit Requirement 32 credits
Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement 29 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244.
Overall Graduate GPA Requirement 3.00 GPA required.
Refer to the Graduate School: Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203.
Other Grade Requirements A student may not receive more than one grade below a B (or a U grade) in any 12 month period.
Assessments and Examinations No examinations are required.
Language Requirements No language requirements.
Graduate School Breadth Requirement DNP students are not required to complete a doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate.

Required Courses

Year One
Fall Term
NURSING 730 Critical Social Theories in Population Health2
NURSING 706 Nursing Research3
NURSING 709 Leadership Foundations: The Discipline of Nursing2
POP HLTH/​SOC  797 Introduction to Epidemiology3
Spring Term
NURSING 703 Health Care and Public Policy3
NURSING 806 Evaluation and Application of Evidence-Based Practice3
B M I 573 Foundations of Data-Driven Healthcare3
Summer Term
NURSING 702 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Diverse Communities3
NURSING 772 Leadership and Organizational Decision-Making in Health Care3
Year Two
Fall Term
NURSING 715 Evaluation of Health Informatics Solutions3
NURSING 720 Population Health Practicum I: Working in the Aggregate3
NURSING 723 Population Health Theory and Methods Seminar I: Contemporary Issues & Population Health Ethics2
Spring Term
NURSING 721 Population Health Practicum II: Community Action and Collective Impact3
NURSING 724 Pop Health Theory & Methods Seminar II: Interdis Practice, Collective Impact & Coalition Building2
NURSING 761 Health Program Planning, Evaluation, and Quality Improvement3
Summer Term
NURSING 906 Scholarly Project2
Year Three
Fall Term
NURSING 725 Population Health Theory and Methods Seminar III: Emerging Issues and Specialized Roles2
NURSING 847 Health Policy Practicum3
NURSING 906 Scholarly Project2
Spring Term
NURSING 714 Advanced Health Systems Leadership and Innovation3
NURSING 830 Leadership, Role Development, and Resource Stewardship Practicum3
NURSING 906 Scholarly Project2
Total Credits58

Students in this program may not take courses outside the prescribed curriculum without faculty advisor and program director approval. Students in this program cannot enroll concurrently in other undergraduate or graduate degree programs.

Graduate School Policies

The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Named Option-Specific Policies

Prior Coursework

Graduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions

Post–BS: With program approval, students are allowed to transfer up to 18 credits of graduate coursework from other institutions. Graduate coursework should be less than five years old to be considered; additional justification and/or documentation are needed for coursework taken between five and ten years. Coursework more than ten years old will not be considered.

Post–MS: With program approval, students are allowed to transfer up to 19 credits of graduate coursework from other institutions. Graduate coursework should be less than five years old to be considered; additional justification and/or documentation are needed for coursework taken between five and tens years. Coursework more than ten years old will not be considered unless students are board certified advanced practice nurses (APN) and have continuous practice as an APN.

Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison

No undergraduate coursework will be allowed to transfer toward DNP requirements.

Credits Earned as a Professional Student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)

Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.

Credits Earned as a University Special Student at UW–Madison

With program approval, students are allowed to transfer no more than 9 credits of coursework numbered 300 or above taken as a University Special student. These credits are considered part of the total allowable credits available for a student to transfer. Coursework should be less than five years old to be considered; additional justification and/or documentation is needed for coursework taken between five and ten years. Coursework more than ten years old will not be considered.

Probation

Refer to the Graduate School: Probation policy.

Advisor / Committee

Refer to the Graduate School: Advisor and Graduate School: Committees (Doctoral/Master’s/MFA) policies.

Credits Per Term Allowed

15 credits

Time Limits

Post–BS: Students must complete the requirements within six years of admission. Upon the advisor’s recommendation, the associate dean for academic programs may grant a one-year extension.

Post–MS: Students must complete the requirements within four years of admission to the program. Upon the advisor’s recommendation, the associate dean for academic programs may grant a one-year extension.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

Student Appeals, Petitions, and Grievance Procedures

Section One: Appeals

Appeals are limited to requests to continue in the curriculum after being dropped from the program and/or course grade appeals.

Drop Appeals

Any undergraduate or graduate student who feels they should not have been dropped from the program has the right to file an appeal. The appeals procedure is available for students to provide additional information regarding their circumstances which have contributed to their dropped status. The appeal procedure is described below. Throughout the appeal process, the student (hereby referred to as appellant) may be accompanied by a support person. 

Course Grade Appeals

A student who believes a grade received in a Nursing course was an error or not consistent with guidelines outlined in the syllabus or campus standards has the right to appeal the grade.

The student should first speak with the course faculty member in an effort to resolve the issue informally. This must be done within 10 business days of the grade posted to the students record. During this informal process both student and faculty may consult with the Associate or Assistant Deans for Academic Affairs to seek resolution of the issue.

If the student remains dissatisfied with the grade, the student has the option to initiate the formal appeal procedure. To do this, the student (hereby referred to as appellant) must submit the appeal, as outlined below. 

Filing Appeal
  1. The student must submit a petition for special consideration form to the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs within 10 business days of notification of academic status or grade posting.  The appeal must include:
    1. Precise grounds on which the appeal is based.
    2. Circumstances associated with the need to appeal.
    3. Arguments supporting the appeal.
    4. Description of proposed remedial actions to be taken to improve the student's academic performance.
    5. The appellant may also submit letters of support from persons knowledgeable about the appellant's current and/or past academic work and/or other matters related to the appellant's academic performance. Any such letters must be submitted to the Assistant Dean via email by the same deadline.
  2. Within 15 business days after receiving the appeal, the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs shall arrange for a committee meeting. The committee may request additional information from the appellant and/or request them to appear before the committee. The appellant may bring a support person to the appeal meeting and must notify the Assistant Dean for Academic affairs at least three business days prior to the meeting. The appellant's chosen support person is limited to providing advice and support to the appellant.
  3. Within 60 calendar days after the committee receives the appeal from the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, the committee shall send a written report of the committee's recommendations to the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs. 
  4. The Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs will consider the committee’s recommendation and issue a decision on the appeal. The decision will be communicated by email to the student within 10 business days after the receipt of the committee’s recommendation. 
  5. If the appeal is granted, the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs will discuss with the appellant any stipulations (binding) and recommendations (non-binding) for continuation in the program.
  6. If a student chooses to appeal the decision, the appeal will be directed to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The student must submit a written appeal, by email, to the Associate Dean within 10 business days upon being sent the decision from the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs. The written document must include specific justifications regarding the grounds of the appeal, which are limited to:
    1. School policies were incorrectly applied;
    2. Decision is contrary to state or federal law;
    3. Proper appeal procedures were not followed; or
    4. Unfounded, arbitrary, or irrelevant assumptions of fact regarding the appellant's performance were made by the Appeals Committee. Appellant must also identify the specific aspects of the decision that they believe meet the criteria cited as a basis for appeal.

The Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs will provide the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs with a copy of the initial grievance, the committee's recommendation, and the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs’s decision. No new information relevant to the grievance may be introduced to or considered by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs shall notify the student and the committee of the decision in writing within 30 business days. The Associate Dean’s decision is final. 

Section Two: Petitions

If a student in the School of Nursing wishes to request an exception to a School of Nursing academic policy or regulation they should first consult their academic advisor. Then, the student must formally submit their request using the Petition for Special Consideration form. Exception requests could be related to academics (i.e. dropping a course or withdrawing after the deadline etc), clinicals/compliance (i.e. waiver for specific compliance requirement), or admission to one of the School of Nursing’s academic programs.

Exceptions to established policies, regulations, and/or program requirements should be rare and will be considered on an individual case by case basis.  They will be reviewed by the School of Nursing’s Academic Affairs office.

Section Three: Grievances

The following School of Nursing Student Grievance Policy and associated procedures are designed for use in response to individual student grievances regarding faculty or staff in the School of Nursing.

Any individual student who feels they have been treated unfairly by a School of Nursing faculty or staff member has the right to file a grievance and receive a timely response addressing their concerns. Any student, undergraduate or graduate, may use these grievance procedures, except student employees whose complaints are covered under other campus policies.  The grievance procedure is available to resolve student concerns regarding inequitable treatment that have not been satisfactorily resolved through the informal resolution process or where the student believes that informal resolution would not be productive. The grievance procedure is described below. Throughout the grievance process, the student may be accompanied by a support person. The use of this grievance procedure shall not prevent the student from seeking redress through another administrative or legal process.

For grievances regarding discrimination based on protected bases (i.e., race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, etc.), contact the Office of Compliance (https://compliance.wisc.edu/eo-complaint/).

For grievances or concerns regarding sexual harassment or sexual violence (including sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, stalking and sexual exploitation), contact the Sexual Misconduct Resource and Response Program within the Office of Compliance.

For grievances that involve the behavior of a student, contact the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards in the Dean of Students Office at https://conduct.students.wisc.edu/.

For grievances about, or directed at, faculty or staff in the School of Nursing, students should follow these steps:

Informal Resolution

Any student in the School of Nursing who believes they have been treated inequitably is encouraged to resolve the matter informally. The student should first talk with the person or group at whom the grievance is directed in an attempt to resolve the issue informally. The student may contact the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for assistance in resolving the matter informally. If students are unable to resolve concerns directly or without additional support, please see step two.

Formal Grievance Procedure
  1. Any student in the School of Nursing who has attempted to informally resolve a grievance but has been unsuccessful, may submit a formal grievance to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
  2. The student must submit a written grievance by email to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs within 20 business days of the alleged unfair treatment. To the fullest extent possible, a formal written grievance needs to contain a clear and concise statement of the issue(s) involved as well as the relief sought.
  3. Within 30 business days after receiving the grievance, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs shall arrange for a committee meeting. The committee may request a written response from the person or group at whom the grievance is directed, may ask for additional information from any or all parties involved, may request that the parties involved appear before the committee, and/or may take other steps in attempting to resolve the grievance.
  4. Within 60 calendar days after the committee receives the grievance from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, the committee shall send a written report of the committee's recommendations to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. 
  5. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will consider the committee’s recommendation and issue a decision on the grievance. The decision will be communicated by email to the student within 10 business days after the receipt of the committee’s recommendation. 
  6. If a student chooses to appeal the decision, the appeal will be directed to the Dean of the School of Nursing. The student must submit a written appeal, by email, to the Dean within 10 business days upon being sent the decision from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The written document must include specific justifications regarding the grounds of the appeal. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will provide the Dean with a copy of the initial grievance, the committee's recommendation, and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs’s decision. No new information relevant to the grievance may be introduced to or considered by the Dean. The Dean shall notify the student and the committee of the decision in writing within 30 business days. The Dean’s decision is final.

Other

n/a

Professional Development

Graduate School Resources

Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

Program Resources

Career advising, funding, and professional development opportunities are shared with all students by a member of the School of Nursing Academic Affairs staff. Information on these support services can be found on the Student Site.

People

Faculty

School of Nursing Faculty Directory

Administration

Linda D. Scott, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

Dean and Professor
ldscott@wisc.edu

Barbara Pinkenstein, DNP, RN-BC, FAAN

Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor
pinkenstein@wisc.edu

Katie Bleier

Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs (Academic Dean)
katie.bleier@wisc.edu
608-263-5172

Pamela McGranahan, DNP, PHNA-BC, PMHNP-BC

DNP Program Director, Clinical Associate Professor
pmcgranahan@wisc.edu
608-263-5337

Kristine Kwekkeboom, PhD, RN, FAAN

PhD Program Director, Professor
kwekkeboom@wisc.edu
608-263-5168

Advising and Student Services

Darby Sugar

Director of Advising & Student Services
darby.sugar@wisc.edu
608-263-5172

Mariah Allen

Graduate Academic Services Coordinator
mariah.allen@wisc.edu
608-263-5258

Admissions and Recruitment

Mandi Moy

Director of Admissions & Recruitment
mandi.moy@wisc.edu
608-263-5261

Kate Beggs

Graduate Admissions & Recruitment Coordinator
katherine.beggs@wisc.edu
608-263-5183