Doctor of Nursing Practice
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Prepare to lead meaningful change with your Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Saint Mary’s College in Indiana. Our rich history of patient-centered education equips you with the knowledge and skills to create better systems of care for individual patients and broader patient populations. Our mostly online Doctor of Nursing Practice program is designed for working professionals, allowing you to complete your coursework just about anywhere. Here, you’ll learn from faculty with a deep understanding of current healthcare issues and the complexities of the nursing field.
Become an innovative leader in healthcare — join the supportive Saint Mary’s College community to earn your Doctor of Nursing Practice.
Advance Your Practice — Earn Your DNP
Saint Mary’s recognizes the need for adaptable, forward-thinking nurse practitioners. Our patient-centered approach to education means you receive an immersive experience that’s both relevant and critical to the success of your practice:
- Our unique Doctor of Nursing Practice coursework emphasizes critical thinking, effective communication, data analytics and social entrepreneurship, ensuring you’re equipped with competitive skills to stand out in the job market.
- Pursue the DNP program that best suits you and your career goals. Explore our program tracks in adult gerontology acute care (AG-ACNP) and family nurse practitioner (FNP), both of which will play a critical role in the future of healthcare.
- If you are already a MSN prepared APRN, you can complete your DNP through our MSN/APRN track. Students entering into this program should provide documentation demonstrating how many clinical hours they completed with their MSN degree to the Director of DNP Program; Scarlet Spain, upon acceptance into the program. Dr. Spain can be reached at sspain@saintmarys.edu.
- Add an optional area of emphasis in the fast-growing field of geriatric neuropsychiatry.
- Graduates of the Saint Mary’s DNP program work in hospitals and clinics, own their own practices, teach future generations of nurses as nurse educators and are leaders in their fields.
Explore our Doctor of Nursing Practice program overview to learn more about our innovative approach to education.
Immersive Healthcare Education
Saint Mary’s prides itself on providing relevant, holistic healthcare education. Need proof? In 2020, we renewed our commitment to the nursing sciences by investing more than $7 million in the Center for Integrated Healthcare Education. Located in the heart of our Notre Dame, Indiana, campus, this unique facility houses ultra-realistic clinical exam rooms and simulation labs, high-tech medical mannequins, state-of-the-art observation rooms and expansive classrooms. We aim for the Center to be the hub for all our health sciences teaching, providing Doctor of Nursing Practice students interdisciplinary access to speech-language pathology, autism studies, social work and gerontology. DNP students will have the chance to work in these state-of-the-art labs during immersion weekends.
See for yourself! Learn more about our Center for Integrated Healthcare Education.
Renewable scholarships and a preceptor stipend for all admitted students for Fall 2025
Saint Mary’s was named as one of the top five DNP programs in 2022. “More than providing individual patient care, students in Saint Mary’s College’s DNP-Nurse Practitioner program learn to develop and implement better healthcare systems for diverse patient populations.”
- registrerednursing.org
Careers for Doctor of Nursing Practice Graduates
As the nursing profession evolves, successful practitioners must adapt quickly. This field isn’t just about patient care — it’s about forward-thinking, visionary leaders ready to implement change in a complex system. That’s why the Institute of Medicine recognizes the growing demand for more nurses with doctorate-level education.
With a DNP from Saint Mary’s College in Indiana, you’ll be well-prepared to enter a job market eager for ambitious, dedicated professionals like you. Our Doctor of Nursing Practice program equips you with the tools, skills and knowledge to thrive in this fast-growing occupation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 47 percent increase in available positions by the year 2031, making now the perfect opportunity to advance your career.
Prepare to lead systemic change and improve the future of healthcare with your DNP from Saint Mary’s.
Lead Meaningful Change with a DNP
The social entrepreneurship course taught me that I have the ability to make social changes in my community. This degree has prepared me to open my own practice and be an agent of change in today’s healthcare. – Jannet Everson, DNP, 2021
Accreditation
The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Saint Mary’s College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.