Build the skills to lead, improve outcomes, and drive innovation in health care systems with your Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at UMass Lowell.

Doctor of Nursing Practice Overview

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The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at UMass Lowell is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

The online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at UMass Lowell prepares you to advance your career as a clinical leader and change agent in health care. 

This program is designed for advanced practice nurses who want to improve health care systems and patient outcomes. You’ll deepen your clinical expertise, expand your leadership skills, and gain the tools to translate evidence into practice. 

Offered in a flexible format, the DNP program combines online courses with four two-day on-campus intensives — providing valuable opportunities for networking, mentorship, and scholarly collaboration. This doctorate degree can be completed in two years as a full-time student or within three years when pursued part-time. 

For program-specific questions, please contact Lisa Ann Marchand, DNP, FNP-C, FNAP, Clinical Associate Professor at: Lisa_Marchand@uml.edu

Please note: This online program is not open to international applicants.

Doctor of Nursing Curriculum

Choose between two pathways for completion of the DNP degree:

  1. Master of Science (MS) to DNP Degree Pathway - This 33-credit (for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse - APRN) and 36-credit (for non-APRN) online pathway is for applicants with an MS in nursing.
  2. Bachelor of Science (BS) to DNP Degree Pathway - This 75-credit direct degree pathway is for applicants with a BS in nursing. Be prepared as an Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner or a Family Nurse Practitioner.

You will also complete a final scholarly project, using evidence-based research to design, implement, and evaluate a project that improves outcomes and demonstrates your leadership in practice.

Types of scholarly projects include: 

  • Quality Improvement 
  • Financial Analysis to Compare Models of Care 
  • Implement and Evaluate Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines 
  • Design and Evaluate New Models of Care 
  • Analyze a Policy and Revise and Implement the amended policy
  • Develop and Implement a New Policy

View completed DNP scholarly projects.

For a complete list of courses and academic requirements, please visit the Academic Catalog.

For students entering Fall 2024 and Beyond.
Course NumberCourse NameCredits
Total33
PUBH.5110Healthcare Finance3
PUBH.5120Operational Analysis and Quality Improvement3
PUBH.5770Biostatistics for Health Data3
PUBH.6270Health Equity and Informatics3
NURS.7170Evaluation Research3
NURS.7700Evidence Appraisal 3
NURS.7740Scholarly Project Design3
NURS.7720Scholarly Project Implementation 3
NURS.7730Scholarly Project Dissemination, Advocacy, and Policy3
NURS.7070Epidemiology for Health Promotion3
NURS.7710Advanced Nursing Leadership and Management3

Total Credits: 33

Last Updated: 6/24/24

For Non-APRN students entering Fall 2024 and Beyond.
Course NumberCourse NameCredits
Total36
PUBH.5110Healthcare Finance3
PUBH.5120Operational Analysis and Quality Improvement3
PUBH.5770Biostatistics for Health Data3
PUBH.6270Health Equity and Informatics3
NURS.7170Evaluation Research3
NURS.7700Evidence Appraisal3
NURS.7740Scholarly Project Design3
NURS.7720Scholarly Project Implementation 3
NURS.7730Scholarly Project Dissemination, Advocacy, and Policy3
NURS.7070Epidemiology for Health Promotion3
NURS.7710Advanced Nursing Leadership and Management3
NURS.7760DNP Immersion3

Total Credits: 36

Last Updated: 6/24/2024

For students entering Fall 2024 or Beyond.

Required Courses

Course NumberCourse NameCredits
Total75
PUBH.5120Operational Analysis and Quality Improvement3
PUBH.5110Healthcare Finance3
PUBH.5770Biostatistics for Health Data3
PUBH.6270Health Equity and Informatics3
NURS.5520Social, Cultural, Policy in Health Care Issues3
NURS.5530Scholarly Writing2
NURS.6000Theoretical Foundation of Advanced Nursing Practice3
NURS.6010Research for Evidence-Based Practice3
NURS.5590Advanced Pharmacology3
HSCI.5510Clinical Pathophysiology3
NURS.65101Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostics3
NURS.6520APRN Care of the Adult3
NURS.6521
OR
NURS.6523
APRN Care of Children and Adolescents
OR
APRN Care of Older Adults
3
OR
3
NURS.6522APRN Care of Women's Health Across the Lifespan3
NURS.6524APRN Role Transition1
NURS.65111APRN Clinical Practicum I (250 Hours)3
NURS.6512APRN Clinical Practicum II (250 Hours)3
NURS.65131APRN Clinical Practicum III (250 Hours)3
NURS.7170Evaluation Research3
NURS.7710Advanced Nursing Leadership and Management (80 DNP hours)3
NURS.7070Epidemiology3
NURS.77002Evidence Appraisal (100 DNP hours)3
NURS.77402Scholarly Project Design (100 DNP hours)3
NURS.77202Scholarly Project Implementation (100 DNP hours)3
NURS.77302Evidence Dissemination, Advocacy, and Policy3
NURS.7760DNP Immersion3 (250 hours)3

Courses required for the degree = 26

Total Credits = 75

*Course may not be offered every semester.

**Courses for Scholarly Project must be taken in sequence.

1NURS.6510/NURS.6511/NURS.6513: require in-person experiences on campus

2DNP Intensives require 2 full days per semester, on campus, in person.

3required by CCNE for all BS to DNP programs.

Last Updated: 7/18/24

  1. Translate, integrate, and apply evidence from nursing and other disciplines to improve the quality of care and provide innovation in the practice of advanced nursing care.
  2. Lead and collaborate in the delivery of holistic, compassionate, evidence-based person-centered care through the assessment, diagnoses, management, and evaluation of advanced nursing practice.
  3. Apply leadership skills in traditional and non-traditional partnerships across the health care continuum to improve equitable population health outcomes.
  4. Advance the practice of nursing through the translation of evidence to generate clinical practice improvements to transform health care.
  5. Lead, integrate, and operationalize principles of safety and improvement science to support performance measures that promote a culture of quality and safety in healthcare organizations.
  6. Lead interprofessional collaborations with care team members, patients, families, communities, and other stake holder in the delivery of safe, effective, care.
  7. Respond to and lead organizational and systems approaches across complex healthcare systems to foster cost-effective, safe, quality, and equitable care to diverse populations.
  8. Utilize, incorporate, and appraise informatics and healthcare technologies used to gather data, form information to drive decision making, and comply with best practices and professional and regulatory standards to inform change that improves the delivery of safe, high-quality, and efficient healthcare services.
  9. Model a professional identity that incorporates accountability, ethical comportment, and a collaborative disposition that reflects the characteristics and values of an advanced nursing practitioner.
  10. Model responsibility for lifelong learning, personal well-being, professional career development, and reflection for personal growth as an advanced practicing nurse and support the acquisition of nursing experience and the assertion of leadership.

Why Get Your DNP at UMass Lowell?

A student wearing a white lab coat looks through a microscope in an applied biomedical sciences lab at UMass Lowell

Expert Faculty

Gain personalized teaching and support from distinguished nursing faculty with real-world health care experience.

UMass Lowell nursing graduate student uses a stethoscope on a patient's back.

Interdisciplinary Curriculum

Gain in-depth knowledge in evaluation research, health policy, organizational leadership, financing, evidence-based practice and health care informatics. You will also build advocacy skills to influence policy decisions.
Nursing students and professor seated at a round table

On-Campus Intensives

Four two-day intensives allow you to engage directly with peers and faculty on campus. Intensives include guest speakers, presentations, development of scholarly projects, networking events, and more, along with optional tours and field trips.

White outline of overlapping bills on blue background.

Scholarship Opportunity

Pursue eligibility for the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP), which covers 85% of tuition and fees.

Tuition and Admissions

Eligible students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for financial assistance.

Complete the FAFSA

As a graduate student, you may qualify for federal student aid and other need-based scholarships. To be considered for financial assistance, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Learn more at UMass Lowell Graduate Aid.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and certain eligible non-citizens. Please visit Financial Aid if you have questions about your eligibility.

All Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences master’s and doctoral applicants must submit:

  1. An application
  2. An application fee
  3. A statement of purpose
  4. Letters of recommendation
  5. Official transcripts
  6. Official test score report
    1. Language scores
    2. GRE only required for two doctoral programs
      1. Public Health (Doctor of Science - Sc.D.)
      2. Physical Therapy (Doctor of Physical Therapy - DPT)
  7. Resume (if applicable)

Note: All required materials must be received before the application package can be evaluated. If you need to introduce new references or add other supporting documents, log on to your application, click on “Program Materials” to update your application. Nursing and Public Health applicants should submit supporting documents directly to Graduate Admissions. Please note, the new documents and references will be considered only if your application has not been reviewed for admission.

Program Specific Application Notes

  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Pharmaceutical Sciences: The program accepts applications for Fall admission. The priority deadline is Feb. 15. To be considered for admission, all required documents including transcripts, evaluation reports & letters of recommendation must be received by the deadline. Applications received after the deadline, if there are openings, will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
  • Master of Science (MS) in Pharmaceutical Sciences: Successful completion of the following subjects is required: Biochemistry, Calculus, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biology or Anatomy & Physiology. Up to two of these courses may be completed within the first year of the master's program.
  • Master of Public Health (MPH): Submitting GRE scores is optional for the admissions to the MPH Program. All MPH programs require a semester of statistics and a semester of either biology or anatomy & physiology with a grade of C or higher (if missing, the program can work with you to complete these within the first year). Dietetics applicants are required to complete the above courses in addition to the following courses with a B- or higher: Human Nutrition, Microbiology, Food Science, Nutrition and Metabolism, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Psychology or Sociology or Anthropology. 
  • Doctor of Physical Therapy Applicants: All documents in support of an application (e.g. letters of recommendation, official transcripts, official GRE scores, etc.) are due at our annual deadline of November 1 to the Office of Graduate Admissions. No more that 2 (two) pre-requisite courses may be missing at the time of our application deadline to remain eligible for full consideration (courses which are in-progress are considered missing). Each newly accepted cohort immediately begins matriculation the subsequent Summer term. (i.e. mid-May). Note: The Doctor of Physical Therapy program at UMass Lowell utilizes the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service, known as PTCAS. Prospective applicants must apply online using the PTCAS application portal.
  • Master of Nursing: The priority deadline is March 1 for summer and fall admission and November 1 for spring admission.
  • Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP): The priority deadline is March 1 for summer and fall admission and December 30 for spring admission.
  • MS Applied Biomedical Science: Applicants to this program must complete biochemistry with at grade of C or higher to qualify for admission.
  • All other graduate programs have rolling admissions policies. We encourage you to apply at the earliest to increase your chance of being considered for merit awards.

International Students: please see the additional application requirements.

Bachelor's to Master's Students: You will not need to apply via the application portal. Visit the Bachelor's to Master's page to learn about the process to transition to your desired master's program.

1. Online Application application

Applications are only being accepted using the online process. Instructions are included in the online application link.

Tips for accessing and completing the online application:

  • Capitalize your proper name.
  • Once the form is submitted, changes can only be made by calling the Office of Graduate Admissions at 978-934-2390.

Please note:Current UML Exercise Science majors can apply to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program through our Graduate Admissions application.

Summer 2025- Spring 2026 Applications

2. Application Fee

Physical Therapy Applications - PTCAS charges an application fee, which they sometimes refers to as a supplemental fee. Applications will not be processed until this fee is received or application fee waiver has been approved and delivered to the Office of Graduate Admissions. 

Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences Applications - The application fee is $50.00 for each application (except Physical Therapy) and is non-refundable. Applications will not be processed until this fee is received or application fee waiver has been approved and delivered to the Office of Graduate Admissions.

3. Statement of Purpose statement

In a separate document, submit a brief statement indicating your immediate and long-range goals, relevant work history, academic honors/awards received, any teaching experience and/or research conducted/published that may be pertinent to your graduate program. Two page recommended maximum.

Note: If you are applying to more than one program, you will need to submit a program-specific statement of purpose with each application package.

Submit Supporting Documents for Nursing & Public Health

4. Letters of Recommendation recommendation

Master's applicants will need to submit two (2) letters of recommendation. Doctoral applicants will be asked to submit three (3) letters of recommendation for all programs except for the Doctor of Nursing Practice, which requires 2. You will be asked to provide (names and email addresses) references during the application process, and an automated request will be sent out after the completion of your application. Alternatively, you may use the graduate admissions recommendation form (pdf) to request letters of recommendations.

Recommendations should be from instructors who have taught you, ideally in the field to which you are applying. Recommendations may also be from employers or supervisors who are in a position to compare your performance to that of your peers. Please use the recommendation form for these.

Submit Supporting Documents for Nursing & Public Health

5. Official Transcripts transcripts

Provide a complete and official transcript from the institution that awarded or will award you a bachelor’s degree. You may also include transcripts from other institutions at which you have taken relevant coursework. Please note that waiting for additional transcripts may delay review of your application.

Transcripts should be sent in sealed and signed envelopes mailed to the Office of Graduate Admissions. If you received your degree from UMass Lowell, it is not necessary for you to request a transcript, we are able to provide one for you.

University of Massachusetts - Lowell
Graduate Admissions
Graduate and Professional Studies (GPS) Center
839 Merrimack Street, 2nd Floor
Lowell, MA 01854-3941

International transcripts that do not clearly indicate to the Office of Graduate Admissions that you have received a four-year bachelor’s degree, the equivalent of an American bachelor's degree must be demonstrated before an application will be processed. Please note, the Office of Graduate Admissions reserves the right to have any application credential evaluated. Baccalaureate verification may be obtained for a fee at:

Center for Educational Documentation, Inc.
P.O. Box 170116
Boston, MA 02117
Telephone: 617-338-7171
Fax: 617-338-7101
Center for Educational Documentation website
World Education Services website

6. Official Test Score Report(s) test-score

The following programs require a GRE for admission consideration:

  • Public Health (Sc.D.)
  • Physical Therapy (DPT)

All programs require the minimum language scores needed for acceptance:

  • TOEFL minimum 79
  • IELTS minimum 6.5
  • Duolingo minimum 115

Request that the appropriate agency send an official test score report for the GRE or GMAT to the Office of Graduate Admissions. UMass Lowell’s school code is 3911. Get more information about standardized tests on our Admissions Standards webpage.

7. Resume

The programs listed below require a resume for admission consideration:

  • Applied Biomedical Sciences (MS)
  • Health Information Management (MS)
  • Health Informatics (Graduate Certificate)
  • Health Service Management (Graduate Certificate)
  • Nursing (MS)
  • Nursing Practice (DNP)
  • Nursing (Ph.D.)
  • Pharmaceutical Sciences (MS)
  • Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
  • Public Health (ScD)

Submit Supporting Documents for Nursing & Public Health

All others, if you need to introduce new references or add other supporting documents:

  • log in to your application portal (links vary),
  • click on “Program Materials” to update your application.

Please note, the new documents and references will be considered only if your application has not been reviewed for admission.

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Phone:
800-656-4723 (U.S. Students)
978-934-2390 (International Students)

Email
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