Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Required Courses

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.

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.

• Application 
  • MPH Dietetics
  • Physical Therapy
  • All Other Programs: Summer & Fall'26- Spring'27

• Application Fee: $50
• Statement of Purpose: Outline goals, experience and achievements (maximum 2 pages).
• Letters of Recommendation: Two (2) for master's and Doctor of Nursing Practice, three (3) for doctoral applicants.
• Transcripts: You may apply with unofficial transcripts, but if accepted, official transcripts are required. We do not accept opened, photocopied, emailed PDFs or faxed official transcripts.
• Resume: All programs require a resume except for the following: Doctor of Physical Therapy and all Master of Public Health programs
• Test Scores: UMass Lowell’s school code is 3911. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are only required for the following programs:
  • Public Health (Doctor of Science)
  • Physical   Therapy (Doctor of Physical Therapy)

All materials must be received before your application is reviewed.  To add supporting documents, please log in to your application and select "Program Materials."

International Applicants

International transcripts must indicate completion of a four-year bachelor’s degree (equivalent of an American bachelor's degree) before an application will be processed. The Office of Graduate Admissions reserves the right to have any application credentials evaluated.  Baccalaureate verification may be obtained for a fee from:

• Center for Educational Documentation (CED)
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
• World Education Services (WES)

English proficiency is required. If English is not your country’s national language, please submit one of the following scores:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): 79+
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS): 6.5+
• Duolingo: 115+

For All Non-APRN MS Prepared Applicants

(Per Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education 2024, CCNE III-D)

DNP programs incorporate separate comprehensive graduate level courses to address the APRN core, defined as follows:

• Advanced Pharmacology- across the lifespan, including pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacotherapeutics for 3 credits.
• Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology across the lifespan 3 credits.
• Advanced Health Assessment and diagnostics across the lifespan including assessments of all human systems, advanced assessment techniques, concepts, and approaches. 3 credits.

All applicants must have completed, within the last 5 years, the above 3 courses at the graduate level from an accredited nursing school with a grade of a “B” or better prior to their application being considered. This is a CCNE requirement for all DNP students since this degree is a Clinical Doctorate.

All Non-APRN DNP students must have a minimum of 500 hours earned from their master’s degree with a direct patient care focus. If the applicant has not earned a minimum of 500 hours from their master’s degree, they will need to enroll in course NURS.7760 DNP Immersion (3.0 credits); this course is offered every 2 years.