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.

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 and 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 and 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 and 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 (DPT): 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).
• Master of Science (MS) in 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.
• Master of Science (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 UMass Lowell Exercise Science majors can apply to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program through our Graduate Admissions application.

Spring 2026 - Spring 2027 Applications

Apply for MPH Dietetics

Apply for Physical Therapy

Apply for Nursing and Public Health

Apply for All Other Programs Spring 2026

Apply for All Other Programs Summer 2026, Fall 2026 & Spring 2027

2. Application Fee⁠

Physical Therapy Applications - PTCAS charges an application 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 and 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 and 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 and 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.

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.