Admission Nursing@Simmons

The Nursing@Simmons online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program prepares Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)-educated nurses to advance their clinical practice through the implementation of evidence-based research and become leaders in the health care field. The program has start dates in May and September, and admission is conducted on a rolling basis.

Complete your online application today.

Admission FAQs (PDF, 113kb)

Post-MSN to DNP Application Deadlines

All applicants must be U.S citizens or permanent residents and meet the requirements for education, licensure, and experience listed below, depending on whether they have pursued a clinical or leadership-focused professional path. Note that applicants may have a mixture of clinical and leadership education and experience (e.g., an applicant may have earned a clinical MSN degree but pursued a leadership career and licensure or vice versa) as long as they meet the requirements for one of these focuses in each requirement category.

Education

Applicants must have completed a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from a regionally accredited U.S. postsecondary institution with a preferred GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. They must have completed either a clinically focused MSN degree or a leadership-focused MSN degree.

Applicants must have successfully completed (with a grade of 83 or better) a three-credit course in statistics. If you do not meet this requirement, please contact an admission counselor to discuss other fulfillment options.

Licensure

All applicants must have a current unencumbered and unrestricted U.S. registered nurse (RN) license and either a clinical license or be nurse managers who preferably hold a leadership-focused license:

• Clinically focused licensure: U.S. board certification in an advanced practice specialty (e.g., NP, CNS, CNM, CRNA) that is in good standing*
• Leadership-focused licensure: board certification in management (CENP, CNML) is preferred but not required for nurse managers

Experience

All applicants must have a minimum of two years of professional experience as a licensed registered nurse (RN). It is preferred that they also have either:

• Clinically focused experience: experience as a board-certified advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) or clinical nurse specialist (CNS)
• Leadership-focused experience: two or more years of consecutive, progressive professional leadership experience

*For applicants working toward APRN or CNS certification or licensure: Your application may be reviewed without these items. However, if you are accepted to the program, valid APRN or CNS certification must be submitted prior to your registration for term 2, and APRN or CNS licensure must be submitted before term 3.

Application Fee

A $50 nonrefundable application fee is required to apply to Nursing@Simmons. Those who apply before the Round 1 application deadline will receive an application fee waiver and those who apply before the Round 2 application deadline will receive a reduced application fee of $30.

Application fee waivers are available for applicants affiliated with non-profit organizations such as: City Year, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps and Teach for America, and military personnel, veterans, and their spouses. Please contact your admission counselor to request instructions for obtaining the fee waiver.

Alumni Applicant Benefits

Those who have graduated from Simmons’ Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program are eligible for certain benefits as DNP applicants and students. Simmons MSN alumni:

• May complete a streamlined application with fewer requirements
• Will have the $50 application fee waived
• May have up to 6 credits waived from the standard 30 program credits once accepted ¹

To receive these benefits, alumni applicants must first connect with our admission team by requesting information in the form below.