DNP - Doctor of Nursing Practice

Professional doctorateDNPDoctor of Nursing Practice

Overview

A 52-quarter-credit online DNP for master's-prepared RNs, offered in FlexPath and GuidedPath formats, with a minimum of 1,000 practicum hours at a professional site. It is not designed to prepare nurse practitioners or other APRN roles.

Official program name: DNP - Doctor of Nursing Practice
Awarded degree: Doctor of Nursing Practice
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Degree level: Doctoral — professional doctorate
University: Capella University
Administering location: Minneapolis, MNWhere the university or its administering campus is located. Study is online; this is not a residency requirement and does not decide whether you may enroll from your state.
Subject: Nursing (BSN, MSN)Nursing Leadership
Required credits: 52 quarter credits (no transfer)
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Duration: Not verified
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)

Why this program is listed

Online DNP for master's-prepared nurses with a required 1,000-hour practicum.

Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026

We list online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from institutionally accredited US universities. Eligibility rules

Online format and attendance

“Online” is not one format. Delivery, campus visits, practical placements and class schedule are shown separately, each only as the university states it.

Academic delivery: Online coursework + local placementCoursework is online; a clinical placement, practicum, internship, fieldwork or student teaching is completed in person, usually near the student.
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Campus visits: Campus visits: not verified
Practical placement: Practical placement required
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Class schedule: Not verified
Study intensity: Not verified

In-person and practical requirements as published

Practicum Required
Minimum 1,000 practicum hours at a professional site with an on-site preceptor
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Curriculum

Capstone

Five doctoral project courses
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Other

Not designed to prepare APRNs for nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, nurse midwife or nurse anesthetist roles
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the university states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Prior degree: RequiredMaster's degree in nursing from an accredited or internationally recognized institution
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Professional license: RequiredCurrent, unrestricted RN license (or equivalent) to practice in the United States
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Minimum GPA: RequiredMinimum 3 — 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Work experience: RequiredOne year of licensed RN work experience or current employment as an RN
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Background check: RequiredBackground check after admission, before enrolling in courses
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Not required
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the university printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadlines: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
All online students — GuidedPath	$850	per creditEstimated tuition$44,200 = 52 credits × $850 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required visits or placements, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026
All online students — FlexPath, per 12-week billing session	$3,480	per termSource: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Other published fees

Resource kit (per billing session): $175 per term
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Background check: $33.70Mandatory
Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Scholarships and financial aid

Awards published by the university for this program or for online students at this level. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships; financial aid availability does not make a program “fully funded”. Scholarships & funding guide

Program-specific scholarships: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Accreditation, authorization and licensure

Three separate questions: is the university accredited, can it enroll students from your state online, and does the program meet licensure requirements where you live?

Institutional accreditation

Higher Learning Commission (HLC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

Programmatic accreditation

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education — CCNE accreditedSource: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026

State authorization

Not accepting applications from residents of AS, DC, GU, MP, PR, VI. Official pageSource: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Registered with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and an approved institutional participant in NC-SARA. Official pageSource: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Professional licensure

Capella University cannot guarantee professional licensure, certification, or endorsement. State-by-state disclosureSource: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Accreditation and state authorization do not establish that a program meets licensure requirements in your state.

International applicants

International students may pursue degrees online; additional admission requirements apply.Source: capella.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 10, 2026.

DAPIP — HLC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
capella.edu/content/dam/capella/PDF/October_2026_University_Catalog.pdf — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 10, 2026
capella.edu/legal/ — Official program page, verified October 10, 2026
capella.edu/online-nursing-degrees/dnp-nursing-practice/ — Official program page, verified October 10, 2026
capella.edu/state-licensure/ — Official disclosure page, verified October 10, 2026

Something out of date? Request a correction · Represent this university? Claim the profile

Similar programs at other universities

Same degree level and subject group. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Online PhD in Nursing

PhDPhDDoctor of Philosophy in Nursing

Nursing (BSN, MSN)

Greensboro, NCUniversity location, not a residency requirement

Fully online · Mixed (live + self-paced) · Full-time, Part-time

Optional campus visits

eight semesters of full-time study (full-time study) · 51 credits

Tuition not verified

No upcoming verified deadline

View program

Troy University

Doctor of Nursing Practice (Post Masters)

Professional doctorateDNPDoctor of Nursing Practice

Nursing (BSN, MSN) · Nursing Leadership

Troy, ALUniversity location, not a residency requirement

Online coursework + local placement

Practical placement required

Duration not verified · 35 credits

Tuition: $550 per credit · All online students — TROY Online doctoral tuition · 2026-2027

No upcoming verified deadline

View program

Michigan State University

Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist, BSN-DNP

Professional doctorateDNPDoctor of Nursing Practice

Nursing (BSN, MSN)

East Lansing, MIUniversity location, not a residency requirement

Online coursework + local placement

Practical placement required

3 years minimum duration · 70 credits

Tuition: $934.25 per credit · In-state

No upcoming verified deadline

View program

Online Universities is independent and not affiliated with Capella University. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the university.