Doctor of Nursing Practice Program (D.N.P.)

Doctor of Nursing Practice Program (D.N.P.)

Lead the change we critically need to improve care

Focused on clinical practice and translating research findings to benefit patients, our Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) program will prepare you to become a critical thinker and evidence-based practitioner who can initiate change within increasingly complex health care systems. 

Pathways to Entry

We offer three routes to a D.N.P., based on your current level of education. 
 

Post-Baccalaureate D.N.P.

Our post-baccalaureate D.N.P. program helps RNs take their practice and careers to new heights. In this program, you will earn a master’s degree for your NP education and then continue immediately into your post-master’s DNP studies, preparing you to become an advanced practice clinician.

Program Eligibility

  • A bachelor or master’s degree from a nationally accredited nursing program
  • An undergraduate grade point average of B or better
  • A completed course in statistics (AP credits cannot be accepted)
  • A current RN license to practice nursing

 

 

Deadlines

Early application — Dec. 15 
Regular application — March 15
Application for Spring enrollment — Oct. 1

Apply

Post-Master’s D.N.P.

Our post-master’s D.N.P. program helps current NPs take their practice and careers to new heights. This program is designed for you if you earned a master’s degree in nursing and your goal is to become an advanced practice clinician.

Program Eligibility

  • A master’s degree from a nationally accredited nursing program
  • An undergraduate grade point average of B or better
  • A completed course in statistics (AP credits cannot be accepted)
  • A current RN license to practice nursing

 

Deadlines

Early application — Dec. 15 
Regular application — March 15
Application for Spring enrollment — Oct. 1

Apply

RN to D.N.P.

Our program allows current RNs without bachelor’s degrees to maximize both their experience and the credits they have earned from previous programs. If you are a motivated and accomplished student who wishes to transform your professional knowledge into a career as an advanced practice nurse, this program is for you. In this program, you will earn a master’s degree for your NP education and then continue immediately into your D.N.P. studies, preparing you to become an advanced practice clinician.

Program Eligibility

  • A master’s degree from a nationally accredited nursing program
  • Completed the equivalent of approximately 112 college credits
  • An undergraduate grade point average of B or better
  • A completed course in statistics (AP credits cannot be accepted)
  • A current RN license to practice nursing

 

Deadlines

Early application — Dec. 15 
Regular application — March 15
Application for Spring enrollment — Oct. 1

Apply

#14

doctor of nursing practice program

U.S. News & World Report, Best Nursing Schools, Doctor of Nursing Practice

The Connell School difference

Clinical Placements

Students experience a variety of practice settings by rotating among 3-6 clinical sites, including:

  • Addiction Treatment Center of New England
  • Atrius Health
  • Beth Israel Lahey Health
  • Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
  • Boston Medical Center
  • Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Cristo Rey Boston High School
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
  • Dimock Center
  • Fenway Health
  • Franciscan Children’s
  • Hebrew SeniorLife
  • Joslin Diabetes Center
  • McLean Hospital
  • Shriners Children’s Boston
  • Signature Healthcare
  • South Boston Community Health Center
  • Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
  • VA Boston Healthcare System

Student Voices

Financial Aid

The Connell School and Boston College offer multiple opportunities to fund a graduate education. CSON graduate students receive financial assistance through internal and external sources—including scholarships, fellowships, grants, teaching and research assistantships, and tuition remission.

More About Financial Aid

Careers

Our graduates have been hired at local and national institutions, including:

 

  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • Children’s National Medical Center
  • Community Health Center of Cape Cod
  • CVS MinuteClinic
  • Daniel Driscoll—Neponset Health Center
  • Dimock Center
  • East Boston Neighborhood Health Center

 

 

  • Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center
  • Lakes Region Mental Health Center
  • Nuvance Health
  • Oklahoma Children’s Hospital
  • Torresdale Pediatrics
  • Tufts Children’s Hospital
  • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

 

DNP Career Outlook

$128,490

Median annual wage for nurse practitioners

Bureau of Labor Statistics

52%

Projected growth in the Nurse Practitioner field by 2030—nearly six times the national average for all occupations.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Featured Faculty

Alison Marshall

Alison O. Marshall, Ph.D., RN, FNP-C

View Faculty Directory & Expertise

“At Boston College, you will be taught by actively practicing providers who work in a variety of health care settings. When you graduate, you will be prepared to provide excellent and equitable advanced practice nursing care in one of our five specialties. ”
Alison O. Marshall, Assistant Professor of the Practice

Practice Change Projects

Nurse in a white coat holding sign with bottom of caduceus
In your last two semesters as a D.N.P. candidate, you'll apply your clinical and classroom experience in a rigorous practice change project, dedicated to improving health care outcomes for a patient population. These projects apply existing research in practice, develop evidence-based solutions, and identify ways and means of delivering more efficient care.

Recent Practice Change Projects

Opportunities at the Connell School

Graduate Nurses’ Association

The GNA facilitates professional development opportunities and sponsors social events, connecting you to your fellow students and serving as a voice for the CSON graduate community.

Learn More

Keys to Inclusive Leadership in Nursing

The KILN program helps students maximize their leadership potential, prepares them to provide nursing care in an increasingly multicultural society, and nurtures their ability to create positive social change.

Learn More

Global Trips

Participation in CSON's international programs can count toward nurse practitioner (NP) supervised hours for graduate students.

Learn More

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Application & Deadlines

Apply Now

A non-refundable application fee of $75 is required.

Deadlines

  • Direct entry:
    • Early decision for Fall enrollment — Sept. 15
    • Fall enrollment — Dec. 15 
  • Post-baccalaureate:
    • Early decision for Fall enrollment — Dec. 15 
    • Fall enrollment — March 15
    • Spring enrollment — Sept. 15
  • Post-master’s:
    • Early decision for Fall enrollment — Dec. 15 
    • Fall enrollment — March 15
    • Spring enrollment — Sept. 15 
  • RN to D.N.P.:
    • Early decision for Fall enrollment — Dec. 15 
    • Fall enrollment — March 15
    • Spring enrollment — Sept. 15

Résumé or CV

To be uploaded to your online Application Form.

Goal Statement

Please submit a goal statement which will be used as a source of information about your educational objectives and as a sample of your writing ability. The goal statement should be typewritten (double-spaced) and no more than four pages in length.

Goal Statement Prompt & Guidelines

Letters of Recommendation

Two letters of recommendation:

  • Your letter writers should be able to speak to your abilities in classroom settings, unless you have been out of school for 2+ years. In that case, you may submit one academic letter and one letter from a person who has known you in a professional capacity.
  • Letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically. When you register your reference writers through the application system, they will immediately receive an email with the link to the electronic reference form. For this reason, we suggest that you contact your references prior to registering them through the online application.
  • References will have the option to upload a supporting letter in Word or PDF format.
  • If you would like your references to receive the electronic form before you have completed the online application, you may go directly to the “Recommendations” link on the application and register your references before filling out the rest of the form.
  • You can log back into your application to check which letters have been received, as well as to send reminder emails to your references.

Transcripts

Official transcripts are preferred but not required upon application. If admitted, official transcripts will be required.

Official digital transcripts can be sent to csongrad@bc.edu.

All hard copy transcripts may be sent to the following mailing address:

Boston College
Graduate Nursing Office
Maloney Hall - 2nd Floor
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

*If the last name on your transcript does not match the application name, please contact csongrad@bc.edu after submitting the application. 

 

Standardized Tests

GRE is preferred, but not required for application

Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores* (current within five years of application deadline). Institutional code 3062

* Please allow 2-4 weeks for test scores to be received in order to meet application deadline

 

Supplemental Forms

Based on the answers you provide in your application, you may need one or more of the following forms to complete your application:

International Students

  • Official transcript(s) evaluation (by the Commission on Graduate Foreign Nursing Schools or World Education Services) from all post-secondary institutions at which you have studied
  • Official TOEFL (Evidence of English Proficiency scores are required for students whose native language is not English. The following scores indicate minimum score requirements: 100 on the TOEFL iBT (internet-based test); 7.5 on the IELTS Band (academic); 600 or greater on the paper-based test; or 250 on the CBT test (computer-based test). Please request that your scores be sent to the William F. Connell Graduate School of Nursing by using our institutional code 3062 in the designated areas. Student copies or photocopies of TOEFL are not accepted.
    • You can get application forms and information about testing dates for the TOEFL from many U.S. consulates, USIA centers, and TOEFL centers overseas by writing to: TOEFL Registration, CN 6152, Princeton, New Jersey 08541 USA, or www.toefl.org.
    • The TOEFL score is not required if you meet both of the following criteria: You are a citizen of the United States, Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Guyana, an anglophone country of Africa, or an English-speaking country of the Caribbean AND your native language is English.

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