DNP Program – Redirect

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The FMU Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree prepares nurses to work in clinical practice roles that apply evidence-based practice to patients, systems, and populations in order to improve health with a focus on rural populations. Three degree tracks are available:

• MSN to DNP, for students who already hold an advanced practice nursing license.
• BSN to FNP/DNP, which provides a seamless transition from the baccalaureate to the doctoral level for family nurse practitioners.
• BSN to PMHNP/DNP, which provides a seamless transition from the baccalaureate to the doctoral level for psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioners.

Students must be licensed and/or practicing in states included in the NLC Compact. States NOT included in the compact are: California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Hawaii, & Alaska, US Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.

Admission requirements and deadlines are posted on the DNP Applications and Forms page.

Upon acceptance into the DNP program, learners must provide documentation of the following onto our online documentation system from CastleBranch:

• Satisfactory criminal background check and drug screen
• Annual TB skin test
• Immunizations including Hepatitis B and Varicella
• American Heart Association (AHA) CPR Certification for healthcare providers
• Malpractice Insurance
• Current, unencumbered nursing license

• Nursing Student Handbooks
• Scholarship Opportunities
• University Fees & Expenses

The DNP application process is mostly done online. Both the MSN-to-DNP and BSN-to-DNP tracks are available for Fall admission only. All applicants must submit the following materials:

• Application fee ($41)
• Graduate nursing application
• Official transcripts from all institutions attended
• Three letters of professional recommendation
• Admission essay
• Resume or CV
• Current RN license or final BS(N) transcript

MSN-to-DNP applicants must additionally provide:

• Master of Science (Nursing) degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater
• A valid, unencumbered APRN (advanced practice registered nurse) license

The instructions below will walk you through the steps of the application process. All required documents may be submitted by clicking the button below.

Be sure to provide a current email address when filling out your application. We will use that email address to communicate with you through the rest of the application process.

You will receive an email notification when each of your references responds. Please ask your references to check their junk email folder, since the request emails are occasionally misidentified as spam.

Instructions for BSN-to-DNP applicants

Your essay should be approximately 500 words, and must address the following:

1. Identify an area of interest.
2. Describe why you are interested in this area.
3. Discuss a topic that is relevant to the current healthcare environment.
4. Discuss how the topic can become an evidence-based practice leadership project.
5. Synthesize how the issue is relevant to the role of the DNP-prepared nurse and the implementation of evidence-based practice.

Please have official electronic transcripts sent to graduate@fmarion.edu.

If your school does not provide electronic transcripts, please have hard copies sent to:

Francis Marion University
PO Box 100547
Florence, SC 29502-0547

We require official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended, including transfer credits. We do not require high school transcripts for graduate applicants. Transcripts from institutions outside of the U.S. must be certified by World Education Services (WES).

We will notify you by email once all your application materials have been received. We review applications on a rolling basis as they are completed. Once your application has been reviewed, you will receive formal notification of your admission status by paper mail.

Applications to the Graduate School in Nursing are processed on a rolling basis. The application deadline is one week before classes start. However, you need to make sure your application is in with enough time for the school to receive your transcripts and for financial aid to be processed.