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Fastest Online DNP Programs

Award Badge for Schools with the Fastest Online DNP ProgramsWhat follows is a breezy guide to the shortest online Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. We’ve sorted and analyzed dozens of programs to cover how many months they take, how many semesters you’ll be studying, and the number of credits and clinical hours you’ll complete.

By definition, post-master’s DNPs are the shortest, so we’ll focus on these. But first, we’ll give a brief overview of how different DNP programs are structured.

Featured Schools

School Name Program Name More Info
Grand Canyon University Online Doctor of Nursing Practice website
The University of Texas at Arlington Online Doctor of Nursing Practice website
Regis College Online MSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice website
Regis College Online BSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice website
Capella University Online DNP Program (BSN-DNP or MSN-DNP) website
Liberty University Online Doctor of Nursing Practice (BSN-DNP or MSN-DNP) website
Simmons University Online Post-Master's Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) website
Georgetown University Online BSN to DNP Program website
Sacred Heart University Online Post-Master's Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) website
Duquesne University Online Doctor of Nursing Practice (BSN-DNP or MSN-DNP) website
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How Long Are DNP programs?

The length of a DNP program depends on multiple factors:

  • The pathway you choose, such as BSN-DNP or MSN-DNP
  • Whether you enroll part-time or full-time
  • Whether you’re seeking a specialization and/or dual degree

Though some schools admit nurses with associate degrees or offer post-doctoral certificates for nurses switching specialties, there are three standard pathways:

Post-Bachelor’s DNP

Registered nurses who hold a BSN can expect to take three to four years getting their DNP–and four or five years if they attend part-time. The exact number of credit hours depends on the specialty but is typically in the range of 75 – 80 units. This includes at least 1,000 clinical hours.

Post-Master’s DNP without Specialty

Post-bachelor’s DNP programs often frontload coursework in the specialization toward the first few years of the program — some even grant an MSN midway through. For that reason, many post-master’s DNPs are more general. They’re a combo of advanced didactic coursework and classes needed to complete the DNP project. Students take two to three years; accelerated programs wrap up in just one to two. These programs usually involve half the number of credits of a post-bachelor’s DNP, putting them around 35 – 40 credits, including up to 500 clinical hours.

Post-Master’s DNP with Specialty

Some post-master’s programs do allow for specialization, oftentimes a different one from what the student explored for their MSN. Most specializations have a core that necessarily adds credits to the program. Therefore, some can be just as long as a post-bachelor’s program — around 75 credits over four or five years. Common tracks for current APRNs include Leadership and Nurse Executive. Non-APRNs may have to hunt for specializations like Family Nurse Practitioner or Gerontology.

What Are the Minimum DNP Program Requirements?

Now that you know how long the standard DNP program is, let’s look at the minimum requirements in terms of credits and practice hours.

How Many Credits Are the Shortest DNP Programs?

A short DNP program might be anywhere between 21 and 40 credits, depending on both program structure and the number of practicum hours enrollees bring in from an MSN program. The average for a fast program is 33-35 credits.

As you’ll see from our listings further down the page, the difference between a fast program and a standard one isn’t typically credits — it’s structure. While faster DNPs might drop a course requirement, they are scheduled so that students can fit more into a single term.

Minimum Clinical Practice Hour Requirements

Clinical practice hours are activities that allow students to apply skills they’ve learned and master them in real-life settings. They’re required to make sure nurses are qualified to work in patient-care settings. At the post-master’s level, most of these hours count toward a final DNP project.

To be accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), a DNP program needs to include at least 1,000 hours of post-baccalaureate practice. CCNE allows schools with post-master’s DNP programs to calculate how many credits students have left based on how many they entered with. Since a master’s level nurse practitioner program needs to include at least 500 clinical hours, that means students coming in with an MSN need at most 500 hours. The range required for the fastest programs is 300 to 500, with an average of around 450. This is partly because many of the shortest programs eschew specializations, which can add practicum requirements.

Looking at speed another way, you may want to calculate your commute time. Students get practicums in one of two ways. First, they can find their own. Often, this can be a student’s workplace as long as they’re in a different role at the hospital and aren’t getting paid. Second, students can choose from practicum sites arranged by the school. Online programs may have smaller networks in your area, so prepare to drive a bit. Otherwise, roll up your sleeves and help find a site that works for you.

What to Expect from a One-Year DNP Program

Let’s be realistic: It’s only possible to finish up a DNP program in under two years if you’re starting with credits under your belt and are willing to take a full load year-round. Here are three things to expect from the program:

  • You’ll be required to come in with an MSN and, quite likely, certification as an advanced practice registered nurse – that is, a certified clinical nurse specialist (CNS), certified nurse practitioner (CNP), certified nurse-midwife (CNM) or certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA).
  • You’ll sign up to be a full-time student or even take a bit above a full load. That can mean taking time off from work or altering your schedule significantly.
  • You may have to take classes or clinicals during the summer semester.
  • There’s no room for specializations. If you want to continue along with a specialization, it means more credits and more time.

Here’s what that might look like in terms of a course plan:

Semester 1 (Fall):

You’ll start with at least nine credits from didactic courses. That translates to, at minimum, three courses. Also, expect to start working on your project right away. If only 40 or 50 hours are mandated at this point, you’ll be loaded up with clinical hours later. More equitable distribution is 120 hours or about three weeks of full-time work. Once you combine courses and clinicals, you’re looking at 10 credits or more total this term.

Semester 2 (Spring):

Programs often ramp up in one of two ways during the second term: with another didactic course or more clinical hours toward your project. A balanced degree will have three or four didactic courses and 120 – 150 hours toward a project.

Semester 3 (Summer or Fall):

Didactic coursework gets cut back to one or two classes in the third semester. Instead of attending class, you can spend as much as 240 clinical hours finishing up your project, meaning you’re still probably taking more than 10 credits. Alternatively, four-semester programs usually have a low-key summer or fall, giving students a breather toward the end.

In all, you’re looking at 6 to 12 courses throughout the program plus a standard 500 clinical hours. Most of those hours are split across three DNP project sessions — one per term — but sometimes a few are dedicated to another practicum. In the case of online programs, especially those with block scheduling, most schools are quite flexible about when clinical hours occur.

The Shortest Online DNP Programs

Chatham University

Online Doctor of Nursing Practice

  • Program Length: 12 months (3 semesters)
  • Credits Required: 27 credits
  • Clinical Practice Hours Required: 500 hours
  • Online Format: 14-week online courses; one on-campus residency
Students can enroll in the full-time program and be done in three semesters; the part-time program takes five. Students take three separate courses toward their 500-credit capstone.

Delta State University

Online Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (Family Nurse Practitioner)

  • Program Length: 1.5 years (3 semesters)
  • Credits Required: 31 credits
  • Clinical Practice Hours Required: 420 hours
  • Specializations Offered: Family Nurse Practitioner
  • Online Format: Visit campus one to three times per semester; clinicals in Arkansas or Mississippi only
The 31-credit program can be completed in either three or five semesters. Students take 420 clinical hours toward the scholarly project; those coming in with fewer than 580 clinical hours from their MSN have to make them up.

Emory University

Online Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice

  • Program Length: 4 semesters
  • Credits Required: 38 credits
  • Clinical Practice Hours Required: 360 hours
  • Specializations Offered: Health Systems Leadership Track; Population Health Track
  • Online Format: Hybrid program with mostly online coursework; some Saturday sessions required
The Health Systems Leadership and Population Health tracks at Emory take 39 credits to complete. Students can go all in and complete them in four semesters. The Population Health track also comes in a seven-semester format. Despite the quick pace, the program is designed for working nurses. To get everything in, students take full-day sessions on campus once or twice per term.

Francis Marion University

Online MSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice

  • Program Length: 1 year (3 semesters)
  • Credits Required: 30 credits
  • Clinical Practice Hours Required: 500 hours
  • Online Format: 100% online
FMU enrolls new DNP students in the fall. Full-timers can be done in a year, while part-timers spread courses and clinical hours across two full years. While only 500 clinical/project hours are required, the program budgets in 540.

Frontier Nursing University

Online Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice

  • Program Length: 15 or 18 months (5 – 6 semesters)
  • Credits Required: 28 credits
  • Clinical Practice Hours Required: 360 hours
  • Online Format: Three-day campus experience (orientation); 100% online coursework
Although 28 credits may seem low already, students who get an MSN or post-master’s certificate from FNU can grab a DNP in just 19 credits, thanks to overlapping coursework. Those with degrees from elsewhere choose between five- and six-semester course plans. The latter delays the start of capstone work until after all didactic courses are finished.

Gannon University

Online Doctor of Nursing Practice

  • Program Length: 1.5 years (4 – 6 semesters)
  • Credits Required: 26 – 32 credits
  • Clinical Practice Hours Required: 304 hours
  • Online Format: 100% online; not available to Tennessee students; Online Engagement Coordinators support online students
Students who bring in extra clinical hours from their MSN can wrap up a DNP at Gannon in 26 credits. Those who don’t have enough post-BSN clinical hours take a 1 – 6 credit course titled “Special Topics” to get up to the minimum.

Northeastern University

Online Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice

  • Program Length: 21 months (5 semesters)
  • Credits Required: 30 credits
  • Clinical Practice Hours Required: 500 hours
  • Online Format: Executive model; hybrid format
Motivated students can complete this executive-model hybrid program in five semesters; part-timers take seven. Northeastern grads can shave up to six credits off the 30-credit frame to get advanced standing. Others may be able to transfer in nine credits from a different program.

Ohio State University

Online Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice

  • Program Length: 5 semesters
  • Credits Required: 37 – 38 credits
  • Clinical Practice Hours Required: 500 hours
  • Specializations Offered: Clinical Expert Track; Nurse Executive Track
  • Online Format: 100% online coursework; students visit campus to defend their final projects
While the College of Nursing’s part-time DNP programs stretches across eight semesters, its full-time options can be completed in just five. Students choose between the Clinical Expert and Nurse Executive tracks, which don’t have a bearing on program length. Clinical Expert enrollees must have APRN status; aspiring Nurse Executives have an MSN, MBA, MPH, or similar degree.

University of Colorado Denver

Online Doctor of Nursing Practice

  • Program Length: Under 2 years (4 semesters)
  • Credits Required: 30 – 34 credits
  • Clinical Practice Hours Required: 450 – 540 hours
  • Specializations Offered: Leadership; Public Health Nursing
  • Online Format: All coursework available online; some on-campus requirements for student projects
Students can enter the DNP-APRN program in the fall or spring terms. While 20 didactic credits are hardwired into the program, project credits vary due to optional residencies spread across three terms. Enrollees with an MPH can go into the DNP-PHN program, which is structured similarly. Going into Health Systems Leadership or pursuing a DNP/MPH dual degree are possible but add significant time to the program.

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice Online

  • Program Length: 1 year (3 semesters)
  • Credits Required: 38 credits
  • Clinical Practice Hours Required: 360 hours
  • Online Format: Mostly online; one four-day session on-campus per semester
APRNs and nurses trained in nursing informatics, nursing leadership, or public health nursing can get their DNP online in one year from the UMN School of Nursing, even though the program requires a relatively high 38 units. The part-time version is two years, or six semesters. While the program is mostly online, students come to the Twin Cities for four straight days each term.

University of New Hampshire

Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice Online

  • Program Length: 18 – 28 months
  • Credits Required: 21 – 33 credits
  • Clinical Practice Hours Required: 500 hours
  • Online Format: Online coursework; two campus visits to connect with fellow students and faculty
UNH welcomes new cohorts in January and August. Enrollees complete all courses online except for two on-campus residencies. Students with fewer than 500 post-BSN clinical hours must take a two-credit clinical practicum.

Washington State University

Online Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice

  • Program Length: 1 – 2 years
  • Credits Required: 33 credits
  • Clinical Practice Hours Required: 480 hours
  • Online Format: Hybrid delivery; on-campus coursework completed in one to two day blocks; campus requirements can be completed in any of their three locations (Spokane, WSU Tri-Cities, WSU Vancouver)
RN, CRNA, CNM, and CNS enrollees with a master’s degree can finish this program in as few as three semesters at the WSU Spokane, Tri-Cities, or Vancouver campuses. The hybrid format means students attend in 1- to 2-day blocks. Taking the program part-time results in a 2- to 3-year plan.

School Rankings

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