DNP Programs in Illinois (IL)

Governors State University
College of Health and Human Services

Governors State University’s College of Health and Human Services offers two entry points to their Doctor of Nursing Practice degree: a post-Baccalaureate DNP program and a post-Master’s DNP program.

The post-Baccalaureate program offers two options for specialization:

• Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Nursing Administration

Post-Baccalaureate students must complete 42 credit hours of study at the Master’s level before moving on to the 44-47 credit hours of Doctorate-level courses required for post-Master’s students.

Applicants to the post-Baccalaureate DNP program must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from an accredited program, preferably with a 3.5 or higher undergraduate GPA.

Applicants to the post-Master’s DNP program must hold a Master’s in Nursing from an accredited program, preferably with a graduate GPA of 3.5 or higher.

All applicants must hold a license as a registered nurse in the state where they plan to complete practice requirements before enrolling in clinical courses.

Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education

1 University Parkway
University Park, IL 60484
(708) 534-500

Loyola University Chicago
Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing

Loyola University Chicago’s Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing offers practice-based Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program to Advanced Practice Nurses and Nurse Administrators. The program was established in 2009.

Loyola’s program was designed as an MSN to DNP program, but nurses with a Master’s in a field other than Nursing will also be considered. It is a two year cohort program. Courses are offered in a blended format with most courses delivered online while requiring students to attend a 2-3 day class once per semester on campus in Maywood, IL. The program requires 34-39 credit hours of course work.

Loyola offers two specialty tracks:

• Healthcare Quality Using Education in Safety & Technology
• Population-based Infection Prevention & Environmental Safety

Applicants must hold a Master’s degree from an accredited program with a minimum graduate GPA of 3.25. If the graduate GPA requirements cannot be met then the student will be required to present competitive scores from the GRE. Candidates must be licensed as a registered nurse in the US, and if applicable, be certified in their advanced practice specialty role. They will also be required to have one year of full-time clinical experience in their specialty area within the past four years.

Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education

2160 South First Ave
Building 105-2840
Maywood, IL 60153
(708) 216-9101

Rush University
College of Nursing

Rush University offers the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree through it’s College of Nursing. There program offers many options in advanced practice nursing and nursing administration/leadership specialization. Rush offers prospective students a variety of DNP options.

They offer a Doctor of Nursing Practice with Clinical Specialty Certification for BSN and MSN prepared applicants with advanced practice certification role options of Nurse Practitioner (NP), Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), and Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).

The Nurse Practitioner options include:

• Family NP
• Pediatric – Acute Care NP
• Pediatric – Primary Care NP
• Neonatal NP
• Adult-Gerontology – Acute Care NP
• Adult-Gerontology – Primary Care NP
• Psychiatric – Mental health NP

The Clinical Nurse Specialist options include:

• Pediatric CNS
• Neonatal CNS
• Adult-Gerontology CNS
• Adult-Gerontology Critical Care CNS

While the NP and CNS options can be completed online, the Nurse Anesthetist option is offered only in a campus-based format.

Rush also offers a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Advanced Public Health Nursing degree to BSN and MSN prepared nurses. This program can be completed online as well.

There are two Nurse Leadership options offered at Rush. The Doctor of Nursing Practice – Systems Leadership degree is a post-Master’s program. The Doctor of Nursing Practice – Enhancing Population Health Outcomes degree is offered to MSN prepared Advanced Practice Nurses.

Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education

600 South Paulina St
Suite 440
Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 942-7117

Saint Francis Medical Center
College of Nursing

The College of Nursing at Saint Francis medical Center in Peoria, IL offers the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The program is a post-Master’s degree.

The program requires 39 credit hours for completion and is designed for part-time study so that students can continue to work while earning the DNP degree. It is typically completed over a three year period.

Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education

511 NE Greenleaf Street
Peoria, IL 61603
(309) 655-2230

University of Illinois at Chicago
College of Nursing

University of Illinois at Chicago offers the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree through the College of Nursing. The program is designed to prepare nursing leaders for the highest level of clinical nursing practice.

UIC offers three different entries into their DNP program:

• Post-Master’s DNP
• BSN to DNP
• Transition DNP

Within the Post-Master’s DNP program there are three options available to the student. Students holding a Master of Science in Nursing can improve upon their direct care or systems-focused skills acquired as part of their MSN curriculum by pursuing the standard Post-Masters degree option. Students holding a Master’s degree and who have management experience who seek to become executive-level nurse leaders can pursue the Post-Masters Executive Nursing Leadership degree option. Lastly, Master’s prepared nurses who would like to obtain a new specialty role can pursue the Post-Master’s with New Specialty degree option. The student may choose from the following new specialty roles:

• Nurse-Midwifery
• Nurse-Midwifery/Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner
• Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner
• Family Nurse Practitioner
• School / Family Nurse Practitioner
• Occupational Health / Family Nurse Practitioner
• Primary Care Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
• Acute Care Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
• Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
• Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
• Psychiatric-Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Advanced Community Health Nurse Specialist
• Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Occupational Health / Advanced Community Health Nurse Specialist

Additional courses and practicum are required in the specialty role for those choosing this option.

Note: The Post-Master’s with New Specialty DNP is taught in a blended format, combining online and classroom sessions. The other two Post-Master’s options are taught online.

The BSN to DNP program offers students with a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing to bypass the Master’s degree and move directly through the program. Along the way to their DNP degree, the will obtain an advanced practice specialty. Essentially, all of the core MSN advanced practice and specialty concentration Master’s-level courses are required in addition to the Doctorate-level DNP courses. BSN to DNP students can choose from the same specialty roles listed above for Post-Master’s with New Specialty students. Similarly, the courses for this program are taught in a blended format.

The final Transition DNP program is available to licensed registered nurses that hold a Bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field. This program is very similar to the BSN to DNP program except Transition students are required to take an additional 1-4 courses.

Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education

845 South Damen Ave
MC 802
Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 996-7800

University of St. Francis

University of St. Francis was the fourth university in Illinois to offer a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The post-Master’s program prepares nurses to prove the highest level of nursing care to individuals and populations in a variety of settings.

USF’s DNP program is delivered totally online and available to students across the US. It requires 37 credit hourse for completion unless the student wishes to obtain a Nursing Education Concentration which wil prepare them for the NLN Certfication Exam in which case the program requires 40 credit hours to complete.

Applicants must have graduated from an accredited Master’s degree program in Nursing with a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0. Students should be licensed as a registered nurse and be nationally certified as a Nurse Practitioner or Clinical Nurse Specialist (or be certification exam eligible). The must be licensed as an Advanced Practice Nurse in the state where they intend to complete their practice requirements.

Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education

500 Wilcox Street
Joliet, IL 60435
(800) 735-7500