To be considered for admission to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing to Doctorate in Nursing Practice, applicants must:

Admission shall be granted on a competitive basis; meeting the minimum requirements qualifies an individual for but does not guarantee admission to the program. Requirements for admission shall apply to all DNP applicants and shall include the following:

1. The applicant holds an acceptable bachelor's degree in nursing earned at an institution accredited by a regional accrediting association and a national professional accrediting association, as applicable. The applicant has completed equivalent academic preparation as determined by the appropriate campus authority.
2. The applicant has attained a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in an acceptable bachelor's degree in nursing as determined by the appropriate campus authority.
3. The applicant maintains active, unencumbered licensure to practice as a registered nurse in the state in which practicum experiences will be completed.
4. The applicant meets all requirements for credentialing or certification eligibility as appropriate to the nursing specialty area.
5. The applicant has demonstrated sufficient preparation and experience pertinent to nursing practice to be successful in doctoral education.
6. Evidence considered in the admission process shall include:
   1. letters of recommendation from professional persons knowledgeable about the applicant's nursing practice experience and the applicant's potential for scholarship and leadership.
   2. A written statement of purpose reflecting what the applicant expects to accomplish in the DNP program and how the DNP program will advance the applicant’s nursing career and practice. No more than three pages, 12-point font, double spaced.
7. A personal interview may be required prior to admission
8. The applicant shall meet any additional requirements established by the Chancellor in consultation with faculty and any additional requirements prescribed by the appropriate campus authority.

An applicant who does not qualify for admission may be admitted by special action if on the basis of acceptable evidence, the applicant is judged by the appropriate campus authority to possess sufficient academic and professional potential.

An applicant who is ineligible for admission because of deficiencies in prerequisite preparation may be admitted with conditionally classified graduate standing if, in the opinion of the program faculty, the deficiencies may be rectified by specified additional preparation, including examinations. An example of this is an RN from an accredited associate’s degree program and a baccalaureate degree in a discipline related to nursing (bridge courses will be required). The student shall be granted classified graduate standing upon rectification of the deficiencies and upon fulfillment of any other requirements as specified by the appropriate campus authority.

Prospective doctoral students must submit the following materials:

• A statement of purpose that outlines what the student expects to learn in the DNP program and how the DNP program will advance their career and practice. No more than three pages, 12-point font, double spaced.
• One set of unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended in the U.S. including transcripts from ALL community colleges attended where credit was earned as a high school student.

• Minimum of two letters of recommendation from current or previous work supervisors or professors from previous academic programs. It is strongly encouraged to submit one from a work supervisor and one from a professor. * The recommendation providers will also complete an online questionnaire about the applicant’s qualities such as communication, collaboration, and other social and academic skills.

*Applicants please provide the following instructions to the evaluators you will identify. There will be a space in your request where you can copy and paste the wording below: “Please copy and paste your letter of recommendation into the field titled: Evaluator Comments.”

• Submit a copy of current registered nursing license.
• Submit a copy of current resume or CV.

Applicants with foreign documents are required to submit one set of official, evaluated transcripts from all colleges and universities attended outside of the U.S. More information regarding approved third-party evaluation agencies can be found here. Please have the evaluation agency send electronic copies of the evaluated transcripts to gradtranscripts@csus.edu or have physical copies sent to the address below.

Office of Graduate Studies

California State University, Sacramento
Riverfront Center, Room 215, MS 6112
6000 J St.
Sacramento, CA 95819

Notice of the decision regarding admission will be communicated to the applicant after files are complete and reviewed. Students will be assigned a faculty advisor at the beginning of the school year.

Please upload the following required documents:

• A statement of purpose that outlines the goals and objectives for the pursuit of graduate study, and how the DNP program will advance your career and practice. Please also describe how previous and current educational preparation and work experience will contribute to success in a rigorous DNP program. No more than three pages, 12-point font, double spaced.
• One set of unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended including transcripts from ALL community colleges attended and colleges where credit was earned as a high school student or evidence of foreign document submission to an approved evaluation agency. If you have attended more than five colleges/universities, please combine unofficial transcripts. Five uploaded documents are the maximum allowed. Missing documents will result in a delay of application processing.
• A copy of your current registered nursing license.
• Current resume or CV.

A minimum of two letters of recommendation are required from current or previous work supervisors or professors from previous academic programs. It is strongly encouraged to submit one from a work supervisor and one from a professor. The recommendation providers will also complete an online questionnaire about the applicant’s qualities such as communication, collaboration, and other social and academic skills.

Once you have saved an electronic recommendation, an email request will automatically be sent to the recommender on your behalf. Please advise your recommender to look for this email in their inbox, as well as their spam or junk-mail folder, as emails do occasionally get filtered out.

The BSN-to-DNP program is a 72-semester unit, three-year (full-time) program (including summers) that prepares graduates for leadership and education roles in nursing and the ability to engage in evidence-based inquiry. The program includes curriculum delivered fully online, clinical practicum experiences arranged in collaboration with the student, three brief on-campus intensives to build a community of scholars and assess student learning, and an in person oral defense of the project.

The Sacramento State BSN-DNP hybrid program is composed of three components of study.

1. Core courses. There are 22 required nursing courses (57 credits) that all students must complete at Sacramento State. Transfer credits for these requirements will be evaluated by the Office of Graduate Studies for equivalency.
2. Leadership or Education Practicum: There is 1 clinical practicum (3 units/135 hours) specific to your chosen focus, and 1 Independent practicum residency (4 units/180 hours) Additional hours to meet the 1,000 required hours are spread throughout the curriculum through a combination of direct and indirect hours.
3. Doctoral Project: There are 4 courses (8 units) required to complete the doctoral project.

BSN-DNP Course Roadmap

Do I need to have my RN license in California to apply for the program?

Yes, you can apply if you have an active, unencumbered, unrestricted current RN license in California.

Is the program online?

The program is fully online with both synchronous and asynchronous work, with field experiences in advanced clinical and role concepts and functional role preparations. On campus intensives prior to the start of each fall are the only times that you will be on campus

How long is the program?

The program is 3 years of full-time study. If you still have prerequisites to complete prior to entering the program this may be longer.

When does the program start?

We plan to start the first cohort in Fall 2026.

What is the GPA requirement?

The applicant must have attained a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in an acceptable bachelor's degree in nursing as determined by the appropriate campus authority.

Who can I call or email if I have additional questions?

The Graduate Program Coordinator and/or the Graduate Administrative Assistant should be able to answer your questions or seek out an answer to your questions.

Can this program be completed part-time?

There is currently not a part-time option. The program is designed to be attended on a full-time basis. Students can request a leave of absence if needed and will rejoin a cohort when next available.

How much does the program cost?

Information on tuition and other costs can be found on the CSUS Bursar’s Office website.

Is the Sacramento State DNP program accredited?

Currently all our nursing programs at Sac State are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The process for accreditation of a new program is to file with CCNE to notify them that we are starting a program and to request an accreditation visit. Now that our program has been approved, we are in the process of filing with CCNE. Students must be enrolled for one academic year prior to the accreditation visit. Once approved, accreditation is backdated and graduates would be listed as being awarded their degree from an accredited program.

California State University, Sacramento, is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and in turn so is the School of Nursing.

Can I work while attending the program?

The program is designed so that students can work full-time, and, with permission of current employer, the doctoral project may be completed within the students’ work setting if appropriate. The curriculum is a doctoral program and designed to be rigorous. Keeping this in mind along with other commitments, students may need to cut back on hours.

How often are students admitted to the program?

Students are admitted once per year in the Fall and will follow a cohort design throughout the program.

How many clinical hours are required?

The program requires a total of 1,000 hours, these hours are integrated throughout the courses in the program. This is a combination of direct and indirect hours.

The purpose of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is to prepare advanced practice nurses at the highest professional level of nursing practice and to advance the application of nursing knowledge for the purpose of improving health care to diverse population and translate research into practice. Graduates of the program are prepared to assume leadership positions in nursing and health care, both at system and direct patient care levels or in education. Graduates contribute to quality improvement and patient safety through systems thinking, reflective practice, informatics, translation science, and evidence-based clinical practice. The curriculum is based on the American Associate of Colleges of Nursing Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Education (AACN, 2021), and learning outcomes are mapped to the 10 Domains, Competencies, and Sub-Competencies for Advanced-level Nursing Education. The DNP program meets the requirements established by the California State University Chancellor Office Executive Order 1067 and the Commission on Collegiate of Nursing Education (CCNE) which accredits the School of Nursing. The DNP program is designed for full-time professionals and individuals with personal and family-related obligations with most of the coursework being online with on-campus intensives at the beginning of each fall semester and for the final oral defense of the project. The DNP program is cohort-based and designed to be completed in eight semesters (continuing year-round to include summers) of full-time study. The program consists of 72 units of study (34 graduate level units, 33 doctoral units) and a doctoral project.

The School of Nursing prepares nurses to lead diverse individuals, families, and communities in achieving optimal health through nursing science, collaborative practice, advocacy, and service.

Vision

The School of Nursing (SoN) transforms health care through innovative nursing education, community partnerships, and policy engagement.

Core Values

We believe that the SoN serves its students and the society at large by creating an environment in which faculty and students pursue the knowledge of nursing practice guided by the following core values:

• Caring
• Professionalism
• Integrity
• Advocacy
• Collaboration
• Inclusion
• Equity
• Leadership

Upon successful completion of the DNP program, the student will be able to:

1. Assess, analyze, evaluate, and manage complex health environments serving diverse populations to improve patient and population health outcomes;
2. Apply clinical scholarship and available evidence to make clinical and system decisions incorporating professional values and ethical principles;
3. Support and improve patient care and health care systems through the use of clinical practice models, health policy, informatics, and organizational leadership skills;
4. Advocate for clinical prevention, and evidence-based measures to promote health equity at institutional, local, state, and/or federal levels through interprofessional teams and community stakeholders’ collaboration;
5. Evaluate the process of collaborating at an advanced level within the scope of practice to influence health policy to address social determinants of health and health disparities, for specific populations along the healthcare continuum;
6. Develop creative educational programs for systems to address patient needs, staff development, student learning, and student achievement;
7. Sponsor and model ethical decision making for self, community, patient, family, and healthcare delivery systems;
8. Adapt organizational and systems leadership for quality improvement and systems thinking.