Program Structure
The program is structured in a cohort model. One cohort a year will be admitted to begin in the fall term. Students can choose to take full or part-time study. Students taking full-time study take two didactic offerings, two seminars, and a practicum each semester. Students in full-time study can complete the post-master’s DNP-TCN curriculum in 20 months, including completion of the DNP project. Students selecting part-time study take one didactic offering, one seminar, and a practicum each semester. As a part-time student, completion of the program is expected to take 32 months, including completion of the DNP project.
The DNP curriculum is organized into 33 semester credits comprised of didactic classes, experiential practica, and seminars, with a DNP project completing the degree. As a practice doctorate, the emphasis is on building leadership and practice skills in knowledge application among diverse population groups. The goal is to improve health and decrease health inequities that lead to unnecessary morbidity and mortality in communities.
Students graduating from the DNP-TCN track are eligible to apply to the Transcultural Nursing Certification Commission (TCNCC) for advanced certification in Transcultural Nursing.
Didactic
A total of six didactic courses (18 semester credits) constitute the DNP program. One didactic course equals three semester credits. The DNP courses (NUR 800 level) are taught in a hybrid format using zoom technology, synchronous and asynchronous instruction to meet the needs of working adults. Synchronous classes typically meet for four or five hours once a month.
Practica
Practica are organized to give flexibility and individual choice to students to support their increasing independence and depth of practice experience at the doctoral level. Students select practicum experiences that are either structured immersions in a variety of cultural contexts led by nursing faculty or are student initiated and individually directed experiences mentored by nursing faculty.
In a 15-week semester, practicum hours are computed as follows:
- 1 semester credit hour = 45 clock hours of practicum time per semester
- 2 semester credit hours = 90 clock hours of practicum time per semester
- 3 semester credit hours = 135 clock hours of practicum time per semester
To earn the DNP, students must complete a total of 1,000 practicum hours in their DNP program. Students will be allowed to transfer up to 600 practicum hours from their master’s in nursing into the Augsburg DNP. As such, all students will register for at least nine semester credits of practica in the post-master’s DNP-TCN.
An orientation to the DNP program is typically scheduled in September that provides 45 hours of practica. This five day practicum immerses students in ways of knowing of the Lakota people and students spend time at Custer State Park, South Dakota.
Study Abroad and Away
The Department of Nursing works closely with cultural guides and nurse mentors in various contexts of care in emerging care settings at home and abroad. The Center for Global Education and Experience is a partner with the Department of Nursing in developing and facilitating study abroad opportunities in Guatemala; Mexico; Namibia and Pine Ridge, SD. for example. A detailed listing of practica and immersion experiences abroad and away can be found at the nursing website (www.augsburg.edu/nursing).
Seminars
Seminars focus on integration of conceptual learning with field practice and developing the student’s particular practice interests. Students are required to participate in a doctoral seminar every semester —fall and spring—until completion of the DNP degree. Cohorts of students who enter the DNP program together usually progress as a group in the seminars in which they enroll each semester, depending on whether they are studying full-time or part-time. The final seminar (NUR 841) culminates in the DNP project presentation and completion of the requirements for the DNP degree.
Final DNP Project
Final DNP projects must make a significant impact on nursing practice and health outcomes of populations and communities, demonstrate an evidence-based contribution to existing nursing knowledge, and be suitable for presentation or publication in a peer-reviewed venue. Through this scholarly project students demonstrate leadership in synthesizing and applying scientific knowledge to practice challenges in local and/or system wide contexts of care. Students should begin working on their DNP projects in the early stages of the DNP program and continue throughout the program. The student’s scholarly project is planned in collaboration with a major faculty advisor.