The school takes a holistic view in reviewing applications. Areas reviewed include discussion of health-related experience, relevant work/volunteer experience, personal experiences that may have affected grades (please explain any interruptions in education), personal strengths and weaknesses, rationale for choice of profession & long term goals, and any other relevant information you feel the admissions committee should know.

No. If you are an alumni of UTMB you do not have to submit your transcripts. You will still have to log into NursingCAS, submit all other required documents, and after you submit your application, email the Office of Student Affairs & Admissions at son.studentaffairs@utmb.edu and let them know that you have submitted your application and you are an alumni. We will attach your transcripts to your application for you. If you have attended another university after you attended UTMB, then you will have to follow the previous instructions and submit only the transcript of the school attended after UTMB.

Graduate students may transfer up to twelve (12) credit hours. After you are admitted to the UTMB School of Nursing, you may submit a petition to the Graduate Program Director for a transfer of credits. email the Office of Student Affairs & Admissions at son.studentaffairs@utmb.edu and inform them that you have courses that you would like to receive credit for and she will email you the necessary form with instructions on how to submit your petition for credit. After your petition is reviewed, you will be notified which courses are approved or denied for transfer credit.

Since the DNP program is online, this program does not meet the requirements for students who have VISAs for educational purposes and are required to enroll in courses offered on campus.

Applicants with international credits must submit an official course-by-course credentialing report to NursingCAS using one UTMB's required Credentialing Services. Please click here to see the Credentialing services approved by UTMB.

Yes. The graduate programs are approved by the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). UTMB is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The DNP is a terminal degree in nursing focused on practice. The PhD emphasizes fundamental research. In the DNP program, students complete a scholarly practice project, a form of inquiry that results in improved patient outcomes and transformations in health care.

Yes. All the courses are taught online.

Students are only required to come to campus once a semester for 2-3 days for on-campus seminars and classes and meetings with faculty and fellow students.

8 semesters.

Most students work full- or part-time. The program is part-time typically offering 2 courses each semester. Students should recognize that working and going to school is challenging, especially when balanced with other commitments such as a family. Students are encouraged to plan for how to best balance personal and work demands with the need for reading, study, and completing course assignments.

Students take two clinical practicum courses. Each course requires 180 hours of clinical practice. However, the clinical practice is different from typical MSN-level nurse practitioner clinical. In the DNP program students are looking at populations and systems rather than individuals. In addition, students are encouraged to spend clinical time with experts in various fields such as health policy, leadership, informatics, and practice management.

1,000 clinical hours are required in the MSN-DNP pathway. Up to 500 hours from MSN can count towards the 1,000. APRNs usually have 500 hours from their master's program, but ENL and CNL students typically have fewer clinical hours in their master's program; however, national certification (NE-BC, NEA-BC, CNML, or certified CNL) provides an additional 300 hours to apply towards the 500 hours from the master's program. Most students obtain the remaining 500 hours working on the Scholarly Project although direct patient care clinical experiences are acceptable.

The Scholarly Practice Project (sometimes referred to as a capstone project) is the culminating work in the DNP program. Students synthesize the skills gained in other courses to identify a clinical problem or need and develop an evidence-based approach to address this need or problem. The project must be practice based, address the need(s) of a vulnerable population, and should result in a change or improvement in practice.

UTMB graduate programs have one admission per year, each Fall.