Welcome

Designed for nurses with a masters degree in nursing, our two-year, full time program allows you to earn a doctoral degree while continuing in your practice.

Transforming health care, especially for vulnerable populations, recognizes the critical need for clinicians to design, evaluate, and continuously improve the context within which care is delivered. Nurses prepared at the doctoral level with a blend of practice, organizational, economic, and leadership skills are able to evaluate and apply clinical evidence and science to design systems of care delivery that are locally acceptable, economically feasible, and have significant impact on health care outcomes.

Flexible Web-Based Program
As the first college to develop a web-based nursing program, we are experienced in providing the support you need to succeed with distance learning. To provide flexibility and eliminate the need to commute daily to campus, we use:

• Web-based curriculum and self-directed learning.
• Weekend seminars at the Pomona, CA, campus twice per semester.
• Clinical projects, including a culminating practice immersion project, completed in your own community.

Are you ready for distance learning? Take the College of Graduate Nursing's Distance Education Self-Assessment 

Will this program meet my needs?
WesternU's flexible web-based program leading to a DNP will meet your needs if you are:

• A masters prepared nurse wishing to advance your career.
• An advanced practice clinician, or in an advanced nursing role, and want to
  earn a doctorate while working and keeping your family commitments.
• A masters prepared nurse who wants to develop expertise in the care of vulnerable populations.
• A masters prepared nurse living in a rural area, small community, or on active military duty who needs the convenience of a web-based program.

We prepare our graduates to assume practice leadership roles in nursing and healthcare as: doctorally prepared clinicians, executives of healthcare organizations, directors of clinical programs, and faculty, among other roles. 

Learn More

There are many ways for you to visit campus to learn more about our programs and we encourage you to attend a WesternU Preview Day. We also invite you to sign up for our electronic mailing list and "like" us on Facebook. Please feel free to contact Dr. Jan Boller if you still have questions.

View the College of Graduate Nursing website to learn more about the profession.