Doctor of Nursing Practice | MGH Institute of Health Professions

Doctor of Nursing Practice for Advanced Practice Nurses and Nurse Executives

Innovate, Improve and Transform. At the MGH Institute’s innovative Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, you’ll join a cohort of current and aspiring nurse leaders preparing to shape the future of health care. Learn from faculty who are authorities in areas such as innovation, design and improvement science, leadership, population health, and informatics. And receive one-on-one mentoring throughout the program.

During this intensive 34-credit program designed for advanced practice nurses -- including CRNAs, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse Practitioners, and Nurse Midwives; as well as nurses engaged in advanced nursing practice in nurse executive roles, nursing leadership, policy, or informatics -- you will engage in one, fully integrated 9-credit course per semester, and complete a DNP project, developed throughout the program. You will also immerse yourself in an innovative, cohort-structured curriculum that includes:

Weekend intensives twice a semester on our Boston campus

10 live, online classes and seminars each semester

Flexible, independent online learning modules

Interested in a DNP degree but don't have an MSN yet? View information about our Post-BSN to DNP program.

Watch a Video on the DNP Program

"What I treasure most about the IHP's DNP program are the relationships I’ve developed within my cohort and learning alongside dedicated, experienced, innovative nurses from a wide range of practice settings. While most of our engagement is online, we’ve come to know each other very well through discussions and team assignments."

Cynthia Holle, DNP '16, MBA, RN

4 Semesters/16 Months

Complete online courses with brief, on-site immersive learning

Experts in the Field

Will mentor and coach you throughout your course of study

The IHP Advantage

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Case Study Model

Learn through real life cases during site visits to world-class health care organizations.

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Access to Expertise

Interact with world-renowned clinicians and nurse leaders at some of the nation’s leading hospitals and health centers, including Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, enhancing your leadership capacity.

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Individual Mentoring

Receive one-on-one mentoring from a dedicated advisor helping you to develop and refine your concentration focus.

An Innovative, Integrated Curriculum

In our innovative curriculum, you will immerse yourself in one comprehensive, integrated semester-long course each term. You'll collaborate and learn with a dynamic and engaging faculty team, all leaders and clinicians involved in their own scholarship. And, as you progress, each semester will build upon the previous one:

Semester 1

PREPARE

by discovering the theory and science of nursing and health care, targeting a specific area for your scholarly project.

Semester 2

BUILD

the foundation you will need to assess practice environments, organizational behavior, and population health.

Semester 3

APPLY

what you've learned to translate evidence into practice and improve outcomes (clinical) or innovate and lead (executive).

Semester 4

SYNTHESIZE

and disseminate your DNP education into a scholarly project to improve processes, change policies, or redesign systems.

To learn more about our innovative and integrated DNP curriculum, view a recording of our most recent webinar.

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DNP Project

Your education will culminate in a DNP Project that will enable you to design, implement, and evaluate an effective solution to a real-life, workplace challenge. Throughout your project, a faculty mentor and experts in the field will help you implement evidence-based practices that will ultimately bring about meaningful change. Past projects include:

Leadership Behaviors of Experienced Nurse Executives: Are They Authentic?

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Between Community Health Workers and the Primary Care Team

Assessment of a Professional Practice Environment at a Private Hospital in Shanghai, China

Moral Distress and Work Environments in Intensive Care Units

Read more about DNP Projects

Learn from Experts

Meet our program's Director

Margie Hamilton Sipe, DNP, RN, NEA-BC

Technology, Quality Improvement, and Nursing Leadership Expertise

Why is learning about health care informatics and outcomes important?

“Because Informatics is key to everything an advanced practice nurse does, my students need to understand it from clinician, leader, and patient perspectives. They also need to know how to manage, execute, and evaluate improvement science projects. Ultimately, this knowledge empowers them to become more influential voices at the table, by using microsystem analysis and sound metrics to advocate for quality improvement and better outcomes.”

Meet more of our faculty