The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree is conferred by the University after the student has successfully completed all requirements in an approved doctoral program of study in the School of Nursing. Specific program degree requirements are described in the College of Health and Human Services section of this Catalog.
Program of Study
No more than 6 credit hours will be accepted for transfer into the DNP program. This rule applies whether the courses were taken at UNC Charlotte or elsewhere. Eligibility of courses for transfer is determined jointly by the School of Nursing and the Graduate School.
Students are expected to satisfactorily complete all required coursework with a GPA of 3.0 or above in courses on the degree plan of study. Grades in all courses attempted, whether or not on the plan of study, remain on the transcript and will be included in the calculation of the student’s cumulative GPA as it is reported on the transcript. Courses graded as C on the degree plan of study must be offset by an equal number of graduate-level credits graded as A. Some programs may have stricter requirements regarding the applicability of grades of C towards degree completion. Please reference the program-specific entries of this Catalog. Students and faculty should refer to the Academic Suspension and Termination policies in this Catalog regarding the accumulation of marginal grades of C.
Time Limit
All requirements for a professional doctoral degree (DNP) must be completed within six (6) calendar years, beginning with the student’s first term in the program. The time limit cannot be paused, even if the student takes an approved leave of absence. No course older than six years may be applied towards a professional doctoral degree (including transfer credit). Any course that exceeds this limit must be retaken. Failure to adhere to the time limit may result in the termination of a student’s enrollment.
The Graduate School may consider requests for a single extension of one (1) year in cases with rare, extenuating circumstances. In such cases, the student and graduate program must provide a signed timeline for program completion that does not exceed one year. Failure to adhere to the approved timeline for completion will result in automatic termination of the student’s enrollment for a lack of satisfactory academic progress. Multiple extensions will not be approved.
Admission to Candidacy Requirements
Students are recommended for admission to candidacy after successfully completing the first project development course defense. A student may not achieve candidacy and graduate in the same term. Candidacy must be achieved at least one term prior to the term of graduation.
Scholarly Project
Students complete a DNP Scholarly Project in conjunction with their poject development courses. The DNP Scholarly Project is a practice-focused quality improvement project that brings together the practice and scholarship aspects of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. It is designed to address complex practice issues that affect groups of patients or healthcare organizations. The clinical scholarship required in the DNP Scholarly Project reflects mastery and competency in the student’s area of expertise. The DNP Scholarly Project is completed through a four-course series spanning four semesters, culminating in a written and professional dissemination activity (defense). Defense of the Scholarly Project is conducted in a final oral examination to an audience, which can include a verbal or poster presentation to a professional meeting, a clinical organization, or to an audience of students and faculty. The defense constitutes the final exam for a doctoral student. The decision of the faculty advisory committee is final. In the rare event of a split decision, typically the faculty come to an agreement as to whether the student defense is acceptable. No student is permitted to take the final examination more than twice.
The DNP Scholarly Project is guided by the DNP Scholarly Project Advisory Committee. The composition of the DNP Scholarly Project Advisory Committee includes: 1) a chair who is a doctoral prepared faculty member with regular graduate faculty status at UNC Charlotte; 2) an expert, doctoral prepared clinical mentor (Ph.D., DNP, M.D. or other doctoral prepared individual; and 3) one additional faculty member. It is the responsibility of the DNP Scholarly Project Advisory Committee to guide the student through project planning, implementation, and evaluation. The committee for doctoral students is indicated on the Appointment of Doctoral Dissertation and Scholarly Project Committee form (available online at the Graduate School’s website).
It is expected that all Scholarly Project committee members be present for the Scholarly Project proposal defense and for the final defense. If there is an exceptional case in which a committee member needs to participate in the proposal or final defense from a remote location, the student and all committee members must agree prior to the defense. Additionally, the student must ensure that the defense is open to the public.
The final defense of the Scholarly Project has two components: a written paper and a public professional presentation of the project. The professional presentation may take different forms but must be approved by the Advisory Committee Chair. The Scholarly Project written paper must be submitted for final review to the student’s committee at least two weeks before the date of the final defense. Following the successful completion of this defense, the DNP student will submit one electronic copy of the approved error-free written paper to Atkins Library’s Niner Commons no later than the filing date indicated in the University calendar. Guidelines for the preparation of the written scholarly project are available in the DNP Handbook. Each student must submit the Scholarly Project Completion Form to the Graduate School after a successful final defense.
As a research university, UNC Charlotte contributes to the scholarly community through the work of faculty and graduate students. DNP students are required to submit their scholarly projects to Atkins Library’s Niner Commons, an online repository for scholarly work at UNC Charlotte. To deposit work in Niner Commons, an author must maintain the right to publish in an institutional depository. Although the author of the work retains the copyright, open access may impact the likelihood of publication in some journals.
Under certain circumstances, research may need to be temporarily withheld from publications or “embargoed.” Such restrictions may be requested when a:
- a) patent application is expected;
- b) publication has been submitted and the publisher’s copyright excludes publication of the work in an institutional repository. In this case, a screen shot of the journal policy must be included.
- c) contract with an outside entity, such as a government agency, requires that the research be embargoed temporarily.
To request an embargo of a dissertation or thesis, the student and the advisor must submit a request to the Graduate School, which will include supporting documentation. Embargoes may be requested for up to one year, after which time the document will be made available through NinerCommons. In extraordinary circumstances, an extension to the embargo may be requested.
Application for Degree
Students should submit the Online Graduation Application at the beginning of the term in which they anticipate defending their dissertation. Adherence to Graduate School deadlines is expected. Degree requirements are completed when students successfully defend their Scholarly Project and file the final copy of the Scholarly Project in the Graduate School. Students are encouraged to review their individual DegreeWorks audit to ensure they have met all graduation requirements.
Students participate in the commencement ceremony at the end of the term in which they complete their degree and/or certificate requirements.