Nursing (BSN-DNP)

Nursing (BSN-DNP) Overview

Chatham’s BSN to DNP Executive Track is designed for nurses holding a BSN who want to fast-track their career and lead clinical change at the executive level. This competitive program focuses on leadership excellence; advocacy and policy; health promotion; and global health.

Degrees Offered

BSN-DNP

Program School

School of Health Sciences

Admission Deadlines

Rolling

We evaluate applications on a rolling basis. Fall starts are available.

Credits Required

48

The BSN to DNP Executive Track allows the student to complete two graduate degrees in only 48 credits.

Cost Per Credit

$855-$1,126

Cost consists of program tuition (cost per credit times number of credits) as well as any applicable University and degree-specific fees.

Highly Ranked

Top 100

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program (along with Chatham's MSN) was ranked in the top 100 of all programs in the U.S. News & World Report "2018 Best Online Programs" edition.

Explore the BSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree:

The MSN component prepares the student for nursing leadership roles and the DNP component has the student develop, complete and evaluate an executive level project to demonstrate the knowledge and skills of the terminal nursing degree. A total of 1,000 practice experience hours will be obtained. Practice experiences are completed at approved practice experience sites.

Completed free online application.
Copy of official transcripts of all completed college level coursework from all schools attended with proof of completion of an BSN degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA
Proof of active, unencumbered RN license in your state
Current résumé/curriculum vitae
Admissions Essay: Describe a clinical problem in your practice setting that you could impact as a nurse executive using evidence-based intervention(s) and explain why it is a problem warranting change to impact patient and/or organizational outcomes.
Two professional letters of reference

Admissions materials may be submitted to:
Chatham University
Berry Hall
Woodland Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Email Admissions

International Applicants

International Applicants must submit additional documentation to the Office of Admissions. A list of these documents can be found on the International Admission web page.

Business Management in Healthcare

This course focuses on healthcare financing and reimbursement concepts needed to prepare the nurse leader to function in a variety of healthcare settings. Course content focuses on the knowledge and skills needed for financial and business management and includes reimbursement methods, value-based purchasing, and creating and managing budgets.

Population Health, Ethics, and Health Policy

This course focuses on population health, ethical issues, and public policy in healthcare. Students apply strategies to manage ethical dilemmas, expand advocacy beyond the patient to include the community, and analyze health policy to educate and lead change to promote population health.

Advanced Nursing Leadership in Healthcare Systems

This course focuses on organizations, decision-making and managing change. Organizational, Change, and Leadership theories and their application to complex systems are analyzed. Emphasis is placed on impacting performance, communication, inter-professional collaboration, and culture across the continuum and in times of crisis while promoting equitable, innovative, safe, and cost-effective care.

View Full Curriculum

The BSN to DNP Executive Track allows professional nurses embarking on a career in nursing administration to have a program specific to their educational needs and role development. This program allows them to fast-track their education while continuing to work on their career goals, and provides a strong complement to executive mentoring and on-the-job training.

— DIANE HUNKER, Ph.D., MBA, RN nursing programs director, professor

Our Faculty

Faculty members are accomplished teachers, scholars, practitioners, and active leaders in the field.

Full Faculty

Diane Hunker

Program Director of Nursing, DNP Program Coordinator & Professor of Nursing

Julie D. Slade

Assistant Program Director/Associate Professor of Nursing

Rachel Dieterich

Assistant Professor of Nursing and PE Coordinator

Michelle Doas

Associate Professor of Nursing

MaryDee Fisher

Associate Professor of Nursing

Nicole Hoh

Assistant Professor of Nursing

Emily Hopkins

Associate Professor of Nursing, MSN Program Coordinator, IRB Chair

Tara Orgon Stamper

Assistant Professor of Nursing

Marilu Piotrowski

Assistant Professor of Nursing

Ashley Singh

Assistant Professor of Nursing

Lora Walter

Associate Professor of Nursing, RN-BSN Program and Pathways to Nursing (PTN) Coordinator

Photo of a man presenting a poster to another man

Two-day Residency

While the program is online, you’ll have the chance to come together with your cohort for an inspirational two-day residency at Chatham’s beautiful campus, where you’ll present scholarly posters on your DNP projects.

Photo of four female Chatham University students smiling in a lecture hall, with their laptops open in front of them

Funding Opportunities

Chatham offers a 20% tuition reduction through its partnership with selected employers, plus the AfterCollege/AACN Scholarship program supports students who are seeking a baccalaureate, masters or doctoral degree in nursing with eight $2,500 scholarships awarded throughout the year. A free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form must be completed and on file to be considered for the scholarship.

View Funding Opportunities

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a DNP- and a Ph.D.-prepared nurse? What is Evidence-based Practice? I want to be a nursing faculty member; is this the right program for me? Read the answers to these and other FAQ.

View FAQs

InTouch Newsletters

Learn about DNP student and faculty accomplishments, alumni achievements, and various activities that occurred over the last academic year—in Pittsburgh, and all over the country.

Read the Newsletters

SARA-Approved Participating Institution

Due to federal regulation, all universities offering distance education programs and practicum experiences in states other than their own must receive authorization or be a SARA-approved institution. Chatham University is a SARA-approved institution.

SARA-Approved Institutions

Alumni Profile: Rita Armstrong, DNP '14

When Rita Armstrong started researching online Doctor of Nursing Practice programs, she did not see herself in Sweden presenting work on diabetic education and self-management to a global audience. “Never in my years did I think I’d be doing that,” she laughs.

Meet Rita Armstrong '14

Colorful cartoon of Nurse Nola riding her bike down a residential street wearing a white nursing uniform.

Nola the Nurse and Scharmaine Baker-Lawson, DNP '08

It’s a drizzly morning in Shreveport, LA, but big band jazz pours from the loudspeakers inside the Greenwood Acres Full Gospel Baptist Church, and look—a giant mascot dressed as a nurse in a white uniform with a huge afro and long felt lashes is dancing up the aisle.

Read the Story

A Nursing Perspective on Climate Change

In honor of Nurses’ Week (May 6 – May 12), we asked Assistant Professor and Practice Experience Coordinator of nursing programs Jennifer Wasco, DNP, RN to discuss the impact climate change is having on healthcare and what nurses can do to help patients face a rapidly declining environment.

Read the Story

Do you have questions?

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Nursing (BSN-DNP)

Nursing (BSN-DNP) Overview

Rolling

48

$855-$1,126

Top 100

Explore the BSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree: