Doctor of Nursing Practice, D.N.P. Admission Requirements
Qualifications
Applicants for the DNP Program must have:
- A Master of Science in Nursing degree from a nationally accredited nursing
program and regionally accredited college or university.
- An overall GPA on all college work attempted of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
(Provisional admission may be considered if the overall GPA is 2.75-2.99
depending upon space available and other qualifications).
- A minimum overall nursing GPA or a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- A Personal Essay: Submit a personal essay (APA format, and no more than 5
pages). Please see the Guidelines for Writing the Personal Statement (DNP).
- Transfer students must provide a letter of good standing from the Nursing
program in which currently enrolled or left incomplete.
- An active, unrestricted RN license in at least one state at the time of application
(and licensure in the state in which they plan to complete clinical immersion).
For advanced practice nurse applicants, requirements also include:
Completion of a nationally accredited Master of Science in Nursing Program
meeting the AANC 2011 Master’s Essentials, national advanced practice certification,
and graduate transcripts evaluated for equivalence to WVU School of Nursing
courses in:
- Advanced Pathophysiology
- Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics
- Advanced Health Assessment
- Research Process/statistics
- Quality & Safety
- Informatics
- Nursing Theory
For applicants who are pursuing a DNP with a leadership focus, requirements
include: Completion of a nationally accredited Master of Science in Nursing
Program meeting the AANC 2011 Master’s Essentials, and graduate transcripts
evaluated for equivalence to WVU School of Nursing courses in:
- Research Process/statistics
- Quality & Safety
- Informatics
- Nursing Theory
Students who are completing certain prerequisite courses may be offered admission;
however, the offer will be rescinded if the courses are not completed prior
to the first day of classes.
To be considered, applicants will be required to meet all WVU admission requirements
in addition to program specific admission criteria.
Competitive applicants will be invited for an on-campus interview. Applicants
will not be admitted without an interview.
Students must satisfactorily complete background checks and drug screens upon
admission.
New program applicants with a positive drug screen will be ineligible for admission
to the program and will forfeit their admission "seat." Please see the WVU
SON Drug and Alcohol Screening Policy and the Health Information and Credential
Documentation Policy.
Note: Any student who has been dismissed from the West Virginia
University School of Nursing or any other nursing program may be considered
for readmission if the dismissal was academic and was followed by successful
completion of an additional degree. Any student who has withdrawn from the
WVU School of Nursing program may be considered for readmission. Students
may apply for readmission in accordance with the following guidelines and
criteria but must follow the standard admission procedures. Students must
meet all original admission requirements.
Apply To WVU
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until July 1 for a Fall term start
date. Acceptance is dependent upon space available in the program.
- Click on the Apply Now button below.
- Please select the following options on the New Application screen:
- Type of Student: Professional
- Which Program: Nursing DNP
- On the Supplemental Materials screen, you will upload the following:
- Current curriculum vita or resume
- Professional goals statement. View the guidelines on writing the statement.
Apply Now
Request Official Transcripts from All Colleges and Universities Attended
Request an official transcript of records from each college or university attended.
- It is preferred that official transcripts be sent via an online, secure service
such as
eScrip-Safe,
National Student Clearinghouse, or
Parchment to
graduateadmissions@mail.wvu.edu.
- Alternatively, sealed, untampered, physical official transcripts can be sent
directly to: WVU Graduate Admissions, P.O. Box 6510, Morgantown, WV 26506-6510.
- Applicants who completed prior education outside of the U.S. must have their
transcripts evaluated by
World Education Services (WES). Please request a "course-by-course"
International Credential Advantage Package (ICAP).
Acceptance
Candidates for admission are evaluated on the entire admission packet. The
WVU School of Nursing accepts new DNP students on a rolling admission basis
and will review all qualified applications based on admission criteria. Acceptance
is dependent upon space available in the program with the most qualified
applicants being accepted at the time of review. Decisions will be emailed
to students. Accepted students will receive information regarding orientation
and course registration.
Students will be evaluated based on the following:
- Nursing GPA
- Work Experience
- Professional Writing Statement Score
- Overall GPA
Clinical rotations with approved preceptors in the final year of your program
must be arranged with course faculty. Due to potential preceptor limitations,
students may have to travel out of their local areas to their clinical sites
and are required to provide their own reliable transportation.
In programs with limited capacity and competitive admissions, the most qualified
students are selected among those that meet the minimum requirements. Students
who want to appeal the Undergraduate or Graduate Admissions Committee decision
as unfair, arbitrary, or capricious may contact the director of Admissions
and Enrollment for the School of Nursing. The request will be forwarded to
the program director for consideration, and the student will receive detailed
information regarding the formal appeal process.
Katherine Atassi, PhD, RN, OCN, NE-BC, CNE
Nursing, Doctorate of Nursing Practice
Clinical Assistant Professor
Katherine (Kathy) Atassi, PhD, RN, OCN, NE-BC, CNE is
an assistant professor in the RN-BSN program and DNP
program at West Virginia University - Charleston Campus
since May 2020. Degrees include: PhD in Nursing from
the Medical University of South Carolina (2012), MSN
from Marshall University (1998) and BSN from University
of Iowa (1992). Certifications include: oncology certified
nurse (OCN) since 1996, certified nurse executive (NE-BC)
since 1998, and certified nurse educator (CNE) since
2023. Research interests include: evidence-based practice,
public/community health, leadership, health policy,
and health promotion/prevention. She has been a nurse
educator since 1998, and has a number of publications
to date. She lives in Charleston with her husband,
two children, and one very sweet dog.
Heather Carter-Templeton, PhD, RN, NI-BC, FAAN
Nursing, Doctorate of Nursing Practice
Clinical Assistant Professor
Dr. Carter-Templeton is an Associate Professor in the
Adult Health Department at the WVU School of Nursing.
She has published and presented nationally and internationally
regarding her research interest areas, specifically
addressing informatics, information literacy, and evidence-based
practice. As a nurse researcher, educator, and editor
she has worked to inform, educate, and support nurses
at the student, practice, and academic levels regarding
information literacy needs and skills as well as the
importance of using credible scientific evidence within
our discipline. Furthermore, she has assisted in using
informatics and technology tools to support and disseminate
nursing research. She is currently conducting research
in the areas of information literacy and healthcare
information technology. In addition to her faculty
responsibilities, she is involved in several professional
organizations and serves as Deputy Editor for CIN:
Computers, Informatics, Nursing journal. In addition,
she is ANCC board certified in nursing informatics
and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
Billie S. Vance, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE
Nursing, Doctorate of Nursing Practice
Clinical Associate Professor and Chairperson, Family and
Community Health Department
Dr. Billie Vance is a Clinical Associate Professor at
the WVU School of Nursing. She earned her BSN from
Cedarville University, an MSN from WVU, and a PhD from
WVU. Prior to transitioning to academia, she worked
as a nurse in medical-surgical and intensive care unit
hospital settings.
Since 2009, she has been practicing as an advanced practice
nurse. She has experience in a variety of practice
settings including dermatology, primary care, and preoperative
evaluation. Since 2018, she has been practicing with
WVU Medicine’s Behavioral Health department in the
Comprehensive Opioid Addiction Treatment (COAT) program.
She evaluates new and returning patients with substance
use disorder and manages two COAT clinics, as well
as a clinic at Appalachian Community Health Center.
She is currently serving as a Department Chairperson
and previously served as the Director of the MSN/DNP
Programs. Her research and scholarly endeavors surround
the care of veterans in community settings, care of
patients with substance use disorder, and advance practice
nursing education. She is an active member in the National
Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties and serves
on the WVU Medicine Nursing EBP and Research Council
and the WVU IRB Blue Board.