Curriculum and Courses

Practice-focused doctoral program

The DNP Program specializes in aggregates/systems and healthcare organizations. Combining Yale on-campus experiences with on-line coursework, it is tailored for nurses who already have significant professional experience and work commitments. Through collaboration with our faculty, health care leaders, and policy advocates, our graduates go on to make an impact in many spheres of healthcare. Fields of study include healthcare system leadership, healthcare policy, population health and informatics. An intense practice immersion known as a leadership immersion practicum is an essential component of the DNP program and allows work to take place with healthcare and public policy leaders and experts. Each course builds upon knowledge required for the leadership immersion practicum and a final DNP project.

What are the differences between the DNP and PhD?

The DNP program prepares nurse leaders for evidence-based practice in patient care, education, policy, and executive roles. This requires competence in translating research into practice, evaluating evidence, applying research in decision-making, and implementing viable innovations to change practice within and across the spectrum of health and healthcare systems.

PhD programs are designed to prepare nurses for careers as research scientists in areas such as academia and other research-intensive environments. They prepare nurse scholars to conduct research that advances theoretical foundations of nursing and health care. PhD programs provide for the knowledge and skills in theoretical, methodological and analytical approaches for the discovery of knowledge in nursing and healthcare.