A Doctor of Nursing Practice in Healthcare Leadership comes with the confidence and authenticity needed for the highest levels of practice. Our fully online asynchronous program with optional synchronous sessions allows you to complete the DNP program on a timeline that works best for your life. Learn from experts in the field, perform an evidence-based quality improvement project catered to your preferences, and walk alongside a mentor throughout the process.

A DNP in Healthcare Leadership will build on your expertise and prepare you for leadership, management, high-level decision making that will affect the direction of entire teams or departments of nurses. PLNU values your calling, meeting it with leadership and practical skills you’ll need to grow into prominent roles within complex health systems.

While a Ph.D. in Nursing is most suited for advancement in research and academia, a DNP is ideal for professionals who want to expand their expertise working chiefly as effective leaders within health care organizations.

Upon completion of this program, graduates are eligible to take the national certification exams, such as Nurse Manager and Leader Certification, Executive Nursing Practice Certification, or Nurse Executive Advanced Certification.

How to Earn Your DNP

MSN to DNP in Healthcare Leadership

If you already have an MSN degree, you can earn your DNP in healthcare leadership in as few as 24 months. This fully asynchronous online program is 34 units and requires 1000 clinical hours related to your DNP project and direct patient care clinical hours completed during your MSN program.

The School of Nursing will assist San Diego residents with clinical placements, however, out-of-state students will need to find their own placements. PLNU will create a legal MOU with all placement sites in or outside of San Diego.

You have the flexibility to complete your required clinical or research-based project catered to your preferences and passions. Based on your project, you will be able to select a mentor who will work alongside you.

The Pathway to Your DNP

Learn more about the path you can take to earn your DNP in Healthcare Leadership at Point Loma.

Speak with your admissions counselor to identify where you are at.

Apply Now

Schedule a Meeting with a Counselor

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Point Loma Nazarene University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Which DNP is right for me?

PLNU offers three DNP programs including:

• DNP Family Nurse Practitioner
• DNP Healthcare Leadership
• DNP Clinical Nurse Specialist

Each program is geared to equip you with skills needed for specific nursing roles. While FNPs perform primary care for patients, CNSs provide specialized clinical care for specific patient populations. A DNP in Healthcare Leadership will prepare you to effectively lead entire teams or departments of nurses.

Space to Fully Invest in Work and School

PLNU’s DNP is a fully online asynchronous program where you can pace yourself with online coursework and continue working as a nurse in your field. Our program is CCNE accredited and aligns with the core competencies of an AACN Essentials for Advanced Level Nursing Practice program.

Multiple entry points allow those at most degree levels to earn the DNP. Enter as BSN-prepared and have the option to finish with an MSN or use your MSN clinical work as credits toward the DNP.

Leadership as Your Fullest Potential

Not only will you be prepared for the evolving standards and demands in your field, you will also gain confidence as you develop inside a cohort of confident, experienced, empowered individuals who are faithful to their own callings and to the future of nursing. Increase your influence; our graduates are highly sought-after by employers and highly regarded by those in their field.

Work that is Authentic and Sacred

Nursing as sacred work is a cornerstone value of PLNU’s nursing programs. Learn alongside faculty and colleagues who value it the same way. Any program can teach you skills and best practices; at PLNU seasoned professors serve as academic and professional mentors not only in class but in helping you discover your unique calling.

When you complete the DNP program, you will be able to:

• Create dialogue and strategies supporting practice changes within the healthcare system.
• Appraise evidence for best practice implementation through the utilization of information technology.
• Synthesize evidence to implement change that affects client outcomes.
• Recommend standards for holistic care that meet the client needs.
• Analyze own self-care practices that advance optimal care of clients, nurses and organization(s).
• Model graceful service through compassionate responses to patient, family, staff and organizational needs.
• Design an environment of advocacy for patient care that honors the diversity of patients/families, healthcare staff and organizations.
• Create opportunities to improve the quality of health within a community.
• Defend ethical care consistent with professional practice.

Program Start Date(s):

• Fall 2025 Quad I —  September 2, 2025
• Spring 2026 Quad I — January 12, 2026
• Summer 2026 Quad I — May 11, 2026

Application Deadline(s):

• Fall 2025 Priority Deadline — March 1, 2025
• Fall 2025 Quad I  —  August 15, 2025
• Spring 2026 Quad I — December 12, 2025
• Summer 2026 Quad I — April 24, 2026

All applications submitted after this date will be reviewed based on availability of space.

Start Application

Application Checklist

Admission to the program is based on an overall appraisal of the applicant's ability to undertake doctoral study and their contributions to the discipline of nursing as evidenced by the following:

1. Documentation of current RN license
2. Current employment in nursing or at least 1 year of full-time practice in the last 5 years
3. Online application for admissions (includes $50 non-refundable application fee)
   Fee waived if applicant is one of the following: PLNU alum, current or former military and their dependents, PLNU employee
4. Submit official transcripts. (If you are a PLNU alumnus, please notify your counselor to have your transcripts retrieved. You do not need to request transcripts from the PLNU Office of Records.)
   
   Official transcripts must be sent to:
   Point Loma Nazarene University
   Office of Graduate Admissions
   3900 Lomaland Dr.
   San Diego, CA 92106
   
   Official electronic transcripts must be emailed to:
   gradprocessing@pointloma.edu

5. Minimum grade point average of 3.2 (MSN)

6. Curriculum Vitae or Resume

7. Once you have submitted your admissions application, your two selected professional recommenders will automatically be sent the auto-generated document to complete on your behalf. If you'd like to include a written letter in addition to this required document, you may do so, but it's unnecessary. 
8. In 250 words, discuss your professional career goals and how you believe obtaining a doctoral degree or post-doctoral certificate with the selected track will assist you in achieving those goals.

9. After all application materials are submitted, an interview with the School of Nursing is scheduled

The Selection Process

The educational context at PLNU will challenge you to live a full life that integrates the pursuit of knowledge with beliefs, values, and actions. While acknowledging diverse perspectives and beliefs, Christian values and principles are woven into the educational experience. We understand your application is not only a reflection of you as a student; it’s a reflection of you as a person.

At PLNU, we holistically evaluate your academic history, work and life experience, background, and circumstances to determine admission into a graduate program. If you do not meet all of the above criteria, PLNU offers an exceptions policy. Speak with your admissions counselor for more information.

State Authorization

In certain states outside California, PLNU is not authorized to enroll students in online courses and/or offer internships. If a student moves to another state after admission to a program or enrollment in an online course, continuation in the program/course will depend on whether PLNU is authorized within that state. Please refer to the State Authorization map to view which states allow online courses and/or internships.

PLNU’s DNP will prepare you for the highest levels of nursing leadership and to engage on policy-level decisions regarding patient care. Some DNPs even pursue entrepreneurship and open their own nurse-run clinics.

PLNU’s DNP program will prepare you for leadership in a variety of fields. 

• University Faculty Member
• Nurse Manager
• Director
• Administrator
• Practice Nurse
• Entrepreneur

Different  Career Outcomes for DNPs:

Nurse Manager
Average Salary in California: $128,200

Nurse managers play a vital role in managing the resources in a hospital or medical environment. They ensure that they maintain the right staff and financial resources, ensure patient satisfaction, create a safe environment for staff and patients and that the healthcare environment is maintaining a certain standard of quality care.

Nurse Educator 
Average Salary: $106,584
Job trajectory: 21.5% growth through 2031 (much faster than average)

A nurse educator works in an academic or clinical setting to teach the next generation of nurses. Part of the role includes guiding students through their clinical rotations, designing programs and lectures, collaborating with other healthcare professionals to ensure top educational outcomes, acting as a role model for students, and more. 

Clinical Nurse Researcher 
Average salary: $91,093 
Job trajectory: 45% between 2020 and 2030 (much faster than average)

As a DNP, you have the opportunity to research and develop new and improved methods of treating patients in a variety of fields from pediatrics, to oncology, and beyond. Your expertise and training allows you to partner with other healthcare professionals to coordinate and implement clinical studies, design research programs, and more in order to educate future nursing practices.

For information about the courses required for the Doctor of Nursing Practice, Healthcare Leadership program, view the PLNU Catalog. 

Course Information