Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership

Our online DNP in Executive Leadership program develops master’s-prepared nurses who already have leadership experience with the executive-level skills to lead systems and organizational change.

About the Program

Executive leadership in an ever-changing and complex healthcare industry requires the knowledge and skills to revolutionize care delivery models and improve patient and organizational outcomes. Focused on systems leadership and innovative change, the DNP in Executive Leadership Program (DNP-EL) prepares graduates for a variety of leadership roles including but not limited to Chief Nursing Officers, Clinical and Project Directors, Healthcare Consultants, and Practice Leaders.

All of Penn Nursing’s programs are accredited. To learn more about the accreditation and pass rates, please visit our Accreditation page.

Program Information

Part-Time

Program Length

22 months

Financial aid available?

Yes

Start Semester

Fall

Learning Format

Online *

One-week on-campus intensive during which students attend the Wharton Nursing Leaders Program.

Program Details

Curriculum

Offered online with a one-week on-campus intensive during which students attend the Wharton Nursing Leaders Program, the DNP-EL can be completed while working full-time from any location. Students will complete a DNP project, which can take place at their own site of employment, bringing additional value and impact to their own institution. For more information about the DNP Scholarly Project, please consult the DNP Handbook or view previous DNP Scholarly Projects.

An unparalleled advantage, this interdisciplinary curriculum incorporates content from Wharton Executive Education, Wharton Online, and the Perelman School of Medicine Health Care Innovation Graduate Program. Situated within a resource-intensive university, students avail of online library services, and take courses taught by faculty with vast healthcare leadership experience. Synchronous online engagement provides students with networking opportunities, individualized faculty mentorship, and access to executives from our world-class academic health system.

The DNP-EL includes coursework in strategic planning and execution, value-based healthcare innovation, advanced healthcare economics and finance, and transformative executive-level leadership competencies. Upon completion of the program, students achieve outcomes informed by the American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL) Nurse Executive Competencies.

Click the link below to view the curriculum for this program in the University catalog or download a sample plan of study.

View the curriculum

Requirements

Minimum qualifications for the program

BSN and MSN or Masters degree in a related field, e.g., Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), Master’s in Healthcare Administration (MHA), Master’s in Public Health (MPH), etc. with a GPA of 3.2 or higher.

Prerequisites

Graduate-level Research Methods Course with a grade of B or higher.

Experience

Two years leadership and fiscal management experience (or formal graduate coursework in finance/accounting) required but greater than 5 years preferred.

Licensure

RN and APRN (if applicable)

International Applicants

Click here for additional requirements

Application Deadlines

Fall 2025 Enrollment

Priority Deadline: November 4, 2024

Decision Notification: late-December

Final Deadline: February 3, 2025

Decision Notification: mid-March

*Dates subject to change without notice.

Costs & Tuition

Discount available for employees of our Academic Practice Partners. Click here to learn more.

Total Estimated Cost (11 CUs starting in 2024): $77,373

Your program costs will depend on your individual plan of study. Tuition is charged per CU based on your enrollment for the semester.

	Summer 2024 Per CU rate*	Fall 2024 or Spring 2025 Per CU rate**
Tuition	$6,640	$6,640
Online Service Fee	$156	$156
Tech Fee	$120	$120

*Summer semesters are charged per CU regardless of enrollment status
**Registration for less than 4 CUs is charged per CU

In addition to tuition and fees, there are additional estimated expenses related to the Wharton Nursing Leaders Program (note: estimates are for the December 2025 attendance).

Travel to Philadelphia	$500
Dinners	$375

Program Outcomes

At completion of the DNP program, a student will demonstrate the competency to advance high-quality, equitable, and accessible healthcare by:

Developing ways to improve health and healthcare outcomes through translating research, evaluating evidence-based practice, and implementing innovative ideas.
Applying project management acumen and data analytics to improve outcomes for patient/family, systems, or community-based care.
Disseminating practice knowledge that contributes to nursing and interprofessional scholarship.

The DNP in Executive Leadership aims to graduate nurses for middle- or executive-level leadership roles including those in clinical operations or project/program leadership at a departmental or systems level.

James Ballinghoff, DNP, MBA, RN
DNP Program Alumnus

“Since this program is designed for working professionals, I could balance my studies with the demands of my Chief Nursing Officer position.”

Events

September 12 | 7:00pm

DNP Programs Virtual Info Session

October 10 | 9:00pm

DNP Programs Virtual Info Session

October 19 | 10:00am - 3:00pm

Fall 2024 Graduate Open House

See more Events

Frequently Asked Questions

Understanding the different programs

Doctoral programs in the nursing profession primarily fall into two types: research-focused and practice- focused. Most research-focused programs grant the Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) and are designed to prepare nurse scientists and scholars to conduct generalizable research using rigorous statistical methods. Practice-focused doctoral programs yield the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree (DNP) and are designed to prepare experts in specialized advanced nursing practice. They focus heavily on evidence-based practice that reflects the application of credible research findings. The two types of doctoral programs differ in their goals but are complementary in nature.

The Post-Master’s DNP (DNP-PM) expands the skills of master’s-prepared nurses to translate evidence in order to improve clinical practice and the health outcomes of specific populations. The DNP in Executive Leadership (DNP-EL) further provides master’s-prepared nurses who already have leadership experience with the executive-level skills to lead systems and organizational change. Please refer to each program’s website for more information.

Program, Plan of Study, and Cohort

Yes, the program is fully online with synchronous, with the exception of limited synchronous online sessions and one 5-day in-person intensive for the Executive Leadership track. Course content is delivered asynchronously; individual courses may have a limited number of synchronous requirements to facilitate specific course learning objectives that are also made available in asynchronous format. Every course offers virtual, synchronous office hours with course faculty.

We encourage all students to take 2 courses/term to remain within your cohort which is known to improve adult learners’ outcomes and supports networking and teamwork, but we understand that life circumstances can be unpredictable. If you have questions about a different pace of study, please contact your respective track director.

Penn students are encouraged to explore opportunities to learn in courses offered across the University. There are no required electives in the DNP Plan of Study. If students want to consider additional course work outside the DNP Plan of Study, consultation with an academic advisor is strongly recommended before registering for any additional/extra coursework.

It is not necessary to know your DNP project topic before you apply and, in fact, we expect this to be an iterative process. As you engage in coursework and explore the literature, we encourage you to be curious and think critically about potential areas for practice change in your organization or specialty.

DNP faculty collaborate with students throughout the program but particularly in the project courses to mentor them through various stages of the DNP project including development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination. Students also work with respective institutional site leaders who guide them in identifying organizational needs and working with key stakeholders. For more information about the DNP Scholarly Project, please consult the DNP Handbook.

Yes, in fact we encourage you to work while in the program as your practice can inform your learning and scholarship. Students often complete their DNP project (usually a quality improvement/practice change initiative) at their site of employment which not only benefits their institution but also showcases your scholarly work.

The DNP in Executive Leadership program hosts an all-day synchronous online intensive for first year DNP students at the end of August, at the onset of year one. This is an important, required event that helps DNP students to become familiar with University of Pennsylvania and School of Nursing education resources, develop specific insights for educational expectations of the DNP program, meet DNP faculty, and build relationships and network amongst your cohort. In addition, students participate in workshops that address evidence translation, leadership, and scholarship, including scholarly writing. A second all-day synchronous online intensive for second year DNP students is positioned at the end of August, prior to year two to prepare students for project development. During this intensive, you will meet with course faculty and participate in data analytics and project proposal planning activities to launch the second year Fall semester coursework. Additionally, DNP-EL students meet on-campus for five days during the first Fall semester in December for the Wharton Nursing Leaders Program.

Tuition & Financial Aid

Program Activities

DNP Project Showcase: Promising Approaches

Influencing health care and health care workplaces through leadership, policy implementation, and patient care takes incredible skill and thoughtfulness. Penn Nursing’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program is an example of how to do it right.

Read the story