BS to Doctor of Nursing Practice

Nursing Information Session:  
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How the BS-to-DNP program works

The BS to DNP is a program for the Registered Nurse who has completed a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and wishes to progress rapidly and seamlessly to a doctoral degree. Those enrolled in this program are not awarded the MSN degree. The Nurse Practitioner emphases are primarily face-to-face classes with some online courses. The Nurse Educator, DNP/MBA, and Lifestyle Medicine emphases are completely online. All students, including those in completely online options, are required to register for and attend a DNP seminar on campus each fall until completion of their program. 

Students entering the BS to DNP program bypass the MSN degree and have no requirement for experience at the time of entry into the program. It is expected that they will have achieved a minimum of two years (4,000 hours) of nursing experience prior to beginning DNP practicum courses. The BS to DNP has a primary emphasis of the student’s choice and requires either a secondary emphasis or elective hours to meet the 77-hour total.

Any student wishing to complete clinical experiences outside the State of TN must verify that State is a member of NC-SARA and seek permission from that State Board of Nursing. Clinical placements in some States may not be able to be accommodated due to specific State Board of Nursing regulations.

To get an inside look at Southern’s nursing programs, download The Complete Guide to Advanced Nursing Degrees at Southern Adventist University.

Eligibility and prerequisites

• Bachelor’s Degree: A bachelor's degree in nursing from an accredited program
• Undergraduate GPA: A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0
• Statistics course: An undergraduate or graduate course in statistics
• RN licensure: Current RN licensure in your state or location of residence

Application deadlines

All application steps are to be fully completed by the dates listed.

Admission process

2. Transcripts:  Submit official college and university transcripts. Many institutions subscribe to the convenient transcript-request service at National Student Clearinghouse, or you may also contact your institution directly. Have your transcripts sent to the Graduate and Professional Studies office (gradtranscripts@southern.edu). If you earned your prerequisite degree at Southern, you do not need to complete this step.
3. Recommendations: Submit three recommendation forms—one academic and two from a clinical setting. This should be done as part of the online application process.
4. Written statement: Write a statement describing your purpose and goals for pursuing this degree.  Your statement should be thoughtfully written to demonstrate your writing skills.  It should be submitted through your Application Status Page.
5. Curriculum vitae: Submit a curriculum vitae. Upload to your Application Status Page.
6. Writing sample:  Submit a scholarly writing sample, such as a previous graduate-level paper through your Application Status Page.
7. Interview:  Schedule a faculty interview after completing your Graduate application from your Application Status Page.
8. For the DNP/MBA, submit scores from the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). With approval, applicants may be admitted without the GMAT if they have:
   • An undergraduate degree from a U.S. institution with a minimum GPA of 3.25
   • OR a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 with five years of full-time business-related management experience

Once you are accepted

Before you enroll, we need acceptable documentation of these items. Email all documents to jlthompson@southern.edu.

• Personal health assessment and physical exam Download Form
• Criminal background check Download Form
• Medical-information disclosure and drug-screen consent Download Form
• Current health information and immunizations Download Form
• CPR/BLS certification from the American Heart Association

International students

Applicants who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States are considered international students and must meet additional requirements for admission.

• View international-student admission requirements »

  1. All non-U.S. transcripts must be submitted through one of the following approved credential evaluation agencies:
     • SpanTran: use this link to send to Southern
     • Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc (ECE): www.ece.org
     • World Education Services: www.wes.org
     Evaluations are to be sent directly to Southern, Graduate Studies, by the service. All evaluation reports are considered to be advisory. Southern reserves the right to make final equivalency decisions.
  2. Certification of English proficiency.
     See School specific requirements in the Graduate Catalog. Scores are valid for two years from the test date. Learn more at:
     • ets.org/toefl »
     • englishtest.duolingo.com/en »
  3. Submit Declaration of Finances.
     International students must have financial resources sufficient to support themselves for the calendar year, in addition to an international-student deposit of $3,000 (USD). Download Form

  • • To be issued an I-20 Form, students must also provide a letter from financial sponsors (including their name and address), as well as copies of bank statements for the last three months showing the balance history for the student's account or the financial sponsor's account.

International students who will be coming to Southern's campus need some additional information about travel documents and living on campus.

More Information

Explore Career Paths, Compare Degrees, and Hear from Alumni

Check out our blog posts for some awesome content on the world of nursing, which career paths you can take with different degrees that Southern offers, and what our Alumni found most valuable about their experiences.

Nursing Student Spotlight

Don't just take our word for it—hear directly from our nursing students and alumni about their experiences with Southern and how it helped their nursing careers.

• Diana Taylor, BSN to DNP, Acute Care
• Julie McBride, BSN to DNP, Psychiactric Mental Health
• Julie McKinney, BSN to DNP, Lifestyle Medicine and Family Practice

Faculty

Ronda Christman

Professor
rchristman@southern.edu
423.236.2153

Holly Gadd

Dean
hgadd@southern.edu
423.236.2942

Frances Johnson

AVP of Acad Admin/Dean of Graduate & Professional Studies
francesj@southern.edu
423.236.2864

Linda Peoples

Professor
lindacannon@southern.edu
423.236.2968

Lilly Tryon

Professor Pt
ltryon@southern.edu
423.236.2154

Maria Valenca

Adjunct
valencam@southern.edu

Holly Walker

Associate Professor
hdwilson@southern.edu
423.236.2162