Nurse Practitioner & Clinical Nurse Specialists FAQs
Why isn’t UVA offering the APRN MSN for fall 2026 entry?
In accordance with counsel from national nursing organizations like NONPF, AACN, and others, the School has shifted its advanced practice nursing programs to focus on the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. Given the unique needs of working nurses, UVA’s DNP degree efficiently and powerfully prepares advance practice nurse graduates for what they’ll need in today’s complex, ever-evolving healthcare landscape.
What’s the benefit of earning a DNP versus earning an MSN?
National nursing organizations now recommend that all advanced practice nurses earn a DNP, not an MSN, as their terminal degree. That’s because nurses who’ve earned the highest clinical degree are more robustly prepared and come with a broader range of skills and clinical experiences that fortify their practices and critical thinking. DNP students also take courses in leadership, business, finance, scholarship, and evidence-based practice, which positions them not only as care providers, but prepares them to be full members of healthcare teams and to occupy leadership roles within healthcare systems. Too, hospital systems are increasingly seeking advanced practice nurses who have earned a DNP, as opposed to solely an MSN, given these factors.
Does earning a DNP take longer than earning an MSN?
No. UVA’s newly designed DNP takes about the same amount of time as an MSN program—three years in a specially designed, hybrid format, full-time program, which requires a 1x/month in person class with the balance of learning completed online. UVA's DNP program also includes 750 hours of mentored clinical experience, work that positions graduates to hit the ground running and be full contributors to whatever clinical environment they choose.
Students in the full-time BSN to DNP program graduate in about three years, and about five years for the part-time BSN to DNP program. For students in the MSN to DNP track, the program takes about two years of full-time study (or three years of part-time study in the MSN to DNP program).
But don’t I need an MSN to become a nurse practitioner?
DNP graduates who successfully pass the national certification exams of their choice also become nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists. As part of their program, DNP students at UVA receive ample preparation for the certification exam of their choice across eight specialty areas. Because of this robust preparation, UVA’s DNP students enjoy extremely high national nursing certification exam pass rates and go on to become board-certified advanced practice nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists ready to care for patients across a wide variety of practice environments.
Does the DNP cost more than an MSN?
No. Newly formatted with the needs of working nurses in mind, UVA’s DNP program is course- and credit efficient, and costs about the same as a traditional MSN program. Additionally, thanks to the expansive generosity of its alumni base, the School is positioned to distribute scholarships and financial aid. Across 2024, it offered $4.7 million to students, and two-thirds of graduate students earned an aid award.
What’s the job market like for DNP graduates?
Expansive and expanding! Health systems increasingly seek DNP-educated advanced practice nurses who are well-educated as clinicians, leaders, and healthcare team members.