Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice

Advance your career with a DNAP degree to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). By January 1, 2025, all entry-into-practice graduates of nurse anesthesia educational programs will be required to possess doctoral degrees. We can help you get there.

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"Being a DNAP student is both rewarding and challenging. The rigorous didactic and clinical experience has provided me with the tools to develop increased confidence as an anesthesia provider. I am certain I will be prepared to work at the completion of the program due to early clinical exposure. The ability to actively apply learned material from the beginning of the program has been extremely beneficial for my education."

Program Information

The Fall 2023 application deadline ended May 1, 2023. New information for the next DNAP deadline will be posted soon.

Admissions Requirements

You can apply for admission to the DNAP program if you currently:

• Do not already have CRNA status 
• Are a licensed RN
• Hold a BSN or BS degree
• Have 2 years (minimum) of nursing adult critical care experience 
• Have completed certain undergraduate science courses

For a full listing and more details see Admissions Requirements.

The Program

The DNAP program is a partnership with Allegheny School of Anesthesia's (ASOA) Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program and Duquesne University and is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA).

The three-year (92 credits) DNAP program includes:

• Nursing and health sciences courses taught by Duquesne faculty
• Anesthesia courses taught by ASOA faculty
• Clinical practicums conducted at 18 COA-approved ASOA clinical sites

Upon graduation, you will be eligible for national certification by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).

All prospective graduate students will be required to submit official transcripts from all colleges attended. Most programs require letters of recommendation and a personal statement. GMAT and LSAT scores are required for the schools of Business and Law, respectively. GRE scores are required for most doctoral programs and some master's programs. Other requirements could include a writing sample, resume, audition or interview.

International Students

If your undergraduate and/or graduate degrees are from an institution located outside of the United States, you must use a transcript credential evaluation service to obtain a course-by-course report. The official reports must be sent directly to Duquesne University from the organization you order through and will qualify as official transcripts. Please review our Transcript Credential Evaluation Instructions.

Application Deadlines

Application deadlines vary by program. Many programs allow students to apply for the fall or spring semester. Some programs also allow for a summer start term.

Credit transfers

Generally, an academic department may accept credits from a regionally-accredited university that correspond to the Duquesne curriculum and in which you have earned at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
The program director of the program or department offering the course establishes the final determination of the acceptance or denial of transfer credits.