The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is the terminal practice degree in the profession. The objective of the program is to prepare graduates for the highest level of nursing practice. Emphasis will be placed on evaluating and applying the evidence that supports practice, understanding and creating practice delivery systems based on patient outcomes, and assuming leadership roles in practice settings. The curriculum will allow students with diverse nursing academic and clinical backgrounds the flexibility to enter a program of study tailored to their future professional goals. In the curriculum, five concentrations are available. The concentrations are configured into two foci as recommended by the American Academy of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (2006), the guidance document for DNP programs. The two foci are:
- Care of individuals with three concentrations, Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner; and
- Care of aggregates with the Administration in Nursing concentration.
The DNP program is approved by the Virginia State Board of Nursing and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The nurse practitioner concentrations have been approved by the state boards of nursing and medicine in Virginia.

