14 Best BSN to DNP Programs in Florida – 2025
Written By: Editorial Staff @ NursingProcess.org
BSN to DNP programs in Florida are designed for registered nurses who already know they want to attain their Doctor of Nursing Practice degree when they first beginning working in the profession. These programs involve considerably less time than the more traditional BSN-to-MSN/MSN-to-DNP route. Additionally, many of these programs are offered online, which means you can continue working while you are pursuing your educational goals. On average, graduates of these programs in Florida make $118,200 a year. Find out whether a BSN to DNP program could be right for you by reviewing this list of the 14 best BSN to DNP programs in Florida for 2025.
WHAT ARE THE BEST BSN TO DNP PROGRAMS IN FLORIDA (ONLINE & CAMPUS) FOR 2025?
(Based on our
ranking methodology, the following are the 14 Best BSN to DNP Programs in Florida (Online & Campus).)
1) University of Florida - Gainesville
Concentrations: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner,
Family Nurse Practitioner,
Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner,
Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, and
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The best BSN to DNP programs in Florida not only offer you a well-designed curriculum but also provide excellent clinical training in varied healthcare settings. The University of Florida is one such place where you can pursue a DNP seamlessly after earning your baccalaureate in nursing. The program’s focus on leadership and innovation prepares you to play impactful roles in the healthcare system. With online classes and clinical experiences arranged within your geographical location, you can earn this degree while continuing to work.
Depending on your interest, you can choose from five NP specialties and complete your doctoral degree in a specific population focus. To be eligible, you must have completed your BSN and have an active RN license. To graduate, you are required to complete 75 to 78 credits in an evidence-based curriculum. Upon completion of this three-year program, you will be eligible to take the certification exam in your chosen specialty.
Concentrations: Nurse Anesthesia, Acute Care, Family Nurse Practitioner, and Adult Geriatric Primary Care
Whether you are keen on providing primary care to individuals across the lifespan or getting certified in nurse anesthesia, with the University of Miami’s DNP program you can achieve this goal after completing your baccalaureate education in nursing. Counted among U.S. News & World Report’s top-ranking doctorates, this is one of the few Florida BSN to DNP programs that do not require a GRE score for admission.
This program is offered in a lock-step format, meaning you must complete the courses in each semester to progress to the next. While the NP track requires completing around 70 credits and 1000 clinical hours, if you enroll in the nurse anesthesia track you must complete 129 credits and 3444 hours of clinical practice. Regardless of the track, the common core courses prepare you in advanced pharmacology, pathophysiology, healthcare management, healthcare policy development, research, population-based health, global health, and health systems development & leadership practice.
Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and
Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP)
With a DNP degree from Florida State University, you can open up doors to several high-paying positions in healthcare. With the convenience of synchronous and asynchronous classes, you can earn this degree, enrolling in either a part-time or full-time schedule. The program is offered with two specialization options, training you to provide specialized care to families across the lifespan or care for elderly patients suffering from acute illnesses. While most students complete this program within three to four years of study, you can stretch your duration of study for up to seven years, if required.
This BSN to DNP program in FL requires completion of 76 to 79 credits and 1035 hours of clinical practice. Regardless of the track you enroll, the program starts with an on-campus graduate orientation and ends with the DNP project. Upon completion of the program, you will not only be eligible to take the certification exam but will also be equipped with evidence-based skills and knowledge to lead healthcare organizations and influence the delivery of healthcare within your chosen population foci.
4) University of Central Florida - Orlando
Concentrations: Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner,
Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, and
Family Nurse Practitioner
As a registered nurse are you aspiring to become an advanced nurse practitioner, a nurse leader, or a clinical researcher? If so, you can achieve these career goals by enrolling in the University of Central Florida’s doctoral program. This BSN to DNP program is delivered by a nationally recognized faculty who actively engage in innovative research. With flexible full-time and part-time schedules along with the convenience of a hybrid coursework, you can pursue this terminal degree alongside your current employment. By shaping the career of many of its graduates, the college has improved patient outcomes in the state and beyond.
This DNP program which is open to BSN graduates comes with specialization options in adult gerontology acute care, adult-gerontology primary care, and family health. With consistently high pass rates on the certification exam, upon completion of this program, you will be rather well-prepared to take the certification exam within your chosen population foci. Depending on the track you choose, the credit requirement will be around 76, including 1080 hours of clinical practice. The hybrid format of the program entails attending intensive twice a year. While part-time enrollment takes 12 semesters, the full-time schedule can be completed within 9 semesters.
Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioners and Adult/Gerontological Nurse Practitioners
Florida Atlantic University has been effectively preparing DNP graduates who are committed to the cause of health equity. The college’s focus on health improvement of the underserved and vulnerable populations has greatly contributed to the state’s healthcare delivery systems. Although the program is offered only on a full-time basis, you can enjoy the convenience of various delivery formats which include online classes, live weekly sessions and campus intensives held on weekends.
Here, you can pursue your DNP in conjunction with either the FNP track or adult gerontological nurse practitioner specialization. Admission into this program requires you to have a BSN and an active RN license. To earn your DNP degree, you must complete around 81 credits and 1005 hours of clinical practice. By completing this program, you not only gain the eligibility to take the certification exam but as a Doctorally prepared nurse you will be able to lead in interdisciplinary healthcare environments to improve the quality and safety of patient care.
Concentrations: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care,
Adult-Gerontology Primary Care,
Family Health,
Occupational Health/Adult-Gerontology Primary Care,
Oncology/Adult-Gerontology Primary Care, and
Pediatric Health
Are you yearning to make a difference in healthcare? If so, the University of South Florida which offers one of the reputed BSN to DNP programs in FL can take your career as a nurse straight to the leadership levels. The college’s thorough training through research, simulation experiences, and community partnerships prepare you to efficiently solve healthcare issues, locally as well as globally. With several concentration options, here you can also complete a dual specialization in adult-gerontology primary care and oncology.
Apart from an accredited bachelor’s degree in nursing, you must also have at least one year of relevant work experience as a registered nurse to be eligible for this program. Depending on the NP track you enroll in, you must complete around 75 to 81 credits, comprising 30 credits in common core courses, 3 credits in practice management, 27 credits in advanced practice courses, and the remaining 21 credits in specialty-specific courses.
Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner and
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
If you are seeking to obtain the terminal nursing degree, you can consider enrolling in Barry University’s BSN to DNP program that has shaped the careers of many RNs by offering practice-focused knowledge and skills. Designed for working nurses, this program is offered with specialization options in family health and adult gerontology acute care and can be competed only on a part-time basis. The program stands eligible for a 30% tuition discount which can be further reduced if you commit to full-time teaching for at least four years post-graduation.
This BSN to DNP program can be completed within 12 semesters of continuous study and primarily focuses on direct practice and leadership. To graduate you must complete around 76 credits and 1000 hours of clinical practice after completion of which you will be eligible to take the certification exam. During the four years of study, you focus on improving the quality of healthcare delivery and reducing health disparity.
Concentrations: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Family Health Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
A school that has received acclaim for its DNP program, Florida International University highly ranked by the U.S. News & World Report, offers one of the sought-after online BSN to DNP programs in FL. Being trained for a rewarding career as an advanced practice nurse, here you can choose from any of the four NP tracks. Upon graduation, you will work towards the improvement of health in the urban and rural areas of the nation.
An undergraduate degree in nursing and a current RN license is what you need to be eligible for this program. The program spans across 10 semesters and requires completion of 77 to 81 credits, depending on the track you choose. To complement its rigorous didactic courses, the college’s strong partnerships with area healthcare facilities provide a variety of clinical experiences, relevant to your scope of practice.
Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Whether it is your calling in serving communities or if you are simply interested in taking your nursing career to the highest level of practice, then you need to know that Florida Gulf Coast University’s DNP graduates are influencing health across diverse healthcare systems. The BSN to DNP coursework here is centered on innovation and evidence-based practice and is in tune with the changing trends of the complex healthcare field.
To be considered for this Florida BSN to DNP program you must have a baccalaureate in nursing along with an active RN license. Depending on your interest, you can choose an area of emphasis in either family health or psychiatric mental health and complete credits ranging from 81 to 84 to earn your doctorate. As such, the common core courses teach you advanced health assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacotherapeutics, health promotion, and foundations of nursing education. You also learn about evidence-based research, health policy, leadership, and advanced practice management.
Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner and
Leadership
Preparing you for advanced direct and indirect patient care roles, Jacksonville University provides you the opportunity to earn your DNP degree concurrently either in advanced practice nursing or in leadership. As a graduate of this program, you will be able to integrate ethics and cultural diversity into your clinical decision making to address health issues in a complex health care environment. Furthermore, with JU being a recipient of the HRSA funding for the Nurse Faculty Loan Program, you can avail of almost 85 percent concession in tuition fees in exchange for a full-time teaching commitment, post your graduation.
Depending on your interest you can choose from either the FNP or the Leadership track. Both the tracks admit students only once a year in fall and take around three years to complete, on a full-time basis. Like most other online BSN to DNP programs in Florida, here too, you will take most courses online while visiting the campus for only a few face-to-face classes. While the BSN to DNP-FNP track requires completing 70 credits and 1000 clinical hours, with the leadership cognate you must earn 59 credits to graduate.
Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioners and
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists
The University of North Florida prepares agents of change through a community-based and population-focused DNP curriculum. Its emphasis on evidence-based practice, leadership, health promotion, and disease prevention has produced advanced practice nurses, ready to work in any type of healthcare setting. The college offers its DNP degree in conjunction with two tracks; family nurse practitioner and nurse anesthesia.
This BSN to DNP program, which is designed for BSN graduates with an active RN license can be completed either on a full-time or part-time basis. The program spans across eight semesters and in addition to specialized skills in your chosen area of emphasis, educates you in health assessment, pharmacotherapeutics, pathophysiology, advanced bioscience, global health care & culture, healthcare informatics, and practice management. The coursework ends with a doctoral project and residency in advanced nursing practice. The nurse anesthesia track, in particular, is rigorous in nature and it is advisable that you refrain from employment during the course of this program.
Concentrations: AGACNP, Executive Nurse Leadership, FNP, Nursing Education, Nursing Informatics, and PMHNP
If you are a BSN graduate searching for online BSN to DNP programs in Florida to obtain both, an MSN and a DNP seamlessly through a 100% distance format then you may want to look no further than Nova Southeastern University. Here, within nine semesters you will earn a master's as well as a doctorate, all this without keeping your current job on hold. The college’s acclaimed faculty is known for creating a supportive online environment where student success is a top priority.
This practice-focused DNP degree allows an entry directly after your BSN. The evidence-based curriculum is designed to take you through biostatistics, epidemiology, quality improvement, and leadership. The program offers specialized knowledge in adult-gerontology acute care, nurse leadership, family health, nursing education, nursing informatics, and psychiatric mental health, allowing you to choose an area of emphasis based on your interests. To graduate, you must complete 69 to 75 credits, depending on the track you enroll in.
Concentrations: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (DNP-AGPCNP),
Executive Leadership (DNP-EXL),
Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP), and
Psychiatric Mental Health Care Nurse Practitioner (DNP-PMHNP)
If you find your calling in healthcare, then you may want to consider advancing your BSN degree to the doctoral level. Palm Beach Atlantic University offers BSN graduates a faith-based DNP degree that can seamlessly be pursued within nine semesters. The DNP education is consistent with the college’s values of service and compassion and aims at preparing you to provide holistic care for patients. The program comes with several NP specialization options and is also offered in conjunction with the Leadership track that prepares you for leadership positions in healthcare organizations.
As an RN who is prepared at the baccalaureate level, with this BSN to DNP program you can reach your goal of advanced practice nursing. While the NP tracks prepare you for autonomy in primary care, with the leadership track you can explore job positions of a chief executive officer, chief operating officer, or that of a chief nursing officer. Depending on the track you choose, you must complete 71 to 75 credits to earn your DNP degree.
Concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner and
Nurse Executive
Not all online BSN to DNP programs in FL offer the flexibility and convenience of a fully online coursework and optional on-campus immersions. Well, with University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences you can take online classes and choose to attend on-campus immersions or even for that matter opt to participate in an international immersion experience. With six start dates and a tailor-made study plan, you can easily fit this academic schedule into your busy life.
If you are ready to start your journey towards the terminal nursing degree, here, you can choose from specializing in family health or opt for the Nurse Executive track. Regardless of the track you enroll, you will be taught by a dedicated faculty in a close-knit supportive environment. While the FNP track requires completing 71 credits and 1035 clinical hours, earning your DNP in conjunction with the Nurse Executive track entails completing 64 credits and 1000 clinical hours.
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