6 Best DNP Programs in Arizona – 2025

Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH

In Arizona, a DNP is now regarded as the optimal entry-level degree for advanced practice RNs, so it’s one of the wisest investments you can make in your nursing education. With a DNP in the Grand Canyon State, your salary will be $142,790 annually, and you’ll have excellent job security, too, as employment prospects for DNPs will rise a whopping 71 percent in just one decade. Whether you’re interested in hands-on patient care or executive nurse management, with a degree from one of the DNP programs in Arizona, you’ll be at the top of your game. This list of the 6 best DNP programs in Arizona will give you all the info you need.

WHAT ARE THE BEST DNP PROGRAMS IN ARIZONA (ONLINE & CAMPUS) FOR 2025?

Based on our Ranking Methodology, listed below are the 6 Best Doctor of Nursing Practice programs in Arizona (Online & Campus) for 2025.

1. University of Arizona - Tucson

Programs Offered: BSN-to-DNP and MSN-to-DNP

BSN-to-DNP Specialties Offered: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Executive Health Systems Leadership, Family Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Anesthesiology, Nurse Education Leadership, Nurse-Midwifery, Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: The University of Arizona truly understands that nursing is not just a career path but a genuine calling! That's why this program is widely regarded as one of the best DNP programs in Arizona and the nation as a whole. UArizona's Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)-to-Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program offers eight specializations: a 67-credit (720 clinical hours) Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track, a 50-credit (500 practicum hours) Executive Health Systems Leadership track, a 68-credit (720 clinical hours) Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) track, an 86-credit (2,260 clinical hours) Nurse Anesthesiology track, a 57-credit (730 clinical hours) Nurse Education Leadership track, a 69-credit (900 clinical hours) Nurse-Midwifery track, a 64-credit (720 clinical hours) Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track, and a 64-credit (720 clinical hours) Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) track. While much of your coursework will be accessible online, you will have to visit the university's campus in Tucson up to four times throughout the program for skills workshops, clinical immersions, and Residential Intensive Summer Experiences (RISEs).

Though nurse anesthesiology students complete anatomy courses and simulation labs on campus, they participate in clinical residencies at hospitals and clinics throughout Arizona and other parts of the U.S. The University of Arizona partners with prestigious healthcare facilities like Banner - University Medical Centers, HonorHealth, Abrazo Health, Mayo Clinic, Hospice of the Valley, Phoenix Children's, and the VA Health System, and Nurse Anesthesiology students can expect to scrub in on more than 650 practice surgical cases before they graduate. Students in the other seven tracks will complete a minimum of 1,000 clinical hours that include supervised patient care assignments in their specialty training, as well as practicum hours during which they'll implement their DNP project, and they can do that at healthcare facilities in their own communities.

All eight BSN-to-DNP tracks offer the same core DNP curriculum, with courses like "Statistical Inference for Evidence-based Practice," "Methods for Scholarly Inquiry," and "Evidence-Based Practice," as well as a three-semester DNP project. The Nurse Anesthesiology track accepts new cohorts in the summer semester and takes three years to complete. It is only open to full-time students. The other seven tracks offer full-time and part-time enrollment; full-time students begin their programs in the fall semester and graduate in seven semesters (28 months), while part-time students begin in the spring and graduate in 10 semesters (40 months). All part-time students transition into full-time students for the final clinical year of the program.

BSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: Admission into the University of Arizona's BSN-to-DNP program is highly competitive. You must submit two applications: one to the university's Graduate College and one to the College of Nursing through NursingCAS. Applicants must have a valid RN license in the state where they'll be completing clinical residences, as well as a BSN from an accredited nursing program with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher. Full-time students must have a minimum of 1,800 hours of RN experience for acceptance into this program, and part-time students must accumulate 1,800 hours of RN experience by the time they start their clinical experiences.

Applicants to the Nurse Anesthesiology track must have a year of critical care experience as well as Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) certification.

MSN-to-DNP Program Details: The University of Arizona's 35-credit Master's of Science in Nursing (MSN)-to-DNP track was expressly developed for advanced practice nurses who want to take the next step forward in their nursing careers. It consists of the same DNP foundational classes as those taken by BSN-to-DNP students, including the DNP project. It's an online program for the most part, though students are expected to attend one campus RISE experience. The cohort is capped at ten to enable students to seek the instructor mentoring experiences that will benefit them the most as they tackle a new professional frontier. This program accepts new students in the spring and fall semesters. Full-time students graduate in 1.5 years, and part-time students in 2.5 years.

MSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: This program is only open to MSN-educated applicants with an APRN specialty.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• U.S. News & World Report rates the University of Arizona's clinical nursing doctorate as the 17th best DNP program in the United States.
• UArizona offers several dual DNP programs, including DNP/Master's of Public Health (MPH) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) /DNP joint degrees.
• Interested in certifying in two nurse practitioner specialties? The University of Arizona will allow you to complement your BSN-to-DNP/FNP track with either a PMHNP post-grad certificate or an AGACNP certificate, and your BSN-to-DNP/PPCNP track with a PMHNP post-grad certificate.
• UArizona offers DNP students the opportunity to specialize in providing care to rural and other medically underserved populations through its Rural Health Professions Program.

2. Arizona State University - Phoenix

Programs Offered: BSN-to-DNP and MSN-to-DNP

BSN-to-DNP Specialties Offered: Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Primary Care, and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner

MSN-to-DNP Specialties Offered: Innovation Leadership

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: Arizona State University's BSN-to-DNP program was designed to address healthcare access shortages in Maricopa County and other parts of the Grand Canyon State. The university offers six advanced practice concentrations: an 85-credit BSN-to-DNP/Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (PACNP) track, an 84-credit BSN-to-DNP/AGACNP track, an 84-credit BSN-to-DNP/FNP track, an 85-credit BSN-to-DNP/PMHNP track, an 84-credit BSN-to-DNP/PPCNP track, and an 84-credit BSN-to-DNP/Women's Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) track.

Between supervised patient care experiences in your chosen specialty and practicum work for your DNP project, all ASU BSN-to-DNP students complete 1,125 clinical hours. ASU's clinical coordinators will arrange clinical experiences for students at healthcare facilities throughout Phoenix and other parts of Maricopa County, with a focus on underserved urban and rural areas. If you're seeking a clinical rotation outside Maricopa County, you'll have to find your own preceptors and clinical sites, but these must be approved by the College of Nursing.

The curriculum consists of APRN coursework, classes in your chosen specialty, electives, clinical experiences, and core DNP courses, such as "Principles of Evidence-Based Care in Advanced Practice," "Systems Thinking in a Complex Healthcare Environment," and "Individual and Innovation Leadership in Healthcare Practice." Your studies will culminate with a three-semester DNP project.

This DNP program in Arizona primarily uses a distance learning format. However, you will have to spend a week at the university's campus in Phoenix during orientation, and depending upon the track you pursue, you may have to travel to campus as much as three times a semester for skills intensives and other hands-on experiences. New students are accepted into this program in the fall semester. If you enroll full-time, you can earn your DNP degree in as few as five semesters (20 months).

BSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: Applicants must have an RN license in Arizona or a compact state and a BSN from an accredited nursing program with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0. Preference is given to applicants with at least 1 year of professional nursing experience in the patient population they intend to specialize in.

MSN-to-DNP Program Details: Are you an RN with a nursing master's degree who's interested in creating more sustainable healthcare initiatives in the community where you live and work? Arizona State University's MSN-to-DNP/Innovation Leadership track is a 54-credit curriculum that emphasizes complexity science, evidence-based practice, and innovation theory to help you improve patient outcomes at both the clinical and healthcare systems levels. You'll be awarded 30 credits toward ASU's 84-credit DNP requirement for completing your MSN degree.

The program includes 1,080 practicum hours. ASU will allow you to complete your clinical residencies in your home state, though most MSN-to-DNP students complete them in Arizona. The DNP core curriculum is identical to the coursework taken by ASU post-baccalaureate students pursuing clinical nursing doctorates. New cohorts join this program in the fall semester. Full-time students can complete this degree in three years, while part-time students can graduate in four years.

MSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: All applicants must have a BSN and an MSN from an accredited nursing program with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Additionally, applicants must have an RN license in Arizona or a compact state, even if they plan to do their clinical rotations elsewhere.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• According to U.S. News & World Report, Arizona State University is #26 on the list of the best DNP programs in the U.S.
• Arizona State University offers a concurrent enrollment DNP/ Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing degree.
• ASU will accept RNs who have a master's degree in a non-nursing field into the MSN-to-DNP program, so long as they complete two bridge courses.

3. Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff

Programs Offered: MSN-to-DNP

MSN-to-DNP Program Details: If you're an MSN-educated nurse who's looking for ways to advance beyond bedside care, enrolling in Northern Arizona University's MSN-to-DNP program is a smart move. This DNP program in Arizona consists of 74 credits and is offered entirely online except for clinical practicum credits. Courses like "Methods For Evidence-based Practice" and "Organizational And Systems Leadership For Quality Care" will build the knowledge base and insights you need to execute an impactful scholarly DNP project.

You must complete a minimum of 240 practicum hours while you're enrolled at Northern Arizona University at a healthcare facility or community agency within the Grand Canyon State, but you'll be able to transfer over clinical hours from your MSN studies to meet your 1,000-hour DNP clinical requirement. New cohorts can join this program at the beginning of the summer semester. The degree is typically awarded after two years of full-time study or three years of part-time study.

MSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: This program is only open to applicants with an MSN degree who have maintained a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Northern Arizona University's College of Nursing is affiliated with the Arizona Healthy Tomorrow Initiative as well as the American Indian Nursing Program, meant to expand healthcare access in the state's many rural areas. Focusing on training nurses for underserved areas, including indigenous and remote communities, is one of the College of Nursing's primary missions.
• Once you're admitted into NAU's MSN-to-DNP program, the College of Nursing will perform a gap analysis to develop an individualized plan of study tailored to your specific background and goals.

4. Grand Canyon University - Phoenix

Programs Offered: MSN-to-DNP

MSN-to-DNP Specialties Offered: Educational Leadership

MSN-to-DNP Program Details: Grand Canyon University's MSN-to-DNP program is an excellent choice for any working nurse with a nursing master's degree who's interested in learning how to improve patient outcomes through the application of evidence-based practice. You'll complete all your coursework apart from your clinical practicums remotely via the university's digital learning platform. Except for the three DNP project courses, which are 16 weeks long, classes are taught in eight-week sessions, and you can take one course at a time. In addition to a streamlined 39-credit program focusing on core DNP coursework, the university offers a 48-credit MSN-to-DNP/Educational Leadership track with three additional education-specific courses for nurses who want to teach or conduct research professionally.

Core DNP courses such as "Scientific Underpinnings," "Translational Research and Evidence-Based Practice," and "Data Analysis" will prepare you to undertake a rigorous three-part DNP project during which you will conduct a formal investigation of a solution to a healthcare issue. Students pursuing the streamlined track must complete 400 clinical hours, while students in the Educational Leadership track must complete 550 clinical hours. You'll be able to schedule your practicum hours at a healthcare facility that's close to where you live. Like other MSN-to-DNP programs in Arizona, Grand Canyon University will allow you to transfer clinical hours from your MSN studies so you can fulfill the 1,000-clinical-hours DNP requirement. You can start the program at multiple points throughout the year, and it takes approximately 30 months to graduate.

MSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: To get accepted by Grand Canyon University, you'll need an unencumbered RN license in the state where you'll be doing clinical rotations and an MSN with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Grand Canyon University is a Christian university with a historic association with the Southern Baptist Convention. The university accepts students from all religious denominations, and Christian doctrines are not reflected in its DNP program.
• Though GCU's program is online, it utilizes a synchronous format, so GCU students often have more opportunities for interactions with their instructors and cohorts than many campus-based programs offer.

5. Midwestern University - Glendale

Programs Offered: BSN-to-DNP and MSN-to-DNP

BSN-to-DNP Specialties Offered: Nurse Anesthesia

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: Midwestern University only accepts 36 students a year into its prestigious BSN-to-DNP/Nurse Anesthesia program. The 181-quarter-credit program accepts new students in the fall quarter and takes 12 quarters (36 months) to complete. The curriculum is divided into three segments: an online didactic phase (three quarters), a face-to-face didactic phase (four quarters), and a face-to-face clinical phase (five quarters).

You'll complete a minimum of 2,000 clinical hours. Each clinical rotation lasts eight weeks and covers specialties such as cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, pediatrics, and obstetrics. Clinical rotations are scheduled at healthcare facilities throughout the U.S. in states including California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, Utah, and Washington, as well as Arizona.

DNP core courses like "Biostatistics and Research: Generating Evidence for Practice," "Research Methods," and "Patient Safety and Health Promotion" will be taught throughout your first year, and you'll tackle your four-part scholarly DNP project during your final quarters, at the same time you're pursuing clinical rotations.

BSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: All applications must be submitted through NursingCAS. Applicants must have a BSN from an accredited nursing program with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and an unencumbered RN license in at least one state.

MSN-to-DNP Program Details: Are you aiming for a greater professional impact than your MSN degree can give you? Midwestern University's 56-quarter-credit MSN-to-DNP program is an 18-month track that will prepare you for top roles in nursing education, healthcare administration, and research. The program's curriculum aligns with the DNP core that Midwestern's post-baccalaureate students complete when pursuing a clinical nursing doctorate. It includes 600 practicum hours, which you can fulfill at a medical facility in your own hometown. You'll be able to transfer clinical credits from your MSN studies to make up the remainder of your 1,000-hour DNP requirement. Apart from clinical practicums, you'll be able to complete your studies entirely online. New students begin this program in the fall semester.

MSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: To be considered for admission into this program, you must have an RN license in the state where you'll be completing practicums and an MSN with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Midwestern University began its existence as the American College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery. The university specializes in graduate-level degrees for healthcare professionals.
• Midwestern University's MSN-to-DNP cohort is capped at eight students to facilitate close relationships with instructors.

6. Aspen University - Phoenix

Programs Offered: MSN-to-DNP

MSN-to-DNP Program Details: Aspen University's MSN-to-DNP program is an accelerated pathway that enables motivated students with a nursing master's degree to complete core DNP courses in just two years. This 42-credit DNP program in Arizona was designed to accommodate working RNs: You'll only have to complete 11 online courses, and the program accepts new students every two weeks. Each 16-week term consists of two eight-week sessions, and you'll take one class per session.

The curriculum includes courses such as "Theoretical and Scientific Underpinnings," "Evidence-Based Practice for Quality Improvement," and "Healthcare Technologies and Informatics." Your DNP studies will culminate with the implementation and evaluation of a DNP capstone project, which you will write up in a scholarly paper and defend in front of a committee. You'll be able to fulfill your face-to-face practicum requirements at a hospital or community agency in the state where you hold RN licensure, and you will be able to apply up to 500 MSN clinical hours toward the 1000 hours of clinical practice immersion hours required to earn a DNP degree.

MSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: Applicants must have an MSN degree from an accredited nursing program with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and a valid RN license in the state where they will be pursuing practicums.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Aspen University has one of the lowest tuition costs among online MSN-to-DNP programs in Arizona and offers flexible and convenient monthly installment plan options for tuition payments.
• Aspen University is one of the few DNP programs offering an entire class on the critically important topic of insurance and healthcare reimbursement.


VIEW OUR RANKING METHODOLOGY

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ANSWERED

1. Who Accredits DNP Programs In Arizona?

2. How Many Schools Offer Accredited DNP Programs In Arizona?

6

3. What Is The Average DNP Salary In Arizona?

4. On Average, How Much Do Entry-Level DNP Graduates Make In Arizona?

5. On Average, How Much Do Experienced DNP Graduates Make In Arizona?

6. What Is The Average DNP Salary In Arizona By Metro?

7. Average DNP Salary In Arizona VS. Average Salaries Of Other Closely Related Occupations In Arizona

Popular Related Articles