5 Best DNP Programs in Iowa – 2025

Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH

Are you an RN in Iowa looking for greater professional fulfillment? Earning a DNP degree will help improve your diagnostic and treatment skills and answer the growing demand for primary healthcare practitioners in the Hawkeye State. You’ll acquire the credentials to help address the healthcare gap in medically underserved parts of the state and enhance your leadership abilities, positioning you to make a significant impact on healthcare delivery. Graduates of DNP programs in Iowa have lucrative futures, too: On average, they make $140,920 annually, and their employment opportunities will rise by 53 percent in 10 years. The list below of the 5 best DNP programs in Iowa will tell you more.

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

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

1. University of Iowa - Iowa City

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

BSN-to-DNP Specialties Offered: Adult/Gerontology (Acute Care) Nurse Practitioner, Adult/Gerontological (Primary Care) Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Health Systems: Administration/Executive Leadership, Nurse Anesthesia, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (Acute Care), Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (Primary Care), and Psych-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

MSN-to-DNP Specialties Offered: Adult/Gerontology (Acute Care) Nurse Practitioner, Adult/Gerontological (Primary Care) Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Health Systems: Administration/Executive Leadership, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (Acute Care), Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (Primary Care), and Psych-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: Widely regarded as one of the top degrees of its kind in the nation, the University of Iowa's Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)-to-Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program offers eight specialization tracks: a 75-credit (1,090 clinical hours) BSN-to-DNP/Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) track, a 79-credit (1,000 clinical hours) BSN-to-DNP/Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) track, an 83-credit (1,000 clinical hours) BSN-to-DNP/Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) track, a 73-credit (1,000 clinical hours) BSN-to-DNP/ Health Systems: Administration/Executive Leadership track, a 78- to 80-credit (2,500 clinical hours) BSN-to-DNP/Nurse Anesthesia track, a 78-credit (1,090 clinical hours) BSN-to-DNP/Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (PACNP) track, a 77-credit (1,000 clinical hours) BSN-to-DNP/Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (PPCNP) track, and a 77-credit (1,000 clinical hours) BSN-to-DNP/Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) track.

UIowa's BSN-to-DNP curriculum includes advanced practice coursework, specialty concentration classes, clinical experiences, advanced DNP core courses, and a DNP project. The curriculum is taught over 9 semesters (36 months) for full-time students and 12 semesters (48 months) for part-time students. The Nurse Anesthesia track is primarily a campus-based program that accepts 16 students a year and requires full-time residency in Iowa City for didactic coursework, clinical rotations, and simulations. Nurse Anesthesia is a very rigorous track; between class time, clinical hours, and studying, you can expect to spend 60 hours a week on your studies. The Nurse Anesthesia track accepts new cohorts in the summer semester, but new students start the other seven tracks in the fall semester.

Apart from practicums, the Health Systems: Administration/Executive Leadership track is 100 percent online. The other six programs offer much of their coursework online, but if you're enrolled in one of the nurse practitioner tracks, you'll have to visit the university's campus in Iowa City once a week for didactic nurse practitioner courses, and you may also need to visit the campus for orientations, skills workshops, and other enrichment experiences. The University of Iowa's primary clinical affiliation is with its own teaching and research hospital, University of Iowa Health Care. All clinical residencies are arranged by UIowa's College of Nursing and take place within Iowa.

All eight specialization tracks share a common DNP core curriculum with courses like "Evaluating Evidence for Practice," "Clinical Data Management and Evaluation," and "Quality and Safety." Your clinical doctoral studies will culminate with a three-semester DNP project that contributes to some aspect of advanced nursing practice.

BSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: This DNP program in Iowa is only open to BSN-educated applicants with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. You must have an RN license in Iowa. Applicants to the Nurse Anesthesia track must have at least one year of critical care experience as well as Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification. FNP applicants must have at least one year of professional nursing experience. AGACNP applicants must have at least 2 years of experience providing care to adults and the elderly in an intermediate or critical care practice setting, while PACNP applicants must have at least 1 year of experience providing care in an acute pediatric practice setting.

MSN-to-DNP Program Details: The University of Iowa offers two types of programs for post-master's RNs interested in completing a clinical doctoral degree. If you're already APRN-certified and you don't want to pursue a second specialization, you can enroll in UIowa's streamlined 29-credit (370 clinical hours) Master's of Science in Nursing (MSN)-to-DNP track, which only consists of the DNP core. You'll be able to transfer clinical hours from your MSN studies toward your 1,000-clinical-hours DNP requirement.

If, however, you're interested in pursuing a second clinical focus, the University of Iowa offers the same options to MSN-to-DNP students that it does to BSN-to-DNP students—except for the Nurse Anesthesia option. You'll follow the same basic framework as the BSN-to-DNP degree, completing a minimum of 72 semester hours and 1,000 clinical hours post‑BSN, but your MSN course can be applied toward that requirement, which will shorten the number of credits you have to take.

MSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: All applicants must have an MSN from an accredited nursing program with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Otherwise, MSN-to-DNP admission requirements are identical to BSN-to-DNP admission requirements.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Iowa's DNP program at #22 on its list of the nation's best clinical nursing doctorate degrees.
• The University of Iowa's DNP program in Nurse Anesthesia is rated #3 nationally by U.S. News & World Report. UIowa's Nurse Anesthesia grads have an 86% first-time pass rate on the National Certification Exam, well above the national average.
• 100 percent of UIowa's AGACNP, AGPCNP, PACNP, PPCNP, and PMHNP grads pass their nurse practitioner national certification exams and find employment in their chosen field within one year of completing the program.
• Interested in expanding your scope of practice into two specialty areas? The University of Iowa offers a dual certification program that allows students to combine any two of the DNP nurse practitioner concentrations (excluding Nurse Anesthesia).

2. Morningside University - Sioux City

Programs Offered: MSN-to-DNP

MSN-to-DNP Specialties Offered: Direct Patient Care and Transformative Leadership

MSN-to-DNP Program Details: Morningside University offers two MSN-to-DNP tracks: Direct Patient Care for advanced practice nurses and Transformative Leadership for nurses educated in executive leadership at the master’s level. Both tracks entail 34 credits, 26 of which are part of the DNP core curriculum and eight of which are related to your chosen concentration. You'll also complete 400 clinical hours developing, implementing, and evaluating your DNP project. The university expects you to pursue your clinical placements within Iowa. Like other DNP programs in Iowa, Morningside University's clinical nursing doctorate requires the completion of 1,000 post-baccalaureate clinical hours, and you'll be able to transfer hours from your MSN studies to make up the deficit.

You'll prepare for your four-semester DNP project by taking foundational courses such as "Organizational & Systems Leadership" and "Health Care Policy & Advocacy for Individuals & Populations." While most of your coursework will be accessible online, you will have to visit the university's campus in Sioux City at least once for your DNP project dissemination and a competency demonstration.

Morningside University accepts new students into its MSN-to-DNP program in the fall semester. Full-time students should be able to complete the program in five semesters (17 months), while part-time students will graduate in seven semesters (24 months).

MSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: All applicants must have a BSN and an MSN from an accredited nursing program with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, as well as an Iowa RN license.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Morningside University also offers a BSN-MSN-DNP program. Students may earn a master’s of science in nursing in either a Family Nurse Practitioner or Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner specialization before moving into the Direct Care DNP program, or they may earn an MSN in a nursing leadership focus area before moving into the Transformative Leadership DNP program.
• Morningside University's MSN-to-DNP tuition rate is one of the lowest tuition rates in the country for a clinical nursing doctorate program.

3. Mount Mercy University - Cedar Rapids

Programs Offered: MSN-to-DNP

MSN-to-DNP Specialties Offered: Family Nurse Practitioner

MSN-to-DNP Program Details: Mount Mercy University's MSN-to-DNP program may be one of the best DNP programs in Iowa for working RNs who need to integrate their educational aspirations with their professional commitments. Classes are taught once a week in five- or 10-week blocks in classrooms at the university's campus in Cedar Rapids, and you only have to take one class at a time. The university accepts new students into this program in the fall semester.

Mount Mercy University's program offers two tracks: a 33-credit track that focuses solely on DNP core courses and a DNP project, from which you can graduate in three semesters (12 months), and a 57-credit track that allows you to earn a DNP and qualify for FNP certification, which you can complete in six semesters (24 months). Both tracks share a common DNP curriculum with classes like "Biostatistics for Healthcare," "Advanced Practice: DNP Transforming Healthcare," and "Advanced Practice: Integrative Review & Synthesis," as well as a three-semester DNP project.

You'll complete your clinical practicums at healthcare facilities in Iowa, including those affiliated with the UnityPoint Health network. When you enroll in this program, Mount Mercy's College of Nursing will perform a gap analysis to determine precisely how many more hours you must complete to reach 1,000 post‑BSN clinical hours for the MSN-to-DNP.

MSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: Applicants must have a valid Iowa RN license and an MSN from an accredited nursing program with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Mount Mercy University is a Catholic university. While its doors are open to students of all faiths, its nursing curriculum reflects Catholic doctrines to some degree, particularly when it comes to ethics.
• Mount Mercy University offers a 10 percent tuition discount on its MSN-to-DNP program to numerous employees of companies and community agencies throughout the Cedar Rapids area, including the Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and Linn-Mar Community School districts, University of Iowa hospitals and clinics, and US Bank.

4. Allen College - Waterloo

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

RN-to-DNP Specialties Offered: Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Adult Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, and Leadership in Health Care Delivery-Administration

BSN-to-DNP Specialties Offered: Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Adult Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, and Leadership in Health Care Delivery-Administration

MSN-to-DNP Specialties Offered: Innovative Systems Leader

RN-to-DNP Program Details: Are you a nurse with an associate degree or a hospital diploma who's been dreaming of becoming a nurse practitioner or a nurse executive but feels daunted by the amount of time it would take to earn your degree? Allen College offers a five-year RN-to-DNP program that combines baccalaureate‑level coursework, advanced practice coursework, NP and leadership specialization coursework, and DNP foundational classes and project work into a single, integrated plan of study. Allen College offers five RN-to-DNP concentration options: a PACNP track, an AGACNP track, an FNP track, a Leadership in Healthcare Delivery Administration (LEAD) track, and a PMHNP track. The four nurse practitioner tracks entail 76 credits, while the LEAD track requires 62 credits. All five tracks involve a minimum of 1,000 clinical hours.

This DNP program in Iowa was designed to accommodate working nurses: Six credits is considered full-time enrollment, and you'll receive 71 credit hours of articulation credit just for completion of RN education and RN licensure. Coursework is delivered in a hybrid format, utilizing synchronous technology, so that you can network most effectively with your instructors and cohorts. You will visit the college's campus in Waterloo periodically, however, for skills workshops, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations, and other learning experiences. New cohorts can enter this program twice a year in the spring and fall semesters.

You'll begin taking core DNP courses like "Quality Outcomes for Organizations and Systems," "Epidemiology and Biostatistics," and " Analytic Methods for Evidence-Based Practice I" in the third year of the program and complete your four-semester DNP project in the final year of enrollment. All practicums and clinical residencies will take place in Iowa at medical facilities like St. Luke's, Allen Hospital, and MercyOne.

RN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: Allen College has a rolling admissions policy, so if this program is your top choice, you'll want to apply as soon as possible. All applicants must have an RN license in Iowa or a compact state, as well as a grade point average of 3.0 or above in their last 60 hours of college enrollment.

BSN-to-DNP Program Details: Apart from the RN-to-DNP bridge that covers the BSN-level coursework students need before they begin graduate nursing studies, the BSN-to-DNP program at Allen College is very similar to the college's RN-to-DNP program. Like its RN-to-DNP counterpart, the BSN-to-DNP program offers FNP, PMHNP, AGACNP, PACNP, and LEAP specialization options; the nurse practitioner specialties require 68 credits, while the LEAP specialty involves 51 credits. You'll complete the same 33 credits of DNP core courses, too—including a four-semester DNP project—in the RN-to-DNP and BSN-to-DNP programs.

Many of your courses will be available online, but they will use a synchronous format where attendance may be taken. You will complete at least 1,000 clinical practice hours in healthcare sites across Iowa. Students can start this program in the fall or spring semester. Full-time students can expect to graduate in three years, and part-time students in four.

BSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: Applicants must possess RN licensure in Iowa or a compact state and have a BSN from an accredited nursing program with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

MSN-to-DNP Program Details: Already have an MSN degree? Allen College's MSN-to-DNP/Innovative Systems Leader track will qualify you to move beyond patient care into administrative, executive, and educational nursing roles. This 33-credit curriculum features the same foundational DNP coursework you'll encounter in the RN-to-DNP and BSN-to-DNP tracks. Most of your coursework will be delivered online using synchronous technology, but you will have to make periodic visits to the college's campus for enrichment experiences.

This program also includes 400 clinical hours, which you'll complete at a medical facility or community agency within Iowa, and which you'll supplement with MSN clinical hours to meet the 1,000-clinical-hours DNP requirement. This MSN-to-DNP program has entry points in the spring and fall semesters, and full-time students can complete the track in two years.

MSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: Prospective students must be licensed RNs in Iowa or a compact state and hold an MSN from an accredited nursing program with at least a 3.0 grade point average.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• Allen College's FNP and PMHNP grads have a first-time pass rate of 100 percent on their nurse practitioner national certification exams.
• Allen College will accept RN applicants with a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field into its RN-to-DNP program.
• LEAD track students are eligible for a 25 percent discount on their BSN-to-DNP tuition.

5. Briar Cliff University - Sioux City

Programs Offered: MSN-to-DNP

MSN-to-DNP Program Details: Briar Cliff University's MSN-to-DNP program was designed for nurse practitioners seeking a quick, convenient way to develop skills in evidence-based practice and critical thinking that will qualify them for career advancement into executive roles. Except for 480 practicum hours, the 36-credit program is offered online. You will be able to transfer some of your MSN clinical hours to meet your 1,000-clinical-hours DNP requirement. Briar Cliff University has designed this program to be part-time, and you should be able to earn your degree in six semesters (24 months).

Core DNP courses such as " Translational Research & Evidence Based Practice Initiative," "Information Technology for Evidence Based Practice," and "Philosophy and Theory for Advanced Practice Nursing" will lay the foundation for a four-semester DNP project. You'll be able to complete your DNP practicums at a healthcare facility in the state where you live. This DNP program in Iowa accepts new students in the summer semester.

MSN-to-DNP Admission Requirements: This program is only available to nationally certified nurse practitioners who have current APRN licensure in the state where they will be completing clinical practicums.

Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students

• While Briar Cliff University is a Catholic university in the Franciscan tradition, it welcomes students from many different religious backgrounds, and its nursing curriculum does not reflect Catholic doctrines explicitly.
• In terms of tuition, Briar Cliff University's MSN-to-DNP program is one of the most budget-friendly options around.


VIEW OUR RANKING METHODOLOGY

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ANSWERED

1. Who Accredits DNP Programs In Iowa?

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

5

3. What Is The Average DNP Salary In Iowa?

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

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

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

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

Popular Related Articles