Nursing Education

The Nursing Education Specialization within the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Systems Leadership prepares experienced nurses to lead educational and professional development across academic and clinical environments, healthcare systems, and organizational settings.

Our program goes beyond preparing nurses to teach; we provide the expertise needed to master and guide all aspects of modern nursing education.

Our students develop the knowledge and leadership skills to:

• Design curricula
• Assess learners
• Evaluate educational programs
• Integrate emerging technologies
• Lead educational transformation across complex healthcare systems

Education plays a critical role in preparing nurses for a healthcare environment that is becoming more complex, technology-driven, and continuously changing. Nursing education leaders are needed not only in colleges and universities but also across healthcare organizations to:

• Strengthen workforce development
• Address education-practice gap
• Introduce new technologies and care models
• Advance professional practice

Created for nurses interested in leadership roles in education, professional development and healthcare transformation, this specialization prepares graduates to use education strategically, developing their capabilities to improve care and prepare for the future.

Designed for Working Professionals

The Systems Leadership DNP is designed to make doctoral education accessible to experienced nurses who want to continue working while advancing their education.

The program features a fully online delivery model with a flexible combination of synchronous and asynchronous coursework. Consistent scheduling helps students balance their academic, professional, and personal responsibilities while providing opportunities to engage with faculty, peers, and healthcare leaders

Curriculum and Program Design

The Nursing Education Specialization combines the leadership foundation of the Systems Leadership DNP with focused study of educational theory, evidence-based teaching, curriculum development, learner assessment, educational technology, and program evaluation.

Students complete three specialty courses totaling nine didactic credits.

The curriculum emphasizes:

• Curriculum design and development: Learn to create and improve curricula that respond to learner needs, professional competencies, regulatory guidelines and accreditation requirements, workforce priorities, and changes in healthcare.
• Evidence-based teaching and learning: Apply educational research and theory to develop effective approaches to teaching, learning, and professional development.
• Learner engagement: Explore strategies for creating meaningful learning experiences and supporting learner participation, development, and success.
• Assessment and evaluation: Develop methods for measuring knowledge, skills, competencies, learning outcomes, and educational effectiveness.
• Educational technology: Explore how digital tools and emerging technologies can be incorporated thoughtfully into teaching and learning.
• Multiple learning environments: Develop educational strategies for classroom, clinical, simulation, online, hybrid, and other professional learning environments.
• Program evaluation: Learn systematic approaches for evaluating educational programs using current standards, evidence, outcomes, and best practices.

Applied Learning Through the DNP Scholarly Project

Students have the opportunity to develop and implement a nursing education-focused DNP Scholarly Project, allowing them to apply educator and systems leadership competencies to a meaningful educational challenge.

Projects may be completed within a student's own organization or in an assigned educational setting. Through this experience, students can translate educational evidence into practice, evaluate outcomes, contribute to educational innovation, and develop solutions to real-world challenges in nursing and healthcare education.

What Will I Learn in the DNP Specialization in Nursing Education?

The Nursing Education Specialization prepares graduates to approach education from a systems leadership perspective. Students develop the knowledge needed not only to teach but also to design, evaluate, improve, and lead educational programs that support learners, healthcare workforces, and organizational priorities.

Graduates will be prepared to:

• Lead nursing education initiatives across academic, clinical, and healthcare organizational settings.

• Design and transform innovative curricula and educational programs that respond to evolving workforce needs, healthcare delivery models, professional standards, and emerging technologies.

• Apply evidence, educational theory, and data to develop, evaluate, and continuously improve teaching, learning, and educational outcomes.

• Advance competency-based education through effective learning experiences, assessment strategies, and measurable learner and program outcomes.

• Integrate emerging technologies, including AI, responsibly and strategically to enhance education while maintaining appropriate human oversight, equity, privacy, and academic integrity.

• Develop faculty and nurse educators through mentorship, professional development, and support for innovative teaching practices.

• Align nursing education with organizational and workforce priorities, including quality, safety, workforce readiness, leadership development, and organizational change.

• Lead educational strategy and innovation through interprofessional collaboration, accreditation and regulatory knowledge, policy development, and advocacy for education as an organizational priority.

Preparing Nurses to Lead the Future of Nursing Education

Healthcare is evolving at a rapid pace, and nursing education must change with it. Tomorrow's nursing education leaders will need to understand how people learn, how healthcare systems operate, how workforces evolve, and how education can translate organizational priorities into professional capability.

They will also need to determine where emerging technologies and educational approaches add meaningful value, and ensure that human-centered approaches to teaching, mentorship, feedback, and professional development remain at the core of what we do.

The Nursing Education Specialization prepares graduates not simply to become educators, but to become leaders of educational transformation. We position our graduates to develop the people, curricula, programs, learning environments, and educational systems needed to prepare nurses and healthcare organizations for what comes next.