Doctor of Nursing Practice
Transform care for your patients—and your community.
Jump to
Advance your practice. Lead with confidence.
Our online BSN to MSN to Doctor of Nursing (DNP) program prepares the student to lead with compassion, cultural humility, and a deep commitment to patient-centered care. Rooted in service and collaboration, and guided by a strong focus on populations of Hawai’i, our DNP prepares you to design innovative solutions, promote health equity, and make a meaningful impact in the communities you serve.
Chaminade University’s BSN to MSN to DNP Pathway is designed for nurses ready to advance their practice and leadership. You’ll begin by completing your Master of Science in Nursing degree and become eligible to sit for your Nurse Practitioner certification exam and licensure as an APRN. From there, you’ll continue with your DNP curriculum—gaining advanced leadership skills to elevate your career and make a meaningful impact on the communities you serve.
Terms & Deadlines
Fall Term Begins: August 17, 2026
Priority Application Deadline: March 1, 2026
Application Deadline: June 1, 2026
A program built around you.
Our online BSN-MSN-DNP program gives you the flexibility to advance your career without pausing your professional life. Each year, an in-person, multi-day immersion strengthens your leadership abilities, builds lasting professional connections, and provides hands-on clinical and experiential learning that drives real-world impact. Supported by expert faculty mentors, you’ll sharpen your clinical judgment, elevate your leadership presence, and immediately put your learning into practice to improve patient care and outcomes.
Choose Your Specialization
BSN-MSN-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) specialization prepares you to provide comprehensive primary care across the lifespan. With a focus on person-centered and culturally informed practice, you’ll learn to promote wellness, prevent illness, and manage acute and chronic conditions for individuals and families. Through advanced assessment, diagnosis, and evidence-based interventions—including medication management and patient education—you’ll be equipped to make a meaningful impact in various clinical settings. You’ll expand your clinical knowledge and develop skills in leadership and systems-based quality improvement processes.
BSN-MSN-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Primary Care (PNP)
The Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) specialization prepares you for advanced care for children and adolescents. With a focus on family-centered and culturally informed practice, you’ll learn to promote health, prevent disease, and manage acute and chronic conditions across a variety of primary care settings. You’ll expand your clinical knowledge and develop skills in leadership and systems-based quality improvement processes.
BSN-MSN-DNP Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PNP) specialization prepares you to provide advanced mental health care across the lifespan. With a focus on person-centered and culturally informed practice, you’ll learn to promote mental health, manage mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD and others with medication management and psychotherapy for clients of all ages. You’ll expand your clinical knowledge and develop skills in leadership and systems-based quality improvement processes.
Post Master’s Executive Leader (EL)
The Executive Leader track is designed for master’s prepared RNs and APRNs. The Executive Leader track prepares you with the necessary tools to lead quality improvement projects in clinics, in hospitals, and across large healthcare systems. Our Executive Leader graduates have a deep understanding of health policy, interprofessional relationships to improve patient and population health outcomes, and the ability to advocate for social justice and access to health care. You’ll expand your clinical knowledge and develop skills in leadership and systems-based quality improvement processes.
Program Details
Upon completion of the DNP program, students will be able to:
Family Nurse Practitioner (68 total credit hours)
BSN-MSN Courses (46 credits)
DNP Courses (22 credits)
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (68 total credit hours)
BSN-MSN Courses (46 credits)
DNP Courses (22 credits)
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (69 total credit hours)
BSN-MSN Courses (46 credits)
DNP Courses (22 credits)
Executive Leader (37 total credit hours)
The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program at Chaminade University of Honolulu is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (ccneaccreditation.org).
The School of Nursing and Health Professions has been granted full accreditation by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (ssih.org) from October 2025 through December 2030.
BSN-MSN-DNP Admission Requirements
DNP Post-Master’s Executive Leader Track Admission Requirements
Transfer Policy
Students may transfer up to 9 credits into the MSN program. Eligibility for transfer of credits will be determined by a gap analysis and is not guaranteed.
Visit the Graduate Admissions website for more information.
Cost of Attendance
Please visit the Graduate Cost of Attendance webpage for tuition rates and fees.
Additional Resources
APRN Certificates
The Post-Doctoral APRN Certificates are designed for APRNs who have a DNP and wish to broaden their scope of practice by gaining advanced, specialized clinical preparation. Through focused coursework and immersive clinical experiences, students deepen their expertise in delivering high-quality, patient-centered care. The program prepares graduates to assess and manage a broad range of health needs—acute, chronic, and complex—while evaluating the whole patient to develop comprehensive, evidence-based care plans.
NEXT STEPS
If you have any DNP program questions or need assistance, please contact Vice Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions Pamela Smith, EdD, APRN-Rx, FNP-BC at [email protected] or (808) 735-4862.
For any admissions questions, please contact Admissions at [email protected] or (808) 739-8524.