A doctorate of nursing program will replace the master’s degree program at Quinnipiac, the university announced on March 24.

Beginning next semester, a three-year doctorate program will replace the current two-year nurse practitioner program.

“Nationally, nursing professionals have decided people should be educated at the doctoral level,” said Lynn Price, chair of the nursing department.

In nursing today, more knowledge and training is required, she said.
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Along with the program, the university announced its new home, Quinnipiac’s School of Nursing that will officially open on July 1. The search for a dean is underway, Price said.

The doctorate opportunity will be available to both students with a bachelor’s in nursing and a master’s in nursing.

“We’ve designed this program to give students additional time to gain fluency in the depth and breadth of care they must provide,” Price said.

There will be three tracks for nurses with a bachelor’s degree to pursue: women’s health, adult practice, or family practice.

The two tracks offered for nurses at the master’s degree level are more complex. They are “care of the individual” and “care of the population.” These tracks will deal with the advancement of clinical education or practicing healthcare on a global scale.

Nurses with a bachelor’s degree will partake in the doctoral program for three years with 1,000 hours of clinical involvement. The post-master’s program will take two years to complete.

Fairfield University, Sacred Heart University and the University of Connecticut all have a doctoral nursing program, according to Price.