The DNP is a practice-focused doctoral degree, while a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing is a research-focused degree. Some key differences include:
- PhD students are trained to develop new knowledge for both the science and practice of nursing, while DNP students learn the skills necessary to translate evidence from the research and put it into practice. Program curriculums vary accordingly.
- PhD students complete a dissertation, while DNP students complete a minimum number of clinical hours and/or a scholarly project
- Credit requirements can vary
- Unique employment opportunities upon graduation
Learn more about our Post Master's DNP program
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics 2023 / Occupational Outlook Handbook 2022. BLS estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geography market in which you want to work and degree field, will affect career outcomes and earnings. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the average salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, salary increase or other career growth.