Public Policy and Management/Doctor of Nursing Practice, MPPM/DNP

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 MASTERS OF PUBLIC POLICY AND MANAGEMENT IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (GPSIA) AND THE DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE HEALTH SYSTEMS EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP (HSEL) IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF NURSING

There is a real and increasingly urgent need for nursing professionals to have a strong understanding of nonprofit management techniques and international development strategies, particularly if they seek employment in not-for-profit hospital systems or charitable organizations that provide health care services to underdeveloped communities at home or abroad.

The University of Pittsburgh is uniquely positioned to train leaders for such positions. GSPIA is nationally renowned as a center for the study of international development, human rights, poverty, and the administration of nonprofit organizations. The School of Nursing is consistently ranked as one of the leading schools of its type in the world, and nurses seek out its graduate programs as a credential of choice to advance their careers.

The intention of this joint degree program is to enable students who are in the process of acquiring professional training as health care executive leaders to obtain simultaneously a substantial knowledge of public and nonprofit management tools and techniques that will be useful to them in their careers leading healthcare organizations.

Students will be informed of the joint degree option upon interview, and they will be able to enter the joint program at any time during their course of study. Students in the DNP program move between full- and part-time enrollment depending on concurrent employment demands, this will continue to be facilitated in the School of Nursing. The joint program between the MPPM program in GSPIA and the HSEL DNP program in the School of Nursing is offered both on-campus and as a distance learning option.

Applicants will apply separately to both schools, and they must meet all of the usual admissions requirements for both. The schools will make their admissions decisions independently. Any applicant accepted to both schools will have the option of pursuing the joint degree. Applicants may apply to both schools at the same time. Students enrolled in the MPPM program may apply to the DNP before completing their first 24 credits at GSPIA. Students enrolled in the DNP may apply to GSPIA before completing their first 24 credits at the School of Nursing.

Students may apply to GSPIA at www.gspia.pitt.edu. A complete application to the MPPM program at GSPIA consists of a personal statement, resume, two letters of recommendation, and transcripts showing prior undergraduate and graduate-level work. Successful MPPM candidates must have at least five years of full-time work experience in positions with some management or budgetary responsibility.

Students may apply to SON DNP HSEL at www.nursing.pitt.edu/degree-programs/doctor-nursing-practice-dnp/dnp-admission. A complete application to the DNP HSEL program at the SON consists of a personal essay stating one’s philosophy of nursing, reasons for wanting to study in a particular major or concentration, expectation of the DNP program, and future career goals. This should include a proposed area of interest for the DNP project, current CV or resume, three letters of professional recommendation indicating the reviewer’s support of the student’s ability to successfully complete a demanding graduate level academic and clinical program, official transcripts showing prior undergraduate and graduate-level work, and official GRE Scores (per Admission Criteria).

Candidates for the joint degree program must have at the time of admission at least 5 years of full time work experience in positions with supervisory or budgetary responsibility as defined in the GSPIA MPPM admission requirements.