Breaking new ground? The dual (PhD-DNP) doctoral degree in Nursing.

PURPOSE

1. Provide background information on the PhD-DNP dual doctoral degree, specifically historical perspectives and existing programs; 2) Describe one PhD-DNP program as an exemplar to illustrate program data challenges and solutions; and 3) Discuss the national landscape of the dual doctoral degree program.

PRINCIPAL RESULTS

PhD-DNP dual doctoral degree programs have existed for 10 years; there are five known programs nationally. Reported here for one dual doctoral degree program are data collected from the program's inception (2010) through 2019. These data include demographic program characteristics, time to degree, and achievements during and after the program. Challenges pertaining to mentorship, progression to degree, socialization and student productivity also are described. Strategies for moving the dual degree forward nationally depend on a collaborative effort for data generation and collection from existing PhD-DNP programs. These data can be instrumental for seeking funding for dual doctoral degree programs.

CONCLUSIONS

The dual PhD-DNP degree has not yet gained a foothold nationally. There is demand for the program by nursing doctoral students and availability of these programs is slowly increasing. National nursing leaders and organizations can consider developing metrics and collecting data that will lend support to future funding initiatives for the dual degree.