| Duquesne University School of Nursing offers several | | | | board, online chats, live virtual classroom meetings, |
| online graduate nursing programs, which includes two | | | | and phone conference calls with other students and |
| PhD nursing online programs. It also affords graduate | | | | their instructor. The educational platform that |
| students to complete all necessary nursing | | | | Duquesne uses is the popular, Blackboard, a Course |
| prerequisites courses online. Degrees may be | | | | Management System (CMS) used widely among |
| complete with little or no on-campus attendance, | | | | universities. In addition to learning, students can |
| utilizing the school's state-of-the-art learning | | | | access their grades, course calendar, course |
| technologies and the Internet. When compared to | | | | descriptions, transcripts, student loan, or tuition |
| on-campus courses, nursing courses taken online are | | | | status. Information about their instructor is also |
| identical in their objectives and rigor. Online students | | | | posted online, such as their educational background, |
| pay the same tuition as on-campus students; online | | | | areas of expertise, areas of research, other classes |
| course credits are structured no differently than the | | | | taught, office hours and location, phone contact, and |
| same course taken in a classroom. Whether a | | | | email. |
| student chooses to take all nursing courses online or | | | | The two PhD nursing online programs that Duquesne |
| in combination with on-campus study, their diploma, | | | | offers is either a PhD, which focuses on research, or |
| certificate, or transcript will bear no distinction from | | | | a DNP, which has a clinical focus. The student on the |
| that of a traditional Duquesne on-campus student. | | | | PhD track must complete the following nursing |
| However, students are required to visit the campus | | | | prerequisites courses online or on-campus: |
| once a year for a period of one week, which is | | | | - Graduate course in Statistics (6 credits) |
| usually the week prior to Thanksgiving. | | | | - Graduate course in Nursing Theory (3 credits) |
| All applicants to the online graduate nursing programs | | | | - Graduate course in Nursing Research Methods (3 |
| must have fulfilled the following nursing prerequisites | | | | credits) |
| prior to admissions: | | | | - Computer literacy or completed courses in word |
| - Undergraduate statistics course or equivalent | | | | processing, spreadsheet, database management, and |
| - Undergraduate physical assessment course required | | | | presentation graphics |
| for the Family Nurse Practitioner and Nursing | | | | The DNP track requires that applicants have |
| Education programs | | | | completed only two nursing prerequisite courses |
| - Computer literacy (including the ability to send and | | | | online or on-campus prior to admission - either an |
| download attachments) or completed courses in | | | | undergraduate or graduate course in Statistics (3 |
| word processing, spreadsheet, database | | | | credits) and a graduate course in Nursing Research |
| management and presentation graphics | | | | Methods (3 credits). |
| Duquesne's graduate distance learning allows students | | | | The online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) |
| to complete their education with the flexibility that | | | | currently offers three areas of specialization - Family |
| not all nursing schools offer, because virtually no | | | | Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Forensic Nursing, and Nursing |
| on-campus classroom attendance is necessary. The | | | | Education. Prior to beginning core course work and |
| only prerequisites to taking nursing courses online are | | | | clinical requirements, students must complete 21 |
| basic computer skills including: | | | | credits of FNP nursing prerequisites courses online. |
| - Send and receive email | | | | The maximum allotted time to finish the MSN |
| - Attach, send and open documents from email or | | | | program is six years. The MSN student pursuing a |
| Internet sites | | | | career in Nursing Education must complete 14 credits |
| - Participate in online chats | | | | in nursing education in addition to coursework |
| - Research topics using the Web resources | | | | required by the MSN program including clinical core |
| - Use Internet library databases | | | | courses. |
| How does it work? Students enrolled in the PhD | | | | Whether you plan to apply to one of Duquesne's PhD |
| nursing online programs, complete all their courses | | | | Nursing Online Programs or one of their other online |
| online. Course instructors use special Internet-based | | | | master nursing programs, holding a degree from this |
| software for instruction, as well as post their lectures | | | | prestigious university will be very impressive to future |
| and reading assignments online. Student participate in | | | | employers. Be sure to check the department's |
| the virtual classroom by using several formats | | | | website for updates to their program - including |
| including contributing to an online thread or message | | | | prerequisites. |