DNE students complete 450 immersion hours to graduate with a DNE degree.
The emphasis on nursing education in the DNE curriculum culminates with an individualized final immersion experience. Immersion experiences provide the opportunity for students to synthesize and apply knowledge acquired across the program of study by focused experiences in the student’s area of expertise at a greater level of competence, as well as providing the context in which the final document project is executed. The immersion experiences and the final project represent the results of independent scholarly inquiry and contribute to the student’s personal growth in nursing education leadership, policy, quality improvement, or evidence-based practice. Together with the individual final project, the immersion provides evidence of the student’s advanced understanding of relevant literature and policy/practice issues, documents the outcomes of the student’s educational experiences, provides measurable exemplars for evaluating the immersion experience, and summarizes the student’s growth in knowledge and expertise. Students may not work together on any portion of the immersion plan.