The College of Staten Island is expanding its commitment to advancing healthcare leadership through its Doctor of Nursing Practice program (DNP), positioning it as a premier pathway for experienced nurses ready to lead change in today’s complex clinical environments.
Launched last year, the fully online DNP in Advanced Clinical Care is gaining new momentum with a renewed focus on accessibility, flexibility, and real-world impact. As part of The City University of New York, CSI’s program stands apart as the system’s only fully online DNP, offering working professionals the ability to advance their education without interrupting their careers.
A virtual information session for prospective students is being held March 25 at 7pm.
Built for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs), the program is uniquely designed to welcome clinicians from a wide range of specialties, an important distinction in a field where many programs are limited to narrow tracks. This inclusive approach reflects the evolving needs of healthcare systems that increasingly rely on interdisciplinary expertise and leadership across specialties.
Grounded in the theme “Lead Change in Advanced Clinical Care,” the program prepares graduates to drive innovation, improve patient outcomes, and influence healthcare policy. Through a curriculum that blends evidence-based practice, leadership development, and systems-level thinking, students are equipped to make meaningful contributions at the highest levels of clinical practice.
“The CSI Department of Nursing admitted its first Doctor of Nursing Practice class in 2017, almost a decade ago,” explained Dr. Michael Dreher, Professor and Deputy Chair of Graduate Studies for the Department of Nursing. “The national landscape was very different then. While there were surges in new programs and enrollment, much of the healthcare sector was slower to understand the capacity of what a DNP nurse practitioner could do,” he said.
“Times have now changed, and our new DNP in Advanced Clinical Care will have Nurse Practitioners and Clinical Nurse Specialists from multiple specialties in class virtually side by side learning and collaborating. We believe students will love our DNP degree innovation. Their leadership abilities will be clearly more recognized, and their marketability will be unparalleled.”
CSI’s DNP program is completed part-time over three years, consisting of 9 fully online courses. Admission is open to Nurse Practitioners and Clinical Nurse Specialists who have active certification in their specialty. At least two years of APRN experience working primarily with adult populations is required. For a full list of admission requirements, visit the DNP website.
The application deadline for CSI’s DNP program is May 15, 2026, so students are advised to attend Wednesday’s virtual information session and apply soon.
