For over 120 years to provide outstanding patient care in primary and intensive care settings. In as little as three years, you can elevate your impact, play a key leadership role, and directly influence healthcare outcomes for the littlest of patients.

Neonatal nurse practitioners (NNPs) are in high demand. They provide specialized care to newborns, including those who are premature, sick, or injured. NNPs work in a variety of settings, including neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), hospitals, clinics, and private practice.

In this program, you will learn:

• Advanced practice nursing assessment and management of common and complex health conditions of the neonate
• Implementation and coordination of care for neonatal patients with complex and chronic alterations of health in the context of the family and health systems through interprofessional education (IPE)
• Hands-on application of advanced neonatal assessment, management and procedural skills through our Institute of Simulation and Interprofessional Learning (I-SAIL)
• Advanced concepts in clinical information systems, patient care technologies, clinical decision support, legal/ethical issues, consumer health informatics, and the integration of evidence-based practice to change systems

While this is a full-time commitment, our program provides flexibility by offering effective online courses and highly interactive, in-person learning for core nurse practitioner classes. The program includes 810 hours of in-person clinical experiences facilitated by our dedicated clinical placement coordinator, who provides clinical placements for all nurse practitioner students. Students of all genders are welcome in this program.

St. Catherine University has partnerships with many leading healthcare organizations in the region. These connections provide students with access to clinical placements, internships, and job opportunities.

In addition to the DNP: Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) degree, a NNP post-graduate certificate is available on its own or in conjunction with our DNP: Post-Master's degree. Contact our Graduate Admissions team to learn more.

Format: Hybrid (primarily online with 1-3 on-campus intensives per semester)

Start: Fall

Time to completion: 3 years full-time, or 4 years part-time

Credits required: 68

Tuition per credit: $1,200 (2025-26 rates)

Rates are subject to change each June 1. 

Tuition and fee information

Scholarships

A St. Catherine University education is one of the most worthwhile investments you’ll ever make, and we are committed to helping you find ways to make that investment affordable. All applicants will be reviewed for DNP scholarships.

• Students employed by a St. Kate’s corporate or community partner may be eligible for a partner scholarship, reducing their tuition costs by 10%.

All applicants will be reviewed for DNP scholarships.

Apply for financial aid.

Below are sample plans of study. For course descriptions and other details, consult the University catalog.

• Term by term 3-year
• Term by term 4-year