Virginia Commonwealth University offers a Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) with a concentration in nursing informatics through its School of Nursing in Richmond. The 60-credit, part-time program for bachelor’s-prepared registered nurses combines online coursework in database design, human factors, and system implementation with practicum work and a D.N.P. project in a practice setting.
Quick Facts
| School | Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Nursing |
| Location | Richmond, Virginia |
| Degree | Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), nursing informatics concentration |
| Credits | 60 (B.S.N.-to-D.N.P.) |
| Format | Online lecture courses; some in-person instruction in practicum courses at a practice setting |
| Typical Length | 3.5 years part-time (10 consecutive semesters) |
| Estimated Tuition | About $42,000 ($700 per credit online D.N.P. rate, 2026–27), before fees |
| Admissions | B.S.N. or higher, unrestricted Virginia or multistate RN license; fall entry via NursingCAS |
| Accreditation | D.N.P. program accredited by CCNE |
| Licensure Note | Nursing doctorate; open only to registered nurses |
Program Overview
The Virginia Commonwealth University Doctor of Nursing Practice in nursing informatics is one of five concentrations in VCU’s post-bachelor’s D.N.P. program. VCU describes the concentration as preparing nurses for leadership roles in health information technology and data-informed practice.
This is a nursing doctorate, not a general health informatics degree. Applicants must already be registered nurses with at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and the program does not lead to initial RN licensure. It also does not prepare students for nurse practitioner certification; VCU says the practice hours build skills to lead change in health care rather than direct patient care skills.
According to the School of Nursing’s accreditation statement, the Doctor of Nursing Practice program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). VCU is a public research university, and the School of Nursing is on its MCV Campus in Richmond.
Curriculum and Practice Hours
The 2026–27 VCU Bulletin lists 60 credit hours in four groups:
- D.N.P. core (31 credits): knowledge and scholarship, ethical leadership, epidemiology and population health, health information technology and informatics, health policy and economics, system-based care, healthcare safety and improvement, planned change management, D.N.P. Project I and II, and a 1-credit knowledge synthesis course
- Indirect care core (11 credits): NURS 694 Integrating Advanced Physical, Physiologic, and Pharmacologic Health Sciences; NURS 746 Strategic Leadership and Management; NURS 748 Advanced Specialty Practice Practicum; and two 1-credit competency assessments
- Informatics concentration (12 credits): NURS 686 Nursing Informatics Theories, Frameworks, and Models; NURS 687 System Design, Implementation, Evaluation, and Sustainability; NURS 690 Healthcare Database Systems; NURS 739 Human Factors, Human-Computer Interactions, and Consumer Informatics
- Electives: the Bulletin lists two 3-credit electives chosen with an advisor
The Bulletin states a minimum of 500 practice hours, built into the curriculum through the 3-credit practicum and 6 credits of D.N.P. residency coursework. The school’s sample plan of study attaches 270 clinical hours to each practicum and D.N.P. project course. The practicum focuses on designing, implementing, and evaluating information technologies in practice settings, with objectives set with faculty and preceptors.
The program ends with a D.N.P. project rather than a dissertation. Students design, implement, and evaluate a quality or safety project focused on a system change, and the final product is a manuscript suitable for journal submission. Projects can be completed at a student’s workplace if the employer and the school’s vetting committee approve, and an organizational sponsor other than the student’s direct supervisor oversees the work.
Admissions Requirements
The Bulletin lists these requirements for the nursing informatics concentration:
- A baccalaureate or higher degree from an ACEN-, CCNE-, or CNEA-accredited nursing program
- A current, unrestricted Virginia or multistate RN license
- Good standing at the last college or university attended
- The general admission requirements of the VCU Graduate School, which call for an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better but allow departments to waive this through holistic review
- English language proficiency documentation, if applicable
No admissions test is required. The program page does not list a minimum amount of nursing work experience. Applicants apply through NursingCAS ($90 fee) and submit official transcripts, a personal statement, a resume or CV, and their RN license. A separate CAS residency form ($75 fee) is emailed after the NursingCAS application is submitted.
Admission is for fall only. For fall 2026, the early decision deadline was November 1, 2025, and the regular deadline was July 15, 2026. For fall 2027, the application opens September 1, 2026, with an early decision deadline of November 1, 2026, and a regular deadline of July 1, 2027. Applications must be verified by the deadline to be reviewed. VCU nursing bachelor’s graduates who meet all requirements are guaranteed admission if space is available. Confirm current requirements with the VCU School of Nursing before applying.
Tuition, Fees, and Funding
VCU’s 2026–27 post-undergraduate tuition calculator lists a “Doctoral – Nursing Practice – Online” rate of $700 per credit, the same for Virginia residents and nonresidents. At that rate, tuition for 60 credits is $700 × 60 = $42,000.
If a student is billed at VCU’s general doctoral nursing rate instead, 2026–27 tuition is $672 per credit for residents and $1,387 for nonresidents. That works out to $672 × 60 = $40,320 for Virginia residents and $1,387 × 60 = $83,220 for nonresidents. Students should confirm with the School of Nursing which rate applies to the informatics concentration.
These totals use 2026–27 rates only. Because the program runs 3.5 years, later rates will likely be higher. The totals exclude:
- The graduate nursing program fee of $18 per credit for part-time students ($18 × 60 = $1,080)
- Per-credit university, technology, library, and health service fees and per-semester fees, which vary by campus designation and residency
- D.N.P. expenses listed by the school, including a $130 background check and drug screen, a $30 HIPAA and OSHA course, $100 for Typhon, and about $800 for textbooks
- Application fees and travel to practicum sites
The School of Nursing offers graduate teaching assistantships that cover tuition and pay a stipend. Assistants must be registered for at least nine credits and work 20 hours a week, which may not fit the standard part-time plan. VCU’s Bulletin notes that the university is keeping the annual federal Direct Unsubsidized loan limit for D.N.P. students at $20,500 as of July 2026.
Online Format and Time to Completion
VCU describes the concentration as a 3.5-year part-time online program spanning 10 consecutive semesters, including summers. All lecture courses are fully online, and the sample plan lists every lecture course as asynchronous with no estimated days on campus.
Three practicum courses include some in-person instruction in a practice setting. The sample plan places these in the final three semesters. VCU does not list required on-campus immersions for this concentration, though the last practicum course shows on-campus days as “TBD.” Most terms carry 6–7 credits.
Career Preparation
VCU says the concentration prepares nurses for leadership and management roles in health care settings. Coursework focuses on designing, implementing, and evaluating technology systems that support the care team, patient engagement, and outcomes, along with data collection, management, and analysis.
VCU’s program pages do not state that graduates are eligible for a specific informatics certification exam. Nurses interested in board certification in nursing informatics should check the certifying body’s current eligibility rules directly.
Career fit depends on each student’s nursing and technology experience. The program does not promise a specific job, salary, or credential.
Who Is This Program For?
This program may fit a B.S.N.-prepared RN who wants a practice doctorate focused on clinical systems, EHR design, and quality improvement while working. The online, part-time schedule and the option to complete the D.N.P. project at an employer suit nurses already in hospital or health system roles.
Applicants who are not registered nurses cannot enroll and should compare master’s programs in health informatics. Nurses who want a shorter credential, or who want direct patient care as a nurse practitioner, may also find other programs a better match. RNs with a master’s in an advanced nursing specialty should look at VCU’s post-master’s D.N.P., a 2.5-year online pathway that accepts informatics master’s graduates but is not an informatics concentration.
Related Health Informatics Programs
- ECPI University - Virginia Beach
- George Mason University - Fairfax
- Liberty University - Lynchburg
- Norfolk State University - Norfolk
- University of the Potomac - Falls Church