Frequently asked questions about Nurse Anesthesia D.N.P. Program

Applicants create an application on the Marquette University Graduate School online application portal. The application opens annually on 9/1 and closes on 12/15. Applicants submit all required materials, including all unofficial transcripts, to their application portal and monitor their application through completion.   

Complete applications will be reviewed following the application deadline. Candidates selected for the interview portion of the application process will be notified directly

As the program is a cohort model, admission decisions are not made on a rolling basis. Once the 12/15 deadline has passed, all complete applications are thoroughly reviewed, and candidates selected for interviews will be notified directly by mid-January.  Interviews typically occur in February through early  March and candidates are notified of final decisions in early March.  

No. Only complete applications submitted by 12/15 will be reviewed for admission. Applicants are encouraged to submit documents early and consistently monitor their application portal to ensure all required documents are present by the 12/15 deadline.  

All applicants are required to complete Casper as part of their application for the 2026/27 admissions cycle. Casper is an online, open-response situational judgment test that takes 65-85 minutes to complete.

Casper measures different personal and professional skills that we believe are important for successful students and graduates of our program. It will complement the other tools we use for applicant review and evaluation, and we require Casper as part of our efforts to enhance fairness in our selection process.  The Casper assessment is part of the admission process for many nurse anesthesia programs, medical schools and other professional health programs; an applicant may choose to share their Casper results to multiple programs.

Visit takecasper.com to create an account, register to complete Casper, and learn more about this assessment, including important dates and technical requirements.  The Casper assessment may be completed earlier and must be completed by 12/15 as part of the Marquette nurse anesthesia application. 

An undergraduate statistics course is a program prerequisite and must be completed within five years of the program start date. 

If the five-year limit has been exceeded by the program start date, applicants must complete an approved statistics course which includes inferential analysis from a nationally accredited academic institutions (not self‑paced or open‑enrollment courses).

Please contact the program to confirm the statistics course of interest is approved for content via email to: Carrie von Bohlen, carrie.vonbohlen@marquette.edu. 

If the statistics course is in progress at the time of application, it is recommended the course information, institution and scheduled term/date be included on the application for admission.   

The selection of candidates is detailed and holistic.  A strong application will meet the requirements of admission and address the application criteria as directed.  Strong applications have strong academics as demonstrated by their entire academic history, including undergraduate and/or graduate nursing degree and science GPA’s, as well as post-degree elected science course GPA; strong professional clinical experience including demonstrated leadership; recommendation forms prepared by previous or present employers in critical care, at least one must come from a current direct supervisor in the critical care area, with extensive observation of the applicant’s skills and knowledge; well-written response to an essay question, and CRNA shadowing experience with a strong understanding of the specialty practice. 

All applicants are required to have an unencumbered US license as an RN and to have obtained 1-2 years, full-time as registered nurse in a critical care setting within the United States, its territories or a U.S. military hospital outside of the United States.  Foreign institution transcripts must have an educational equivalency assessment completed and submitted with the official transcript.  Contact the Marquette University Graduate School for assistance. 

No, due to the number of applications, not all qualified applicants are selected for interview or admission.  

The purpose of an interview is to get to know applicants in a professional interaction. Interviews may be hosted in-person, virtual, or both at the discretion of the program. For virtual synchronous or asynchronous interviews, it is helpful to test technology, sound, and lighting in advance, as well as secure a private location free from distractions. For virtual and/or in-person interviews, applicants are encouraged to prepare and practice with others to be more confident and comfortable. Carefully listen to the questions asked to ensure you are answering appropriately and completely.  Be prepared to communicate your interests and goals in the nurse anesthesia specialty and why you feel Marquette University is the best fit for you.

If a domestic/foreign institution awards a non-numeric GPA, a numeric calculated conversion from the institution on a 4.0 scale is required to be submitted with the official transcript.  Contact the Marquette University Graduate School for assistance. 

No, plan of study for the DNP nurse anesthesia curriculum does not allow for transfer of courses.

Please review the current curricular plan for the program.  

A baccalaureate or (direct entry/entry to practice) graduate degree in nursing from a nationally accredited college or university with both minimum cumulative BSN/MSN GPA and science GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. For graduates of foreign nursing schools, a formal evaluation of their nursing program of study documenting equivalency to a U.S. Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree must be submitted.  

CCRN adult or pediatric certification is required by the time of application.

Current certification in BLS, ACLS, and PALS certifications from the American Heart Association is strongly preferred at the time of application submission. All three current certifications are required to be submitted prior to matriculation and must be maintained throughout the program for continued clinical site access

No, applicants who do not have the minimum required critical care experience as a registered nurse at the time of application deadline will not be considered for an admission interview. By the 12/15 application deadline a minimum of one, preferably two years, of full-time professional experience, not including orientation, as a registered nurse in a *critical care setting in the United States is required.

* Critical care experience must be obtained within the U.S., U.S. territories or a U.S. military hospital. During this experience, applicants must develop critical decision making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques. Two or more years of full-time critical care experience is strongly preferred.

A critical care unit comprises one or more of the following: invasive hemodynamic monitors (e.g., pulmonary artery, central venous pressure, and arterial catheters); cardiac assist devices; mechanical ventilation; and vasoactive infusions. Critical care units include surgical intensive care, cardiothoracic intensive care, coronary intensive care, medical intensive care, pediatric intensive care, and neonatal intensive care. 

Many applicants choose to update a previously completed science course to update knowledge and/or grade. If a science GPA course has been updated following your nursing degree, this will be noted in a post nursing degree GPA separately from the science GPA which includes coursework prior to/within your nursing degree.

Applicants who choose to repeat or update science coursework should complete credit‑bearing courses at a nationally accredited academic institution of appropriate rigor (including four‑year or two‑year undergraduate programs, or non‑degree graduate programs). Coursework should be selected to meaningfully strengthen or advance knowledge and should follow a typical semester structure of 8–15 weeks—whether offered online or in person—including proctored examinations.

If an applicant intends to strengthen or advance their knowledge, it is not recommended to enroll in self‑paced or open‑enrollment courses, or in coursework that lacks academic rigor, a structured format, proctored examinations, and the quality control of a semester‑based university course (which includes fixed timelines, deadlines, and no opportunities for retakes or extensions).

Note, the DNP program does not allow for transfer of courses. 

Given its rigor and academic strength, applicants from any nursing educational path are equally considered for program admission.  Current students and alumni have entered the program from each of these varied academic pathways in nursing. The application review is holistic, and an applicant’s entire academic history is considered. Additionally, demonstration of clinical maturity, depth of critical care clinical experience, and leadership in professional experiences are key to enhancing applicant success.  

No, there is not a preferred ICU for critical care experience and admitted students come from a variety of ICU experience.

Critical care experience must be obtained within the U.S., U.S. territories or a U.S. military hospital. During this experience, applicants must develop critical decision making and psychomotor skills, competency in patient assessment, and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitoring techniques. Two or more years of full-time critical care experience is strongly preferred.

A critical care unit comprises one or more of the following: invasive hemodynamic monitors (e.g., pulmonary artery, central venous pressure, and arterial catheters); cardiac assist devices; mechanical ventilation; and vasoactive infusions. Critical care units include surgical intensive care, cardiothoracic intensive care, coronary intensive care, medical intensive care, pediatric intensive care, and neonatal intensive care. 

Applicants without recent critical care experience are eligible to apply; however, given the volume of highly qualified applications that are received this will likely be a disadvantage. Clinical practice changes rapidly and recency of critical care experience is important for students to be successful in the program.  It is important for nurse anesthesia applicants to have familiarity with current evidence-based patient care treatment paths. 

The NAEP a full-time, 36-month program which consists of 91 credits over 9 semesters.

The NAEP is a cohort program with a Fall start only. Students graduate in mid-August, at the conclusion of 9 semesters. 

Students should plan for an average of 60-64 hours per week throughout the program duration, with an understanding this may vary depending on an individual student’s ability to understand and apply anesthesia concepts. Some weeks may be more hours and others may be less hours.  

The program strongly discourages continued work as a registered nurse due to the time commitment involved for courses, labs, clinicals and individual study time.  

Tuition is charged using a per-semester tuition model vs a per-credit tuition model.  This supports students in the evolving landscape of graduate school loan options/funding and “locks in” tuition for the entire program at a lower rate using the graduate school tuition rate of the first semester for the entirety of the program. 

The first two semesters include didactic coursework with in-person requirements for lecture and lab with some hybrid or remote learning.

Semesters three-four include both didactic coursework and part-time clinicals.

Semesters five-nine include full-time clinicals with some coursework and/or completion of the DNP project. 

Courses are primarily taught in person with some hybrid or online courses throughout the program.  Simulation labs and clinicals are offered in person. 

Most clinical sites are within 90 minutes driving distance of Marquette University's campus. There are also clinical sites at a distance of up to four hours driving distance from Milwaukee. A student may be assigned to any or all of these clinical sites. As is customary, all expenses associated with travel, lodging, etc. to clinical sites are the responsibility of the student.  

Clinical sites represent various anesthesia care delivery models (i.e., anesthesia care team, CRNA small group, CRNA solo), facility settings (i.e., Level 1 or 2 trauma centers, community hospitals, office-based practices) as well as urban and rural locations. The program continues to add clinical sites to enhance students’ clinical experiences.