Quick Highlights
- A Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) emphasizes applying evidence to practice and education settings through a doctoral project.
- A PhD prepares nurses to produce original research through a dissertation.
- Both can lead to nursing faculty roles, and both can lead to tenure at some institutions.
- Tenure and hiring decisions ultimately depend on the specific institution and position rather than on the degree alone.
If your goal is teaching nursing students, not necessarily generating new nursing research, the DNP and PhD look similar from a distance and diverge quickly once you compare what each degree trains you to do. Arkansas State University (A-State) offers a DNP – Education online program specifically for this path; A-State does not currently offer an online nursing PhD, so this guide compares the two credentials in general terms to help you decide which one fits before choosing a program.
DNP vs. PhD
The table below breaks down where the two doctorates diverge. It covers what each degree trains you to do, how the capstone experience differs and which career tracks each one typically supports. Health professions doctorates, including nursing’s DNP and PhD, are already among the most common fields for doctoral study nationally, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES).
| Factor | DNP | PhD in Nursing |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Applying evidence-based practice to real settings, including education | Producing original nursing research |
| Capstone | Doctoral project, often completed at the student’s own workplace | Dissertation, based on original research |
| Research training | Applied, focused on translating existing evidence into practice | Extensive, focused on generating new evidence |
| Typical role fit | Faculty, clinical or academic leadership, program coordination | Faculty with a research agenda, funded-research tracks, tenure-track lines at research-focused institutions |
| Admissions starting point | MSN, typically with prior clinical or teaching hours | MSN or, at some programs, BSN with research aptitude |
| Program length | As few as 14 months at A-State | Varies by program, often longer given the dissertation requirement |
Three Faculty Career Scenarios
You want to teach and lead a program, and you’re already doing the practical work of education. A DNP builds directly on the applied teaching and curriculum work you likely already do, culminating in a project based in your own workplace rather than a multi-year research study. This is the more direct path for someone whose goal is a faculty or program-leadership role, not a research career. Nationally, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $80,780 for postsecondary nursing instructors.
Your primary goal is generating new nursing research, with teaching as a secondary outcome. A PhD is built specifically for this. If funded research and an eventual tenure-track research appointment are the actual goal, a PhD program, not a DNP, is the credential to pursue, since the DNP’s applied focus is not designed to produce the same research training.
You’re not sure yet, but you know you want a doctorate eventually. Consider which capstone format appeals more: a project you can complete at your current workplace, or original dissertation research. That preference alone often points toward the right degree faster than comparing job titles, since both can lead to a faculty role.
Can a DNP Be Tenure-Track?
At some institutions, yes. Tenure-track status is a policy the hiring college or university sets, not a rule tied to the DNP or PhD credential itself. Some universities extend tenure eligibility to DNP-prepared faculty, particularly at institutions that value practice expertise as much as research output; others reserve tenure lines specifically for PhD-prepared researchers with an active publication record. This varies enough by institution that confirming a specific school’s tenure policy directly, before assuming either way, is worth the extra step.
A DNP does not need tenure-track status to lead to a productive full-time faculty career. Many full-time, non-tenure-track faculty lines exist at nursing programs across the country.
Important Note
Lower PhD enrollment nationally, which the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) reports has declined for 11 consecutive years, down 26.2% since 2013, does not mean a DNP is now viewed as the stronger research credential. The two degrees serve different purposes; enrollment trends reflect many factors, including cost, time and career goals, not a shift in which degree better prepares someone for research.
Does A-State’s DNP Education Track Fit This Goal?
If your goal is a faculty, curriculum-leadership or academic-program role built on applying your existing clinical and teaching experience, A-State’s DNP – Education online program is built for exactly that: 36 credits, a workplace-based capstone project instead of traditional precepted clinicals, and no requirement to relocate for a residency.
“You’re turning your learning into real-life practice,” said Cassandra Elliott, an A-State DNP-Education 2023 graduate, describing how she applied her quality-improvement project at her own hospital.
The nursing faculty shortage often draws prospective students toward a doctorate in the first place, but it shouldn’t be the deciding factor between a DNP and a PhD. That choice comes down to career goals, and if yours is a funded-research career, a PhD program elsewhere is the better fit. AACN reports a national nurse faculty vacancy rate of 7.2%, with most vacancies requiring or preferring a doctoral degree, but it should inform timing, not the choice between these two degree types. The most recent workforce projections from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) show nursing shortages persisting nationally into the late 2030s, which keeps pressure on the pipeline of doctorate-prepared faculty needed to train new nurses.
Ready to see if the applied, practice-focused doctorate fits your teaching goals? Explore Arkansas State’s online DNP – Education program and its workplace-based capstone project.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a DNP graduate teach in nursing schools?
Yes. A DNP is fully qualified to teach; AACN designates the DNP as a terminal degree in nursing practice, meeting the requirement some full-time faculty postings specify. A 2025 Texas nursing workforce survey found that 67.1% of graduate-program nursing faculty already hold a doctorate, reflecting how standard doctoral preparation has become for this role.
Can a PhD graduate work in clinical practice?
Generally, a PhD in nursing does not itself carry an advanced practice scope; a nurse’s clinical practice authority comes from licensure and any advanced-practice credential (such as an APRN designation) earned separately, not from the PhD.
Does a DNP replace the need for a master’s degree first?
No. At most programs, including A-State’s, the DNP doesn’t replace the master’s; it builds on one. Admission typically requires an MSN already in hand, so the master’s is a prerequisite rather than something the degree folds in or supersedes.
Which degree is better if I want to run a nursing program eventually, not just teach?
Program-leadership and department-chair roles are held by both DNP- and PhD-prepared faculty at different institutions, so the deciding factor is usually the specific institution’s own leadership-track requirements rather than a universal rule favoring one degree.
Does A-State offer a PhD in nursing?
A-State currently only offers the DNP – Education track online; a nurse specifically seeking a PhD should research programs built for that credential.