DNP Curriculum Overview

Because DNP education is specialized, the specialty content preparing DNP graduates for various practice roles will differ substantially across specialty areas. However, all DNP graduates will demonstrate the competencies delineated in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's (2006) The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Practice Nursing. These include:

• Scientific Underpinnings for Practice
• Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Improvement and Systems Thinking
• Clinical Scholarship and Analytic Methods for Evidence-based Practice
• Information Systems/Technology and Patient Care Technology for the Improvement and Transformation of Health Care
• Health Care Policy for Advocacy in Health Care
• Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes
• Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Improving the Nation's Health
• Advanced Nursing Practice

DNP Course List

A complete listing of all core and elective courses is available in the Nursing section of the JMU Graduate Catalog.

Post-MSN to DNP Curriculum Plan

• View plan of study for Full-time Students
• View plan of study for Part-time Students

Post-MSN to DNP Curriculum Plan

Course #	Course Title	Credits
650	Organizational Behavior in Health Care	3
690	Epidemiology in Population Health	3
692	Health Policy for Practice and Advocacy	3
711	Analytic Methods for Health Care	3
712	Issues and Methods in Translational Inquiry	3
713	Evidence Based Practice: Clinical Prevention and Population Health	3
714	Evidence Based Practice: Chronic Illness	3
771	Advanced Practicum I	1 - 5
772	Advanced Practicum II*	1 - 5
773	Advanced Practicum III*	1 - 5
799	DNP Project	1
800	Scholarly Writing and Presentations	3
N/A	Cognates^	6
Total Credit Hours		31-46

• *The DNP requires 1000 course-related practice hours post-BSN to DNP. Post-master's student will have completed a variable number of MSN contact hours.
• ^ Cognate courses can be taken any semester or over the summer.
• For more information, contact Dr. Jeannie Garber, DNP Coordinator at 540-568-7052 garbe2js@jmu.edu

Sample Plans of Study for the DNP Program

Full Time Post Master’s to DNP Curriculum

Program Total: 31-46 credits

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

^The DNP requires 1000 course-related practice hours post-BSN to DNP. Post-master’s students will have completed a variable number of MSN program contact hours.

Part-Time Post Master’s to DNP Curriculum

Program Total: 31-46 credits

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

Year Four

^The DNP requires 1000 course-related practice hours post-BSN to DNP. Post-master’s students will have completed a variable number of MSN program contact hours.