The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is the terminal practice degree in the profession. The objective of the program is to prepare graduates for the highest level of nursing practice. Emphasis will be placed on evaluating and applying the evidence that supports practice, understanding and creating practice delivery systems based on patient outcomes, and assuming leadership roles in practice settings. The curriculum will allow students with diverse nursing academic and clinical backgrounds the flexibility to enter a program of study tailored to their future professional goals. In the curriculum, five concentrations are available. The concentrations are configured into two foci as recommended by the American Academy of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (2006), the guidance document for DNP programs. The two foci are:
- Care of individuals with three concentrations, Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner; and
- Care of aggregates with the Nursing Administration concentration.
The DNP program is approved by the Virginia State Board of Nursing and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The nurse practitioner concentrations have been approved by the state boards of nursing and medicine in Virginia.
Admissions
Requirements
Applicants must meet the admission standards and application requirements specified in Graduate Admissions and must apply using the online Application for Graduate Admission. Applicants must be graduates of accredited baccalaureate (BSN) programs in nursing and must have passed a statistics course within the last five years. Applicants who have not passed a statistics course in the past five years may be provisionally admitted and must pass statistics in their first semester. Applicants for the master's to DNP curriculum must also have a master's degree in nursing or a related field. All applicants must submit a copy of their current state-based/US nursing license and show evidence of at least one year of experience as an RN prior to admission. For application deadlines and detailed application requirements, refer to the College of Public Health Admissions website.
Policies
Transfers Between Programs or Concentrations
Approval from the school and college is required for students who wish to transfer between concentrations of the DNP or who wish to resign from the DNP and transfer to the MSN program.
Students must meet the institutional requirements stated in AP.6 Graduate Policies.
Transfer of Credit
Students may transfer a maximum of 30 credits into the DNP program from graduate courses taken at other institutions or taken at Mason in non-degree status. Transfer of credit is governed by AP 6.5 Credit by Exam or Transfer and the university requirements for doctoral degrees (See: AP 6.10 Requirements for Doctoral Degrees). Transfer credit must be approved by the program director and/or dean. Students who enroll initially through non-degree studies should seek course advising through the department and should submit their application to the DNP program as soon as possible after beginning their study in non-degree status.
Time Requirements
The total time to degree will not exceed eight (8) calendar years for BSN to DNP students and will not exceed six (6) calendar years for master's to DNP students.
Academic Termination
Academic termination is governed by university policy described in AP.6.6.2 Academic Termination. Additionally, a failing grade of F in a practicum course may result in termination from the program. Any graduate course in which a student earns a C grade or below must be repeated to earn a grade of B or better. A course may be repeated only once. A student may also be terminated from the program due to a finding of violation of the university Honor Code or after demonstrating a significant lack of progress.
Grading
Consistent with the university, the DNP program does not provide a D grade. Final grades for all DNP courses are submitted to the university as letter grades.
| Grade | Quality Points | Graduate Courses |
|---|---|---|
| A (90-100%) | 4.00 | Passing |
| B (80-89%) | 3.00 | Passing |
| C (70-79%) | 2.00 | Failing |
| F (69% or lower) | 0.00 | Failing |
A graduate course in which a grade of C or below is earned must be repeated to earn a grade of B or better. A course may be repeated only once. Graduate students (both master’s and doctoral) may repeat no more than two courses in their total program of study.
Practicum Hour Requirements
The DNP degree requires a minimum of 1,000 practice hours. The 1,000 hours of precepted or mentored practice are distributed among introductory and upper-level graduate courses. Variable hours in the clinical practicums (NURS 921 and NURS 922) will assure a minimum total of 1,000 clinical hours prior to DNP graduation.
Master's to DNP students can transfer in up to 600 hours (depending on the number of hours they accrued during their master's program). The number of clinical hours a student is awarded on admission is based on transcripts and course descriptions. Faculty will review clinical credits earned as part of the master's degree to determine the number of clinical hours awarded.
Degree Requirements
Total credits: 72
BSN to DNP Curriculum
Level I Core Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 665 | Theoretical and Ethical Foundations Related to Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 688 | Organization of Nursing and Health Care Delivery Systems | 3 |
| NURS 758 | Nursing Research and Biostatistics II | 3 |
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Level II Core Essentials Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 643 | Community-Oriented Primary Care | 3 |
| NURS 715 | Nursing Informatics Inquiry | 3 |
| NURS 808 | Translating Nursing and Health Care Research into Evidence-Based Policy | 3 |
| NURS 870 | Nursing and Health Care Administration I | 3 |
| NURS 883 | Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare | 4 |
| Total Credits | 16 | |
Public Health Requirement
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GCH 700 | Social and Ecological Determinants of Health | 3 |
| Total Credits | 3 | |
Advanced Practice Competency Courses
Complete requirements of one concentration.
CONCENTRATIONS
-
Concentration in Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (AGNP)
-
Concentration in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHN)
Concentrations in Advanced Nursing Care of Aggregates
Concentration in Nursing Administration (NUAD)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 654 | Nursing Administration Financial Management | 3 |
| or HAP 703 | Financial Management in Health Systems | |
| NURS 763 | Administrative Theory in Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 765 | Practicum in Nursing Administration I | 3 |
| NURS 766 | Administrative Strategies in Nursing | 3 |
| NURS 768 | Practicum in Nursing Administration II | 3 |
| NURS 871 | Nursing and Health Care Administration II | 2 |
| NURS 874 | Internship in Health Care Administration/Policy/Education | 4 |
| Electives toward career goal 1 | 5 | |
| NURS 921 | Clinical Practicum I 2 | 8 |
| NURS 922 | Clinical Practicum II | 2 |
| Total Credits | 36 | |
- 1
All electives must be approved by advisor prior to the start of the course.
- 2
NURS 921 Clinical Practicum I credits will be taken over multiple semesters.
Concentrations in Advanced Nursing Care of Individuals
Concentration in Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (AGNP)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 714 | Health Assessment in Clinical Practice | 2 |
| NURS 724 | Health Assessment Practicum | 1 |
| NURS 761 | Pharmacotherapeutics | 3 |
| NURS 769 | Physiology and Pathophysiology in Advanced Practice | 3 |
| NURS 713 | Decision Making and Pharmacologic Management in Practice | 3 |
| NURS 786 | Adult Gerontology Primary Care Practicum I | 2 |
| NURS 787 | Adult Gerontology Primary Care I | 2 |
| NURS 788 | Adult Gerontology Primary Care Practicum II | 4 |
| NURS 789 | Adult Gerontology Primary Care II | 3 |
| NURS 790 | Adult Gerontology Primary Care Practicum III | 4 |
| NURS 791 | Adult Gerontology Primary Care III | 4 |
| NURS 921 | Clinical Practicum I | 3 |
| NURS 922 | Clinical Practicum II | 2 |
| Total Credits | 36 | |
Concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner (FNUP)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 713 | Decision Making and Pharmacologic Management in Practice | 3 |
| NURS 714 | Health Assessment in Clinical Practice | 2 |
| NURS 724 | Health Assessment Practicum | 1 |
| NURS 761 | Pharmacotherapeutics | 3 |
| NURS 769 | Physiology and Pathophysiology in Advanced Practice | 3 |
| NURS 738 | Family Primary Care I | 2 |
| NURS 742 | Family Primary Care Practicum I | 2 |
| NURS 739 | Family Primary Care II | 4 |
| NURS 744 | Family Primary Care Practicum II | 4 |
| NURS 741 | Family Primary Care III | 3 |
| NURS 749 | Family Primary Care Practicum III | 4 |
| NURS 921 | Clinical Practicum I | 3 |
| NURS 922 | Clinical Practicum II | 2 |
| Total Credits | 36 | |
Concentration in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHN)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 632 | Pathogenesis of Mental Disorders | 3 |
| NURS 633 | Individual Psychotherapy | 3 |
| NURS 634 | Group, Family and Couple Psychotherapy | 1 |
| NURS 714 | Health Assessment in Clinical Practice | 2 |
| NURS 724 | Health Assessment Practicum | 1 |
| NURS 743 | Clinical Psychopharmacology | 3 |
| NURS 761 | Pharmacotherapeutics | 3 |
| NURS 769 | Physiology and Pathophysiology in Advanced Practice | 3 |
| NURS 782 | Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Practicum I | 4 |
| NURS 783 | Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Seminar I | 2 |
| NURS 784 | Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Practicum II | 5 |
| NURS 785 | Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Seminar II | 2 |
| NURS 921 | Clinical Practicum I | 2 |
| NURS 922 | Clinical Practicum II | 2 |
| Total Credits | 36 | |
DNP Project
The final step in completion of the degree is the implementation of a DNP project in the practice inquiry courses. The proposal for this project must be prepared with ample time for submission to the Human Subjects Review Board at George Mason University. One School of Nursing faculty member will serve as chair for the project. The student must demonstrate competence of the AACN The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021) by planning, developing, and implementing a scholarly DNP project that uses evidence to inform practice. This entails (1) identifying a problem; (2) searching, analyzing, and synthesizing the literature for evidence, (3) translating the evidence into a strategy/method to address the problem; (4) designing a plan and implementing the project (when possible); and (5) evaluating the outcomes, process, and/or experience (AACN, 2021).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 980 | Practice Inquiry I | 4 |
| NURS 981 | Practice Inquiry II | 4 |
| Total Credits | 8 | |
Master's to DNP Curriculum
Students in the master's to DNP program will complete 72 credits. Up to 30 hours of relevant graduate credit may be awarded for past master's-level courses, and students will complete the remaining minimum of 42 additional credits following the curriculum.
The core essentials build on previous master's education and must be completed in the first year of full-time study or two years of part-time study. They prepare the student to develop and implement the DNP project in the final two semesters of study. The core essentials for master's to DNP students will be individualized based on the content from the student's master's degree academic program.
Students must complete 1,000 hours of precepted or mentored practice including those obtained during previous master's education (individually awarded based on evaluation of master's clinical hours up to 600 hours). Students also must take additional electives to meet the total requirement of 72 credits to complete the DNP degree.
Students may add one of the following concentrations to their DNP application: Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, or Nursing Administration.
Students in the AGNP, FNUP, and PMHNP concentrations may be required to complete the following courses (1) if they received a lower grade than a "B" in any of the courses from their master's program, or (2) the program determines that the completed courses do not align with the offerings in the School of Nursing at Mason, based on a review of course objectives and descriptions.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 714 | Health Assessment in Clinical Practice | 2 |
| NURS 724 | Health Assessment Practicum | 1 |
| NURS 761 | Pharmacotherapeutics | 3 |
| NURS 769 | Physiology and Pathophysiology in Advanced Practice | 3 |
| Total Credits | 9 | |
For courses taken outside of Mason, the National Nurse Practitioner (NP) Certification Examination bodies - American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) - determines eligibility to take the board examinations as per the criteria established.
Level II Core Essentials Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 654 | Nursing Administration Financial Management | 3 |
| or HAP 703 | Financial Management in Health Systems | |
| NURS 715 | Nursing Informatics Inquiry | 3 |
| NURS 758 | Nursing Research and Biostatistics II | 3 |
| NURS 808 | Translating Nursing and Health Care Research into Evidence-Based Policy | 3 |
| NURS 870 | Nursing and Health Care Administration I | 3 |
| NURS 883 | Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare | 4 |
| Total Credits | 19 | |
Public Health Requirement
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GCH 700 | Social and Ecological Determinants of Health | 3 |
| Total Credits | 3 | |
Advanced Practice Competency Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 921 | Clinical Practicum I | 1-10 |
| NURS 922 | Clinical Practicum II | 1-10 |
| Total Credits | 2-20 | |
DNP Project
The final step in completion of the degree is the implementation of a DNP project in the practice inquiry courses. The proposal for this project must be prepared with ample time for submission to the Human Subjects Review Board at George Mason University. One School of Nursing faculty member will serve as chair for the project. The student must demonstrate competence of the AACN The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021) by planning, developing, and implementing a scholarly DNP project that uses evidence to inform practice. This entails (1) identifying a problem; (2) searching, analyzing, and synthesizing the literature for evidence, (3) translating the evidence into a strategy/method to address the problem; (4) designing a plan and implementing the project (when possible); and (5) evaluating the outcomes, process, and/or experience (AACN, 2021).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 980 | Practice Inquiry I | 4 |
| NURS 981 | Practice Inquiry II | 4 |
| Total Credits | 8 | |
Electives
If needed, elective courses should be taken to complete the required 72 program credits. All electives must be approved by the advisor prior to the start of the course.