Courses

Penn State’s Doctor of Nursing Practice – Nurse Practitioner (DNP–NP) program is currently only available to nurses licensed to practice professional nursing in the state of Pennsylvania.

The DNP–NP program is designed to help prepare professional nurses to function in an expanded nursing role, providing direct care to specific groups of clients in a variety of health care settings. Since that practice is interdisciplinary in nature, advanced knowledge and research from nursing is combined with knowledge from science, medicine, and related disciplines.

To earn the DNP–NP degree, you will need to successfully complete 65–68 credits, depending on which nurse practitioner option you choose.

The curriculum will include:

DNP degree program requirements (33 credits)
Common nurse practitioner courses (12 credits)
Option courses (20–23 credits):
- Family/Individual Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner option courses (23 credits)
- Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner option courses (20 credits)
- Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner option courses (22 credits)

Practicum Hours

A total of 1,125 hours of post–BS practicum are required in the DNP nurse practitioner program. Your required hours will be accomplished through various courses in the DNP curriculum that include practicum hours as part of the course work. Practicum hour plans will be developed in consultation with the course faculty member and with the approval of the DNP faculty adviser. Development of the plans for practicum experiences begins with your admission to the program. The practicum planning process involves establishing a site affiliation agreement with the practicum site and identifying a preceptor(s). You will be responsible for identifying potential practicum sites and preceptors and working with the program director to accomplish the affiliation agreement process. Some students choose to complete practicum requirements at their place of employment and other students identify alternate practicum sites. Practicum sites must be in Pennsylvania.

Course List - Doctor of Nursing Practice – Nurse Practitioner

DNP Degree Program Requirements (33 credits)
Title	Abbreviation	Description	Credits
Theoretical and Scientific Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice	NURS 510	Examines the relationship of nursing theories to the development of nursing science, as well as current scientific advances that guide nursing practice and research.	3 credits
Colloquium	NURS 590	Continuing seminars which consist of a series of individual lectures by faculty, students, or outside speakers.	1 credit
Perspectives in Population-Based Health	NURS 808	Theories and strategies for promoting health in community aggregates with emphasis on vulnerable and underserved populations of diverse backgrounds.	3 credits
Evidence-Based Practice I: Theory and Research Methods	NURS 830	Foundations in evidence-based research for nursing practice.	3 credits
Evidence-Based Practice II: Translation of Research	NURS 831	Evaluation and translation of evidence-based research into nursing practice. Prerequisite: NURS 830	3 credits
Doctor of Nursing Practice: Leadership I	NURS 832	Doctor of Nursing Practice transformational leadership to improve healthcare delivery and quality outcomes.	3 credits
Doctor of Nursing Practice Project	NURS 835	The Doctor of Nursing Practice project demonstrates clinical scholarship in an area of practice. Prerequisite: NURS 831	2 credits, repeated
Healthcare Informatics	NURS 836	This course provides a foundation in information systems and technology for improvement of healthcare.	3 credits
Evidence-Based Practice III: Project Development	NURS 837	The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project plan will be developed focusing on design, sample, data collection, projected outcomes, resourcing, plan for analysis, and sustainability. Students will collaborate with key stakeholders to build project support. Students will complete steps for Institutional Review Board (IRB) submission. The course includes 75 hours of required clinical practicum hours. Prerequisites: NURS 830, NURS 831	3 credits
Healthcare Economics and Policy for Nurse Administrators	NURS 845	Concepts of health care economics and policy for nurse administrators.	3 credits
Ethics in Professional Nursing Practice	NURS 887	This course provides the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to address ethics issues encountered in nursing practice and to ethically conduct quality improvement initiatives.	1 credit
Applied Research Methods	STAT 800	Investigates methods for assessing data collected from experimental and/or observational studies in various research setting.	3 credits

Common Nurse Practitioner Courses (12 credits)
Title	Abbreviation	Description	Credits
Advanced Health Assessment of Adult Populations	NURS 802	Advanced nursing assessment and diagnosis of physical, psychosocial, and developmental health for adults and families across the adult age spectrum.	3 credits
Pathophysiology	NURS 803	Integration of advanced physiology, genetics, and pathophysiology as related to specific disease entities and alterations in functioning.	3 credits
Pharmacologic Therapy	NURS 804	Pharmacologic therapies in advanced nursing practice.	3 credits
Healthcare Policy for Nurse and Healthcare Scholars	NURS 588	Theories of social justice and other scholarly perspectives are used to explore the interrelationships among health policy and the social, political, and economic determinants of health. The course provides the foundation for leadership in interdisciplinary collaborative endeavors to address health policy at the regional, national, and global levels.	3 credits

Family/Individual Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner Option Courses (23 credits)
Title	Abbreviation	Description	Credits
Advanced Health Assessment of Pediatric Populations	NURS 802A	Advanced nursing assessment and diagnosis of physical, psychosocial, and development health for individuals and families across the pediatric age spectrum.	1 credit
Family Nurse Practitioner Role with Healthy Individual and Families	NURS 870F	This is a comprehensive professional practice course in which students learn the Family/Individual Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner (F/INP) role focused on common acute/episodic health problems in caring for individuals and families across the lifespan.	3 credits
Family Nurse Practitioner Role with Individual and Families with Complex and/or Chronic Health Problems	NURS 871F	This is a comprehensive professional practice course in which students learn the Family/Individual Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner (F/INP) role focused on the identification and management of complex and/or chronic health problems in caring for individuals and families across the lifespan.	3 credits
Family/Individual Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner Doctoral Practicum I	NURS 872F	This is a comprehensive practicum in which students implement the Family/Individual Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner (F/INP) role through application of theoretical knowledge and psychomotor skills taught in all prior courses.	2 credits
Family /Individual Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner Doctoral Practicum II	NURS 873F	This is a comprehensive practicum in which students implement the Family/Individual Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner (F/INP) role through application of theoretical knowledge and psychomotor skills taught in all prior courses.	3 credits
Family /Individual Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner Integrative Doctoral Practicum	NURS 874F	This is a comprehensive practicum in which students implement the Family/Individual Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner (F/INP) role through application of theoretical knowledge and psychomotor skills taught in all prior courses.	5 credits
Nurse Practitioner Role with Children and Families	NURS 875	Nurse Practitioner role with children and their families to promote health, prevent illness, and manage acute or chronic health problems. NURS 875 provides instruction in the Nurse Practitioner role with children and their families to promote health, plan anticipatory guidance, conduct health screenings, prevent illness, and manage primary care health problems.	2 credits
Family/ Individual Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner Doctoral Practicum in Child Health	NURS 876F	This is a comprehensive practicum in which students implement the Family/Individual Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner (F/INP) role with the pediatric population through application of theoretical knowledge and psychomotor skills taught in all prior courses.	1 credit
Clinical Practice Synthesis for Family/Individual Across the Life Span Nurse Practitioner	NURS 877F	This is a comprehensive didactic and simulation experience in which students implement the Family/Individual Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner (F/INP) role through application of theoretical knowledge and psychomotor skills.	3 credits

Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Option Courses (Select 20 credits)
Title	Abbreviation	Description	Credits
Nurse Practitioner Role with Healthy Individual & Families	NURS 870	Provides instruction in the Nurse Practitioner role to promote health, prevent illness, and manage common acute/episodic health problems across the adult-older adult population. Prerequisites: NURS 802, NURS 803, and NURS 804	3 credits
Nurse Practitioner Role with Individual and Families with Complex and/or Chronic Health Problems	NURS 871	Nurse Practitioner role with individuals and families to maximize health and manage complex and/or chronic health problems. Prerequisites: NURS 870, NURS 872; Concurrent: NURS 873	3 credits
Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Doctoral Practicum I	NURS 872D	This is a comprehensive practicum in which students implement the Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner role through application of theoretical knowledge and psychomotor skills taught in all prior courses.	3 credits
Adult Gerontology Primary Care Practitioner Doctoral Practicum II	NURS 873D	This is a comprehensive practicum in which students implement the Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner role through application of theoretical knowledge and psychomotor skills taught in all prior courses.	3 credits
Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Integrative Doctoral Practicum	NURS 874D	This is a comprehensive practicum in which students implement the Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner role through application of theoretical knowledge and psychomotor skills taught in all prior courses.	5 credits
Clinical Practice Synthesis for Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner	NURS 877	This is a comprehensive didactic and simulation experience in which students implement the Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner role through application of theoretical knowledge and psychomotor skills.	3 credits

Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Option Courses (22 credits)
Title	Abbreviation	Description	Credits
Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Role 1	NURS 860	Focuses on utilization of a collaborative approach to enhance Acute Care Nurse Practitioner effectiveness with restorative care and synthesis of theoretical, scientific, and clinical knowledge required for the assessment, diagnosis, management, and treatment options of patients with complex acute, critical, and chronic illness across the continuum of care. Prerequisites: NURS 802, NURS 803, NURS 804, NURS 865, and NURS 866	3 credits
Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Role II	NURS 861	Continues the focus on utilization of a collaborative approach to enhance Acute Care Nurse Practitioner effectiveness with restorative care and synthesis of theoretical, scientific, and clinical knowledge required for the assessment, diagnosis, management, and treatment options of patients with complex acute, critical, and chronic illness across the continuum of care. Prerequisites: NURS 860, NURS 862; Concurrent: NURS 863	3 credits
Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Doctoral Practicum I	NURS 862D	This is a comprehensive practicum in which students implement the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner role through application of theoretical knowledge and psychomotor skills taught in NURS 860 and all prior courses.	3 credits
Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Doctoral Practitioner Practicum II	NURS 863D	This is a comprehensive practicum in which students implement the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner role through application of theoretical knowledge and psychomotor skills taught in NURS 861 and all prior courses. Prerequisites: NURS 860, NURS 862; Concurrent: NURS 861	3 credits
Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Integrative Doctoral Practicum	NURS 864D	This is a comprehensive practicum in which students implement the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner role and demonstrate synthesis of theoretical, scientific, and contemporary clinical knowledge learned in all courses of the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner option.	5 credits
Pharmacology for Acute Care Nurse Practitioners Health Assessment of Adult Gerontology Populations in Acute Care	NURS 866	Principles of clinical pharmacology as applied to management of complex acute, critical, and chronically ill adult and older adult patients. Physical assessment and diagnostics for physical and psychosocial health of adult and older adult individuals and families with acute and critical illness.	1 credits
Clinical Practice Synthesis for Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner	NURS 867	This is a comprehensive didactic and simulation experience in which students implement the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner role through application of theoretical knowledge and psychomotor skills. This course involves demonstration of the role in varied online, classroom, and simulation settings including a full week on site intensive.	3 credits

Course Availability

If you're ready to see when your courses will be offered, visit our public LionPATH course search (opens in new window) to start planning ahead.

Ready to Learn More?

Get the resources you need to make informed decisions about your education. Request information on this program and other programs of interest by completing this form.