Samford's DNP 1,000 hours: what counts and what transfers
Samford's 2026-2027 Graduate Nursing Student Handbook requires at least 1,000 post-baccalaureate hours of supervised advanced clinical practice for the DNP, a standard it credits to CCNE. As many as 500 can carry over from a master's degree or post-graduate certificate once the Academic Advisor approves them. Nurse practitioner students still complete every clinical hour in their plan of study, whatever transfers.
Plan your DNP clinical year
Tell us your DNP track and which clinical courses remain. We line up preceptors around your project semesters.
Four rules from the handbook
The handbook's DNP hour rules fit in four lines. Read them together, because the last one changes how the transfer rule works for nurse practitioner students.
- The minimum: 1,000 post-baccalaureate hours of supervised advanced clinical practice in a chosen specialty area, which the handbook says CCNE requires for the DNP.
- The transfer: up to 500 of those hours may come from an MSN degree or a post-graduate certificate.
- The approver: the school's Academic Advisor signs off on any practicum hours counted toward the degree.
- The NP floor: students in a nurse practitioner specialty must complete the direct clinical hours in their plan of study regardless of what was applied from earlier study.
A fifth sentence covers students who arrive without prior APRN preparation: their plan may gain extra courses or independent study so that the post-BSN clinical total still lands at 1,000. That line matters most for the FNP BSN to DNP, the NP track that begins from a bachelor's degree. Every Samford program's hour totals sit side by side on the clinical hours page.
How each Samford DNP reaches 1,000
| DNP track | Hours in the plan | Courses | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| FNP, BSN to DNP | 1,050 | NURG 716, NURG 717, NURG 718, NURG 730 | Open, May start |
| FNP, MSN to DNP | 750 | NURG 723, NURG 724, NURG 730 | Open, May start |
| PMHNP, MSN to DNP | 750 | NURG 767, NURG 788, NURG 789, NURG 790 | Open, August start |
| Nurse Leader DNP | 500 practicum | NURG 784 to NURG 787, 125 each | Not accepting applications |
| Nurse Anesthesia DNP | 2,000 or more | NUNA 790 to NUNA 793 | Open, sites assigned by Samford |
The FNP BSN to DNP clears 1,000 inside its own plan. Its web page, though, repeats the shared NP wording with a minimum of 750 hours, while the plan dated December 2025 lists 1,050. Schedule from the plan; the BSN to DNP clinicals page breaks the 1,050 down course by course.
For the two MSN to DNP tracks, the 750 plan hours are the fixed part, and whatever the Academic Advisor approves from your master's program is added toward the 1,000. The MSN to DNP page covers those tracks in full. Nurse anesthesia students train at sites Samford assigns, and the plan's 2,000 or more hours clear the 1,000 on their own; see the nurse anesthesia page.
What transfers from a master's or certificate
The ceiling is 500 hours, and they must be supervised advanced clinical practice. The handbook names the Academic Advisor as the approver, so the decision rests on your records rather than a formula.
Two groups should expect questions. The FNP MSN to DNP is built for MSN-prepared nurses who are not yet nurse practitioners, so whether earlier master's hours count as advanced clinical practice depends on what that program involved. For the Nurse Leader DNP, Samford's page says the Academic Advisor helps students without applicable post-baccalaureate hours plan additional practicum experiences.
An older Samford DNP page, captured in 2021, described petitioning to transfer master's hours with a practicum hours verification form. The current handbook names only the Academic Advisor's approval, so ask which form applies today instead of reusing the old one.
Documents worth gathering early
- Your master's or certificate transcript.
- Your earlier program's record of supervised clinical or practicum hours, with dates and settings.
- Course descriptions or syllabi showing how those hours were supervised.
NURG 760 and NURG 761: the DNP Project
Every Samford DNP ends with a two-part project. In the handbook's words, you draft the proposal in NURG 760 DNP Project I and carry the project through to completion in NURG 761 DNP Project II. The catalog lists both as 2-credit, pass/fail courses that may be repeated up to a maximum of 8 credits.
| Track | NURG 760 | NURG 761 | Clinical course in the same term |
|---|---|---|---|
| FNP, BSN to DNP | Year 3 fall | Year 3 spring | NURG 718 (300 hours), then NURG 730 (300) |
| FNP, MSN to DNP | Year 3 fall | Year 3 spring | NURG 724 (300 hours), then NURG 730 (300) |
| PMHNP, MSN to DNP | Year 3 fall | Year 3 spring | None: NURG 790 ends in Year 2 spring |
| Nurse Leader DNP, fall start | Year 2 fall | Year 2 spring | NURG 786, then NURG 787 (125 each) |
For FNP DNP students, the project runs alongside the two heaviest rotations, so the final year needs preceptors whose schedules leave room for project work. PMHNP DNP students finish their clinicals first. The public plans attach no clinical hours to NURG 760 or NURG 761, so ask your Academic Advisor before counting project time toward the 1,000.
Supervision, work hours and the time limit
The handbook's key word is supervised: the 1,000 hours are supervised advanced clinical practice, which is not the same as the hours you work as an RN. Samford's Nurse Leader DNP page is explicit that its practicum hours must be completed outside the student's employment roles and responsibilities.
For NP students the practical answer is simpler. The clinical hours in your plan are completed with Samford approved preceptors in approved rotations, and those are the hours your plan counts. Anything earlier, including clinical work from another program, goes through the Academic Advisor.
Samford also sets a clock: four years to finish, with a petition possible for a fifth. If your DNP depends on transferred hours, settle them in your first term so the plan does not shift late; grades and time limits covers the rest.
How we help Samford DNP students
DNP students choose us because the final year is where a preceptor gap hurts most. Your placement advisor plans the clinical courses around the project semesters, not the other way around.
- Read your plan and your hoursWe map which clinical courses remain, when
NURG 760andNURG 761fall, and which terms carry 300-hour rotations. - Line up preceptors a term aheadWe find preceptors near home who fit each course and can give the weekly hours the semester needs, with the practicum preceptor set before the final year begins.
- Prepare what Samford reviewsWe package each preceptor's details for the rotation request and tell you up front when a site will need a fresh agreement with Samford.
- Stay with you to the endIf a preceptor steps away during the project year, we start the replacement search at once.
Questions Samford students ask
Does Samford accept clinical hours from my MSN toward the DNP?
Yes, within a limit. As many as 500 supervised practice hours from a master's degree or post-graduate certificate can be credited, subject to the Academic Advisor's approval. If you are on an NP track, those hours count toward the 1,000 but do not replace any clinical hours in your plan of study.
Why does Samford's FNP BSN to DNP page say 750 hours?
The page reuses the clinical text that appears on every Samford NP page, which states a minimum of 750. The FNP BSN to DNP plan of study dated December 2025 lists 1,050 across four clinical courses, and the handbook expects students without APRN preparation to reach 1,000 after the BSN. Schedule to the plan.
Is CCNE the source of Samford's 1,000-hour DNP rule?
That is how Samford's handbook frames it: the 1,000-hour floor is presented as a CCNE requirement for the degree, and the same passage sets the 500-hour limit on hours applied from an MSN or certificate. Samford's baccalaureate, master's, DNP and post-graduate certificate programs hold CCNE accreditation through June 30, 2035; accreditation has the details.
Can my RN job count toward the DNP's 1,000 hours?
Samford's handbook counts supervised advanced clinical practice, and its Nurse Leader DNP page keeps practicum hours outside the student's job duties. Routine RN shifts are a different category. If you believe part of your work was supervised advanced practice, raise it with the Academic Advisor and bring documentation.
Is Samford's Nurse Leader DNP still open?
Its program page says it is not accepting applications. The 2026-2027 handbook still lists it as a track, which matters for students already enrolled: they complete 500 practicum hours across four courses, at 8 to 12 hours a week, where they live and are licensed.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Samford's own program pages, plans of study, the 2026-27 Graduate Nursing Student Handbook and Alabama rules. Your course, your program coordinator and Graduate Student Services have the final word.
Samford says connections are essential. We are the connection.
Tell us your Samford track, where you live and when your next clinical course starts. We find preceptors near you who fit the course and prepare the details Samford needs to approve the rotation, including a new affiliation agreement where one is needed.
- Preceptors matched to the course: adult primary care for
NURG 723, family practice across the lifespan forNURG 724, psychiatric care forNURG 788 - Preceptor, license and site details ready for your clinical rotation request
- In your own community, anywhere Samford accepts you and your RN license is valid
Start your placement plan
Program, city and start date is all we need to begin.