DNP 8797, 8798 and 8799: JSU's three residencies
Every JSU DNP student, whether in the BSN-DNP tracks or the Post-Master's DNP, ends on an identical trio of residencies, DNP 8797, DNP 8798 and DNP 8799, at three credits and 210 hours apiece. Between them they take one quality improvement project from first draft to final findings, at one site with one preceptor, which is why the residency term you are in shapes what your site has to deliver.
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The three residencies at a glance
The 2026-27 catalog lists the residencies under the DNP prefix for every track. Each has two possible terms, which lets JSU run both the May-start and August-start groups through the same courses.
| Course | Credits | Hours | Grading | Offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
DNP 8797 Residency I | 3 | 210 | Not stated in the catalog | Fall or spring |
DNP 8798 Residency II | 3 | 210 | Pass/fail | Spring or summer |
DNP 8799 Residency III | 3 | 210 | Pass/fail | Summer or fall |
How the three courses add up, and what JSU means by a residency, is the subject of the DNP residency hours guide. This page takes the courses one at a time. JSU's timeline is written around the May start, so if you are in the smaller August group, ask the DNP program coordinator how each milestone shifts.
Residency I: faculty, IRB and the proposal
DNP 8797 is the fall term on the May-start pattern, and JSU's timeline fills it with project groundwork. You are assigned a faculty member, you finish IRB training, and your formal proposal falls due around the turn of September into October. Once faculty approve it, the IRB application goes in during October or November.
Your preceptor is part of that planning. The timeline has students meeting with their preceptor four times in the semester to shape the project before anything is put into practice, so a preceptor who is hard to reach in the fall slows the proposal. The catalog does not say whether Residency I is letter-graded or pass/fail; your course faculty can confirm. Either way, a proposal approved on time is what lets implementation start in January.
Residency II: the project goes live
DNP 8798 covers implementation. On the May-start pattern it runs in spring: the project launches in January and runs for eight to ten weeks, with four meetings held on site and the Executive Summary drafted along the way. JSU asks preceptors to suggest content for that summary, so your preceptor's view of the results matters here.
This is the residency where the site does the most work. Staff may need to change a process, collect data or give feedback while the project runs, which is why the site's leaders need to back the project from the start. Residency II is graded pass/fail, and the graduate handbook notes that an F in a pass/fail course is computed as a regular F. The grades and progression guide explains what follows from that.
Residency III: results and Dissemination Day
DNP 8799 brings the project to a close. JSU's timeline has results shared at the site in July, then Dissemination Day on campus that same month, a gathering of students, staff from the host facilities and JSU faculty to talk through every DNP project. Graduation follows in August.
Residency III is also pass/fail. Because Dissemination Day brings you to Jacksonville, plan the travel early; JSU's published notes on campus visits for online students are collected in the on-campus requirements guide. Your preceptor and site contacts are welcome that day, which makes it worth asking them early whether they can attend.
For a preceptor, this last term is lighter than the spring but still matters: the July results session happens at their site, where the findings go back to the team that hosted the project. A preceptor who has stayed from the first planning meeting to this point is the continuity JSU's 16-month rule is designed to produce.
Which term each residency falls in
The order never changes, but the calendar does. Here is where each current plan of study puts the three courses, with the lecture course taken in the same term.
| Plan | DNP 8797 | DNP 8798 | DNP 8799 |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP, FNP or AGACNP | Fall, with NU 8011 | Spring, with NU 8015 | Summer |
| Post-Master's, fall start | Fall of Year 2, with NU 8012 | Spring of Year 2, with NU 8013 | Summer of Year 2, with NU 8015 |
| Post-Master's, spring start | Spring of Year 2, with NU 8011 | Summer of Year 2, with NU 8015 | Fall of Year 2, with NU 8012 |
By our mapping, Post-Master's students entering in Fall 2026 complete the residencies between Fall 2027 and Summer 2028, and a Spring 2027 entrant runs them from Spring 2028 through Fall 2028. The fall FNP and AGACNP plans print the block with FNP or ANP prefixes; they are the same DNP courses.
One preceptor, one site, all three courses
JSU asks every DNP student to hold on to one preceptor and one clinical site for 16 months across these courses, starting from the pairing in DNP 8796. Under the graduate handbook, any shift in your projected clinical experience needs formal approval after you notify faculty and program staff, and it can affect your progression.
That is where we come in. Whatever route your JSU pairing takes, we line up a preceptor and site that fit JSU's rules and can see a project through all three residencies, with the preceptor's credentials and the site's contract details ready for faculty review. If a preceptor leaves partway, we move quickly on a replacement who can take over the project, and the backup preceptors guide explains what to do while that happens. JSU's faculty approve every change. Tell us your residency start through the form below.
Changing sites between residencies is not a routine step at JSU: it needs formal approval, so choose a site that can stay the full 16 months.
Questions JSU students ask
Is DNP Residency I pass/fail at JSU?
The 2026-27 catalog marks DNP 8798 and DNP 8799 as pass/fail but does not state a grade type for DNP 8797. The 2024-25 graduate handbook says the P grade is given for DNP residency courses. The Residency I syllabus, or your course faculty, will tell you how that course is graded.
What happens if I fail a JSU DNP residency?
JSU's graduate handbook counts an F in a pass/fail course as a regular F. In graduate nursing only one course graded C or lower may be repeated, the second attempt has to reach at least a B, and a second failure means dismissal. With one project spread across three courses, your DNP program coordinator sets how a retake fits.
Can I change residency sites between DNP 8797 and DNP 8799?
JSU plans on one preceptor and site for the full 16 months. A switch counts as a change in projected clinical experience, which you report to your faculty, the program coordinator and the Administrative Coordinator, Graduate Programs, and which needs approval before it takes effect. If a site falls through, contact them right away and see the backup preceptors guide.
Do Post-Master's and BSN-DNP students take different residency courses?
No. Both programs end in the same three courses, each carrying 210 hours, and the Post-Master's catalog page spells out the 630-hour requirement. The difference is timing: BSN-DNP students reach the residencies after four NP practicums, while Post-Master's students start them in their second year.
When is JSU's DNP Dissemination Day?
JSU's DNP timeline places Dissemination Day in July, after results are shared at the project site, and holds it in Jacksonville for students, host-site staff and faculty. The exact date is not on JSU's public pages, so watch your Canvas course and GEM email for the announcement.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against JSU's 2026-27 catalog, nursing handbooks, program pages and licensure disclosures. Your course faculty and your plan of study have the final word.
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