The DNP is 1,000+ post-baccalaureate hours. At most online programs, finding the preceptor is on you.
Duke University DNP support

DNP preceptors and project sites for Duke University

Our role for Duke University DNP students is specific: identify a mentor, preceptor, or practice site that fits the current requirements supplied by the student. The program reviews the proposal, and no match is represented as approved before that review is complete.

Duke University DNP students: North Carolina practice environment and the 1,000-hour AACN post-baccalaureate floor
Duke University sits in North Carolina. DNP practice environment and the 1,000-hour AACN post-baccalaureate floor.

Duke University DNP program snapshot

  • Program: Doctor of Nursing Practice
  • School: Duke University
  • Directory location: Durham, North Carolina
  • National accreditation evidence: CCNE
  • Roster verified: July 21, 2026
  • Approval authority: Duke University

The directory evidence confirms the DNP listing, but it is not a substitute for the current catalog, handbook, or placement instructions. Check the official school website before relying on a pathway, specialty, hour total, or approval process.

Start with the current Duke University DNP requirements

As of the July 21, 2026 roster check, CCNE accreditation records include a DNP program at Duke University. Accreditation answers the inclusion question. Your current catalog and placement office must answer the separate questions about entry route, specialty, deadlines, and site approval.

Begin with the course number, term dates, required practice setting, mentor or preceptor credentials, location limits, and every form your program expects. If the course includes both a scholarly project and direct-care practice, separate those needs so each proposed person and site can be evaluated for the work they will actually supervise.

Make the scholarly project the placement spine

A DNP scholarly project needs a practice setting where the student can examine a real care or systems problem, introduce an approved change, and evaluate results. Suitable settings may include health systems, hospitals, clinics, public health programs, long-term care organizations, or community services. The right setting depends on the approved project question, access to the intended population, and the site's capacity to support the work.

Mentor selection follows the project, then the program's current qualification rules. Relevant experience may sit with a DNP-prepared nurse, physician, executive, quality professional, or another practice expert, yet no credential should be assumed acceptable at Duke University. We document the proposed mentor's role and let the program make that determination.

Map supervised practice hours before sourcing

AACN describes the DNP as requiring at least 1,000 supervised post-baccalaureate practice hours. The total assigned within a particular pathway, and the treatment of qualifying prior master's hours, varies by program. Do not use a generic number as Duke University's requirement. Confirm your own degree audit and course sequence first, then source against the remaining approved need.

For a direct-care pathway, the plan may require a board-certified nurse practitioner or physician in the student's population focus. Systems and leadership hours may call for a different practice expert and setting. The DNP clinical hours guide explains the cumulative post-baccalaureate framework without assigning a school-specific total that the evidence does not support.

Build an approval-ready match in North Carolina

The directory places the school in Durham, North Carolina, which gives the search a useful geographic starting point. It does not establish where a student may complete hours. Confirm state authorization and location rules, then screen each site for course fit, mentor eligibility, conflicts, and willingness to complete the required paperwork.

The DNP placement guide for North Carolina describes the wider mix of project settings and supervised practice sites. Use it for search context, then apply the exact rules confirmed by the program.

An approval-ready file identifies the proposed person's role, credentials, site, availability, and connection to the planned work. We assemble those facts for Duke University's review. Any affiliation contract, compliance item, background check, authorization decision, or additional form remains under the program's process.

What to confirm before outreach begins

  • Your exact DNP pathway and practicum course
  • The remaining approved practice hours shown by your program
  • Whether the need is a project mentor, direct-care preceptor, systems mentor, or a combination
  • Required credentials and disallowed relationships
  • Approved state, setting, population, and project parameters
  • Submission deadline and all site or preceptor forms

A prior term's instructions may no longer control the next placement cycle. Confirm the checklist with the current handbook or placement office, save the applicable forms, and send that version with the request. We do not fill gaps by borrowing policies from a different school.

Independent DNP placement support for Duke University students

Bring the current course documents into the search from the first step. We need the dates, geography, setting, population or systems focus, project question, credential rules, and submission forms. See how placement works; the final decision always remains with the program.

PreceptorDNP is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Duke University. A request starts a search, not a guarantee of placement or approval. Use the matching form when your current program requirements are ready.

Questions

Frequently asked

Does Duke University approve the preceptor or project mentor?

Duke University makes its own approval decisions. We identify and document a candidate around the current requirements you provide, then the program reviews the person, site, and paperwork.

How many DNP practice hours does Duke University require?

AACN sets a floor of at least 1,000 supervised post-baccalaureate practice hours, but the total and treatment of prior qualifying hours varies by program. Confirm your current Duke University degree audit and handbook rather than relying on a generic number.

Can you find both a DNP project mentor and a clinical preceptor?

Yes, when the current course requirements call for both roles. We screen each candidate for the work that person will supervise and submit the match for program approval.

Are you affiliated with Duke University?

No. PreceptorDNP is an independent placement service. We do not represent Duke University, and we cannot guarantee that the school will approve a proposed mentor, preceptor, or site.

Request a preceptor

Tell us your program. We'll start sourcing.

No cost to request, and nothing is billed until a match is confirmed and your school signs off. We'll reply within one business day.

We do not guarantee placement. Final approval rests with your program.