USI nursing programs and the clinical hours behind each one
From 2026-27, each nurse practitioner track at the University of Southern Indiana asks for 750 direct clinical hours, laid out as 200, 250 and 300 over a Fall, Spring and Summer sequence. The doctoral routes count practice hours on top, and the leadership MSNs use a smaller practicum. The table sets out USI's figures; each program guide explains the courses, the kind of preceptor and the timing.
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Hours by program
| Program | Clinical or practice hours | Clinical courses |
|---|---|---|
| MSN FNP and FNP certificate | 750 direct | NRSG 643, NRSG 645, NRSG 647 |
| MSN AGACNP and AGACNP certificate | 750 direct (minimums) | NRSG 633, NRSG 635, NRSG 637 |
| MSN PMHNP and PMHNP certificate | 750 direct | NRSG 653, NRSG 655, NRSG 657 |
| BSN-to-DNP (FNP, AGACNP, PMHNP) | 1,510 in the handbook | 800-level specialty courses, then NRSG 801, NRSG 803, NRSG 805 |
| BSN-to-DNP Organizational and Systems Leadership | 1,005 in the handbook (1,000 on the web page) | NRSG 761, NRSG 867, project courses |
| Post-MSN DNP | 1,000 post-baccalaureate, up to 500 from the MSN | NRSG 801, NRSG 803, NRSG 805 |
| MSN NEL and MSN HSL | 200 (NEL) and 240 (HSL) in the handbook overview | NRSG 661 plus two practicums |
| RN-to-BSN (online) | No total published | NURS 457, NURS 487, NURS 492 |
In 2025-26 the FNP and PMHNP tracks carried 630 hours and the AGACNP 675, under NURS course numbers. The 750-hour guide explains the change, and the clinical hours planner shows every track.
Matching the preceptor to the program
FNP courses call for family nurse practitioners, physician assistants or primary care physicians, with specialty clinicians welcome later in the sequence. AGACNP courses need NPs, PAs or physicians working in acute care, and the final course leans toward critical care or hospital medicine. PMHNP courses accept only a PMHNP or a licensed psychiatrist.
Doctoral students add a practice partner for the DNP project, and leadership students work with educators or leadership mentors. Each program guide below spells out its own rules, and our placement desk searches for that exact profile.
Nurse practitioner MSN
Post-master's certificates
Doctoral
Leadership and education MSN
Questions USI students ask
How many clinical hours does USI's online FNP require?
For 2026-27 the handbook sets 750 direct hours: 200 in NRSG 643, 250 in NRSG 645 and 300 in NRSG 647, taken Fall, Spring and Summer. The FNP program guide walks through each semester.
Which nurse practitioner tracks does USI offer?
Three: family, adult-gerontology acute care, and psychiatric mental health. Each is an online MSN, a post-master's certificate for nurses who already hold a graduate degree, and a track within the BSN-to-DNP. The adult-gerontology clinical nurse specialist track stopped taking new applicants in Summer 2026.
Do USI's certificates count clinical hours from my earlier degree?
No. USI states that no clinical hours will be credited for the post-master's APRN certificates, so certificate students complete the full 750 hours in the same three specialty courses as MSN students.
Does USI offer an accelerated or second-degree BSN?
Not currently; it has not appeared in the bulletin since 2024-25. USI's campus BSN assigns clinical sites itself, while the online RN-to-BSN asks students to identify practice sites in their own area.
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against USI's own bulletin, program pages and Graduate Nursing Handbook. Your handbook, course faculty and the Nursing Clinical Coordinator have the final word.
USI makes the search your job. We make it the easy part.
Tell us your USI track, your city and your next clinical semester. We find preceptors who fit the NRSG course and fill the Preceptor Packet and Clinical Education Agreement request with typed, complete details, well before USI's 6-week window.
- Preceptors matched to the course: family primary care for FNP, acute care teams for AGACNP, PMHNPs and psychiatrists for PMHNP
- Preceptor license, certification, years of practice and the site's agreement signer ready for the packet
- Fall, Spring and Summer planned together, close to home in a state USI enrolls
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