NKU's post-master's NP certificates and what their clinicals need

All four are 100% online coursework in 7-week courses, and every clinical carries 1 credit. What changes from one certificate to the next is the specialty, the number of clinicals and how much coursework sits in front of them.

The certificates hub card describes the AGACNP option as having four clinical rotations, yet the AGACNP certificate's curriculum shows five courses and 750 hours; plan for five. Each certificate has its own page: post-master's FNP, post-master's AGACNP, post-master's PMHNP and NP-to-PMHNP.

The three post-master's certificates share an entry list: an MSN from an ACEN-, CCNE- or CNEA-accredited program, an MSN GPA of 3.0 or better, an unencumbered RN license, 1,000 hours of RN clinical practice (the 2025-26 catalog adds "over the previous year") and a PreCheck background check covering state and federal records. The AGACNP certificate adds a year of critical care experience.

The NP-to-PMHNP certificate is aimed at nurses who already practice as NPs: it asks for current NP licensure plus national NP board certification. CCNE accredits NKU's postgraduate APRN certificate programs, the same body that accredits its master's and post-master's DNP.

After admission, NKU keeps its list of clinical-readiness items, immunizations, TB and CPR among them, inside Canvas under General Clinical Information, and compliance is tracked through PreCheck and Sentry. Each clinical's course fees include student liability insurance.

Arriving with an MSN doesn't mean skipping the advanced practice core. The three post-master's certificates list MSN 609, MSN 610, MSN 611 and MSN 612, and the 2025-26 catalog frames the same core as BIO 669, MSN 610, MSN 611 and MSN 612, with MSN 680 added if needed. NKU may ask for your earlier syllabi to check that your pathophysiology, assessment, pharmacology and role courses were taught "over the lifespan". Any course that falls short gets replaced by NKU's own.

NKU publishes no rule that trims clinical hours for NPs who are already certified. The NP-to-PMHNP skips the core and starts with the five psychiatric courses, MSN 671 to MSN 675, yet it still carries the full 750 clinical hours. Build your preceptor plan around that number.

Each certificate borrows the preceptor rules of its MSN twin, so the credential list depends on the specialty rather than on your certificate status.

Whatever the specialty, the preceptor also holds a graduate degree, has spent a year in the current role at that degree level, keeps an unrestricted license, works at the site and practices in an NKU-approved state. PAs count only where the state lets them precept. Supervisors, relatives, partners, roommates, friends and your own primary care provider are excluded. The setting rules page explains each cap.

NKU's NP admission rule names every certificate. Applications come only from Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. The rule dates to Spring 2023, and Florida, Virginia and West Virginia were added by January 2026.

Your preceptors must also practice in a state NKU approves, and a move during the certificate can change your status, so clear it with your advisor and concentration coordinator first. Illinois, Michigan and Nevada don't belong to the Nurse Licensure Compact. If you live near a state line, confirm which state your preceptor's site sits in before you ask. Admission states covers the list's history.

Certificate students sit in the same clinical courses as MSN students, and NKU publishes no separate placement rule for them, so the process matches. You join your specialty's Canvas shell plus the MSN Clinical Information Canvas, secure a preceptor who fits the track, and file a self-placement request in Medatrax for each clinical: at least 30 days out, ideally 90.

What each request needs

• Your preceptor's resume or CV and a copy of the license
• A signed Preceptor Responsibilities form
• A Preceptor Profile in Medatrax
• A site contact whenever NKU has no affiliation agreement with the site
• Clearance from the coordinators and Contracts & Compliance, confirmed by the Medatrax approval email

Only one clinical runs per 7-week session, so six FNP clinicals take at least six sessions and five AGACNP or PMHNP clinicals at least five. The full placement process shows every stage in order.

If you're fitting a certificate around a job, the preceptor search is the piece that eats the most time, and it's the piece we take on. A placement advisor finds preceptors who fit your specialty's rules, whether primary care, acute care or psychiatric, in a state NKU approves and close to home.

We plan every rotation from the first clinical to the last, check each preceptor's credentials, year in role, license and state, gather the documents and the site contact, and have the Medatrax request ready well ahead of the session. NKU approves every placement; each file we prepare is built to pass that review the first time. If a preceptor steps away, we line up the next one. See how it works.