Studying with UNCW from outside North Carolina
Five UNCW nursing programs let you do the hands-on part outside North Carolina: the MSN Nurse Educator and its certificate, the RN-BSN, and the Post APRN and Nurse Executive Leadership DNPs. Their practicums or projects happen where you are licensed. The NP concentrations work differently, with every clinical hour in North Carolina. Some state boards also want out-of-state programs approved first.
Find a nurse-educator preceptor where you are licensed
Tell us your state, your UNCW course and your start session.
The short version, program by program
Each UNCW program answers two questions differently: which RN license it asks for, and where the hands-on part of the program takes place.
| Program | Live outside NC? | License UNCW asks for | Where the practicum or project happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN Nurse Educator (online) | Yes | NC; a compact license from your home state; or a home-state license if you will not practice in NC while enrolled | One educational site, with a preceptor licensed in that state |
| Nurse Educator Post-Graduate Certificate | Yes | Same rule as the MSN | A site and preceptor you identify, licensed where the practicum is |
| RN-BSN (online) | Yes, in most states | Active, unencumbered license in your resident state | Your current job or outside work; no set hours |
| DNP Post APRN | Yes | NC or compact RN license, plus APRN license or approval in your state of residence | DNP project in the state where you are licensed |
| DNP Nurse Executive Leadership | Yes | NC or compact RN license | DNP project in the state where you are licensed |
| DNP FNP, AGPCNP, PMHNP and the PMHNP certificate | Yes, with clinicals in NC | NC or compact RN license | North Carolina only |
MSN Nurse Educator and certificate: a practicum where you are licensed
The nurse educator programs travel best. Both are fully online, and the MSN admits students licensed in North Carolina, in a compact state where they legally reside, or, for distance students who will not practice in North Carolina while enrolled, in their primary state of residence. The certificate uses the same rule.
The practicum follows the preceptor's license, not UNCW's address. UNCW asks for a preceptor with a current license in the state where the practicum site is, a master's degree or higher, at least three years of teaching experience, and a job at that site. MSN students keep one educational site for both practicum courses (NSG 588 and NSG 589 in the curriculum starting August 2026, NSG 596 and NSG 597 for earlier cohorts), with a signed agreement and approval in place ahead of the first one. Certificate students identify their own site and preceptor.
Hours, course content and the approval window are covered on the nurse educator practicum guide.
RN-BSN: practice experiences in your own state
The online RN-BSN has no precepted clinical hours. UNCW's FAQ says practice experiences can be completed at your current job or, if you are not working, outside a work environment, and that no set number of clinical hours is required. They cannot be done online, and there are no required campus visits.
The license rule follows residence: the RN-BSN handbook asks for an active, unencumbered RN license in your resident state from application through the whole program, and the catalog accepts a license in North Carolina or the state where you do your clinical coursework. UNCW Online describes the program as open to nurses in most U.S. states. Because the practice experience happens where you live, your state board's rules can still reach it; Washington's approval rule, for example, names RN-BSN programs.
Post APRN and Nurse Executive Leadership: projects in your licensed state
Neither leadership DNP has a clinical preceptor. Students log immersion hours on a DNP project, and UNCW's admission wording places that project "within the state student is licensed." Post APRN applicants also need an APRN license or approval to practice in their state of residence and a current advanced practice role. The DNP Student Handbook sets 1,000 post-BSN hours for both, with up to 500 carried from the master's program and at least 500 immersion hours earned during the DNP.
UNCW's clinical handbook notes that most Post APRN and Nurse Executive Leadership students complete their immersion hours where they work, with a signed letter of agreement between UNCW and the employer or site. The DNP New Student Orientation on campus is required for both concentrations, so plan at least one trip to Wilmington even if everything else happens near home.
NP concentrations: online courses, North Carolina clinicals
You can live outside North Carolina and take the FNP, AGPCNP or PMHNP coursework online, but every clinical hour happens in North Carolina with preceptors who practice there, under an NC or compact RN license. The rule and its wording by track are on the North Carolina clinical rule guide.
For a nurse living just over the line in South Carolina or Virginia, that can mean a manageable drive. From farther away it means travel or temporary housing for each practicum, at your own cost, and travel time never counts toward hours. Neither the South Carolina nor the Virginia board requires approval for out-of-state graduate clinicals, but that does not change UNCW's own rule: NP hours completed in either state do not count toward a UNCW practicum.
States that require approval before a practicum
For the programs that can travel, your state's nursing board may have a say. Several boards require an out-of-state program to be approved, registered or listed before a student does any clinical or practice experience there. When the lists were checked in September 2026, UNCW did not appear on any that could be read.
| State | What the board requires | UNCW on the list? |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | Approval before any clinical or practice experience; covers RN-BSN, MSN and NP programs | Not found on the list dated September 21, 2026 |
| Wisconsin | Out-of-state schools must be approved, including post-licensure bachelor's and graduate programs | Not found on the list modified August 3, 2026 |
| Louisiana | Board approval about six months ahead for undergraduate and graduate out-of-state programs | Not found on the list revised April 28, 2026 |
| Mississippi | Review by the state's higher education board for out-of-state programs with clinicals in the state | Not found on the list dated August 20, 2026 |
| California | Prior approval for out-of-state NP programs | Not found; UNCW NP clinicals stay in North Carolina anyway |
| New York and Utah | Registration or approval before clinical placements | Status not public |
| Delaware and Wyoming | Written notice to the board before clinicals in the state | Notice status unknown |
| Tennessee | Moratorium on approving out-of-state programs, reported effective April 27, 2026 | Not confirmed |
Illinois, New Mexico and Nevada also have approval rules, but how far they reach into graduate or post-licensure programs is unclear. Two cautions apply to the whole table. Whether these rules cover a nurse educator practicum held in a classroom rather than a clinical unit is not spelled out, and lists change as programs apply. Before you enroll or pick a practicum site, check your board's current list and ask UNCW's state authorization office.
Finding your preceptor outside North Carolina
For nurse educator students, our search starts where you live. We look for a nurse educator with a master's degree or higher and at least three years of teaching experience, licensed in your state and working at the site, and we check your board's out-of-state program rule before we commit to a site. Then we gather the preceptor and site details UNCW's program faculty review, so approval lands well ahead of the practicum.
For NP students living elsewhere, our focus stays on North Carolina: preceptors close to the border, near family you could stay with, or along a route you already drive. UNCW makes every approval decision; we make sure the submission is complete and fits its rules the first time. Use the form above or below to start.
Questions UNCW students ask
Can I do the UNCW MSN Nurse Educator practicum in my home state?
Yes. UNCW asks for a preceptor with a current license in the state where the practicum site is located, so the practicum can happen where you live. You still need a qualified preceptor with a master's degree or higher and three years of teaching experience, a signed agreement and UNCW approval. Check your state board's out-of-state program rules too.
Can UNCW FNP students do clinicals in their home state?
Only if home is North Carolina. UNCW's DNP Student Handbook limits clinical and practicum hours in the FNP, AGPCNP and PMHNP concentrations to North Carolina, with preceptors practicing in the state. You can take the online courses from elsewhere, but plan for travel and housing during each practicum semester.
Is UNCW approved for nursing clinicals in Washington state?
UNCW was not on the Washington State Board of Nursing's list of approved out-of-state programs dated September 21, 2026. Washington requires approval before a distance program places students in any clinical or practice experience in the state, including RN-BSN and MSN programs. Ask UNCW about its status before planning a Washington practicum.
Where do UNCW Post APRN students complete their DNP project?
In the state where they are licensed. UNCW's admission requirements place the DNP project within the student's licensed state, and its clinical handbook says most Post APRN and Nurse Executive Leadership students complete their immersion hours at their own workplace, under a letter of agreement between UNCW and the site.
Can I take UNCW's RN-BSN if I live outside North Carolina?
In most states, yes. UNCW Online says the RN-BSN is open to nurses in most U.S. states, and the handbook asks for an active, unencumbered license in your resident state throughout the program. Practice experiences can take place at your job, with no set clinical hours, though your state board's rules may still apply.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against UNCW's catalog, handbooks and School of Nursing pages. Your course, your cohort's handbook and UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator have the final word.
UNCW asks you to find your own North Carolina preceptor. Let us run that search.
Tell us your UNCW program, your practicum course and where in North Carolina you can travel. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare the CV, license and agency details UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator reviews, well before the deadline.
- Preceptors matched to the course: primary care, pediatrics and women's health for
NSGL 650toNSGL 653, adult and older-adult care for AGPCNP, psychiatric care for PMHNP - Preceptor CV with dates and site, license number and agency details ready for your submission
- In Wilmington, the Cape Fear region or wherever in North Carolina your clinicals can happen
Start your placement plan
Your program, city and next practicum term is all we need to begin.