IWU MSN Nursing Education: the NRE-664 and NRE-695 practicums
IWU's MSN in Nursing Education is fully online, and its practicum comes down to two courses: 35 hours in NRE-664 with a master's-prepared preceptor in a clinical practice area, and 140 hours in the NRE-695 capstone across educational settings. IWU's program pages call that at least 175 supervised hours, and the same two courses anchor the ASN-to-MSN route and the post-graduate certificate.
Find your educator preceptors
Tell us your route and your area. We match NRE-664 and NRE-695 settings.
NRE-695 Nursing Education Capstone
Three routes into nurse education
IWU offers the Nursing Education specialty three ways, and all three share the same two practicum courses.
- MSN in Nursing Education: 41 credits, about 18.5 months over 12 courses, 100% online
- ASN-to-MSN Nursing Education: 58 credits in the catalog (the web page says 58 or 60), about 36 months over 20 courses, with graduates able to sit for the Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) exam, per IWU's page
- Post-graduate Nursing Education certificate: 16 credits plus 14 prerequisite credits (
PYC-614,PYC-612andPYC-660), about 7 months or more over 6 courses
Courses run one at a time in IWU's modular calendar, which course format and calendar explains. CCNE accredits IWU's master's nursing program. If you are coming from an associate degree, the ASN-to-MSN page covers the bridge courses that come before this specialty.
The practicum courses and hours
The catalog prints hours at the course level. It does not state a program total, but the two figures add up to 175, which matches IWU's program pages.
| Course | Title | Credits | Hours | Setting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
NRE-664 | Concepts of Leadership for Nurse Educators | 2 | 35 | A clinical nursing practice area, with a master's-prepared preceptor |
NRE-695 | Nursing Education Capstone | 4 | 140 | Supervised, varied educational settings |
NRE-662 | Advanced Health and Physical Assessment | 3 | None stated | Coursework only in the catalog |
IWU's web pages for the MSN and the certificate describe at least 175 hours of supervised practicum, both online and onsite. Your syllabus sets how those hours split between online and in-person work, so read it before you arrange the capstone.
NRE-664 names a specific preceptor credential: master's-prepared. Check that before anyone agrees to host you.
NRE-664: finding a master's-prepared preceptor
NRE-664 is short at 35 hours, but it is precise about who supervises you. You spend those hours in a clinical nursing practice area alongside a preceptor who holds a master's degree, and its subject is leadership from a nurse educator's point of view.
Good fits include nurses with graduate degrees who carry an education or leadership role on a clinical unit: unit-based educators, clinical nurse specialists, nurse managers or professional development staff. IWU publishes no further preceptor qualifications, so confirm with your course faculty that the person's degree and role meet the course's expectation before you ask for a commitment.
Your own hospital is a natural first place to look, and it can work well. IWU's November 2025 article on its RN-to-BSN-to-MSN pathway notes that workplace practicum sites need faculty oversight, learning objectives that fit, and a qualified preceptor; your workplace as a clinical site explains the conditions.
NRE-695: the capstone across educational settings
The capstone carries 140 supervised hours in varied educational settings, which is where you practice the teaching role itself. The course description asks for variety, so plan on more than one kind of setting rather than repeating the same classroom.
Settings that match the description can include an academic nursing program (classroom, simulation lab or clinical instruction), a hospital's staff development or professional practice department, and structured patient education programs. Your syllabus and faculty decide which mix qualifies and how much of the total may be online.
Because the capstone is the largest block of hours in the program, secure it well before the course opens. Academic settings tend to follow their own term calendars, so a nursing school host may need notice to fit you into a semester that suits both of you.
Securing sites, approvals and costs
IWU's public pages do not say who arranges Nursing Education practicum sites, and no placement office is listed. In practice you should expect to identify the preceptor and setting yourself and submit them for faculty and School of Nursing review, as on IWU's other graduate tracks. Medatrax is where IWU's recent catalogs send site and preceptor approvals and compliance items; ask faculty which of those apply to education practicums.
IWU's program pages state that facility placement costs fall on the student, consistent with the catalog's Nursing Practice Experience Costs policy; placement costs at IWU walks through it. Any requirement the practicum agency sets is also at your expense, and your RN license must be active and unencumbered in every state where your practicum hours take place.
Certificate students have one extra clinical piece: the PYC-660 Advanced Health Assessment prerequisite includes supervised clinical work if you take it at IWU. See PYC-660 for how that course runs.
Planning your practicum year
Two courses sound simple, but they need different hosts at different points in the program. Work through them in this order:
- Confirm your routeCheck your degree plan, and on the certificate, how each prerequisite will be met, since
PYC-660adds clinical work if you take it at IWU. - Line up the NRE-664 preceptorFind a master's-prepared nurse in a clinical practice area and confirm the fit with course faculty.
- Map the NRE-695 settingsChoose two or more teaching settings for the 140 capstone hours and ask each about its own term dates.
- Submit and clear requirementsSend the preceptor and site details for IWU's review and finish anything the host agency requires before your first hour.
- Log every hour accuratelyIWU's catalog dismisses master's students who falsify practicum hours, with no re-entry, so record hours the day you work them.
Why nurse educator students choose us
Education practicums need two very different hosts, and we find both: a master's-prepared clinician for NRE-664 and teaching settings with real variety for the NRE-695 capstone. We search near you, coordinate timing with academic calendars, and prepare the preceptor credentials and site details IWU reviews. The School of Nursing makes the final approval, and we send it a complete file that meets its rules at the first attempt. When a host backs out, we replace them quickly so your capstone stays on schedule; tell the placement desk your route and start date.
Questions IWU students ask
How many practicum hours is IWU's MSN in Nursing Education?
The catalog lists 35 hours for NRE-664 and 140 hours for the NRE-695 capstone, a total of 175. IWU's program pages describe at least 175 hours of supervised online and onsite practicum. The same two courses and hours apply to the ASN-to-MSN Nursing Education route and the post-graduate certificate.
Who can precept NRE-664 at IWU?
The course description calls for a master's-prepared preceptor in a clinical nursing practice area. IWU does not publish further qualifications, such as years of experience or specific roles. Confirm your candidate with course faculty early, and have the preceptor's degree and license details ready for IWU's review.
Can NRE-695 capstone hours be done online?
IWU's program pages describe the practicum as supervised online and onsite hours, so some online teaching may count. The catalog stresses varied educational settings. Your syllabus and course faculty decide how much of the 140 hours may be online, so ask before you build a plan around virtual teaching.
Does IWU's Nursing Education certificate include clinical hours?
Yes. Certificate students complete NRE-664 and NRE-695 like MSN students, 175 hours in total. The certificate also lists PYC-660 Advanced Health Assessment among its prerequisites, and that course includes supervised clinical work when taken at IWU. Check with an advisor how your prerequisites will be met.
Can I take the CNE exam after IWU's Nursing Education program?
IWU's ASN-to-MSN Nursing Education page says graduates can sit for the Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) exam. Eligibility rules are set by the certifying body, so check its current requirements, including any teaching experience it expects, as you plan your capstone settings.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against IWU's own catalog and program pages. IWU's NP Clinical Guidelines, your syllabus and your program faculty have the final word.
IWU says you secure the site and preceptor. We make that the easy part.
Tell us your IWU program, your community and when your next practicum course starts. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare everything IWU vets before it approves them.
- Preceptors matched to the course: primary care across the lifespan for the
PYCcourses, psychiatric care for PMHNP, leaders for HSL - Credentials, license and site details ready for IWU's review and Medatrax
- In your own community, in Indiana or wherever you live and hold your RN license
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