Ball State clinical systems, courses and rules, piece by piece

Updated September 26, 2026 · Reviewed by the Ball State Preceptor placement team

These guides break Ball State's graduate clinical process into the parts a nurse practitioner student really touches: the preceptor search Ball State leaves to you, the affiliation agreement the agency signs, the clinical packets in Canvas, each NUR clinical course and its hours, American Data Bank and CORE, Indiana's practice rules, and the Ball State tools and dates you plan around. Each one is built from Ball State's catalog, graduate handbook and program pages, and each says plainly where Ball State publishes nothing.

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Ball State clinical systems. These guides break Ball State's graduate clinical process into the parts a nurse practitioner student really touches: the preceptor search Ball State leaves to — Every Ball State clinical guide in one place: finding a preceptor, affiliation agreements, clinical packets, NUR course hours, ADB and CORE, Indiana rules.

Where Ball State keeps the official detail

Public detail on graduate clinicals sits in four places. The 2026-27 Graduate Catalog lists every NUR course and its clinical hours. The program pages for the MS in Nursing, the certificate and the DNP describe the preceptor search, the Muncie campus day and the residence rule. The Graduate Nursing Handbook, still the 2025-26 edition, carries the planning advice, the compliance rules and the roles of the School of Nursing staff. The Current Student Resources page covers affiliation agreements and the health systems Ball State will not contract with in some states.

The working detail of each clinical course, including preceptor qualifications, forms, deadlines and evaluations, sits in the clinical packets inside the Nursing Grad Students Canvas Community, which only enrolled students can open. Where that gap matters, a guide names it and points you to the packet, your course faculty or the Graduate Clinical Placement Coordinator.

Where to begin

New to Ball State's process? The placement process guide walks the whole route, finding your own preceptor sets out what Ball State asks of you, and affiliation agreements covers the contract every agency signs. Once you know which course comes next, the clinical hours planner shows its hours and the kind of preceptor it needs.

Preceptors and placement

Placement processBall State's graduate clinical route in order: plan a year out, find the preceptor, the affiliation agreement, the Canvas packet, ADB and CORE, then hours.Finding your own preceptorBall State's own words on finding your own preceptor: the FNP and certificate pages, the MS FAQ and the handbook's one-year advice, plus how we run the search.Affiliation agreementsHow Ball State's standard affiliation agreement works for clinical sites: why agencies should sign it, originals only, a semester of lead time, a backup agency.Clinical packetsBall State's graduate clinical packets live in the Nursing Grad Students Canvas Community: what the handbook says they hold, when they open, how grading works.Preceptor requirementsWho may precept a Ball State nursing student: the NUR 672 RN rule, where FNP preceptor criteria live, clinical supervisors, DNP mentors and Indiana context.Clinicals where you workBall State bars FNP clinicals in your own unit or clinic, yet lets NUR 672 run at your workplace: the conflict, the likely reading and how to use an employer.Clinical agencies by stateBall State's list of systems it will not use for clinicals: Sharp, BayCare, Northwestern, Spectrum, Henry Ford, Allina and Atrium, plus a Colorado caution.Clinicals outside IndianaBall State clinicals outside Indiana: the authorized-state rule, the certificate's state lists, travel contracts, 7-day move notices and the Muncie campus day.Who does whatEvery Ball State role in a graduate clinical course, from the placement and compliance coordinators to the DNP Project Committee, and what to ask each one.

Hours and clinical courses

Clinical hoursClinical hours for each Ball State nursing program: FNP 690 plus 45 in NUR 610, certificate 390-690, NUR 672's 180, DNP 1,000 vs 750, and hours to redo.FNP 690 hoursHow Ball State's MS FNP reaches 690 clinical hours: six NUR courses from 60 to 180 hours, NUR 610's extra 45, the 682 family practice hours and days per week.NUR 634 Health AssessmentNUR 634 Advanced Health Assessment at Ball State: 3 credits and 60 clinical hours before primary care, the setting that fits, and why an Incomplete stalls you.NUR 681 Adult 1NUR 681 Primary Care of the Adult 1 at Ball State: 4 credits, 120 clinical hours including one required 8-hour day on the Muncie campus, preceptors and travel.NUR 682 ChildrenNUR 682 Primary Care of Children at Ball State: 120 clinical hours with a pediatric or family practice preceptor, why those are scarce, and when to start.NUR 683 Adult 2Ball State's NUR 683 needs 120 adult primary care hours after a B in NUR 681: prerequisites, timing, the right preceptor and how we find one for you.NUR 684 WomenBall State's NUR 684 needs 90 women's health clinical hours. Why OB-GYN and women's health preceptors are scarce in Indiana and how to plan for one early.NUR 673 FNP practicumNUR 673 is Ball State's last FNP course: 180 clinical hours at about 1.5 to 2 days a week, a required board review and the final paperwork for graduation.NUR 672 role practicumNUR 672 Practicum of Role Expectations: 180 hours for Ball State Nurse Educator and Leadership students, who supervises, the workplace rule and good settings.DNP clinical hoursBall State DNP hours by cognate: 1,000 in the 2026-27 catalog vs 750 on the program page, the FNP and leadership practicums, and the DNP Project site.

Compliance and clearance

American Data Bank and COREHow Ball State nursing students clear health requirements in American Data Bank, link CORE in their first clinical semester and keep clinical hours counting.Compliance checklistEvery health clearance item Ball State graduate nursing students keep current: vaccines, TB, a 10-panel drug screen, background check, AHA CPR and RN license.RN license rulesBall State's RN license rules: active and unencumbered where you practice, the 500-hour RN work rule, license uploads to ADB and the Nurse Licensure Compact.

Indiana rules

Indiana NP practiceIndiana's collaborative practice agreements, prescribing rules and the 2026 bills that stalled, and what they mean for finding an FNP preceptor in Indiana.Indiana Board of NursingWhat the Indiana State Board of Nursing oversees for Ball State students: program approval, RN licensure, the compacts and how Indiana grants APRN authority.

Terms, tools and support

Academic calendarBall State's 2026-27 calendar for nursing students: the new 15-week semesters, 7-week sessions, 10-week summer, withdrawal and graduation deadlines.Online student toolsMyBallState, Self-Service Banner, Stellic, Canvas and the Nursing Grad Students community, BSU email, Respondus Monitor and Cardinal Central, explained.Grades and time limitsHow Ball State grades graduate nursing clinicals, why an Incomplete blocks the next NP clinical course, the six-year limit, inactivity and transfer credit.Library and supportBall State's University Libraries and Nursing research guide, the Writing Center, Learning Center, disability, counseling, career and online student support.State authorizationBall State's State Authorization Map program by program: the MS in Nursing in 26 places, the FNP certificate in 9, the DNP in 6, SARA and no licensure findings.AccreditationCCNE accredits Ball State's BSN, MS in Nursing and APRN certificate through June 30, 2031. Why the DNP is not listed, and how to read the NCLEX claims.FNP certification examsHow Ball State FNP graduates qualify for the ANCC and AANP exams, the board review built into NUR 673, and how certification leads to Indiana APRN authority.

Questions Ball State students ask

Are Ball State's clinical packets public?

No. The graduate handbook places the clinical packets, with preceptor qualifications, forms and evaluations, in the Nursing Grad Students Canvas Community for enrolled students. These guides draw on the catalog, handbook and program pages and flag what to confirm in your packet.

Who at Ball State handles clinical placements?

The graduate handbook names a Graduate Clinical Placement Coordinator and an SON Graduate Program and Compliance Coordinator, who handles clinical placement, preceptor onboarding and paperwork. Course faculty support students and evaluate them. The who does what guide maps each role.

Which compliance system does Ball State use?

American Data Bank, with a CORE account you link during your first clinical semester. The handbook calls its deadlines firm, and hours logged while you are not compliant have to be repeated.

Is the 2026-27 graduate handbook out yet?

Not as of September 2026. Ball State still links the 2025-26 Graduate Nursing Handbook, while the 2026-27 catalog is current. Where the two differ, the guides show both and say which is newer.

Last checked 2026-09-26

We check these pages against Ball State's own catalog, graduate handbook, program pages and State Authorization Map, and Indiana rules. Your course faculty, your advisor and the Graduate Clinical Placement Coordinator have the final word.

Ball State asks you to find your preceptor. We find one near you.

Tell us your Ball State track, where you live and when your next clinical course starts. We find preceptors near you who fit the course, confirm the practice will sign Ball State's affiliation agreement, and line up a backup, so the School of Nursing can clear the site before the semester.

Preceptors matched to the course: pediatrics for NUR 682, women's health for NUR 684, adult primary care for NUR 681 and NUR 683
Outside your own unit or clinic, in a state where Ball State's program is authorized
Across Indiana, from Muncie to Evansville, and in the other states Ball State accepts

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