Troy's Accelerated MSN in Dothan: four semesters and two preceptor courses
Troy University's Accelerated MSN takes people with a bachelor's in another field to the NCLEX-RN and a master's in four consecutive semesters on the Dothan Campus. For its two preceptor courses, NSG 5549 and NSG 6698, the AMSN manual carries over the MSN wording: students "must contact preceptors" to ask them to serve, and "faculty must approve all preceptors." We find those two preceptors while you study.
Plan my semester-four preceptors
Tell us your cohort and where you will live in semester four.
The program in brief
The AMSN is a direct-entry, pre-licensure master's for people whose bachelor's is outside nursing. Study is a hybrid of online and face-to-face classes on the Dothan Campus, and the first cohort began in August 2026. Troy admits once a year, for fall, and the Alabama Board of Nursing approves the program.
Admission asks for a bachelor's with at least a 3.0 GPA; anatomy and physiology I and II with lab, human growth and development, microbiology with lab, nutrition and statistics, all within seven years; an essay; and an interview. The program runs 63 semester hours, and graduates are prepared for the NCLEX-RN. Cohort questions go to the Dothan BSN and AMSN Assistant Coordinator. The graduate side shows up early: the planner includes Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice, Concepts of Healthcare Informatics and Leadership, and Translation of Evidence into Practice.
Clinical courses by semester
The AMSN manual's curriculum planner spreads five Clinical Management courses and one internship across the four semesters. Only the last two are preceptor courses.
| Semester | Course | Credits | Preceptor course |
|---|---|---|---|
| One, Fall 26 | NSG 5517 Clinical Management I: Common Health Alterations | 4 | No |
| Two, Spring 27 | NSG 5535 Clinical Management II: Chronic Health Alterations | 4 | No |
| Two, Spring 27 | NSG 5538 Clinical Management III: Complex Health Alterations | 4 | No |
| Three, Summer 27 | NSG 5546 Clinical Management IV: Children's and Women's Health | 7 | No |
| Four, Fall 27 | NSG 5549 Clinical Management V: Transition to Clinical Practice | 3 | Yes |
| Four, Fall 27 | NSG 6698 Nurse Leader Internship | 3 | Yes |
The planner gives credits, not clinical hours, for each course; your course faculty and syllabi set the hours. Semester two runs two Clinical Management courses at once, and semester three's NSG 5546 carries seven credits, the heaviest clinical load in the program.
Clinical Management I to IV: what Troy says about sites
For the Clinical Management courses in semesters one to three, the AMSN manual sets a 60-mile radius around Troy and/or Dothan for clinical sites, matching the BSN. The pediatric rotation adds two days at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, well outside that radius, so plan travel for that rotation.
The rest of the detail for these courses, from rotation schedules to each facility's rules, comes from course faculty and the AMSN manual. Clinical requirements for every semester are uploaded to ViewPoint Screening, and each one has to remain current through the last day of the semester.
These three semesters are also when you learn which units and specialties suit you. Notes you keep on the nurses and units you work alongside make the semester-four search easier, because NSG 5549 asks for an experienced RN in a transition-to-practice setting.
The two preceptor courses in semester four
Semester four is where recruiting becomes your task. The AMSN manual applies the preceptorship guidelines to NSG 5549 Clinical Management V: Transition to Clinical Practice and NSG 6698 Nurse Leader Internship, and each needs its own preceptor approved by faculty.
NSG 5549preceptor: at least a BSN plus one year as an RN, or an ASN plus two years as an RN.NSG 6698preceptor: any option on the HINL list, such as an MSN directly involved in nursing informatics or leadership, an MS in computer technology or administration in active practice, a nurse with a BSN and three-plus years in the area, or a BS graduate with five.- Both courses: your own employer's unit is excluded.
Faculty approval triggers a School of Nursing letter to the agency, and the agreement process runs longer anywhere Troy has no formal contract yet. Read agency agreements for the steps, and the Nursing Education and AMSN preceptors page for more on who qualifies.
Both preceptor courses fall in the same final semester, so you need two approved preceptors at once: an experienced RN for NSG 5549 and a leader or informatics professional for NSG 6698.
Planning semester four from semester one
Two preceptors in one semester, alongside online courses in healthcare economics and policy and in translating evidence into practice, is a lot to arrange late. The sooner both names are settled, the more time faculty have to approve them and the School of Nursing has to finish the agreements before the semester opens.
Location matters too. Most of the program meets face to face in Dothan, so preceptors within reach of where you live during semester four keep the final term manageable. Our guide to Montgomery, Dothan and Troy preceptors covers the region. The AMSN manual and your course faculty set the form deadline for semester four; confirm it at the start of semester three so nothing surprises you.
Keep your own compliance calendar as well. A preceptor request can stall if a TB test, flu shot or CPR card lapses before the semester ends, so check every expiry date against the last day of semester four when you upload.
Why AMSN students choose us
We are specialists in Troy's clinical process, and the AMSN's two preceptor courses fit it closely. For NSG 5549 we look for experienced RNs who hold a BSN with a year of RN work, or an ASN with two, on a unit suited to a transition-to-practice experience. For NSG 6698 we look for nurse leaders or informatics professionals who meet the HINL list. Both searches run side by side during semester three.
For each course you receive the preceptor details, biosketch and license copy prepared for your faculty, flagging any facility that will need a new formal agreement. We check both placements against where you work and stay on call if a preceptor changes shifts or leaves mid-semester. Approval stays with Troy faculty; our job is giving them a file with nothing missing. When you finish, the same support carries into Troy's post-master's certificates or the DNP if you keep going.
Questions Troy students ask
Do Troy AMSN students find their own preceptors?
For NSG 5549 and NSG 6698, the AMSN manual repeats the MSN requirement: the student reaches out, and faculty approve. For the Clinical Management courses in semesters one to three, the manual gives only the site radius, 60 miles from Troy and/or Dothan, and course faculty explain each rotation.
Who can precept NSG 5549 in Troy's Accelerated MSN?
An RN with at least a BSN and one year of RN experience, or an ASN and two years as an RN. Your preceptor has to come from outside the unit or setting that employs you, and faculty approve the choice before any agreement goes out. An experienced staff or charge nurse on a unit suited to transition to practice can fit well.
How many clinical hours are in Troy's Accelerated MSN?
The AMSN manual's planner lists credits rather than hours. The clinical courses carry 4, 4, 4, 7 and 3 credits for Clinical Management I through V, plus 3 for the Nurse Leader Internship. Your syllabi and course faculty give the hours for each course; plan around their figures rather than another program's.
Is Troy's Accelerated MSN online?
It is a hybrid. The planner mixes online courses, such as Accelerated Pathophysiology and Healthcare Systems, with face-to-face courses on the Dothan Campus, including every Clinical Management course from I to IV. Semester four's preceptor courses are listed as clinical and as online/clinical. Troy admits one cohort a year, starting in fall.
What does the NSG 6698 Nurse Leader Internship involve?
It is a 3-credit course in the final semester, listed on the planner as online/clinical, and it pairs you with a preceptor from the HINL list: a nurse leader, an informatics professional or an administrator. Once faculty clear you, share the course objectives with your preceptor and follow the scheduling steps in the AMSN manual. Course faculty set the hours and assignments.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against Troy's own 2026-27 MSN, DNP, AMSN and RN to BSN orientation manuals, program pages, degree maps and state authorization pages. Your faculty advisor, your course faculty and the School of Nursing have the final word.
Troy asks you to recruit your preceptor. We make that the easy part.
Tell us your Troy program, where you live and which semester your next clinical course starts. We find preceptors who meet Troy's rules for the course, check the setting against Troy's limits, and prepare everything the Preceptor Information Form and biosketch ask for, well ahead of the form deadline.
- Preceptors matched to the course: a graduate-prepared NP or physician for
NSG 6619, pediatrics and women's health forNSG 6666, adults and older adults forNSG 6668 - Preceptor Information Form details, a biosketch and a copy of the preceptor's license, ready for your faculty advisor
- In your own area, in Alabama or a state where Troy can offer clinicals, never in your own work setting
Start your placement plan
Program, city and semester is all we need to begin.