Kansas and Sacred Heart University: the NP answer and the board's checklist
As of September 2026, Sacred Heart University's disclosures say its FNP and PMHNP programs do not meet Kansas's educational requirements for licensure, while its online MSN Clinical Nurse Leader does. Kansas checks its standard at an unusual moment: the state board looks at an out-of-state program only once a graduate seeks Kansas APRN licensure, long after the clinical hours are spent.
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Sacred Heart's Kansas entries
Each state gets its own rows on Sacred Heart's disclosure page, and for Kansas the split runs along the NP line. Recheck the live rows before enrolling or moving, since the catalog leaves that check to you.
| Program group | Kansas | How it runs | Clinical hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FNP: online MSN, post-master's certificate, hybrid BSN-to-DNP | No | Online; the DNP adds campus days | 540; the DNP 1,000 |
| PMHNP: online MSN, post-master's certificate | No | Online with in-person practicums | 540 |
| Online MSN Clinical Nurse Leader | Yes | Online, practicums on site | 420 (guide); 400/500 (catalog) |
| RN-BSN, Nursing Education, NMEL, post-master's DNP | No licensure row | Online (DNP hybrid) | 72; 180; 120; 1,000 |
Our guide to the disclosure table sets Kansas beside every other state.
How the Kansas board judges an out-of-state NP program
Kansas residents can start an out-of-state online APRN program with no prior sign-off from the Kansas State Board of Nursing (KSBN). The scrutiny comes at the end. Once a graduate files for APRN licensure, KSBN measures the school against a published checklist:
- 45 credit hours or more in the program
- 3 credits each in the advanced trio of pathophysiology, pharmacology and health assessment
- national accreditation
- role-specialty clinical hours: 500 when admission predates March 1, 2025, and 750 when it falls after
Sacred Heart publishes 42 credits and 540 clinical hours for its online MSN FNP and PMHNP. Its table offers no reason for the Kansas "No", so treat that comparison as our context rather than Sacred Heart's explanation. The practical lesson holds either way: in Kansas, licensure is decided at the finish line.
Precepting and supervision in Kansas
KSBN's guidance for APRN clinicals in Kansas asks that the preceptor be oriented, sign an agreement, and be licensed by Kansas as an APRN in the very role the student is studying (K.A.R. 60-17-104); supervising APRN students clinically takes that Kansas credential. Online faculty need no Kansas license, no faculty site visits are required, and a visiting instructor attends as a guest. AANP counts Kansas among the full practice states.
The Kansas City metro counted 2.27 million people in 2025, about 938,000 of them on the Kansas side of the line; Wichita adds about 664,000, with Topeka and Manhattan smaller. Kansas nurses hunting for practicum placements know The University of Kansas Health System, Wesley Healthcare (HCA's Wichita hospital), Stormont Vail Health and Ascension Via Christi. None is pledged to Sacred Heart students, and Kansas lists no state preceptor incentive.
The license a student works under in Kansas
Kansas has been a compact state since July 1, 2019. In a Kansas clinical setting, KSBN says, an APRN student practices on an RN license the state honors, whether multistate or Kansas-only; the statute it cites for student status is K.S.A. 65-1124. No APRN Compact law is on the books in Kansas.
Sacred Heart adds its own condition: the RN license for each state hosting your hours must be active and unencumbered, and it sits in your Health Account. Our license guide covers compact and single-state cases.
Why Kansas-based Sacred Heart students work with us
CNL students in Kansas get a complete search from us: nurse leaders in Kansas City, Wichita or Topeka fitted to each practicum, the preceptor CV and RN license packaged for the academic advisor, and the site's contract contact ready for the Contract Request Form. Education, NMEL and post-master's DNP students get the same thorough work once Sacred Heart confirms a Kansas placement for their track.
FNP or PMHNP students relocating to Kansas should bring us in before the moving truck. We map remaining clinical courses against the move, keep placements where you live now on schedule and draft the questions your academic advisor must settle about finishing. Tell us your timeline.
Questions Sacred Heart students ask
Why does Sacred Heart list Kansas as No for its NP programs?
The table gives the answer without a reason. For context, KSBN's checklist for out-of-state NP programs wants 45 or more credit hours and, for anyone admitted after March 1, 2025, 750 clinical hours, while Sacred Heart publishes 42 credits and 540 hours for its online MSN NP tracks. Ask Sacred Heart for the official explanation.
Do I need Kansas board approval before enrolling in an out-of-state online NP program?
KSBN describes no approval step at enrollment; its review happens when a graduate files for Kansas APRN licensure. That timing makes Sacred Heart's disclosure the key check for Kansas residents before they enroll, because the board's own verdict arrives only after the degree is finished.
Could I log Sacred Heart clinical hours in Missouri, across the Kansas City state line?
Missouri reads "Yes" on Sacred Heart's table. Sacred Heart's written permissions to train across a state line cover New York residents and Connecticut FNP students, not Kansans, so your academic advisor decides. Hours in Missouri would also leave the Kansas licensure answer unchanged.
Who can precept a Sacred Heart CNL student in Kansas?
Sacred Heart asks CNL students to send the preceptor's CV and RN license to the academic advisor, who approves the choice; further credential rules for CNL preceptors are not published. KSBN's expectation of Kansas APRN licensure is written for preceptors of APRN students.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Sacred Heart's own catalog, program pages and 2026-27 student guides. Your student guide, your academic advisor and your course faculty have the final word.
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- Preceptor CV, license, board certification and the site's contract contact ready before your week-10 deadline
- Close to home in any state where Sacred Heart's program meets licensure requirements, with New York's rule planned around
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