Gonzaga clinical hours, program by program

Updated September 25, 2026 · Reviewed by the Gonzaga Preceptor placement team

Gonzaga's MSN FNP and PMHNP tracks count 660 clinical hours on the 2026 program pages: 60 in NURS 601 plus 600 across the specialty practicums. The 2025-26 graduate catalog lists only the 600-hour practicum block, and the per-course ranges shift between the catalog, the web pages and the preceptor packets. Use the planner to find your own courses, then the notes below to see which Gonzaga source says what.

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660clinical hours in Gonzaga's MSN FNP and PMHNP, counting NURS 601

600specialty practicum hours (10 credits) in the graduate catalog

1,000post-baccalaureate DNP practicum hours, counting your MSN hours

Bar chart of hours in Gonzaga's catalog and program pages: the Post-Master's DNP requires 1,000 practicum hours counting MSN hours; MSN FNP and PMHNP 660 (600 practicum hours plus 60 in NURS 601; the catalog lists the 600); the Second MSN the same practicum block; the Nursing Leadership MSN 180 (cur — Hours in Gonzaga's catalog and program pages: the Post-Master's DNP requires 1,000 practicum hours counting MSN hours; MSN FNP and PMHNP 660 (600 practicum hours plus 60 in NURS 601; the catalog lists the 600); the Second MSN the same practicum block; the Nursing Leadership MSN 180 (current students

Pick your Gonzaga program

Your clinical courses and hours, who can precept you, where, and when to start looking. From Gonzaga's own catalog and nursing pages.

660clinical hours: 60 in NURS 601 plus 600 in the FNP practicums (the catalog counts the 600)

NURS 60160 h NURS 662P120-180 h NURS 661P60-180 h NURS 663P180-240 h NURS 664P120-240 h NURS 683Phours: see course page

Who precepts: NPs, physicians or PAs with a year in the area and a license where you are precepted; at least half your hours with an NP
Where: Primary care across every age group, in the state where you are licensed (one of Gonzaga's ten western states)
Start looking: The semester before each practicum; hours count only after approval, the agreement and CPNW

Plan my FNP placement FNP guide

660clinical hours: 60 in NURS 601 plus 600 in the psychiatric practicums

NURS 60160 h NURS 661M60-180 h NURS 662M120-240 h NURS 663M60-240 h NURS 683M60-180 h

Who precepts: Psychiatric NPs, psychiatrists and other qualified mental health professionals Gonzaga approves
Where: Diagnosis, adult treatment, then child, adolescent and older-adult care, in your licensed state
Start looking: The first psychiatric practicum comes at the start of year 3; plan it during year 2

Plan my PMHNP placement PMHNP guide

660clinical hours: NURS 601 plus the 600-hour specialty practicum block

NURS 60160 h NURS 661P-664Phours: see course page NURS 661M-663Mhours: see course page

Who precepts: The same preceptors as the MSN track you add: NP, physician or PA for FNP; mental health professionals for PMHNP
Where: Your licensed state within the ten western states
Start looking: Your first clinical term follows NURS 523 and 524 on an individual plan

Plan my Second MSN placement Second MSN guide

1,000practicum hours counting your MSN hours, at least 340 of them inside the DNP

NURS 700hours: see course page NURS 701hours: see course page NURS 702hours: see course page NURS 703hours: see course page NURS 704hours: see course page

Who precepts: An agency liaison in your practice setting, not a friend, relative or direct supervisor
Where: A practice setting for your DNP project, established in your first semester
Start looking: NURS 700 in the first semester asks you to establish the practicum site

Plan my DNP placement DNP guide

800+clinical and simulation hours in the ABSN (the BSN catalog gives no hour count)

NURS 331hours: see course page NURS 431hours: see course page NURS 495hours: see course page

Who precepts: Department-arranged clinicals; a registered nurse preceptor for the final practicum
Where: Spokane-area health systems and community settings
Start looking: Junior fall or spring for the first clinical; the capstone in the last semester

Plan my BSN placement BSN guide

660 and 600 are both Gonzaga's numbers

The two totals describe the same requirement counted from different starting points. The graduate catalog lists 600 practicum hours, worth 10 credits, spread across the FNP or PMHNP specialty practicums. The newer program pages add the 60 hours of NURS 601, the primary care practicum paired with Advanced Health Assessment, and arrive at 660. Neither figure leaves anything out; one simply begins the count a course earlier.

The gap matters when you read an older document. The Second MSN FAQ and the PMHNP course objectives page still describe 600 clock hours over at least three semesters, while the PMHNP preceptor packet asks for a minimum of 660. When a syllabus and a web page seem to disagree, your course syllabus and course faculty decide for your cohort.

Gonzaga's published NP hour totals and where each one appears
Figure	What it counts	Where Gonzaga says it
660	`NURS 601` plus the specialty practicums	MSN FAQ; MSN FNP and PMHNP program pages (2026); FNP Clinical Faculty Packet 2023-24, "including N 600"; PMHNP Preceptor Packet
600	The specialty practicums alone (10 credits)	Graduate Catalog 2025-26; Second MSN FAQ (2026); PMHNP course objectives page

Where the per-course ranges disagree

The planner shows the ranges from Gonzaga's 2026 program pages. Other Gonzaga documents give different numbers for the same courses, mostly because the catalog states minimums where the web pages state ranges, and the 2023-24 FNP packet carries a summary grid of its own that does not match its course list.

Per-course figures that differ between Gonzaga sources
Course	Figure	Source
`NURS 662P`	120	Graduate Catalog 2025-26
`NURS 662P`	120-180	MSN FNP page (2026); FNP packet course list
`NURS 662P`	60-180	FNP packet summary grid
`NURS 661P`	60-180	Graduate catalog and MSN FNP page
`NURS 661P`	120-180	FNP packet summary grid
`NURS 663P`	at least 180	Graduate catalog
`NURS 663P`	180-240	MSN FNP page (2026)
`NURS 664P`	at least 120	Graduate catalog
`NURS 664P`	120-240	MSN FNP page (2026)
`NURS 662M`	60-240	PMHNP Preceptor Packet 2023-24
`NURS 662M`	120-240	PMHNP course objectives page (2026)

The FNP Preceptor Guide gives preceptors the short version: rotations run from 60 to 240 hours a semester, and preceptor and student settle the schedule before the term begins. The figure your course faculty grade against is the one in your syllabus.

How Gonzaga turns credits into hours

Gonzaga prints no general credit-to-hour ratio for graduate practicums, but its own figures line up at about 60 clock hours per practicum credit: one credit of NURS 601 is 60 hours, and ten practicum credits make 600. Most FNP and PMHNP practicums carry a credit range rather than a fixed value, so the hours you owe in a given course follow the credits on your progression plan.

The FNP faculty packet puts that planning in your hands: the student negotiates practicum hours with the preceptor, based on the course requirements and the preceptor's availability. Course faculty then compare what you log against the credits you registered for, so a mismatch surfaces quickly. How logging works, and what faculty look for, is on the clinical logs page.

If a semester closes short, the usual answer is an extension course rather than a scramble. NURS 683P and NURS 683M exist for hours after the didactic sequence, and the extension course guide explains when each applies.

DNP, legacy tracks and the BSN

The Post-Master's DNP counts 1,000 practicum hours after the bachelor's degree, and hours from your MSN count toward that total. The DNP FAQ requires at least 340 inside the DNP itself, and a verification form filed at admission sets the number each student still needs. These are indirect care hours earned through the DNP project with an agency liaison, and NURS 704 adds practicum time when you need more to reach the total.

Current Post-Baccalaureate DNP students also work toward 1,000 hours. For the discontinued Nursing Leadership in Healthcare MSN, Gonzaga's 2026 FAQs disagree: the MSN FAQ says 180 hours and the Second MSN FAQ says 360, while the catalog's NURS 634A and NURS 683A practicum block totals 180. Current leadership students should confirm their figure with course faculty or the program director.

The traditional BSN catalog gives no clinical hour count, since the department arranges those clinicals across Spokane settings. The Accelerated BSN, starting Summer 2027, describes over 800 clinical and simulation practice hours in total.

An hour counts only when the conditions are in place

A logged hour is only as good as the approvals behind it. Gonzaga's faculty packet ties every hour to an approved preceptor, an active affiliation agreement, CPNW compliance and site approval, all inside the semester's dates. The hour accrual rules page covers those gates, and what counts as a clinical hour covers the activities in a clinic day that belong on the log.

Time in clinic before the semester starts, during a break or with a preceptor who is not yet approved may not count at all, however carefully it is documented.

Why Gonzaga students plan their hours with us

Hours are a preceptor question before they are an arithmetic one. A 180 to 240 hour course such as NURS 663P needs a preceptor with enough clinic days in one semester, and an FNP plan needs at least half its hours with a nurse practitioner under the NP hours rule. We build the search around those numbers, finding preceptors in your own state whose schedules can carry the hours your progression plan sets.

We then assemble everything Gonzaga's site request and its Clinical Placement Team look for, from the preceptor's license and board certification to the site's agreement contact and a proposed schedule, so faculty review a complete request well before your practicum. If a preceptor steps away mid-semester, a replacement search begins at once through your placement advisor. Tell us your program and term with the form below.

Questions Gonzaga students ask

How many clinical hours is Gonzaga's online FNP program?

Gonzaga's 2026 FNP page and the FNP faculty packet say 660: 60 hours in NURS 601 plus 600 in the specialty practicums. The 2025-26 graduate catalog lists the 600 practicum hours on their own. Both describe the same requirement, and your syllabus and course faculty confirm how your cohort counts it.

Does the Gonzaga PMHNP track need as many hours as the FNP?

Yes. Gonzaga's current pages give the PMHNP track 660 hours as well: NURS 601 in primary care, then 600 across NURS 661M, NURS 662M, NURS 663M and NURS 683M if needed. The PMHNP course objectives page still words it as 600 clock hours over at least three semesters.

How many clinical hours equal one practicum credit at Gonzaga?

There is no published general ratio for graduate practicums, but Gonzaga's figures work out to roughly 60 clock hours a credit. A one-credit NURS 601 carries 60 hours, and the ten-credit practicum block carries 600. Your syllabus ties the exact hour figure to the credits you register for.

Do my MSN hours count toward the Gonzaga DNP total?

Yes. The Post-Master's DNP requires 1,000 post-baccalaureate practicum hours, and hours from your master's program count toward them. At least 340 must be completed inside the DNP, and a verification form at admission sets how many you still owe. DNP hours are indirect project hours with an agency liaison.

Which Gonzaga hour figure should I plan around?

Plan around your course syllabus, since that is what course faculty grade against. When a web page, the catalog and a packet disagree, ask course faculty or the Clinical Placement Team. Scheduling preceptor time toward the top of a course's range also leaves room for a missed clinic day.

HoursWhat counts as a clinical hourWhat Gonzaga counts as an FNP or PMHNP clinical hour: patient time, documentation, preceptor consults, the 15% PMHNP observation cap and the schedule rule.Hour rulesWhen clinical hours countWhen Gonzaga practicum hours count: not before the semester, not in breaks, only with your approved preceptor, not past the course end date. The risks, explained.FNPFNP practicum coursesGonzaga's FNP practicums, NURS 661P through 664P and the NURS 683P extension: hours by course, primary care settings, every age group, and preceptors.PMHNPPMHNP practicum coursesGonzaga's PMHNP practicums, NURS 661M to 663M and the NURS 683M extension: populations by course, who can precept, hour ranges and the observation cap.NURS 683Practicum extension coursesGonzaga's NURS 683P and NURS 683M practicum extensions: finishing FNP or PMHNP hours after the didactic courses, repeatable credits and progression plans.HoursBehind on clinical hoursBehind on hours at Gonzaga? Work out your weekly pace, the rules that limit catching up, and how a second preceptor or extension term closes the gap.

Last checked 2026-09-25

We check these pages against Gonzaga's catalog, FAQs, preceptor packets and Department of Nursing pages. Your course, the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook and Gonzaga's Clinical Placement Team have the final word.

Gonzaga asks you to find local preceptors first. Let us run that search.

Tell us your Gonzaga program, your practicum course and where you live and can travel. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare the license, certification and site details your Practicum Site Placement Request needs, early in the semester before.

Preceptors matched to the course: primary care across the lifespan for NURS 661P to NURS 664P, psychiatric care for NURS 661M to NURS 663M, an agency liaison for the DNP
Credentials, license, board certification and site contact ready for your site request
In Spokane, across Washington or wherever in the ten western states you are licensed

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