How Our ACE Practicum Placement Works
We secure the three things every American College of Education (ACE) MSN practicum requires: a qualified preceptor or mentor, an approved site, and a workable project. ACE asks students in its MSN Nurse Educator and MSN Nurse Administrator tracks to find these on their own, and that search stalls many capable students. This is an education and administration field experience, not nurse-practitioner clinical rotations or direct patient care.
What exactly do you place for an ACE practicum?
We place the three components ACE requires you to arrange yourself: a preceptor or mentor, a site, and a project. ACE's graduate nursing programs are the MSN Nurse Educator and MSN Nurse Administrator, offered through RN-to-MSN and BSN-to-MSN pathways, and each includes a 200-hour practicum.
This is an education or administration field experience. A Nurse Educator practicum takes place in a teaching setting such as a school of nursing, a staff-development or clinical-education department, or a similar learning environment. A Nurse Administrator practicum takes place in a leadership or management setting. Neither involves nurse-practitioner clinical rotations or hands-on direct patient care, because ACE does not offer an NP program.
How does the placement process work, step by step?
We move from your program details to a confirmed match. Here is the path most students follow with us:
- 1. Share your track. Tell us whether you are in MSN Nurse Educator or MSN Nurse Administrator, your pathway (RN-to-MSN or BSN-to-MSN), your location, and your timeline.
- 2. We source a preceptor or mentor. We identify a qualified preceptor or mentor whose role and credentials fit your track's requirements.
- 3. We secure a site. We line up an approved location that fits an education or administration experience.
- 4. We shape a project. We help define a workable project you can complete across the 200 hours.
- 5. You confirm and begin. Once the match is set, you finalize it through ACE's own approval process and start your hours.
Who is the preceptor or mentor and what makes them qualified?
Your preceptor or mentor is an experienced professional who fits the role your track requires. For a Nurse Educator practicum, that typically means someone in a teaching or education role. For a Nurse Administrator practicum, that typically means someone in a leadership or management role.
We match against the credential and experience expectations for your program so the person we propose is a fit before you take it to ACE for approval. We do not place nurse-practitioner clinical preceptors, because ACE has no NP or direct-patient-care program.
What counts as an approved site?
An approved site is a location where an education or administration experience can realistically happen. For Nurse Educator students that is often a school of nursing, an academic program, or a staff-education or clinical-education department. For Nurse Administrator students that is often a healthcare organization's leadership, operations, or management setting.
We confirm the site is a workable fit for your track and project, then you carry it through ACE's approval. Final approval always rests with ACE and your program faculty.
What does the project involve?
The project is the focused body of work you complete during your 200 hours. In a Nurse Educator practicum it usually centers on curriculum, instruction, assessment, or educational program work. In a Nurse Administrator practicum it usually centers on leadership, operations, quality, or program-management work.
We help you define a project that is meaningful, achievable within the hour requirement, and appropriate for your setting, so you are not starting from a blank page.
What does it cost and when do I pay?
Placement is $1,500 to $2,500 per placement, and you pay when you are matched. There is no charge until we have secured a preceptor or mentor, a site, and a project for you.
ACE handles your enrollment, curriculum, and final practicum approval. We handle the sourcing work that gets you to a confirmed match.
The ACE practicum placement stages
| Stage | What happens | Who handles it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Share your track | You give your track, pathway, location, and timeline | Student |
| 2. Preceptor or mentor sourced | A qualified preceptor or mentor is identified for your track | ACE Preceptor |
| 3. Site secured | An approved education or administration site is lined up | ACE Preceptor |
| 4. Project shaped | A workable 200-hour project is defined | ACE Preceptor |
| 5. Confirm and begin | You finalize approval through ACE and start your hours | Student and ACE |
Good to know
Is this an NP or clinical practicum?
No. American College of Education does not offer a nurse-practitioner program, so this is not an NP practicum, a clinical rotation, or a direct-patient-care experience. It is an education or administration field experience for the MSN Nurse Educator or MSN Nurse Administrator track.
Are you part of American College of Education?
No. ACE manages your enrollment, coursework, and final practicum approval. We source the preceptor or mentor, the site, and the project.
Which ACE programs do you place for?
We place the 200-hour practicum for the MSN Nurse Educator and MSN Nurse Administrator programs, offered through RN-to-MSN and BSN-to-MSN pathways.
How long does placement take?
Timelines vary by your track, location, and start date. Once you share your program details, we begin sourcing right away and confirm your preceptor or mentor, site, and project before you owe anything.
When do I pay?
You pay only when you are matched. Placement is $1,500 to $2,500 per placement, and nothing is due until a preceptor or mentor, a site, and a project are secured.
Secure your practicum, not your weekends
Tell us your ACE track, your city, and your practicum timeline. We will come back with a placement plan and a realistic path to a preceptor, an approved site, and your 200 hours.