The mentor, site, and project Excelsior leaves to you
Excelsior Preceptor is an independent capstone mentor matching service that pairs Excelsior University nursing students with a vetted mentor and practice-experience site, billed only once your match is set. Excelsior itself provides no clinical instruction, so your MSN capstone needs your own qualified mentor, site, and project, all 135 hours of it. We line up all three, so your capstone starts on time.
Master's degree or higher, expert in your specialization, willing to volunteer. Faculty-approved.
The agency or setting, plus any affiliation agreement and CastleBranch compliance.
An independent project the site will host and your faculty will approve.
“There is no clinical instruction provided in any program in the School of Nursing.” Excelsior expects you to arrange it.
Excelsior's word for the person who guides your practice experience is mentor, not preceptor, and its catalog never assigns you one. For every MSN capstone you identify the mentor, secure the site, and design the project yourself; faculty only signs off. That is a lot to build from scratch while you are working full time, and it is exactly the work we take off your plate.
Three things, all handled
The mentor
We find a master's-prepared, specialty-matched professional who will volunteer as your mentor and pass faculty approval, so you are not cold-emailing strangers for months.
The practice-experience site
We secure the agency or setting, sort any affiliation agreement, and shepherd your CastleBranch background, drug screen, and immunization records to clearance.
The capstone project
We help scope an independent project the site will host and your Excelsior faculty will approve, mapped to your track's competencies and 135 hours.
Every Excelsior program that leaves the search to you
Not covered: Excelsior arranges the in-person clinicals for its prelicensure hybrid BSN and its AAS program itself, so those do not need us.
How many practice-experience hours will you arrange?
Each Excelsior MSN capstone requires 135 practice-experience hours; the RN-to-BS adds about 90. These are Excelsior's published figures; confirm the exact requirement against your current Excelsior catalog.
| Program | Capstone course | Practice-experience hours | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS Nursing Education | NUR676 | 135 | Independent project + mentor |
| MS Nursing Informatics | NUR686 | 135 | Mentor-supervised project |
| MS Leadership & Admin | NUR646 | 135 | Independent leadership project |
| RN to BS in Nursing | NUR448 + NUR462 | ~90 | Community + capstone practice |
A qualified mentor holds a master's degree or higher with expertise in your specialization and volunteers as your resource, subject to Excelsior faculty approval. Excelsior asks you to start the search early; four to six months ahead is a safe window.
What does it cost?
Most placement services price per clinical hour because they sell nurse-practitioner rotations. Excelsior has none of those, so that model does not fit. We charge a flat fee per placement for the mentor, the site, and the project support, and you pay only once your mentor and site are confirmed. Our fee covers sourcing, verification, and the affiliation-agreement and compliance legwork, never a payment to your mentor, who volunteers.
The math that matters: a capstone you cannot staff does not just slip a term, it holds your whole MSN. Lining up the mentor and site early is far cheaper than repeating a term of tuition or stalling your graduation.
Good to know before you start
Does Excelsior find your mentor or practice-experience site for you?
No. Excelsior University provides no clinical instruction in its School of Nursing and requires you to identify your own qualified mentor and arrange your own practice-experience site and project. Faculty only approves what you bring. That is the exact gap we fill.
How many practice-experience hours does the Excelsior MSN require?
Each MSN capstone requires 135 practice-experience hours built around an independent project with a volunteer mentor you source: Nursing Education (NUR676), Nursing Informatics (NUR686), and Nursing Leadership and Administration (NUR646). The RN-to-BS program adds roughly 90 practice-experience hours across NUR448 and the NUR462 capstone.
Who can serve as an Excelsior mentor?
Excelsior defines a qualified mentor as an individual with a master's degree or higher and expertise in your specialization who volunteers to serve as your resource, subject to faculty approval. Excelsior uses the term mentor; some students call it a preceptor. We verify eligibility before you commit.
Do you help with the prelicensure BSN or the AAS clinicals?
No. Excelsior arranges the in-person clinicals for its prelicensure hybrid BSN in St. Petersburg, Florida and schedules the AAS clinical experiences itself. We help with the graduate MSN practice experiences and the RN-to-BS practice hours, which Excelsior requires you to arrange yourself.
Is Excelsior nursing accredited, and by whom?
Yes. Excelsior's bachelor's and master's nursing programs are accredited by ACEN, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. The associate program is approved by the New York State Board of Regents, and the university is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Are you affiliated with Excelsior University?
No. We help you meet Excelsior's requirements; we do not act for Excelsior.
Dig into the details
Capstone ideas by track
Nursing Education capstone ideas, approvable NUR676 projects.
Nursing Informatics capstone ideas, data and EHR projects for NUR686.
Nursing Leadership capstone ideas, operational projects for NUR646.
Your mentor, answered
Is a capstone mentor required? Yes, and you find yours.
How to ask someone to be your mentor, with email templates.
Mentor vs preceptor, why Excelsior's word is mentor.
Timing and deadlines
MSN capstone timeline, month by month from search to start.
Behind on your capstone? The honest triage when the term is close.
DIY vs using a placement service, a side-by-side comparison.
Sites and paperwork
A capstone at your own workplace, when your employer can host it.
The affiliation agreement, what it is and why it can slow you down.
CastleBranch compliance, the background and immunization step.
Requirements explained
Practice experience vs clinical rotation, what Excelsior asks for.
Out-of-state practice experience, placement where you live.
Excelsior nursing programs overview, who arranges what.
RN-to-MS bridge routes
RN to MS in Nursing Education, one bridge to the NUR676 capstone.
RN to MS in Nursing Informatics, the bridge into NUR686.
RN to MS in Nursing Leadership, the bridge into NUR646.
Stop building your capstone from scratch
Tell us your Excelsior program, your city, and your capstone term. We will come back with a plan and a mentor, a site, and a project you can approve.