UTA nursing programs for South Dakota residents
From a South Dakota address, UTA's map opens three online programs (the RN-to-BSN, Nursing Education MSN and Nursing Administration MSN) but no nurse practitioner track, post-master's NP certificate or DNP. South Dakota belongs to the Nurse Licensure Compact and has enacted the APRN Compact. Neither compact changes which UTA programs you can enroll in.
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South Dakota on UTA's program map
On September 23, 2026, UTA's map gave South Dakota three programs and none of its advanced practice options.
| Program | Listed for South Dakota? | Practice component |
|---|---|---|
| RN-to-BSN | Listed | No preceptor; work and community assignments, then a NURS 4685 capstone |
| MSN Nursing Education | Listed | One practicum, NURS 5362, of 135 hours under a nursing education preceptor |
| MSN Nursing Administration | Listed | Senior nurse leaders host 90 hours apiece in NURS 5339 and NURS 5340 and 45 apiece in NURS 5341 and NURS 5342 |
| NP tracks and post-master's NP certificates | Not listed | Cannot be taken from a South Dakota address |
| DNP | Not listed | Cannot be taken from a South Dakota address |
UTA reads your state from your MyMav mailing address. A move, a travel assignment or a preceptor search over the state line starts with an email to NursingSOA@uta.edu; the reasons are on out-of-state clinicals.
The Board leaves agreements to the school and the site
The South Dakota Board of Nursing does not approve out-of-state nursing programs. Its guidance for those programs, revised in June 2020, says agreements to place students in South Dakota direct-care settings are made between the out-of-state program and the in-state preceptor or agency.
The Board does expect the program to have one faculty member licensed in South Dakota or holding the privilege to practice there: an RN license to oversee RN students, an APRN license to oversee APRN students. Meeting that expectation is UTA's job, not yours. If you are unsure how it bears on your course, ask UTA's state authorization team.
Sanford, Avera, Monument and the Sioux Falls line
South Dakota's major health systems are Sanford Health, Avera Health and Monument Health. The largest population centers are the Sioux Falls and Rapid City metros, with Aberdeen a smaller micropolitan area. Naming these systems is orientation, not a claim that any of them takes UTA students.
For NURS 5362 you need a preceptor who works in nursing education, in a hospital, clinic or academic setting. The Administration MSN calls for senior nurse leaders in a healthcare facility, and UTA's RN-to-MSN page prefers that NURS 5339 happen somewhere other than your employer.
One boundary detail matters. Census data counts part of the Sioux Falls metro in Minnesota, which UTA lists for all three programs but which sits outside the compact, so a site on that side needs a Minnesota license.
RN-to-BSN work in South Dakota
RN-to-BSN students here won't recruit a preceptor. The practice work sits inside assignments done at your job or in your community, and the South Dakota Department of Health is the state agency to draw on for NURS 4465, the population and community health course. Details change by term, so follow your Canvas course; the RN-to-BSN overview lists every course.
Two compacts, two different effects
The Nurse Licensure Compact took effect in South Dakota on January 19, 2018. UTA's handbook asks you to be licensed wherever you do clinical work, and a multistate license reaches other compact states such as Nebraska, Iowa and Montana. UTA's map still has to list that state for your program: North Dakota, for example, is not listed for Nursing Education, and Wyoming is listed only for the RN-to-BSN.
The APRN Compact works differently. It was signed into law in South Dakota on February 5, 2024, and NCSBN counted South Dakota as the fourth state to enact it. The compact takes effect only once seven states have, and even then it would govern APRN licenses, not which programs UTA offers here.
Moving to South Dakota during a UTA NP program
UTA's map lists South Dakota for no NP track, post-master's NP certificate or DNP, and the Board's hands-off approach to out-of-state programs doesn't change that. Under the MSN handbook, living in an unlisted state can lead to:
- a later graduation date, or no graduation
- withdrawal from a course or from the program
- returning to Texas or another listed state for clinicals
- a clinical placement that is denied or delayed
Write to NursingSOA@uta.edu before you move. AANP lists South Dakota as full practice after 1,040 hours under a collaborative agreement, which matters once you graduate, not while you are a UTA student here.
How we help South Dakota students
The useful part of our service here is the two MSN practicums. We look for a nurse educator or nurse leader near where you live, help you gather the preceptor and site paperwork UTA's clinical team looks at, and go back to searching if a preceptor pulls out. Every approval belongs to UTA. Use the form below, or contact us with your course and term.
Questions UTA students ask
Does the APRN Compact let me do UTA NP clinicals in South Dakota?
No. The compact is not yet operational, because fewer than seven states have enacted it, and it concerns APRN licensing rather than which schools may teach where. Whether a UTA NP student can train in South Dakota depends on UTA's state map, which lists only Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, Texas and Virginia for NP tracks.
Is my South Dakota multistate license enough for a UTA practicum?
For a site in South Dakota, yes, since UTA asks for a license in the state where the clinical work happens. The same license covers other compact states, but not Minnesota. Keep it active and unencumbered; see RN licensing for clinicals.
Can I do Administration hours at the Sanford or Avera facility where I work?
Possibly, with limits. UTA's RN-to-MSN page prefers a location other than your employer for NURS 5339. UTA's online FAQ allows employer sites in general, though never in the department where you work and never with your current supervisor precepting you. Check with your course faculty first; the details are on clinical hours at your employer.
Can I finish UTA's FNP program if I move to Rapid City?
UTA's map does not list South Dakota for the FNP, so a move there puts your remaining clinicals at risk, up to finishing them in Texas or another listed state. Email NursingSOA@uta.edu before you sign a lease, and list the courses you have left.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-23
We check these pages against UTA's own sources. UTA's current handbook and your course faculty have the final word.
Hand us the search. Keep your term.
Tell us your UTA track, your county and when your clinical course opens. We look for a preceptor and a site that fit what UTA asks for, and we help you put the approval packet together.
- Matched to your track's population and setting
- Paperwork prepared the way UTA's clinical team expects it
- In person near you, or a virtual option where your course allows it
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