Clinicals outside Texas: UTA's state rules
Only seven states are open to UTA's nurse practitioner tracks, post-master's NP certificates and DNP: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, Texas and Virginia. If you plan to look for a preceptor across a state line, relocate or accept a travel assignment, email NursingSOA@uta.edu first.
Clinicals near a state line?
Tell us your track, your county and the state you are looking at. A placement advisor replies once UTA's state rules are clear for you.
Which UTA programs are open in which states
UTA's live state-authorization map, the data behind its State Authorization page, lists each program by state. As checked on September 23, 2026:
| Program | States listed | Not listed |
|---|---|---|
| MSN nurse practitioner tracks and post-master's NP certificates | AR, CA, CO, FL, NM, TX, VA | Every other state |
| DNP | AR, CA, CO, FL, NM, TX, VA | Every other state |
| RN-to-BSN | All states and DC except those at right | TN, WA, WI |
| MSN Nursing Administration | All states and DC except those at right | NY, TN, WA, WI, WY |
| MSN Nursing Education | All states and DC except those at right | AL, MI, MS, ND, NY, TN, UT, WA, WI, WY |
UTA reads your state from the mailing address in MyMav. Its State Authorization page also notes that the RN-to-BSN, MSN Nursing Education and MSN Nursing Administration programs do not lead to licensure. State-by-state detail is on the states hub.
Where UTA's own documents disagree
Colorado is the open question. The live map lists it for NP and DNP students. A January 2021 archive of UTA's older state-authorization page listed six NP and DNP states without Colorado, and UTA's downloadable state table, labeled “Updated January 2022” but marked “Revision: July 2020” inside, shows Colorado as X, meaning no determination.
We found no UTA document explaining when or why Colorado was added. If you live in Colorado or plan a Colorado clinical, get written confirmation for your track from NursingSOA@uta.edu before you recruit a preceptor there.
The same caution applies to any state list you find in an old PDF or a forum post. The map on UTA's State Authorization page is the newest source we found, and a reply from UTA's state authorization inbox about your own situation is the answer to keep.
Email NursingSOA@uta.edu first
The MSN and PMC handbook is direct. “Prior to accepting a travel assignment, seeking a preceptor in another state, or moving”, students must email NursingSOA@uta.edu. It also covers students near a state border who want clinicals outside their home state.
What to put in that email
- Your name, NetID and program track
- The clinical course number and start date, for example
NURS 5660 - Your current MyMav mailing address and the state you want to add
- The city and type of site, and whether this is a move, a travel contract or a single rotation
- Your RN license status in that state: compact, single-state or not yet held
That list is our suggestion, not a UTA form. Keep the reply with your placement paperwork.
Do not recruit a preceptor in another state and then ask UTA. Email NursingSOA@uta.edu first.
Your RN license has to cover the clinical state
UTA's handbook says “Students must be licensed to practice in any state where they complete clinical.” If the clinical state is not a compact state, or you do not hold a compact license, you get that state's license at your own expense.
Texas is in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so a multistate RN license with Texas as your home state reaches other compact states. Of the other six states on UTA's NP list, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and Virginia have implemented the compact too; California is not a member, so clinicals there need a California RN license, and remember that UTA verifies licenses through NURSYS.
UTA's NP programs “do not operate outside of the United States”, so international rotations are off the table. Your preceptor's license is a separate question, covered on preceptor requirements. Your own license rules are on RN license for clinicals.
Moving or taking a travel contract mid-program
Under the handbook, program completion “may only occur in a state in which CONHI can operate.” Living in, moving to or working in a state that is not approved for your program can lead to any of these:
- a delay in graduation, or not graduating
- course or program withdrawal
- a requirement to come to Texas or another approved state to finish clinicals
- denied or delayed clinical placement
UTA's online program pages add that residents of some states “may not be eligible to enroll”, and the online RN-to-BSN page says enrolled students in ineligible states need approval to continue, which may not be given. Because UTA reads your state from MyMav, contact NursingSOA@uta.edu before the move, not after the address changes.
A travel contract in an unlisted state during NURS 5660, the 13-week FNP practicum, is exactly the case this rule is written for.
Planning a clinical across a state line
Border students gain the most from a clear answer. A student in El Paso looking at New Mexico is looking at a listed NP state; a student near the Oklahoma line is not, because Oklahoma is not on the NP list.
Either way the steps are the same. Email NursingSOA@uta.edu, confirm your RN license covers the state, and check that the site has, or will sign, an affiliation agreement with UTA. How those agreements work is on affiliation agreements.
Our placement desk searches only in states UTA lists for your program, and before we contact preceptors outside your home state we ask you to confirm the plan with NursingSOA@uta.edu. Where your course allows it, we can also look at virtual options, though UTA's public sources do not address telehealth hours.
Questions UTA students ask
Can I do UTA NP clinicals in Oklahoma if I live near the border?
Oklahoma is not on UTA's list of NP and DNP states, and UTA's handbook limits program completion to states where CONHI can operate. Border students are specifically asked to email NursingSOA@uta.edu before seeking clinicals outside their home state, so ask there, but plan on a Texas site.
Can I work as a travel nurse while in a UTA NP program?
UTA does not ban travel work, but you must email NursingSOA@uta.edu before accepting a travel assignment. A contract in a state not approved for your program can delay clinicals or graduation, and you would still need an RN license valid in that state. Clear the state with UTA before you sign the contract.
Is Colorado approved for UTA nurse practitioner students?
UTA's live state map lists Colorado for NP, post-master's NP and DNP students. Older UTA documents from 2020 and 2021 did not, and we found no UTA explanation of the change. If Colorado matters to you, ask NursingSOA@uta.edu to confirm your specific track in writing before you rely on it.
Can I do UTA clinicals outside the United States?
Not in the NP programs. UTA's State Authorization page says its NP programs do not operate outside of the United States. For any other program, email NursingSOA@uta.edu, UTA's state authorization contact, before you make plans that would take your clinicals or your address outside your current state.
Does state authorization affect UTA RN-to-BSN students?
Yes. The RN-to-BSN map covers all states plus DC apart from Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin. You do your practice work in your workplace or community rather than with a preceptor, but where you live still decides whether you can enroll or continue, so check the map before a move.
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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