TTUHSC's MSN in Nursing Informatics and Intelligent Systems
TTUHSC's MSN in Nursing Informatics and Intelligent Systems is a 35-credit online track that admits once a year, for Spring. TTUHSC describes its practicum as "a faculty-guided practicum ... all in a virtual learning environment", so there is no outside clinical site or preceptor to line up for it. This page explains what a virtual practicum means for your plan, and where a preceptor search comes back into the picture.
Get your placement plan
Tell us your TTUHSC program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your TTUHSC course.
The track at a glance
Nursing Informatics and Intelligent Systems (NI-IS) is the newest of the TTUHSC School of Nursing's non-APRN master's tracks. The catalog notes that it "Replaces the MSN in Nursing Informatics effective January 2027", which makes the Spring 2027 term the changeover point.
| Item | What TTUHSC states |
|---|---|
| Catalog name | Nursing, Nursing Informatics and Intelligent Systems Track, MSN |
| Credits | 35 |
| Length | Not published; your plan of study sets it |
| Format | Online |
| Start term | Spring only |
| Experience to apply | At least two years of clinical experience |
| Practicum | Faculty-guided, in a virtual learning environment |
| Clinical ratio | 1 credit to 3 clock hours |
| RN license | Current, unencumbered Texas RN license or compact multistate license |
One loose end in the catalog: its MSN application table still shows Nursing Informatics next to NI-IS in the Spring window. If you are applying near the changeover, ask the Admissions Team which of the two you are entering, since the course list is different.
A virtual practicum: what that means for you
Most TTUHSC graduate students must find a preceptor and a facility, get both approved and complete an electronic agreement for each preceptor every semester. The informatics practicum works differently. TTUHSC's program page calls it faculty-guided and says it takes place entirely in a virtual learning environment, and it names no outside site or preceptor.
- Faculty guide the work. The practicum is supervised by TTUHSC faculty, not by a preceptor at a hospital or clinic.
- No site search for the practicum. With no facility involved, there is no clinical setting to find, vet or get approved for this course.
- Location matters less. Because the practicum happens in a virtual environment, there is no rotation to travel to and no partner facility to reach.
- Your calendar is set by the course. Deadlines and hours come from the syllabus and course faculty rather than from a preceptor's clinic schedule.
TTUHSC's public pages stop there. They do not describe the practicum's projects, software or hour total, so read the syllabus when it opens and ask faculty anything it leaves out. The clinical placement process guide shows the full preceptor route that NP students follow, for comparison.
Seven courses with a clinical section
The ttuhsc.edu plan marks seven informatics courses CL, meaning each needs concurrent enrollment in a clinical section. Six are 3-credit courses; the seventh is the 4-credit practicum, NURS 6440 Informatics VI: Practicum.
| Course | Listing (credits:lecture:clinical per week) |
|---|---|
NURS 5331 | 3:2:3 |
NURS 5383 | 3:2:3 |
NURS 5384 | 3:2:3 |
NURS 5337 | 3:2:3 |
NURS 5382 | 3:2:3 |
NURS 5386 | 3:2.75:.75 |
NURS 6440 Informatics VI: Practicum | 4:1:9 |
The virtual description covers the practicum. TTUHSC does not say how the clinical sections of the other six courses run, so ask faculty early whether any of them expects work inside a health care organization. The credit-to-clock guide compares the one-to-three ratio with the scales TTUHSC uses for other programs.
Spring admission and the experience rule
NI-IS is the one MSN track with a single entry point. The catalog's Fall window is open to "All MSN tracks except Nursing Informatics & Intelligent System", and the track appears only in the Spring window, which runs May 1 to Aug. 1. Spring 2027 classes start Jan. 11 and end April 23; the academic calendar guide has every 2026-27 date.
Applicants need at least two years of clinical experience. Count your years carefully against that rule, and if your recent roles mix clinical and non-clinical work, ask Admissions how TTUHSC counts them.
For nurses who already hold a master's, TTUHSC also offers a Nursing Informatics and Intelligent Systems Post-Graduate Certificate. Its page says it is "currently spring entry only", and it uses the same clinical-section courses as the MSN track.
What still applies without a clinical site
A virtual practicum removes the site search, but you are still an MSN student under the SON's general rules. You need an active, unencumbered Texas or compact multistate RN license, and MSN students complete their background check through TTUHSC's institutionally approved vendor.
Grades follow the graduate handbook. For any course with a clinical component, that component is graded pass/fail, and failing it means an F for the course regardless of the rest. Every nursing course needs a B or better.
Several SON requirements, such as drug screens, immunization records and the health insurance rule for online programs with clinical requirements, are written around clinical placements. Ask your advisor which of them TTUHSC applies to a track whose practicum is virtual, and clear them early if the answer is all of them. Your courses run on D2L, TTUHSC's learning system; the student systems guide covers the logins.
Where a preceptor search comes in, and how we help
For many informatics nurses, the MSN is one step on a longer path. TTUHSC's Post-Master's DNP has an Executive Leadership track for nurses with at least a year in a healthcare leadership position, and its practicums can involve professional mentors or preceptors approved by faculty. The catalog also lists a PMHNP post-graduate certificate for master's-prepared nurses who are not yet APRNs, with clinical rotations that need a preceptor.
That is where our placement desk does its best work. We search near your home for the mentor, preceptor or clinical site your next TTUHSC course requires, and we prepare what SON staff and faculty review: licenses, credentials, role details and facility information, ready before each term's agreement. Approval stays with TTUHSC, and the file we assemble is built to clear its rules on the first pass. Start with the Post-Master's DNP guide, or tell us your plans in the form below.
Questions TTUHSC students ask
Do TTUHSC informatics students need a preceptor?
Not for the practicum as TTUHSC describes it: a faculty-guided practicum run entirely in a virtual learning environment, with no outside site or preceptor named. TTUHSC does not say how the clinical sections of the other informatics courses work, so confirm with course faculty whether any of them involves an outside organization.
Can I start TTUHSC's informatics MSN in the Fall?
No. The catalog's Fall application window covers every MSN track except Nursing Informatics and Intelligent Systems, which admits in Spring only. Applications for Spring run May 1 to Aug. 1, and the Spring 2027 term begins Jan. 11. Plan your application around that single yearly start.
What happened to TTUHSC's MSN in Nursing Informatics?
The catalog says the Nursing Informatics and Intelligent Systems track replaces the MSN in Nursing Informatics effective January 2027. The MSN application table still lists both names in the Spring window, so anyone applying around the change should ask the Admissions Team which track and course list apply to them.
Is there a post-graduate informatics certificate at TTUHSC?
Yes. The Nursing Informatics and Intelligent Systems Post-Graduate Certificate is for nurses who already hold a master's. TTUHSC says it is currently spring entry only, and it uses the same clinical-section courses as the MSN track, so the practicum picture is the same: faculty-guided and virtual.
Do I have to come to campus for the informatics MSN?
TTUHSC's pages describe the track as online and do not list campus days for it. The archived graduate FAQ gave campus-day counts for the NP, midwifery and education tracks but not for informatics. Ask the program whether orientation or any course calls for a visit before you plan travel.
Does the virtual practicum need an electronic preceptor agreement?
TTUHSC ties that agreement to each preceptor a graduate student works with in a semester, and its description of the informatics practicum names faculty guidance rather than a preceptor. Confirm with course faculty that no agreement or facility paperwork applies to your section. The electronic preceptor agreement guide explains how the process works where it does apply.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-26
We check these pages against TTUHSC's catalog, Student Handbook, program pages and licensure disclosures. Your course faculty, your program director and the plan of study for your cohort have the final word.
Your TTUHSC preceptor search, run by specialists.
Tell us your TTUHSC track, your next clinical course and the town you'll train near. We find preceptors who fit the course and pull together what SON staff and faculty need to approve both the clinician and the facility, early enough for the electronic preceptor agreement to go through before the term.
- Preceptors matched to the track: family primary care, adult-gerontology acute care, pediatrics, psychiatric mental health
- License, certification and facility details ready for TTUHSC's preceptor and facility approval
- In Lubbock, Amarillo, Abilene, the Permian Basin, Dallas-Fort Worth and the states TTUHSC accepts
Start your placement plan
Your track, your town and your next clinical term is all we need to begin.