The leadership practicum: NURS 6258 and NURS 6259

Updated September 24, 2026 · Reviewed by the GW Preceptor placement team

Leadership students at GW finish their MSN with 300 practicum hours, split into NURS 6258 and NURS 6259 at 150 apiece. Both call for a preceptor holding at least a master's degree, and GW requires a fresh preceptor and a fresh site for the second course.

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300practicum hours in GW's leadership MSN

150hours in each of NURS 6258 and NURS 6259

2different preceptors and sites across the two practicums

Numbered steps. From proposal to first practicum hour: 1 Agree on the setting; 2 Secure a master's-prepared preceptor; 3 Submit in CORE; 4 Move through review and clearance; 5 Log hours inside the term. — From proposal to first practicum hour: 1 Agree on the setting; 2 Secure a master's-prepared preceptor; 3 Submit in CORE; 4 Move through review and clearance; 5 Log hours inside the term.

The two practicum courses

Nursing Leadership and Management is a 36-credit online MSN with 300 practicum hours, split evenly across two capstone courses. The Bulletin says students may enroll full-time or part-time. GW's website posts only a fall, part-time plan, and that plan's PDF is not publicly archived, so the semester for each practicum comes from your advisor or your own plan of study.

GW's leadership practicum courses (Bulletin 2026-27 titles and credits; hours from GW's program page)
Course	Title	Credits	Hours	Preceptor and site rule
`NURS 6258`	Leadership Capstone Practicum I	3	150	Preceptor with a master's degree or higher
`NURS 6259`	Leadership Capstone Practicum II	3	150	A different preceptor and a different site from `NURS 6258`

Unlike the NP tracks, the leadership MSN lists no on-campus event, only GW's virtual new student orientation. The practicums are where the program becomes hands-on.

Who can precept a leadership practicum

GW's program page sets one credential: NURS 6258 is "150 hours in a leadership practicum with a preceptor who has a Master's Degree or higher." That is a degree rule, not a job title. GW's public pages name no required role, license type or years of experience for leadership preceptors, which sets this program apart from the NP tracks. The preceptor requirements page compares the rules across GW's programs.

The Bulletin describes both courses as a mentored internship practicum "in a setting and practice area mutually agreed upon by the student and instructor." Your course instructor is part of the choice from the start, so bring a proposed setting and preceptor to them before you commit. Every graduate practicum at GW still needs a preceptor approved by GW Nursing faculty.

Why NURS 6259 needs a new preceptor and site

GW's rule for the second practicum is explicit: "The preceptor and associated site must be different than those chosen for Nurs 6258." You are running two searches, not one, and the second cannot lean on the relationship you built in the first.

Each practicum also needs its own Site Prospector submission in CORE, because GW wants a separate entry for each preceptor, site, rotation and term. A new site may need a new affiliation agreement too, and GW's 2021 clinical placement guide warns that a new agreement can run for many weeks before it is signed. The practical answer is to start the NURS 6259 search while NURS 6258 is still underway. The Site Prospector and affiliation agreement guides cover both steps.

GW's public pages do not say whether another unit of the same organization counts as a different site. Ask your instructor before you submit.

The MSN/MPH version

The dual MSN/MPH with MPH@GW uses the same two courses. GW's MSN/MPH page describes NURS 6258 as a practicum "with public health focus" and repeats the master's-or-higher rule for the preceptor, and the second course again rules out reusing the first preceptor or site. That public health focus shapes the setting you and your instructor agree on.

The dual degree totals 60 credits. GW's sources disagree on its length: the Bulletin expects about two years with summers included, while the program page counts six full-time semesters. Its admission status is unclear as well. Its latest archived page lists nothing later than Fall 2025 deadlines, and it no longer appears on GW's MSN hub or deadlines page, even though the 2026-27 Bulletin keeps it. Confirm with GW admissions or your advisor.

Prerequisites for NURS 6258

The Bulletin lists six courses to finish before NURS 6258:

NURS 6203 Nursing Leadership
NURS 6205 Health Policy, Quality, and Political Process
NURS 6207 Evidence-Based Practice for Health Care Researchers
NURS 6208 Biostatistics for Health Care Research
NURS 6262 Leadership Coaching in Nursing
NURS 8402 Knowledge Management in Nursing

One conflict to settle early: in the 2026-27 Bulletin, the leadership MSN's course table swaps NURS 8402 for NURS 8351 Healthcare Informatics, yet the prerequisite line for NURS 6258 still names NURS 8402. The MSN/MPH course list keeps NURS 8402 as well. Ask your academic advisor which course satisfies the prerequisite on your plan.

From proposal to first practicum hour

Agree on the settingSettle the practice area with your course instructor, since the Bulletin makes it a joint decision.
Secure a master's-prepared preceptorGW's graduate rule applies here too: you identify and secure the site and preceptor, and GW's faculty approve them.
Submit in COREEnter the preceptor and site in CORE's Site Prospector form, attaching their license and CV or biography, ahead of GW's request date for that term.
Move through review and clearanceGW's review runs through program director review, the affiliation agreement, placement confirmation, your compliance items and site onboarding, then a clearance notice.
Log hours inside the termCount hours only from the first day of term following clearance, and finish them before the semester closes.

For leadership placement questions, write to sonclinical@gwu.edu, the Clinical Placement Team's inbox; the 2026 CORE workshop lists a program associate who covers leadership along with midwifery, acute care and PMHNP placements. Term dates are on the request deadlines page.

Why leadership students choose us

Two practicums with two different master's-prepared preceptors is a heavier search than most students expect, and we plan both from the start. We look for leaders whose settings fit the practicum focus you and your instructor agree on, including public health settings for MSN/MPH students, and we line up the NURS 6259 site before NURS 6258 ends.

For both courses we hand over the preceptor's credentials, a current CV and the contact who signs agreements for the site, which lets you file each Site Prospector entry in one pass. Read about the leadership MSN, see how it works, or use the contact form.

Questions GW students ask

Could my own supervisor precept me in NURS 6258?

GW's current pages do not settle it. In 2017 GW's FAQ generally steered students toward preceptors beyond their own employer, subject to adviser approval, while GW's current tips suggest networking with providers where you work. Your instructor must agree on the setting anyway, so raise a workplace proposal with them first.

Does a leadership practicum preceptor have to be a nurse?

GW's published requirement is a master's degree or higher, and the setting is agreed between you and your instructor. GW's public pages name no required profession or title. Faculty still approve every preceptor, so bring forward someone who meets the degree rule and whose role fits the course's leadership focus.

Can Arizona residents take GW's leadership MSN?

Not at present. GW's State Authorizations page leaves Arizona out of the Nursing Leadership and Management MSN, the MSN/MPH and every DNP option. Five more states, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, are closed to all of GW's online programs, which GW attributes to clinical placement limits there.

How many hours a week does the leadership practicum take?

GW does not publish a weekly schedule. Each practicum is 150 hours, and every hour must fall within the semester's dates after clearance, so your pace depends on the term's length and your preceptor's availability. Agree on a schedule with your preceptor and instructor during the first week.

LeadershipMSN Nursing Leadership and ManagementGW's Nursing Leadership and Management MSN: 36 credits, two 150-hour practicums (NURS 6258, 6259) with master's-prepared preceptors, plus the MSN/MPH@GW.PreceptorsPreceptor requirementsGW Nursing's preceptor rules: an NP, MD, DO or CNM, two years in advanced practice, an unencumbered license, plus the PMHNP 6248 and leadership practicum rules.COREThe Site Prospector submissionHow to file GW Nursing's Site Prospector form in CORE: one per preceptor, site, rotation and term, license and bio or CV, the signatory rule and common delays.ContractsClinical affiliation agreementsEvery GW clinical site needs a completed contract with GW Nursing. Who signs it, how long a new one takes, and what happens when your site already has one.DeadlinesPlacement request deadlinesGW Nursing's clinical request deadlines side by side: May 1, October 1 and February 1 on the website, the 2026 CORE priority dates, and why to start a year out.

Last checked 2026-09-24

We check these pages against GW's Bulletin and GW Nursing's own program and clinical pages. Your course, CORE and GW's Clinical Placement Team have the final word.

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