Lewis post-master's NP certificates (CAS)
Lewis offers a Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in four nurse practitioner populations: FNP at 30 credits, AGACNP and AGPCNP at 28 each, and PMHNP at 31. A certificate drops the MSN core you already hold but keeps every practicum of the matching MSN track, so you need the same approved preceptors. Finding them is the part we take on.
Plan your certificate practicums
Tell us which certificate, where you live and your first practicum term.
Four certificates built on the MSN practicums
The CAS is written for nurses who already have a master's degree. Each certificate page in the Lewis catalog lists nurse practitioner courses only: the four-course NP specialty core, then the management and practicum pairs for one population. Those practicums are the very catalog courses MSN students take, which means the preceptor you need for a certificate practicum is held to the same course expectations.
| Certificate (program code) | Credits | Practicum courses | Hours printed per practicum |
|---|---|---|---|
| FNP (CAS-NPFA-5) | 30 | NURS 61100, NURS 61800, NURS 64100, NURS 64300 | 180, 180, none printed, none printed |
| AGACNP (CAS-NPAC-5) | 28 | NURS 61800, NURS 62500, NURS 62700 | 180; the 62500 text says 360; 62700 none printed |
| AGPCNP (CAS-NPAG-5) | 28 | NURS 61100, NURS 61800, NURS 61500 | 180 each |
| PMHNP (CAS-NPPM-5) | 31 | NURS 63300, NURS 63500, NURS 63700 | 180 each |
Lewis's graduate FAQ states one range that covers MSN and certificate students alike: 540 to 630 supervised clinical hours. Totaling the printed course hours yourself is arithmetic, not a Lewis figure, and two of the four certificates have gaps you should know about before you schedule anything. The online-only psychiatric certificate is covered on its own page.
What comes before your first practicum
Every certificate opens with the NP specialty core: NURS 58800 Role Transition and Development for the Advanced Practice Nurse, NURS 60500 Applied Physiology/Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice Nursing, NURS 60400 Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice Nursing and NURS 60700 Health Assessment for Advanced Practice Nursing, which includes a lab. The management courses that travel with each practicum list the health assessment, pathophysiology and pharmacology courses as prerequisites, so clinical semesters start once that core is finished or transferred in.
Specialty courses for NP students follow Lewis's traditional 16-week format, and each practicum shares a semester with its management course, such as NURS 61000 beside NURS 61100. The FNP women's and pediatric practicums work differently: NURS 64000 and NURS 64200 are prerequisites for them, not companions. The PMHNP certificate also adds NURS 63000 Psychopharmacology before its last practicum. The 16-week NP course guide shows how each pairing lands on the calendar.
Transfer credit: up to 12 credits
A certificate can take in at most 12 transfer credits, and the catalog sets out two routes. Nurse practitioners with national certification and at least 1,000 APRN clinical hours within the last five years may transfer health assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacology, role transition and epidemiology, each with a grade of B or better. Graduates of a generalist Nurse Master's Entry program may transfer biostatistics and epidemiology only.
Lewis's general nursing transfer rules sit on top of that. A course needs a B or above earned within the last five years, each course is submitted on its own Request for Review of Graduate Courses for Transfer Equivalency Credit form, and the Graduate Nursing Chairperson makes the call. The FAQ places this review after acceptance. Coursework taken at another school once you have matriculated at Lewis is not accepted.
Every course on the transfer list is a classroom course. However much you transfer, each practicum on your certificate plan stays, and each one needs a preceptor and site approved for that exact course. Plan your preceptor search as though nothing transfers.
Where the hour figures get untidy
For the FNP certificate, NURS 61100 and NURS 61800 print 180 clock hours apiece, while the women's health and pediatric practicums, NURS 64100 and NURS 64300, print no hours at all. Through the 2024-25 catalog those two populations shared one 270-hour course, NURS 61700. The details of that split, and why the old course still shows up in the course list, are on the FNP women's and pediatric practicum page.
For the AGACNP certificate, the NURS 62500 description reads 360 total clock hours, yet the track minimum is 540 across three practicums, and NURS 62700 prints nothing. The acute care practicum guide lays out that conflict. The AGPCNP and PMHNP certificates are simpler: three practicums at 180 printed hours each. Whatever your track, ask your course faculty which figure applies to your section before you agree on a weekly schedule with a preceptor.
You identify preceptors, just as MSN students do
Lewis's FAQ answer about clinical placement is headed for both the MSN and the CAS nurse practitioner tracks. So the same expectation follows you into the certificate: you do real work to find preceptors and keep everyone talking, Clinical Coordinators and/or track lead faculty decide whether a preceptor and site suit the course, and the Clinical Placement Office steers the process. Identifying preceptors at Lewis walks through that passage and what it asks of you.
Certificate students are often practicing APRNs or senior RNs with wide professional networks, which helps. It also sets a trap: the colleague who fits your current role may not fit your new population. An FNP adding the PMHNP certificate needs psychiatric preceptors for three separate practicums. An AGPCNP moving into acute care needs hospital-based preceptors for NURS 62500 and NURS 62700, and hospitals run student requests on their own timelines.
Where you live: certificate tables differ from MSN tables
Lewis's March 2026 state disclosures authorize online graduate nursing enrollment in the same 18 jurisdictions for every program. The licensure column is where the certificate tables break from the MSN and BSN to DNP tables. Of the authorized jurisdictions, the certificate tables answer No for licensure in Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts and Mississippi. The MSN tables flag Hawaii in the spot where the certificate tables flag Connecticut.
Every NP table also carries Lewis's caution that clinical rotations can be restricted in a given state, even where licensure is possible. If you live outside Illinois, read the table for your certificate rather than the MSN one, and check Lewis's state authorization for the full list before you choose a practicum state.
How we help certificate students
- Map your certificateWe list every practicum in your certificate, the semester it falls in and the patient population it covers, so each search starts on time.
- Search near youYour placement advisor contacts practices in your area that see the right population and asks whether the provider can take a Lewis student for a full 16-week practicum.
- Check the fit before you fileWe confirm the setting matches the course description, the preceptor's license is in good standing and the dates match your term, then give you the preceptor, license and site information the contract request form needs, all in one place.
- Stay on through approvalWhile Lewis reviews the request and the agency onboards you, we keep CastleBranch items and agency paperwork moving, and we find a replacement if a preceptor steps away.
Name your certificate and the term your first practicum begins on the request form, and your placement advisor opens the search.
Questions Lewis students ask
Can I take a Lewis NP certificate completely online?
It depends on the certificate. Lewis's current pages label the PMHNP certificate online only; the 2023 graduate viewbook also tagged the AGACNP certificate that way, and no delivery format is stated for the FNP or AGPCNP certificates. Your practicum hours are in person with your preceptor in every case. Confirm the format with graduate admissions before you plan any trips to Oak Brook.
What do I need to apply for a Lewis CAS?
You need a master's in nursing from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited school, a clear RN license for Illinois or the state where you work, a 3.0 graduate GPA (2.75 to 2.99 can bring provisional admission), two recommendations, a resume and a 500-word essay. Lewis's post-master's web page and the catalog differ slightly on which tracks the listed criteria cover and on the essay prompt, so check both.
Is Lewis's post-master's APRN certificate accredited?
Yes. CCNE first accredited Lewis's post-graduate APRN certificate in February 2015, and its current CCNE term lasts until December 31, 2030. Illinois accepts a post-master's certificate from a graduate-level APRN program toward an APRN license, alongside national certification in your population.
Which certification board follows each certificate?
For FNP, Lewis points to ANCC and AANPCB; for AGACNP, to AACN. The AGPCNP and PMHNP populations get no named board from Lewis, and no pass rates either. Certification exams by track sets out the boards and the rates Lewis does report.
Can my current practice host one of my certificate practicums?
Lewis publishes no rule about precepting at your own employer. What it does publish is that each preceptor and site must be approved for the course, so the practice has to match your new population, not your current one. A psychiatric colleague may fit a PMHNP practicum where your own family practice would not. Clinicals where you work covers what to confirm.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Lewis's own catalog, program pages and FAQ, its contract portal and Illinois law. Your course, your track coordinator and the Clinical Placement Office have the final word.
Lewis asks you to identify your preceptor. We do the searching.
Tell us your Lewis program, where you live and when your next practicum starts. We find preceptors near you who fit the course and prepare every detail the contract portal asks for, so your request goes in complete.
- Preceptors matched to the practicum: primary care for
NURS 61100andNURS 61800, acute care forNURS 62500, psychiatric care forNURS 63300 - Preceptor, license and site details ready for your preceptor contract request
- In your own community, anywhere Lewis enrolls you and your RN license is valid
Start your placement plan
Program, city and start date is all we need to begin.