Aspiring nurse educators must begin with a solid basis of clinical experience. Beyond that, they must have a bachelor's degree to provide instruction at the clinical level, in teaching hospitals or similar institutions. Nursing professionals wishing to teach in the academic world need a master's degree at a minimum, and those who intend to advance to the highest levels need a doctorate. Nurses for a Healthy Tomorrow, an umbrella group of nursing organizations, provides a detailed description of the nursing educator profession at its website.
Master's programs are offered at a large number of institutions across the country, as well as online. Gradschools.com lists over 170 institutions offering a campus-based or online master's, many of them focused on education. A handful of representative schools include Gonzaga, Drexel, Mercy College, the Teacher's College at Columbia, Norwich and the University of Cincinnati. Many on the list are accelerated programs for practicing professionals in search of an academic upgrade.
There are fewer doctoral programs to be found nationwide, though there are still dozens to choose from. Some are designed to provide an accelerated degree for working professionals in the field who wish to upgrade their academic credentials. A representative selection of schools might include the University of North Dakota, East Tennessee State, Georgia Southern, University of Central Florida, University of Virginia and University of Texas-Arlington.
The National League for Nursing perceived the need for a specialized individual accreditation, to demonstrate that a given nurse educator - regardless of where she trained, or what degree she holds - has the necessary skills. The Certified Nurse Educator accreditation is available to any working professional who successfully completes the examination process. The accreditation is only valid for five years, and must be maintained on an ongoing basis.