State Professional Licensure Determinations and National Certification/Licensure Information

South University offers numerous medical and clinical programs that require graduates to pass the national certification/licensure exam and to obtain professional state license in their state in order to work in the designated field.  The chart below reflects, by program, the national certification/licensure requirement and the states where our programs meet the state professional licensure requirements. 

Program Name Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling 
National Licensure Required for Employment Graduates may sit for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) by the National Board for Certified Counselors 
Curriculum Meets State Licensure Requirements* Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia 
Curriculum Needs Programmatic Accreditation in order to meet the professional state license*

For residents of Florida:
The state of Florida, effective July 1, 2025, will require all any person seeking a professional license in the state of Florida must graduate from a CACREP accredited program.  South University, West Palm Beach (WPB) campus relinquished its Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) programmatic accreditation with the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) on March 31, 2023. The program submitted the CACREP accreditation application for program consideration in December 2023. 
South University, West Palm Beach is now in an “in process” status, as noted in the CACREP program directory.  Accreditation is a multi-step process, and the term “in process” means that the application for accreditation is being desk reviewed by CACREP reviewers to determine if the supporting materials submitted by the program meets each CACREP standard.  If determined our program meets the CACREP standard during the desk review, the next step is to respond to any addendums requested by the desk reviewer and then host a CACREP site visit where the site reviewers will evaluate the program and make a recommendation to the CACREP Board of Directors regarding the granting of accreditation.
By selecting to enroll in the WPB CMHC program, you understand you are enrolling in a CMHC program that is seeking programmatic accreditation, but is not currently programmatically accredited. You also understand that with our reapplication for accreditation submitted in late 2023, we cannot guarantee you would graduate from an accredited program as the CACREP accreditation process can take 18 to 24 months from the time of application. South University cannot guarantee you will be eligible to sit for the licensure exam.

South University Does Not Enroll Residents*

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming

 

Program Name Bachelor of Science in Accounting to Master of Science in Accounting - South University is not currently enrolling students in this program.
National Licensure Required for Employment This program is not designed to lead to any licensure or certification, including the Certified Public Accounting (CPA) Examination.  
Curriculum Meets State Licensure Requirements* None
Curriculum Does Not Meet the State Requirements for Licensure* All - South University does not enroll students from all states.

 

Program Name Bachelor of Science in Accounting 
National Licensure Required for Employment This program is not designed to lead to any licensure or certification, including the Certified Public Accounting (CPA) Examination.  
Curriculum Meets State Licensure Requirements* None
Curriculum Does Not Meet the State Requirements for Licensure* All States - South University does not enroll residents from all states.

 

Program Name Master of Science in Accounting 
National Licensure Required for Employment This program is not designed to lead to certification or licensure, including Certified Public Accounting (CPA) Examination.  
Curriculum Meets State Licensure Requirements* None
Curriculum Does Not Meet the State Requirements for Licensure* All States - South University does not enroll residents from all states.

 

Program Name Master of Medical Science in Anesthesia Science (AA)
National Licensure Required for Employment Graduation from a CAAHEP/ARC-AA accredited anesthesiologist assistant program permits students to sit for the national certification exam administered by the National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants (NCCAA). The National Commission's charter includes assuring the public that certified anesthesiologist assistants (CAA) meet basic standards related to fund of knowledge and application of that knowledge to the duties of practicing as a certified anesthesiologist assistant.   
Curriculum Meets State Licensure Requirements* Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas (delegates authority), Kentucky, Michigan (delegates authority, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania (delegates authority), South Carolina, Vermont, and Wisconsin.  These states regulate AA practice through state licensure.  In states that have delegator practice, the facility credentialing department require graduation from CAAHEP Accredited program and successful passage of the NCCAA exam. 
States That Do Not Currently Recognize Anesthesiologist Assistants – Program Requires Relocation to a State that recognizes and licenses CAAs* Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

 

Program Name Master of Science in Physician Assistant 
National Licensure Required for Employment Graduates of this program are eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, Inc. 
Curriculum Meets State Licensure Requirements* Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
South University does not enroll residents in the following states* District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and Washington

 

Program Name Associate of Science in Occupational Therapy Assistant and Associate of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy Assistant 
National Licensure Required for Employment Graduates of this program are eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination for Occupational Therapy Assistants administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy which leads to Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA).  
Curriculum Meets State Licensure Requirements* Associate of Science = Florida Only

Associate of Applied Science = Virginia Only

 

Program Name Associate of Applied Science in Physical Therapist Assistant and Associate of Science in Physical Therapist Assistant 
National Licensure Required for Employment CAPTE accreditation of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant program satisfies state educational requirements in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Thus, students graduating from CAPTE-accredited physical therapist and physical therapist assistant education programs are eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Examination and apply for licensure in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information regarding state qualifications and licensure requirements, refer to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy website at www.fsbpt.org
Curriculum Meets State Licensure Requirements* Associate of Applied Science = Virginia Only

Associate of Science = Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas Only

Program Name

Master of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner and

RN to MSN – Family Nurse Practitioner

National Licensure Required for Employment

South University’s MSN with a Specialization in Family Nurse Practitioner program meets the Core Competencies for Family Nurse Practitioners outlined by the National Organization for Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) and includes key attributes from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Master’s Essentials. After successful completion of the program, the graduate is eligible to sit for the examinations** through national certifying bodies (American Nurses Credentialing Center [ANCC]; American Association of Nurse Practitioners [AANP])

Curriculum Meets State Licensure Requirements*

 Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia

Do Not Enroll Residents* 

Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming

 

Program Name

Master of Science in Nursing - Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner and

RN to MSN – Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner

National Licensure Required for Employment

South University’s MSN with a Specialization in Family Nurse Practitioner program meets the Core Competencies for Family Nurse Practitioners outlined by the National Organization for Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) and includes key attributes from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Master’s Essentials. After successful completion of the program, the graduate is eligible to sit for the examinations** through national certifying bodies (American Nurses Credentialing Center [ANCC]; American Association of Nurse Practitioners [AANP])

Curriculum Meets State Licensure Requirements*

Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia

Do Not Enroll Residents* 

Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming

 

Program Name Bachelor of Science in Nursing 
National Licensure Required for Employment Graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing must pass the National Council Licensure Examination Registered Nurse 
(NCLEX-RN) in order to obtain licensure and begin practice as a registered nurse. 
Curriculum Meets State Licensure Requirements* Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia Only

 

Program Name Doctor of Pharmacy 
National Licensure Required for Employment Graduation from our ACPE accredited program allows graduates to sit for the NAPLEXÓ, MPJEÓ and any additional state licensing exams.  The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEXÓ) measures a candidate's knowledge of the practice of pharmacy. The MPJE®, or Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination®, combines federal- and state-specific questions to test the pharmacy jurisprudence knowledge of prospective pharmacists. It serves as the pharmacy law examination in participating jurisdictions.
Curriculum Meets State Licensure Requirements* All States Except Arkansas and South Dakota
Curriculum Does Not Meet the State Requirements for Licensure* Arkansas and South Dakota

 Note: This chart represents states where our curriculum meets the state requirements, however, is not intended to imply that South University enrolls all students from all states. For specific information regarding enrolling, please contact the location you are interested in attending.