Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
The Texas nursing facility administrator degree rule is simple: a bachelor's degree in any subject from an accredited college, plus at least 12 credit hours in long-term care administration covering the NAB domains and a 1,000-hour administrator-in-training internship, under 26 TAC 555.12. HHSC licenses administrators. Finishing the degree is where online courses can help.
Under 26 TAC 555.12(a)(1), a Texas nursing facility administrator applicant on the bachelor's track needs a bachelor's degree in any subject from an accredited college, at least 12 semester credit hours in long-term care administration or its equivalent covering the NAB domains, and a 1,000-hour administrator-in-training internship.
The rule asks for A bachelor's degree (any subject) plus 12 semester credit hours in long-term care administration. The legal source is 26 TAC 555.12(a)(1).
| Requirement | Bachelor's track (any subject) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Degree | Bachelor's in any subject from an accredited college. | [1] |
| Long-term care hours | At least 12 semester credit hours covering the NAB domains. | [1] |
| Internship | 1,000-hour AIT internship with an HHSC-approved preceptor. | [1] |
| Shorter internship tracks | 500 hours with a health-related bachelor's plus 3 years management, or a related master's plus 1 year. | [2] |
| Exams | NAB exam and Texas state exam. | [1] |
| Fees | Application $100, NAB $455, state exam $210, initial licence $250. | [1] |
Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), Nursing Facility Administrator Licensing decides how this rule applies to you. We read its published rule and the pages below; each was checked on 15 Nov 2026.
Each nursing programme sets its own prerequisite list, its own time limits for science courses and its own rule on which credits it takes. Read the programme's published list first and ask its admissions office in writing before you enrol in any course.
UPI Study does not yet offer Microbiology with lab, Nutrition or Lifespan Development. Our courses carry no clinical hours, and they do not clear a deficiency for a board of nursing.
Each course below is ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended for college credit. Whether it counts here is the decision of the college and of Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), Nursing Facility Administrator Licensing.
Healthcare management toward a degree; ask HHSC whether it helps the NAB-domain hours.
Self-paced online Healthcare Organization and Management course (Health 302). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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Healthcare finance, a topic that runs through facility management.
Self-paced online Healthcare Finance and Budgeting course (Health 301). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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Staffing and HR, part of daily facility work.
Self-paced online Human Resource Management in Healthcare course (Health 303). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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Common in health administration degrees.
Self-paced online Medical Terminology course (Health 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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Core management course for a business or health degree.
Self-paced online Principles of Management course (Business 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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Ethics and compliance for a management degree.
Self-paced online Business Ethics course (Business 211). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →TESU, UoPeople and Newlane are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; start with their own transfer pages, then any other college you already attend.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
| Option | Price | For this rule | Price checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPI Study PRO | $99 a month, every course | $99 for each month you are subscribed; take as many courses as you finish in that time | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Austin Community College (in-district) | $85 per credit hour with fees, 2026-27 | Degree courses at about $255 per 3-credit course in-district | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning | $99 a month (or $299 per 4 months) | Monthly plan for general education courses | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine | $99 a month plus $79 or more per course | Monthly fee plus a per-course fee | 15 Nov 2026 |
Prices checked 15 Nov 2026 on each provider's own page. HHSC fees from its NFA FAQs: application $100, NAB exam $455, state exam $210, initial licence $250. The 12 long-term care hours and the internship are separate costs.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
Ask HHSC NFA licensing in writing whether your planned coursework meets the 12 long-term care administration hours, and ask the degree college in writing which credits it will count, before you enrol.
HHSC licenses nursing facility administrators in Texas. Its rule, 26 TAC 555.12, sets several tracks. The most common one is open to anyone with a bachelor's degree in any subject from an accredited college. That track adds 12 semester credit hours in long-term care administration, or its equivalent, covering the NAB domains, and a 1,000-hour administrator-in-training internship.
Earlier college pages often say 15 hours of long-term care coursework. The current rule and HHSC's own FAQs say 12, so plan to 12 and ask HHSC if a programme tells you something different. The rule was last amended in September 2024.
The rule shortens the internship to 500 hours for some applicants: a bachelor's in health administration, health services administration, health care administration or nursing plus three years of management experience; a related master's plus one year of management experience; or a bachelor's plus a year as an administrator in another state. All still need coursework covering the NAB domains.
If you are choosing a degree now, a health administration major can cut the internship in half later, if you also build the management experience. A degree in any other subject still qualifies on the 1,000-hour track.
Most people stuck on this licence are stuck on the bachelor's itself. Online, self-paced courses can help finish one: general education, business and healthcare management courses with ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit, posted via a college transcript at a college that grants the degree.
The 12 long-term care hours are a different matter. They must cover the NAB domains, and Texas colleges such as Del Mar College run long-term care administration programmes for them. UPI Study's healthcare management courses touch some of the same topics, but only HHSC can say whether any course counts toward the 12 hours, so ask in writing.
After the internship, applicants take the NAB exam and the Texas state exam, both computer-based. HHSC's FAQs list the fees: $100 to apply, $455 for the NAB exam, $210 for the state exam and $250 for the initial licence. HHSC also says that someone who fails either exam three times must repeat the 1,000-hour internship before testing again, so prepare well for both.
A bachelor's degree in any subject from an accredited college is enough on the main track, under 26 TAC 555.12. You also need 12 semester credit hours in long-term care administration covering the NAB domains and a 1,000-hour administrator-in-training internship.
1,000 hours on the bachelor's track. It drops to 500 hours for some applicants with a health administration or nursing degree plus management experience, a related master's, or experience as an administrator in another state.
The current rule and HHSC's NFA FAQs say at least 12 semester credit hours in long-term care administration or its equivalent, covering the NAB domains. Some older college pages still say 15. Ask HHSC in writing if you are unsure.
Not under the current tracks in 26 TAC 555.12, which start at a bachelor's degree or a health services executive qualification. An associate degree can be a step toward the bachelor's.
HHSC's FAQs list $100 to apply, $455 for the NAB exam, $210 for the state exam and $250 for the initial licence. Coursework and the internship are separate costs that depend on where you study and train.
The degree must come from an accredited college. Online courses help when that college puts them on its transcript. UPI Study courses carry ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit and need a college to post them, so ask the college in writing first.
Management and general education courses toward the bachelor's.