Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) Degree Programs with ACME Accreditation by Degree
The Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME) is the only programmatic accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for the accreditation of nurse-midwifery programs. ACME has been the sole accrediting agency for nurse-midwifery education programs since 1982 and direct-entry midwifery education programs (designed for midwifery students without a registered nursing background) since 1994.
Without exception, all RNs seeking national recognition as a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) through the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) and the mandatory state-issued advanced practice license that allows them to practice nurse-midwifery must graduate from a master’s or higher degree program that has received ACME accreditation.
The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) has tracked ACME programs and the graduates of those programs for years in an effort to ensure there are an adequate number of educators and programs available to enrolling students. The latest data reveals the steady strides this profession has made in recent years:
- Many nurse-midwifery education programs have incorporated distance learning for didactic coursework through web-based technology; national trends show enrollment for distance education courses rapidly increasing in recent years
- The large majority of nurse-midwife students now earn their degrees online and in hybrid programs. As of 2018, a full 21 percent of all ACME-accredited programs offered exclusively online options, while another 45 percent were hybrid, combining both remote and campus-based learning
- The number of ACME-accredited nurse-midwifery programs has held steady at 39, with one program holding pre-accreditation status since 2020 with a review coming up in 2023
- From 2014 to 2018, the number of qualified applicants has increased by 25 percent, with the total number of enrolled students increasing 19 percent during that period
- The number of nurse-midwifery graduates increased from 583 in 2014 to 683 in 2018
A number of nurse-midwifery programs offer multiple graduate-level options to accommodate students with different educational backgrounds. These range from full master’s and doctorate programs designed for bachelor’s-prepared RNs to graduate certificates for master’s-educated nurses.
ACME-accredited certified nurse-midwife programs come in three options:
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a Focus in Nurse-Midwifery and Master of Science (MS) in Nurse-Midwifery Programs
Bethel University: Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Program length: 57 credits, 20 months
- Online option: yes, more than 80 percent of coursework is completed online
- Program details: MS degree program; only Christian nurse-midwifery program in the U.S.
California State University, Fullerton: Fullerton, California
- Program length: 53 semesters; 2 years of full-time study or 3 years of part-time study
- Online option: no
- Program details: program offered as a nurse-midwife/women’s health nurse practitioner dual focus MSN
Case Western Reserve University, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing: Cleveland, Ohio
- Program length: 48 credit hours of courses; 18 to 24 months
- Online option: yes
- Program details: MSN; With the addition of 4 clinical hours, students are eligible for dual certification in Women’s Health
East Carolina University, School of Nursing: Greenville, North Carolina
- Program length: 51-53 semester hours
- Online option: yes
- Program details: MSN degree; full-time/part-time formats available
Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing: Atlanta, Georgia
- Program length: 54 credit hours
- Online option: yes, for prerequisite courses
- Program details: MSN degree; part-time study available; joint specialty programs in nurse-midwifery/women’s health and nurse-midwifery/pediatrics available
Frontier Nursing University, Dexter, Georgia
- Program length: two years of full-time study
- Online option: yes, all didactic coursework completed online
- Program details: MSN; part-time study available
Georgetown University, School of Nursing and Health Studies, Washington D.C.
- Program length: 49 credits, 27 months of part-time study
- Online option: yes, all didactic coursework completed online
- Program details: MS; offered as a nurse-midwife/women’s health nurse practitioner dual focus program
Marquette University, College of Nursing: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Program length: 49 credits
- Online option: yes, hybrid online program
- Program details: MSN degree
New York University, College of Nursing: New York, New York
- Program length: 48 credits; 1,080 clinical hours
- Online option: no
- Program details: MS degree
Ohio State University, College of Nursing: Columbus, Ohio
- Program length: 54-71 credit hours
- Online option: yes, majority of courses offered online
- Program details: MS degree
Oregon Health Sciences University, School of Nursing: Portland, Oregon
- Program length: 77 credit hours
- Online option: no
- Program details: Master of Nursing (MN)
San Diego State University, School of Nursing: San Diego, California
- Program length: two-year full-time program or three-year part-time program
- Program details: MS degree; available also as a dual focus nurse-midwife/women’s health nurse practitioner program
Seattle University, College of Nursing: Seattle, Washington
- Program length: 80-87 course credits, 690 clinical hours
- Online option: no
- Program details: RN-to-MSN degree
Shenandoah University, School of Nursing: Winchester, Virginia
- Program length: 24 months full-time; part-time program also offered
- Online option: yes, hybrid
- Program details: MS degree; also offered as an RN-to-MSN track
Stony Brook University, School of Nursing: Stony Brook, New York
- Program length: 45 credits
- Online option: yes, with some on-site requirements
- Program details: MS degree
SUNY Downstate Medical Center: Brooklyn, New York
- Program length: 5 or 7-semester option
- Online option: yes
- Program details: MS degree
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Nursing: Lubbock, Texas
- Program length: 51 semester credit hours
- Online option: yes, fully online
- Program details: MSN degree
University of California at San Francisco: San Francisco, California
- Program length: two years
- Online option: no
- Program details: MS degree; also offered as a nurse-midwife/women’s health nurse practitioner dual focus program
University of Cincinnati Nurse-Midwifery, College of Nursing and Health: Cincinnati, Ohio
- Online option: yes, fully online program
- Program details: MSN degree
University of Colorado Denver, College of Nursing: Aurora, Colorado
- Program length: 48 credits
- Online option: yes
- Program details: MSN degree; ranked 13th best among graduate midwifery programs by U.S. News and World Report
University of Michigan, School of Nursing: Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Program length: 47 credit hours, 768 clinical hours
- Online option: mainly on-campus format, with a few web-blended courses
- Program details: MS degree
University of New Mexico, College of Nursing: Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Program length: 6-term, full-time program, 55 credit hours and more than 1,000 hours of clinical experience
- Online option: yes, first- and second-term classes are web-based
- Program details: MSN degree
University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Program length: full- and part-time plans of study
- Program details: MSN degree; dual focus program allows graduates to sit for the CNM and WHNP examinations; ranked second nationally among graduate midwifery programs by U.S. News and World Report
University of Washington, School of Nursing: Seattle, Washington
- Program length: 6 sequential quarters with approximately 1,500 hours of clinical practice experience
- Online option: distance learning is available with many classes meeting on campus three times a quarter
- Program details: MSN degree
Vanderbilt University, School of Nursing, Nashville, Tennessee
- Program length: 53 credit hours; part-time format available
- Online option: hybrid format
- Program details: MSN degree; multiple bridge programs available for students without a bachelor’s degree in nursing; dual nurse-midwife/family nurse practitioner program also available; ranked third in the nation among graduate midwifery programs by U.S. News and World Report
Wayne State University, College of Nursing: Detroit, Michigan
- Program length: 48 credits
- Online option: yes, synchronous learning classes allow users to participate in live videoconferencing with the traditional on-site classes from a remote site
- Program details: MSN degree
Yale University, School of Nursing: East Haven, Connecticut
- Program length: 47.6 credit hours, 1,009 clinical hours
- Online option: no
- Program details: MSN degree; offered as a dual focus nurse-midwife/women’s health nurse practitioner MSN program
Post-Graduate Certificate Programs in Nurse-Midwifery
Baystate Medical Center: Springfield, Massachusetts
- Program length: 5 semesters
- Online option: yes, for students completing the MS in Midwifery through the Midwifery Institute of Philadelphia
- Program details: Baystate Medical Center is a private, nonprofit, 716-bed acute-care hospital; students may also complete an MS in Midwifery concurrently with the midwifery certificate through a distance-learning articulation with the Midwifery Institute of Philadelphia
Case Western Reserve University, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing: Cleveland, Ohio
- Online option: yes
- Program details: courses offered in non-traditional formats, including intensive, web-based, and weekend courses; with the addition of 4 clinical hours, students are eligible for dual certification in Women’s Health
East Carolina University, School of Nursing: Greenville, North Carolina
- Online option: yes
- Program details: requires a master’s degree in nursing and at least one year of clinical experience as an RN
Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing: Atlanta, Georgia
- Program details: each program may include course work to reestablish a base of knowledge in a particular area as well as courses in advanced practice not included in the applicant’s original degree program.
Marquette University, College of Nursing: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Program length: 4 semesters
- Online option: yes, hybrid online program
New York University, College of Nursing: New York, New York
- Program length: 12-33 credits, 1,080 clinical hours
- Online option: no
Ohio State University, College of Nursing: Columbus, Ohio
- Online option: yes, majority of courses offered online
- Program details: for practicing nurses who already have a master’s degree in nursing for advanced specialty certification
Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences, Rutgers School of Nursing: Newark, New Jersey
- Program length: 30 credit hours, 630 clinical hours
- Online option: yes, hybrid program
Seattle University, College of Nursing: Seattle, Washington
- Program length: 62-65 credit hours, 690 clinical hours
- Online option: no
Stony Brook University, School of Nursing: Stony Brook, New York
- Program length: minimum of 19 credits
- Online option: yes, with some on-site requirements
SUNY Downstate Medical Center: Brooklyn, New York
- Program length: 5 semesters
- Online option: yes
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Nursing: Lubbock, Texas
- Program length: 33 semester credit hours
- Online option: yes, fully online
University of California at San Francisco: San Francisco, California
- Program length: two years
- Online option: no
- Program details: also offered at CNM/WHNP program
University of Colorado Denver, College of Nursing: Aurora, Colorado
- Online option: yes
University of Kansas School of Nursing: Kansas City, Kansas
- Program length: 23 credit hours, 704 clinical practicum hours
- Online option: yes
- Program details: during the 21-credit hour Midwifery Specialty Core, students will come to the KU Medical Center 2 to 5 times each semester for clinical seminars.
University of Minnesota, School of Nursing: Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Program length: three- and four-year full-time programs
- Online option: courses are offered in a web-based format, with multi-day on-campus seminars approximately 2 to 3 times per semester, in Minneapolis
- Program details: ranked sixth nationally among graduate midwifery programs by U.S. News and World Report
University of New Mexico, College of Nursing: Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Program length: 800 clinical hours and at least 15 graduate credit hours
University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Program details: nurses who have completed a Women’s Health Care NP (WHCNP), or who are NPs in another specialty, are eligible to apply for the Post Master’s in Nurse-Midwifery.
University of Utah, College of Nursing: Salt Lake City, Utah
- Online option: some courses available online
- Program details: individualized and variable for each student
University of Washington, School of Nursing: Seattle, Washington
- Online option: distance learning is available with many classes meeting on campus 3 times a quarter
- Program details: applicants meet with midwifery program faculty in order to develop an individualized, mutually agreed upon curriculum plan.
Vanderbilt University, School of Nursing, Nashville, Tennessee
- Online option: hybrid format
- Program details: students may also combine the post-grad certificate with the DNP program
Wayne State University, College of Nursing: Detroit, Michigan
- Program length: two-semester, full-time 16-credit graduate certificate of study; must be earned within 3 years
- Online option: yes, synchronous learning classes allow users to participate in a live videoconferencing with the traditional on-site classes from a remote site
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Programs in Nurse-Midwifery
Baylor University, College of Nursing: Dallas, Texas
- Program length: 75 credits (38 credits within the program and 37 credit hours transferred from master’s work) and three years of full-time study
- Online option: no
- Program details: part-time study available
Oregon Health Sciences University, School of Nursing: Portland, Oregon
- Program length: 40 credits
- Online option: yes
Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences, Rutgers School of Nursing: Newark, New Jersey
- Program length: 77 credit hours, 765 clinical hours
- Online option: yes, hybrid program
University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing: Chicago, Illinois
- Program details: also available as a dual focus nurse-midwife/women’s health nurse practitioner DNP program
University of Kansas School of Nursing: Kansas City, Kansas
- Program length: 76 credit hours including the 21-credit nurse-midwifery core
- Online option: yes
- Program details: during the 21-credit hour Midwifery Specialty Core, students will come to the KU Medical Center two to five times each semester for clinical seminars.
University of Minnesota, School of Nursing: Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Program length: three year, full-time program
- Online option: yes, primarily online
- Program details: ranked sixth nationally among graduate midwifery programs by U.S. News and World Report
University of Utah, College of Nursing: Salt Lake City, Utah
- Program length: 8 semesters (dual focus: 9 semesters); full-time, three-year program
- Online option: some courses available online
- Program details: also offered as a dual focus nurse-midwife/women’s health nurse practitioner DNP; one of the top 10 programs in the U.S.
Wayne State University, College of Nursing: Detroit, Michigan
- Program length: BSN-to-DNP: 80-82 credits; MSN-to-DNP: 75-77 credits
- Online option: yes, synchronous learning classes allow users to participate in a live videoconferencing with the traditional on-site classes from a remote site
- Program details: offered as a BSN-to-DNP and a MSN-to-DNP