What Degree do I Need to Become a Certified Nurse Midwife?

To become a certified nurse midwife (CNM), you need a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a midwifery specialty. Before you pick a program, confirm it's accredited and fits your timetable, goals, and career path. Here's the full path, from undergraduate work through certification.

First, Become an RN

Before the graduate degree comes the RN license. You can earn it through a two-year Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Both include clinical training and courses in anatomy, nursing, chemistry, and microbiology.

An ADN is the quicker route to RN licensure, but many aspiring midwives choose the BSN because it leads straight into a graduate program. With an ADN, you'll eventually need two more years of undergraduate study to earn a BSN, or you can enroll in an ADN-to-MSN bridge program.

Graduate Degree: Master's or Doctorate

CNMs are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and that category requires a graduate degree. Like nurse practitioners and other APRNs, CNMs need at least an MSN to practice. The field has debated requiring a doctorate, but the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) opposes that move, arguing that master's-level education already produces strong outcomes, that research hasn't shown a doctoral requirement improves them, and that a DNP adds significant cost and time.

For now, an MSN remains enough. The American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) hasn't changed its certification requirements, and prospective midwives stay eligible after earning a master's. The AMCB aligns with the APRN Consensus Model, created in 2008 to standardize APRN training, education, and certification, under which a nurse can become an APRN with a master's or doctoral degree plus certification. Track this issue as you research schools, since requirements can shift.

Master's Prerequisites

Most programs check for some or all of these before admission:

• A BSN from an accredited nursing school
• An active RN license in the state where the school is located
• Letters of recommendation
• Up to a year of nursing experience in labor and delivery
• A satisfactory GRE score
• A satisfactory grade in a statistics course

Master's Coursework

The general core is largely the same across APRN tracks: advanced physiology and pathophysiology, chemistry, applied pharmacology, research methods, public policy leadership, advanced practice nursing roles, and bioethics.

After the core, you move into the midwifery specialty, where coursework centers on labor and delivery and women's health. Because CNMs provide primary care for women as well as pregnancy and postpartum care, your specialty classes typically cover gynecology, newborn care, women's health, advanced practice nursing, professional issues in midwifery, and intrapartum and postpartum care. You'll also complete hands-on clinical training, and some schools set a minimum number of clinical hours to graduate.

Time to Complete

A fulltime MSN takes about 18 to 24 months for students starting with a bachelor's degree. Parttime options usually run three to four years, and some schools set a deadline to finish, so confirm it if you enroll part time.

Total fulltime study by starting point breaks down roughly as: associate degree, two years; bachelor's degree, four years; master's degree, two years post-graduate; doctoral degree, two to three years post-graduate.

Several fast-track programs can shorten the path and save money. RN-to-MSN bridge programs let ADN holders complete their certification requirements in two to three years of fulltime study. A BSN-to-DNP bridge runs three to four years. Accelerated programs, built for students with a non-healthcare bachelor's degree, typically take three years of fulltime study.

Online Programs

Online and hybrid programs sit alongside campus options and appeal to students balancing work, kids, or other responsibilities. The hands-on training and clinical work you'll need can factor into which format works for you. Any accredited program, online, on campus, or hybrid, can prepare you well; the key is finding one that fits your learning style.

Certification

After earning a graduate degree from an accredited program, you're eligible for the AMCB exam. The computer-based test runs 175 multiple-choice questions, and you have four hours to complete it. Passing qualifies you to practice as a CNM.

Accreditation

It's hard to overstate how much accreditation matters. Graduate from a non-accredited program and you won't qualify for the AMCB exam. You also won't be eligible for financial aid, and credits from an unaccredited program or school can't transfer to accredited ones, which matters if you move or need to switch schools. Without CNM certification you may still practice as another type of midwife, but without the autonomy, prescriptive authority, and salary that CNMs hold.

Look for accreditation from these bodies:

• Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN): diploma, associate, bachelor's, and master's nursing programs
• Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME): midwifery education programs
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE): bachelor's, master's, and doctoral nursing programs

Check directly with each school about its current accreditation status. Accreditation is granted for a set period that varies by school and program, so make sure yours will stay covered while you're completing your degree.