The Nurse-Midwifery Pathway is offered in a distance accessible format that combines on-line didactic coursework with on-campus intensives and clinical immersions in health care systems. Graduates of the MSN Nurse-Midwifery Pathway are prepared to pass the national certification exam administered by the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) which allows use of the professional designation “CNM”. Nurse-Midwives are essential healthcare providers for women and newborns to 28 days and are needed to help address disparities in maternal-infant mortality and women’s health outcomes. Nurse-midwives promote normal physiological birth and non-intervention in normal processes but use appropriate interventions and technology when needed. Nurse-midwives work within the context of a healthcare team as an independently recognized professional.

The Nurse-Midwifery Pathway curriculum has been pre-accredited by the ACME. The School of Nursing anticipates full accreditation to be granted following graduation of the first class.

NMW Class of 2024:

• Attrition: 17%
• To date, 2 of the 4 graduates has taken the certification examination and passed
• 90% first-time AMCB pass rate goal

Nurse-Midwifery Pathway Philosophy

The philosophy for the Nurse-Midwifery Pathway is to share patient-centered, equitable health care, by preparing diverse leaders who excel in practice, scholarship and education for women and families in Alabama, nationally and internationally. The midwifery faculty is dedicated to the development of sound healthcare policies addressing severe maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, which significantly affects the lives of women and their families in the Deep South region of the U.S. Furthermore, the faculty strives to achieve excellence in clinical practices and expanding knowledge through research and scholarly activities.

Purpose/Mission

1. Prepare safe, beginning midwifery practitioners who are eligible for certification by the Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice as defined by the American College of Nurse-Midwives, to provide optimal health care.
2. Prepare effective midwives capable of improving practice through sound clinical judgment, scholarship, research, formulation of health care policy and provision of primary health care to women and newborns.
3. Improve health care systems through midwifery education, practice and research as outlined in the American College of Nurse-Midwives’ Hallmarks of Midwifery care.
4. Establish a theoretical base for sound clinical judgment and scholarly activities.
5. Articulate recognition of the role of public policy in formulating and developing the midwifery profession and health care services for women and infants on local, state, regional and national levels.

Prospective students must meet the following requirements for admission:

• Hold a BSN degree from a regionally accredited institution and a nationally accredited nursing program (CCNE or CNEA accreditation), equivalent to the one offered by the UAB School of Nursing.
• Possess an unencumbered and unrestricted nursing license to practice in the state where you plan to conduct your clinical practicum.
• Cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or on the last 60 semester hours.
• Students with less than a 3.2 GPA (last 60 hours undergraduate GPA or overall undergraduate GPA) are required to complete and submit scores for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or GMAT.
  • Only scores completed within the previous 5 years are accepted.
  • Minimum required scores are a combined score of 297 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE or score of 480 on the GMAT.
  • Applicants who have successfully completed a graduate degree from a regionally accredited academic institution may receive a waiver for this requirement if they achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher in their previous graduate degree program.
  • The following individuals are not eligible for the GRE waiver process: International applicants, non-native English speaking applicants, and Dual degree seeking applicants (e.g., MSN/MPH).
  • Please note: The UAB transcript does not include a student's 2-year nursing coursework or comparable technical course work in the transfer, overall, or UAB GPA calculation. The MSN admission process takes into consideration all previous undergraduate coursework, including the nursing coursework from 2-year community colleges.
  • For more information on the Test Score Waiver process click here.
• Submit three letters of professional reference attesting to the applicant’s potential for graduate study.
• Participate in an admission interview conducted by nurse-midwifery faculty.
• Submit an essay limited to two double-spaced pages focused on why they have chosen nurse-midwifery as an advanced practice specialty concentration.
• Applicants should submit an official transcript from every college or university they have ever attended (even if for only one semester). Transcripts may be emailed electronically by the issuing institution to the UAB Graduate School at gradschool@uab.edu or mailed to UAB Graduate School, LHL G03, 1720 2nd Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35294-0013
• If admitted to the MSN program, students must show proof of completion of a descriptive statistics course, equivalent to UAB’s MA-180, before starting the program.

Out-of-state applicants to any of our distance-accessible programs should become familiar with their state’s regulations governing distance accessible programs. Prospective students residing in states other than Alabama should contact their state’s Board of Nursing and Department of Education for specific rules and regulations pertaining to students enrolled in out-of-state programs and are planning to conduct UABSON distance education in their home state. Only those students who reside in Alabama or those states where the UAB School of Nursing programs are available will be eligible to receive an offer of admission.

More information is available at the State Approval Website for Online Degree Programs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Sample Program of Study¹

¹Program of Study is subject to change.

Upon completion of the MSN Program, students will be able to:

• Synthesize research, theoretical formulations, and principles of scientific inquiry to provide evidence-based practice.
• Assume leadership in managing and evaluating continuous quality improvement processes.
• Use information systems/technology to evaluate programs of care, outcomes of care, and care systems.
• Advocate and implement health-care policies that improve access, equity, efficiency, and social justice in the delivery of health care.
• Provide ethical, culturally sensitive care in an advanced nursing role independently and collaboratively with professionals from multiple disciplines.
• Monitor the quality of one's own nursing practice based on professional practice standards and relevant statutes and regulations.
• Apply theories and principles of marketing, economics, consultation, management, and leadership to comprehensively perform an advanced nursing role.

The following tuition and fees are valid for the 2024-2025 academic year. Tuition and fees and are SUBJECT TO CHANGE annually based on approval from the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees and/or university.

The estimates below are based on the costs listed at the UAB Office of Planning and Analysis website.

Each student’s costs will vary depending upon a number of factors including state of residence, the number of credits taken in a semester, or whether the student attends class live or through a distance-accessible format. Fees vary by program and course.

University Scholarships and Financial Aid

Information on Financial Aid, University Scholarships and other funding opportunities are available on UAB's Cost & Aid website.

UAB School of Nursing Scholarships

The UAB School of Nursing offers many scholarships, both need and merit based, to support nursing students across all programs. Scholarships are awarded twice a year, during the spring and fall semesters and requires just one application to be considered for all undergraduate or graduate scholarships. For more information or to start the scholarship application process, visit the SON Scholarship Application webpage.

Graduate Fellowships and Traineeships

There are a limited number of Graduate Fellowships and Traineeships that are awarded through the UAB School of Nursing that require students to meet specific requirements, and are only awarded when funds are available. When such funds are available in a particular program, students enrolled in the program will be notified and provided information on how to apply. Contact Katrina Staffney (email: KatrinaStaffney@uab.edu), for more information.

Nurse Faculty Loan

Federal Nurse Faculty Loan Funds are available to MSN students who intend to assume a faculty position in a school of nursing upon completion of the degree. These funds are limited to payment of tuition and fees and other reasonable educational expenses. Contact JoeAnn Kennedy (email: joeann@uab.edu), for more information.

NOTE: Prospective International students must first contact UAB International Admissions to determine eligibility to study in the U.S. and/or submit an application for admission to UAB.

The table below provides information on eligibility requirements for the MSN Program.

Application Requirements

• Prospective students must have a bachelors degree in nursing equivalent to that offered by a U.S. regionally accredited educational institution.
• For Graduate Clinical Programs such as the Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) Program, prospective students must also be licensed as a registered nurse in the U.S., in the state in which they will reside while completing the program.
• International applicants must, as part of their application, provide a detailed course by course evaluation of their academic transcripts and verification of their academic credentials. Students may use one of the following firms for transcript evaluation; a report of the evaluation must be submitted directly to the UAB School of Nursing prior to admission decisions.
  • Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
    P.O. Box 514070
    Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470 USA
    Website: www.ece.org
  • World Education Services
    Bowling Green Station
    P.O. Box 5087
    New York, NY 10274-5087 USA
    Website: www.wes.org
• Applicants must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on prior college/university course work.
• Applicants must complete and submit their scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as part of the application process. If the GRE was completed prior to application, only scores completed within the previous 5 years are accepted.
• Completion of a formal admission interview.
• Meet English language requirements. Students must submit scores on Tests of English Language (TOEFL or IELTS) and achieve the following minimum scores:
  • TOEFL iBT 80 and minimum of 18 in each of the 4 test sections, or
  • IELTS 6.5 and minimum of 6.0 in at least 2 of the 4 test sections.