The Elm

As approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission on Nov. 10, 2025, the University of Maryland School of Nursing will launch a revised Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) curriculum beginning summer 2027. Admission to the current plans of study will close after fall 2026. 

Effective 2027, UMSON will offer the following DNP areas of concentration: 

1.    Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP)
2.    Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (AGCNS)
3.    Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP)
4.    Nurse Anesthesia (CRNA)
5.    Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
6.    Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP)
7.    Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Acute (PNP-A)
8.    Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Primary (PNP-P)
9.    Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
10.   Post-Master's Option (PM-DNP)

The reconceptualized curriculum will align with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education, which calls for a transition to competency-based education across entry-level and advanced nursing-level practice. Highlights include:

• Separation of the current AGACNP/CNS curricula to support discipline-specific preparation.
• For AGACNP, AGCNS, AGPCNP, FNP, NNP, PNP, and PMHNP: 
  
  • Increase in total clinical/practicum hours from 1,080 to 1,130.
  • Credit neutrality in the post-baccalaureate (PB) option (80 - 81 credits).
  • Reduction of minimum credits in the post-master's (PM) option from 48 to 45. 
  • Increase in minimum clinical/practicum hours in PM option from 580 to 630.
• For the CRNA: 
  • Credit and clinical/practicum hour neutrality in the PB option (93 credits/3,355 hours).
  • Increase in PM credits from 48 to 87 and clarification of clinical/practicum hours (2,975 - 3,355).
• For the PM-DNP:
  • Increase in minimum credits from 37 to 38.

The new competency-based curriculum strengthens preparation in quality and safety and provides clearer expectations for applicants, students, graduates, and stakeholders and supports a more disciplined and transparent approach to nursing education. It reinforces evidence-informed practice, leadership, and health policy while ensuring graduates demonstrate advanced practice proficiency to meet growing health care demands across settings. 

More about the restructured curriculum and program outcomes for students entering in summer 2027 and beyond will be available on UMSON’s DNP webpage in the near future.