CU Anschutz College of Nursing Launches New Midwifery Program

AURORA, Colo. (September 19, 2025) – The University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing is expanding its midwifery education to more students through the college’s new master of science in midwifery program. 

The CU Anschutz College of Nursing is joining two other universities in the U.S. in offering an educational pathway for Certified Midwives. This master of science in midwifery program is designed for students without a nursing degree to become midwives, making the profession more accessible to individuals with a passion for caring for women throughout their pregnancy journey.

Students in the program will complete their degree in approximately two and a half years and will attend both online and in-person classes at CU Anschutz. Students in the Denver Metro will also have clinical placements at CU Anschutz Nursing’s midwifery clinics. After graduation, students can sit for the Certified Midwife (CM) exam. 

“CU Anschutz Nursing is excited to offer this new way for people without nursing degrees to become midwives,” says Shannon Pirrie, DNP, MS, CNM, CU Anschutz Nursing specialty director of the nurse-midwife program and assistant professor of clinical practice. “We’ve seen the interest and need for more midwives – particularly in rural areas – and this program allows us to grow the profession and offer our students to provide a holistic approach to care in their communities.”

CU Anschutz Nursing is home to the #2 nurse-midwifery program in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 ranking of the best graduate schools. The college’s midwifery students will have the same faculty and a similar curriculum as our nurse-midwifery students, highlighting CU Anschutz Nursing’s outstanding nursing education.

“I am so proud of CU Anschutz Nursing’s midwives and our college leadership for being bold and innovative with this new program,” CU Anschutz Nursing Dean Elias Provencio-Vasquez, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAANP, says. “We’re showing our commitment to making the midwifery profession more accessible so patients across Colorado and the U.S. can get the quality care they deserve.”

CU Anschutz Nursing is in the final steps of securing program accreditation, which is dependent on the recent approval of the new master of science in midwifery degree program. The accreditation decision is expected this fall, aligning with the early 2026 application cycle and positioning the program for a summer 2026 start.

About the University of Colorado Anschutz 
The University of Colorado Anschutz is a world-class medical destination at the forefront of transformative science, medicine, education and patient care. The campus encompasses the University of Colorado health professional schools, more than 60 centers and institutes and two nationally ranked independent hospitals - UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children's Hospital Colorado – which see more than two million adult and pediatric patient visits yearly. Innovative, interconnected and highly collaborative, CU Anschutz delivers life-changing treatments, patient care and professional training and conducts world-renowned research fueled by $910 million in annual research funding, including $757 million in sponsored awards and $153 million in philanthropic gifts.