Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Degree - Nurse-Midwifery Option
Nurse-Midwifery option prepares advanced practice registered nurses who demonstrate clinical expertise, judgment, scholarship, and leadership to serve their communities at the highest level of nurse-midwifery practice. Nurse-midwives are independent practitioners in Montana, with full diagnostic and prescriptive authority. They place great value on being part of an interdisciplinary, collaborative health care team. Nurse-midwives provide prenatal, birth and postpartum care, newborn care in the first month of life, and primary care to women across the lifespan starting in adolescence.
The focus of the DNP – Nurse-Midwifery option is to prepare graduates in the Hallmarks of Midwifery to enhance the health of individuals and families in the provision of person-centered, evidence-based, inclusive, ethical, accessible and equitable midwifery care with an emphasis on rural and underserved populations. The nurse-midwifery model prioritizes client self-determination, empowerment, cultural safety, and shared decision-making, and finds a balance between honoring physiologic processes and recommending appropriate interventions. Graduates generate new knowledge through innovation of practice change, the translation of evidence, and the implementation of quality improvement processes in specific practice settings, systems, or with specific populations to improve health or health outcomes. Graduates are eligible to sit for national certification by the American Midwifery Certification Board. Learn more about the American Midwifery Certification Board
The annual application portal opens September 15th and closes December 15thfor the following fall semester admission.
Distance Delivered Format:
All graduate courses are offered via distance delivery with video conference used to supplement content. Seeteaching methods belowfor more information. Travel to Bozeman may be required for some coursework. Applications are limited to students from Montana.
How to apply:
All graduate nursing program applications are conducted through the MSU Graduate Application Portal . Please create an account to initiate the application process.
The following elements are required for a complete application:
- 3 personal essays (prompts can only be found on the first page of the application)
- 3 recent professional references that can speak to your nursing knowledge, motivation, work ethic, and writing ability.
- Official transcripts from all institutions where you completed coursework, even if a degree was not conferred.
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- Unofficial transcripts will be accepted for coursework completed at MSU-Bozeman
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- Ordered transcripts can be sent directly to Graduate Program Manager graduatenursing@montana.edu or the Graduate School.
- Completed and clear background check & urine drug screen via Complio (http://msucompliance.com)
More Details Below:
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Be physically located in Montana
- Undergraduate and graduate minimum GPA of 3.0 is preferred.
- A baccalaureate degree in nursing from a nationally accredited upper division program which included supervised clinical practice in a variety of nursing settings, including nursing leadership/management.
- Successful completion of undergraduate courses in research and statistics.
- Current unencumbered licensure as a registered nurse.
- If clinical education experiences are to be completed in Montana, RN licensure in Montana is required.
- If applicable, English proficiency scores as outlined by the Graduate School.
- Maximum number of transferable credits from prior nursing graduate work is limited to 9 credits from a non-conferred degree, and 30 credits from a conferred degree. Read more in our Graduate Program policy
Full details on Montana State University's graduate cost of attendance and estimated fees can be found on the MSU catalog.
Computer proficiency and reliable Internet access is required for graduate students who are admitted to the program: refer to Technical Requirements.
Stephanie Lighter MSN, CNM, WHNP, APRN
Stephanie graduated from Georgetown University in May 2021 with a dual master’s degree to become a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) and a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP). She then helped launch a midwifery practice, Roots Birth & Women's Health, within Origin Health in Missoula. The Roots midwifery team supports women delivering at both a freestanding birth center and at Community Medical Center. Stephanie joined MSU's midwifery faculty teamin 2025, andishonoredto support the expansion of midwifery care throughout the state of Montana.
Ashley Jones, MSN, CNM, APRN
Ashley is a Montana native and proud alumna of Montana State University–Northern, where she earned her undergraduate degree. She completed her graduate studies in midwifery at Frontier Nursing University. Her professional journey has included serving families in both hospital and out-of-hospital settings, with her current practice focusing on out-of-hospital birth. Ashley believes every woman deserves a healthcare provider who sees her as the expert of her own experience. Supporting and educating women through physiologic birth, informed choice, and individualized care is the most rewarding part of Ashley's work. Ashley joined the MSU midwifery faculty team in 2024, and feels honored to share this journey with the next generation of advanced practice providers! Teaching allows her to combine her love for evidence-based care with the opportunity to mentor and inspire students as they grow into confident, compassionate providers.
Misha Russ MSN, CNM, APRN
Misha is a full-time, full-scope, Certified Nurse-Midwife practicing at Logan Health in Whitefish, Montana. She completed her first graduate program at Harbor-UCLA in 1998 as a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner. As a nurse practitioner she provided prenatal care and family planning services, performed sexual assault forensic examinations, and volunteered on the Thai-Burma border. Misha graduated from the Frontier Nursing University midwifery program in 2019, and has advanced training in Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders. She is passionate about integrating mental health services into primary care. Her favorite part about being a midwife is catching babies. Misha joined the MSU midwifery faculty team in 2025.
Honey Newton, DNP, MSN, CNM, FNP, APRN
Honey is a Certified Nurse-Midwife and Family Nurse Practitioner in the Flathead Valley who serves a diverse population of patients. A graduate of the University of Utah and Gonzaga University, Honey is passionate about clinical research and caring for people who are underserved. She owns Heart and Hands Midwifery and Family Healthcare, a holistic clinic inKalispell. She joined the MSU midwifery faculty team in 2025, and is also an FNP Professor at Gonzaga University. Honey is an experienced preceptor who loves to help students learn new things. She is known throughout the state for her passion and leadership in midwifery care.
Tracy Richman, MSN, CNM, APRN
Tracy was born and raised on the Hi-Line in Northern Montana. She is a proud Bobcat nurse who graduated from MSU with her BSN in 2001. After many years of rural nursing practice, she completed her Master's Degree in Nursing Education from the University of Wyoming. She then taught in MSU’s BSN program for 7 years in Maternal-Child Health and Health Promotion before heading backto school to become a nurse-midwife. Tracy graduated from Frontier Nursing University in 2015 and has been practicing as a nurse-midwife at OB-GYN Associates in Great Falls, MT. Her midwifery practice has included outreach to rural clinics in Shelby and Cutbank. Tracy joined the MSU midwifery faculty team in 2025, and is thrilled to be a part of each student's educational journey.
Mariah Hill, DNP, CNM, APRN, PMH-C
Mariah is the Program Lead for the nurse-midwifery DNP track at MSU, and has been teaching for MRJCON since 2022 in both the graduate and undergraduate nursing programs. She works part-time for Missoula Women’s Healthcare providing primary care and postpartum mental health care. Mariah previously worked in a high-risk perinatal practice in Missoula after graduating from the University of Washington in 2017. She deeply believes in person-centered and trauma-informed care, as well as respect for the physiology of pregnancy and birth. Mariah is thrilled to be part of the first nurse-midwifery program rooted in Montana, and is confident that MSU midwifery graduates will help transform maternal and infant health outcomes in our state. Montana midwives for Montanans!
All Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing graduate courses are offered via 'Distance Delivery' which is defined as a combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities.
Synchronous Intensive Classes: At the discretion of course faculty each semester, classes meet synchronously via video conference monthly. Dates and times are announced at the beginning of each academic year. Some exams/quizzes may also be held synchronously, and students will be given dates/times months in advance.
Asynchronous: During a semester individual students log on to the digital learning management system (at their convenience) to participate in class discussions, submit assignments, take quizzes or exams, complete content modules, or other similar activities. Courses will have published due dates for assignments and activities.
Travel: Travel to Bozeman is typically not expected more than once per year, though this may vary across graduate program options. Travel to Bozeman may include in-person orientation for first year students, clinical skills weeks, and graduation All DNP students should be prepared for the possibility of travel to distant clinical sites within Montana to obtain necessary clinical experiences. Travel to other campuses (Billings, Great Falls, Kalispell, or Missoula) may be required once or twice per year for simulation, exams, or skills checkoffs. Midwifery students will travel to the campus closest to home (Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Kalispell, or Missoula) three times during their pre-clinical semester for interprofessional simulation learning.
Each student completes a DNP Scholarly Project developed in collaboration with a faculty chairperson and committee. Examples of exciting and innovative student projects include: development of mental health outreach programs to the rural elderly; examination of alternative health practices for healing; establishment of pediatric cancer support groups for the rural client; and development of a school-based clinic. An oral defense of the scholarly project and final professional paper is required for the DNP degree.
Accreditation Info:
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree program in nursing, and Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Montana State University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).