Graceland University and Maryland: a practical reading
On Graceland University's June 2020 licensure chart, Maryland is one of five states where the MSN will not lead to licensure, a no that reaches every NP track and certificate. Maryland's board adds a gate of its own by reviewing each NP program before certifying its graduates. This page is for Maryland nurses in Graceland's DNP or RN-BSN, students relocating, and residents sorting out what applies to them.
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Maryland on each Graceland chart
| Graceland chart | Maryland | Reading it |
|---|---|---|
| MSN (all NP tracks, RN-to-MSN, certificates) | NO | States that the MSN "will not lead to licensure in the state of Maryland." |
| DNP | No | Standard post-licensure wording. You bring your license in; the degree adds none. |
| RN to BSN | No | Same wording, same meaning: a degree for nurses already licensed. |
| BSN to RN | Unknown | The campus pre-licensure program, aimed at Iowa licensure and not approved by Maryland's board. |
The chart is Graceland's newest, and it dates from June 2020. Graceland's School of Nursing can give today's position, and its web page lists who to ask; the licensure disclosures guide explains how the charts are built.
Maryland reviews NP programs before certifying graduates
Before the Maryland Board of Nursing (MBON) grants APRN certification, it wants to have reviewed and approved the NP program the applicant finished. When a program is absent from that list, the school has to send in the Program Approval Form; a graduate cannot file it alone.
A Maryland NP credential turns on that step, and Graceland's chart says nothing about whether it was ever taken. That is a question for the School of Nursing, since the board looks to the school to act.
AANP places Maryland among full-practice states, with an early condition: new NPs attest to an 18-month mentoring period with a physician or a certified NP.
Clinical hours in Maryland: what the rules say
Our research found no MBON requirement that out-of-state programs win approval before placing students in Maryland clinicals. Its education page treats programs from elsewhere as a question for licensure applicants, offering a tool for judging substantial equivalency and naming the out-of-state prelicensure programs it has and has not approved.
Maryland also lets an APRN student practice in that role without being licensed for it, as long as the work happens inside an accredited graduate program; the exemption sits in §8-301(d)(2) of the Health Occupations article. Online schools based elsewhere normally register with the state's Higher Education Commission before enrolling Marylanders, a step COMAR 13B.05.01.02 waives for SARA institutions, and Graceland has taken part through NC-SARA since February 2016.
Johns Hopkins Medicine is the best-known employer, alongside UMMS (the University of Maryland Medical System), MedStar, LifeBridge and Luminis Health, and the metros run from Baltimore-Columbia-Towson and the Maryland side of greater Washington to Hagerstown and Lexington Park. Each system keeps its own student terms.
Maryland's preceptor tax credit
Under Tax-General §10-739, a Maryland NP or physician who teaches NP students in a board-approved preceptorship can earn a state income tax credit. The preceptor needs three or more rotations of 90-plus hours apiece, based in the community and located where Maryland's health department sees a shortage of health workers. The statute carries an end date of June 30, 2030.
Eligibility is tied to students whose program the state's nursing board recognizes. Given Graceland's Maryland row, a preceptor should confirm eligibility with the Maryland Department of Health before counting on it for a Graceland student.
Licenses, and who we help in Maryland
Multistate licenses have worked in Maryland since January 19, 2018; a nurse relying on one follows Maryland law, per COMAR 10.27.01.03(B). Graceland still wants board verification for your home-state license and each approved practicum state; the RN license page shows how.
Maryland nurses in Graceland's DNP or RN-BSN can treat the chart's no as a label. Anyone weighing a move into Maryland mid-program should read relocating during the program and get the School of Nursing's answer before signing a lease.
We find Maryland DNP students a practice site and mentor fitted to their project, match RN-BSN students with an organization for NURS4350 or NURS4460, and, if Graceland signs off on NP practicums in Virginia, the one bordering state with a meets answer, deliver preceptors there with every detail the Appendix A and Appendix B forms ask for. The form below is the first step.
Questions Graceland students ask
Can I study a Graceland NP track while living in Maryland?
Graceland's June 2020 chart says the MSN, every NP track and certificate included, will not lead to licensure in Maryland. Because MBON certifies an NP only after reviewing that NP's program, and the school files for the review, raise two questions with the School of Nursing before you apply: does it take Maryland residents, and where does it stand with the board?
What does the chart say about states around Maryland?
Virginia is the lone meets answer nearby. Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia read unknown, and the District of Columbia is absent from the chart. A row governs licensure only in its own state, so hours logged over the line leave the Maryland answer alone; out-of-state practicums also need Graceland's approval and a valid RN license on site.
Is the Maryland Higher Education Commission a hurdle for Graceland?
No. The Commission's registration step for online schools based elsewhere is waived for SARA institutions under COMAR 13B.05.01.02, which covers Graceland, a member since February 2016. That settles the distance-education side only. Licensure and practicum approval remain separate questions for the School of Nursing.
Do Maryland clinical hours need a Maryland RN license?
Not always. If your primary residence is another compact state and your license there is multistate, it already covers Maryland; if you live in Maryland, your license comes from the Maryland board. Either way, Graceland wants the board's verification, not a photocopy, for each license involved.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Graceland's own catalog, program pages and Graduate Student Handbook. Your handbook, your track coordinator and the contract coordinators have the final word.
Graceland's practicums are arranged by you, with Graceland's help. We do the searching.
Tell us your Graceland track, your city and your next practicum. We find preceptors who fit the course, line up what Appendix A and Appendix B ask for, and aim everything at Graceland's paperwork deadline for your term.
- Preceptors matched to the course: primary care for FNP, hospital and ICU clinicians for AGACNP, psychiatrists and PMHNPs for PMHNP
- Site address, contract contact and preceptor details ready before the June 15, October 15 or February 15 deadline
- Close to home in your approved state, with a second preceptor planned for Graceland's two-preceptor rule
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