Taking MRU's NP and nursing programs from Maryland
Maryland gives NP preceptors a state income tax credit, and its Board reviews every NP program before certifying that program's graduates. Both questions sit with MRU and the Maryland Board of Nursing rather than with you, but knowing them early shapes how you ask a preceptor and how you plan for certification.
Plan your Maryland clinicals
Tell us your MRU program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with what an MRU-ready preceptor and site look like for you.
The MRU menu for Maryland residents
MRU enrolls Marylanders under SARA, and its NC-SARA licensure disclosure lists Maryland with a "Meets" for the FNP, PMHNP and AGACNP tracks. The catalog is careful to say its licensure promise covers Florida only, so treat the Maryland Board of Nursing (MBON) as your reference point. SARA-approved institutions sit outside the Maryland Higher Education Commission's rule on registering online programs based in other states (COMAR 13B.05.01.02).
| Program | For Marylanders | Study mode | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN-FNP | Can apply | Distance or Miami Springs classes | Four clinical courses (no published total) |
| FNP Post-Master's Certificate | Can apply | Distance or Miami Springs classes | Up to those four; a gap analysis decides |
| PMHNP Post-Master's Certificate | Can apply | Remote | 765 across MSN5056C, MSN6057C, MSN6065C |
| AGACNP Post-Master's Certificate | Can apply | Distance, plus a campus weekend in semester I | 810 across three acute-care courses |
| DNP | Can apply holding Florida or Maryland multistate licensure | Offsite and online | 765 practice |
| MSN Healthcare Systems Leadership | Can apply | Distance or Miami Springs classes | 180 practicum |
| RN-to-BSN | Can apply | Distance or Miami Springs classes | 135 clinical |
| ASN, BSN, MSN Direct Entry | Not a distance option | Miami Springs classrooms | 450, 675, 495 |
MBON: no clinical filing found, a program check at certification
We found no MBON rule requiring an out-of-state program to get approval before its students train in Maryland. MBON's education page handles programs from other states as a licensure matter; we consulted it on health.maryland.gov, since mbon.maryland.gov was blocked while we researched. Maryland's Nurse Practice Act carves out an exemption for anyone enrolled in an accredited graduate-level APRN program, covering their practice within that program; the citation is Health Occ. §8-301(d)(2).
Certification is different. Before any graduate is certified as an advanced practice nurse, MBON reviews and approves the NP program they completed, according to the Board. A school missing from its approved list files the Program Approval Form. Anyone aiming to practice in Maryland should check with MRU early that its NP program is on MBON's list.
The NP preceptorship tax credit, and whether it fits MRU rotations
NPs and physicians who take NP students unpaid through a Board-approved preceptorship can earn Maryland's Nurse Practitioner Preceptorship Tax Credit, set out in Tax-General §10-739. To qualify, a preceptor has to complete three or more rotations, each involving at least 90 hours of community-based training, in a place designated a workforce shortage area by the Maryland Department of Health. The credit is paid per rotation, capped per preceptor and statewide each year, and runs until 30 June 2030.
The statute defines the program for NP students in a nursing program the State Board recognizes, so whether an MRU rotation qualifies is an open question for MBON and MRU. Do not promise the credit to a preceptor until that is settled.
Mentorship, full practice and Maryland's systems
Maryland counts as full practice for AANP, subject to one condition: NPs have to declare that they spent 18 months being mentored by a physician or a certified NP. An NP still in that period may be a less obvious choice to precept; MRU's handbook sets the bar, summarized in MRU's preceptor requirements.
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson has about 2.86 million people and Maryland's part of the Washington metro about 2.52 million (2025); Lexington Park and Maryland's share of Hagerstown-Martinsburg are far smaller. Students commonly look at Johns Hopkins Medicine, LifeBridge Health, the University of Maryland Medical System, Luminis Health and MedStar Health; naming them implies no MRU arrangement. A Maryland multistate license, in place since the Compact began on 19 January 2018, covers you here and in Compact neighbors such as Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Where our placement desk comes in
We search around Baltimore, the Maryland suburbs of Washington or farther out for a preceptor suited to your MRU course, and we help you gather what MRU's credential verification needs. If a preceptor has to stop, we search again. MRU approves or turns down every preceptor and site, and each one arrives there with its details complete. See clinicals outside Florida or contact us.
Questions MRU students ask
Will my Maryland preceptor get the NP preceptorship tax credit?
Maybe, but not automatically. Eligibility turns on three or more unpaid rotations, each with 90-plus hours of community-based training in a shortage area named by the Maryland Department of Health, delivered through a Board-approved preceptorship to students in a program the State Board recognizes. Whether MRU's program counts is for MBON and MRU to say.
Does MBON have to approve MRU before I can be certified in Maryland?
By MBON's account, each NP program goes through its review and approval before the Board certifies anyone from it as an advanced practice nurse. Should MRU's program be missing from the approved list, filing the Program Approval Form falls to MRU, not to you. Ask MRU about Maryland well before graduation so the review does not delay your certification.
Does MRU need to register with the Maryland Higher Education Commission?
Not for its online programs, as far as the rule reads. Under COMAR 13B.05.01.02, an institution from another state registers before it enrolls Maryland students online, unless it is approved to participate in SARA, in which case it is exempt. MRU's catalog describes MRU as a SARA participant. Either way, registration would be MRU's matter, not a step you take.
Could my clinical site be in Delaware or Pennsylvania?
Both are Compact states, so a Maryland multistate license covers the practice side. Each state sets separate terms for visiting programs, though; Delaware's Board, for one, wants notice before an out-of-state school uses a Delaware facility. MRU's residency condition is about where you live; loop MRU in before you book any out-of-state hours. See our Delaware page.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against MRU's own catalog, addenda and program pages. The nursing student handbook on the MRU student portal and MRU's Office of Academic Affairs have the final word.
MRU says secure your own preceptor. We start the search now.
Tell us your MRU program, where you live and when your next clinical course starts. We look for preceptors who fit the course and help you gather what MRU checks before approving them.
- Preceptors matched to the course: adult primary care for
MSN5700, women's health, pediatrics, psychiatric or acute care - Credentials, license and site details collected before MRU's credential check
- Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, or wherever in a SARA state you live
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