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Distance Education

The Midwives College of Utah offers a unique distance education program that allows students to complete the academic portion of their degree without having to travel to a campus location. Our exceptional online education model uses resources and technology to build connections and communication between students, faculty, and staff regardless of physical distance. Students are assigned an instructor for each course they are enrolled in and correspond with instructors via e-mail, phone, web conferencing software, or online asynchronous class discussion.

Students complete the hands-on clinical portion of their program while working with an approved preceptor (midwife), preferably in their local area. These preceptors are MCU’s field faculty. Integrated Assessments offer students the opportunity to demonstrate academic knowledge, clinical skills, the ability to analyze and navigate scenarios, and implement client care and education. Students are required to pass these assessments at the end of each phase of the BSM program. To accommodate student schedules, Integrated Assessments are held at the end of each trimester in a virtual setting. The online assessment format is designed to maintain rigorous standards and allows you to effectively demonstrate your skills and knowledge while remaining accessible. Integrated assessments carry additional fees, which can be found in the fee schedule on our website.

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A student taking notes during a video call for online learning at home.
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  • Students are most likely to be successful in the MCU distance program if they:
  • are self–directed learners,
  • can work independently in an online learning environment,
  • have access to local clinical opportunities, and/or
  • can relocate or travel to clinical placements outside of their community

Designed for Success

Midwives College of Utah is designed for midwifery students who need the flexibility and location freedom that distance education offers. As valuable as this freedom is, students find that the elements of structure built into MCU’s program(s) lead to success. MCU provides general guidelines and boundary structure, while including significant flexibility to meet learners where they are. We use data analysis of our systems and support structures to identify the parameters that help the completion of classes and ultimately support learning to become midwives of excellence.

Although there is a maximum program length for graduation, most MCU students earn their degrees in four years or less. For all students who graduated from Fall 2016 on, the average time-to-degree (TTD) completion was:

years
0

CPM-to-BSM program (n=10)

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0

BSM program (n=93)

years
0

MSM program (n=3)

Learning Flexibility

Synchronous instruction with weekly engagements and assignment flexibility supports dynamic learning and course pacing so that academic and clinical studies can be completed within the 15-week trimester. MCU operates on a trimester schedule.  The MCU academic year is divided into three trimesters.


Winter—January through mid-April

Summer—May through mid-August

Fall—September through mid-December


Students enroll in courses before the beginning of each trimester. All courses should be completed within 15 weeks (one trimester) of activation. The trimester system allows students to begin new courses with other students, making student study groups and interactive sessions more effective.


Please see Extensions for Coursework in the Student Policies. 

Student Policies

Freedom of Location

Students can complete their academic studies remotely via Canvas-MCU’s state-of-the-art distance learning platform. Clinical training takes place with an MCU-approved preceptor within the United States. Ideally, students have identified appropriate local clinical training options before entering the MCU program; however, you may need to relocate or travel for part or all of their clinical training.

Freedom of Location

Due to federal regulations, we can only enroll students where our program provides a pathway to licensure in the state they are currently living in or plans to move to.
Learn More

Financial Obligation

MCU offers students a reasonable Cost of Program and Title IV funding. Please see the Cost of Program section in the Student Handbook and MCU’s Title IV Handbook for specific rules and regulations related to Title IV.

Financial Obligation

Students may utilize a variety of methods to pay for their tuition: private pay, federal financial aid, private loans, military/veteran programs, and scholarships.
Learn More

Support Services

The mission of the MCU House Mentor Program is to support the development of Midwives of Excellence by fostering a unique culture of connection that promotes personal and professional peer bonding; by providing each student continuity of care through progress monitoring and coaching; and by committing to personal transformation with special attention to the concepts taught in the MCU communication courses.

House mentors will regularly check in with students to help build a strong foundation for personal success and professional development. Some students find that a weekly email to their house mentor describing what they have accomplished the week before and outlining their plans for the next week can be helpful.

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Learn more about the application process and the various programs that we offer. 

Enroll in continuing education classes for college credit. Visit the Registrar page to lear more about the process, deadlines, and costs. 

To take courses on your time at your own pace and earn MEAC CEUs, visit our Academy of Continuing Education (ACE). 

To view our policies and additional information, visit our Student Handbook.