Nursing home administrator license requirements in Maryland.

Board

Maryland State Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators (Maryland Department of Health) Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Education floor

A bachelor's degree A baccalaureate degree is required at the time of application. An applicant without a health-care-administration degree may instead present at least 100 hours of a board-approved course of study in health care administration completed within the preceding 5 years (COMAR 10.33.01.06). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Administrator-in-Training hours

0 to 2,080 hours depending on your degree or experience

• 2,080 hours: The standard Administrator-in-Training program: 12 months full-time (a standard 40-hour week, converted here to its 2,080-hour full-time-year equivalent since Maryland states the requirement in months, not hours) or 18 months part-time at a minimum of 30 hours a week, with at least 80 percent of training occurring in 6 to 8 consecutive hours a day and a preceptor providing at least 16 hours a week of direct on-site supervision. Credit reductions apply for prior hospital or nursing-facility assistant-administrator experience (COMAR 10.33.01.13).
• 0 hours: In place of the AIT program, an applicant who served one year as the full-time nursing home administrator of record in a nursing facility within the preceding 5 years satisfies this requirement directly with no internship hours (COMAR 10.33.01.06).

Board source · checked 2026-07-29

National NAB exams

Required (CORE of Knowledge + Nursing Home Administrator) A passing grade on the NAB examination administered by the Board is required unless the applicant qualifies for an examination waiver under a separate regulation. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Separate state exam

Required In addition to the national NAB examination, Maryland requires applicants (including those seeking reciprocity) to demonstrate familiarity with State and local health and safety regulations and pass the Maryland State Standards Examination (COMAR 10.33.01.25). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Initial license fee

$300 $300 total for initial licensure: a $100 initial application fee plus a $200 original license fee (COMAR 10.33.01.08). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Renewal fee

$200 $200 biennial license renewal fee. A reinstatement fee is also $200; a duplicate license is $50 (COMAR 10.33.01.08). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Continuing education

40 hours per biennial cycle A minimum of 40 hours of board-approved continuing education is required within the 2-year period before the relicensure date (COMAR 10.33.01.12). Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Reciprocity / endorsement

endorsement available Maryland endorses a nursing home administrator license from a state with substantially equivalent qualification and examination standards that offers Maryland similar recognition, provided the applicant demonstrates familiarity with Maryland's health and safety regulations, passes the Maryland State Standards Examination, and holds a current, unrevoked, unsuspended license in every state where licensed (COMAR 10.33.01.25). The national NAB exam is not retaken. Board source · checked 2026-07-29

Statutes and rules: Md. Health Occupations Article, Title 9; COMAR Title 10, Subtitle 33 (Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators). Figures change on the board's own schedule. Confirm against the board before you apply or pay.

1. Get your checklist. The requirements wizard resolves Maryland's requirements for your exact degree.
2. Plan your hours. The AIT-hours tracker turns Maryland's hour target into a finish date.
3. Moving here from another state? The reciprocity checker reads Maryland's endorsement rule.