The need in modern healthcare for professionals who are self-directed and autonomous has increased in recent decades. Problem-based learning is spreading in nursing education as one strategy for meeting these demands. This article deals with the relationship between the design and execution of nursing education curricula and students' understanding of nursing. The aim of the study was to examine nursing students' perceptions of nursing, comparing a problem-based curriculum to a conventional curriculum. Students were asked to write narratives about nursing. Forty-three narratives were analyzed using the phenomenological hermeneutic method. Differences between the two groups were found in terms of both structure and content. Problem-based learning students stressed more the theoretical aspects of nursing. The study shows that educational design might be of great importance to how students understand nursing. Extensive research is needed to further explore the findings, especially related to clinical practice following graduation.