Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN | $39,010 | 24–48 mos | 47–56 |
| Certificate | $25,110–$34,830 | ~12 mos | 31–43 |
USF’s defining advantage is cost: at roughly $39,010 for the 47-credit MSN, it is the least expensive master’s-level PMHNP route in Illinois, delivered fully online in 16-week terms with new cohorts starting every semester. The trade-off is thin published detail — USF does not state a total clinical hour count or a placement policy, so budget-conscious applicants should confirm both with admissions.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN, Post-Master’s Certificate |
| Format | Online; 16-week terms; cohorts start every semester |
| Clinical Hours | Not clearly stated; 15 practicum credits across 3 courses |
| Clinical Placement | Not clearly stated; grant-funded partner sites in Joliet and Chicago |
| Population | Lifespan |
| Distinctive Coursework | Optional nurse-educator sequence (up to 12 credits) |
| RN License Requirements | Active, unencumbered RN license |
| Tuition | $830/credit MSN; $810/credit certificate (2026–27) |
| Tuition Discounts | 20% alumni discount; employer partner discounts; ANEW scholarships |
| Accreditation | CCNE (since 2005); HLC institutional |
Master of Science in Nursing – PMHNP
The estimated tuition for the MSN-PMHNP at University of St. Francis is approximately $39,010 (47 graduate credits at $830/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 24–48 months depending on full-time or part-time pacing.
The catalog lists the MSN at 47–56 credit hours. The 47 credits are the graduate curriculum; the higher figure adds 9 undergraduate prerequisite credits (statistics, physical assessment, nursing research) required only of students who haven’t already completed them. Prerequisites are billed at undergraduate rates, so they add cost beyond the $39,010 estimate. Some third-party listings show this MSN at 31–43 credits — that is the certificate’s range, not the MSN’s.
MSN Curriculum
The curriculum runs in three tiers, and the design matters for anyone comparing against Illinois’ DNP-heavy alternatives: USF delivers the full APRN role preparation in 47 credits, roughly half to two-thirds the credit load of the state’s BSN-to-DNP programs, which is where the cost advantage comes from.
Graduate Core (16 credits). Four courses in APRN roles, biostatistics and research, population health, and evidence-based care. This is the tier certificate students skip, since a prior master’s covers it.
Advanced Practice Core (16 credits). The three standard APRN sciences plus a dedicated psychiatric pharmacotherapeutics course covering prescribing for children, older adults, and the reproductive lifespan — a notable inclusion, since many programs fold psych prescribing into a general pharmacology course.
Specialty Practica (15 credits). Three sequential Clinical Management courses that build from therapeutic alliance and DSM-based diagnosis, through psychotherapeutic modalities (individual, group, couples/family), to full integrated practice management.
Optional Nurse-Educator Sequence. Students can add up to three education courses, including a 120-hour teaching practicum — useful for nurses eyeing faculty or staff-development roles alongside clinical practice, and uncommon as an add-on within a PMHNP master’s.
Core coursework includes:
- NURS 610 Advanced Practice Nursing: Roles and Issues (4)
- NURS 611 Biostatistics and Research (4)
- NURS 620 Advanced Pathophysiology (4)
- NURS 621 Advanced Pharmacology (4)
- NURS 622 Advanced Health Assessment (4)
- NURS 651 Pharmacotherapeutics in Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing (4)
- NURS 653–655 Psychiatric-Mental Health NP Clinical Management I–III (5 each)
More curriculum details are available here.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- Total clinical hours: not clearly stated by USF
- Clinical training is embedded in the three 5-credit Clinical Management practica (15 credits total)
- Placement policy (student-arranged vs. school-arranged): not clearly stated
- Settings span acute emergency psychiatry, community mental health, private practice, integrated psychiatric/primary care, and long-term care
- USF holds a federal ANEW workforce grant with partner sites including the Will County Health Department, Will-Grundy Medical Clinic (Joliet), and Above & Beyond Family Recovery Center (Chicago); grant participants complete a 334-hour PMHNP rotation at the county health department
The missing hour total is the biggest comparison gap on this page. National certification requires a minimum of 500 supervised hours, and three 5-credit practica would typically land in the 500–750 range, but USF publishes no figure — ask admissions directly before comparing against Rosalind Franklin (1,120 hours) or Rush (1,008). The ANEW partnerships are a genuine plus for Joliet-area students: they signal established local clinical infrastructure and carry scholarships of up to $15,000 per year for selected FNP/PMHNP students, though grant funding is time-limited and availability should be confirmed.
MSN Admissions
Admissions requirements are notably light for Illinois — no minimum GPA is published, no psychiatric experience is required, and admission is rolling with starts every semester, a sharp contrast to the experience gates and single-intake calendars at most in-state rivals.
- BSN from an accredited institution
- Active, unencumbered RN license
- USF general graduate admission requirements
- Minimum GPA: not clearly stated
- An RN-to-MSN entry option is available for nurses without a BSN
Post-Master’s Certificate – PMHNP
The estimated tuition for the Post-Master’s Certificate PMHNP at University of St. Francis is approximately $25,110 for the required 31 credits ($810/credit), rising to $34,830 if all 12 optional education credits are added.
The program can generally be completed in about 12 months at a full-time pace, though a gap analysis sets each student’s actual plan.
Certificate Curriculum
The certificate is the MSN with the graduate core removed: certificate students take exactly the same Advanced Practice Core and the same three Clinical Management practica as MSN students. That structural identity is worth understanding — the clinical preparation is not a condensed version, so a certificate graduate exits with the same specialty training as an MSN graduate.
- Advanced Practice Core (16 credits): NURS 620 Advanced Pathophysiology, NURS 621 Advanced Pharmacology, NURS 622 Advanced Health Assessment, NURS 651 Pharmacotherapeutics in Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing
- Practica (15 credits): NURS 653–655 Psychiatric-Mental Health NP Clinical Management I–III
- Optional Support Courses (0–12 credits): Teaching in Nursing, Nursing Education Methods and Measurement, Nursing Education Practicum
A gap analysis of prior graduate coursework determines whether any of the 31 required credits can be waived, so nurses who completed APRN sciences (patho, pharm, assessment) in a recent NP master’s may finish with meaningfully fewer credits and lower cost. More curriculum details are available here.
Certificate Clinical Requirements
- Same three sequential Clinical Management practica as the MSN (15 credits)
- Total clinical hours: not clearly stated
- Placement policy: not clearly stated
Because the clinical spine is shared with the MSN, the same caveat applies: confirm the hour total with admissions. For already-certified NPs (e.g., FNPs adding psych), also ask whether the gap analysis reduces any practicum requirements — USF doesn’t say.
Certificate Admissions
The one distinctive step is the gap analysis, which individualizes the credit load after admission rather than before.
- Master’s degree in nursing from an accredited institution
- Active, unencumbered RN license
- USF general post-master’s certificate admission requirements
- Gap analysis of prior graduate coursework determines the required plan of study
Tuition
Total estimated tuition is approximately $39,010 for the MSN (47 graduate credits × $830/credit, 2026–27 rate) and $25,110–$34,830 for the certificate (31–43 credits × $810/credit).
- Rates have risen each year: the MSN went from $810 (2025–26) to $830 (2026–27), about 2.5% annually. Multi-year part-time students should budget for further increases.
- Some third-party listings still show $799/credit for the MSN and certificate rates as low as $544/credit; the $799 is a prior-year rate and the $544 is the rate for USF’s Arts & Sciences certificates, not nursing. Nursing post-master’s certificates are a flat $810.
- Technology fee: $125 per semester for graduate students
- MSN digital remote proctoring service: $49
- Graduation application fee: $150
- Undergraduate prerequisites (up to 9 credits), if needed for the MSN, are billed separately at undergraduate rates
- Discounts: 20% alumni discount on master’s and post-master’s certificate tuition; employer partner discounts through USF corporate partnerships; ANEW grant scholarships up to $15,000/year for selected FNP/PMHNP students
The all-in picture stays favorable: even with semester fees added, a full-time MSN student’s total lands around $40K — and a qualifying USF alum would pay roughly $31K after the 20% discount, an unusually large lever that most applicants overlook.
See the official tuition page for details.
Why Choose This PMHNP Program?
Best suited for cost-conscious Illinois RNs who want the master’s credential without a doctorate’s price tag, need zero campus travel, and don’t want to wait for a once-a-year intake.
The arithmetic is USF’s core case. Illinois’ PMHNP market is dominated by DNP programs running $59K–$123K (Rush, Loyola, UIC, Rosalind Franklin). Only two schools in the state offer a standalone MSN, and USF undercuts North Central College ($41,654) while also skipping North Central’s 2–3 required Naperville immersions — USF has no campus visits at all. Layer on rolling admission with cohorts every semester, no published GPA floor, and no psychiatric experience gate, and USF is also the lowest-friction entry point in Illinois; Loyola, by comparison, requires 2,000 hours of recent psych nursing experience before the first practicum.
The trade-offs are transparency and support. USF publishes no total clinical hour count and no placement policy, while Loyola and Rosalind Franklin arrange every rotation for their students, and Rush pairs its 1,008 hours with telepsychiatry simulation. USF also lacks a big-name health system brand, and its steady ~2.5% annual rate increases erode the cost edge for slow-paced part-time students. If price, flexibility, and low admissions barriers rank above placement hand-holding and prestige, USF is the strongest value in the state; if you want your rotations arranged for you, look at Loyola or Rosalind Franklin and pay accordingly.
Accreditation
The baccalaureate, master’s, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at the University of St. Francis are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), a status held since 2005 and verified from the university’s accreditation page — a scope that explicitly covers both the PMHNP MSN and the post-master’s certificate. The university has held institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission since 1938 and is authorized by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. USF states that PMHNP graduates are eligible to sit for certification through either ANCC or AANP, and publishes program pass rates.
More Illinois PMHNP Programs
- Illinois State University - Normal
- Loyola University - Maywood
- North Central College - Naperville
- Rosalind Franklin University - Chicago
- Rush University - Chicago
- University of Illinois Chicago - Chicago