Pace University PMHNP Programs

Lienhard School of Nursing • New York, NY • Mostly Online • $1,585/Credit

Pace University offers 2 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Tracks:

  • MS
  • Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MS$78K~2 yrs (part-time)49
Advanced Certificate$44K–$59K1.5–2 yrs (part-time)28–37

Primarily online coursework with just one to two campus visits per semester makes it the most online-friendly PMHNP option in the New York metro area, open to working nurses across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesMS (49 credits), Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (28–37 credits)
FormatMostly Online — synchronous/asynchronous online with 1–2 campus visits per semester
Clinical Hours760 (both tracks)
Clinical PlacementIndividually precepted; who arranges placements is not clearly stated
Clinical SettingsHospitals, outpatient, community mental health, substance abuse programs, shelters, private practice
PopulationLifespan, primary care focus, emphasis on vulnerable populations and mental health disparities
Experience Requirement1 year of psychiatric nursing experience required for both tracks
Enrollment EligibilityResidents of NY, NJ, and CT only
CertificationGraduates eligible for both ANCC and AANP exams
Tuition$1,585/credit
AccreditationCCNE (MS program)

MS PMHNP

The estimated tuition for the MS PMHNP at Pace University is approximately $77,665 (49 credits at $1,585/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 2 years part-time, blending synchronous and asynchronous online coursework with individually precepted clinical practica.

MS Curriculum

The 49 credits divide into a 21-credit nursing common core — advanced practice foundations, systems-based practice, primary health care, scholarly inquiry, and the three P’s — and a 28-credit PMHNP specialization. The specialty spine is a four-course Advanced Theory and Practice sequence (4, 6, 6, and 6 credits) that carries the clinical practica and escalates from early intervention through psychotherapy-integrated management of complex conditions to a final synthesis course preparing for independent practice. Dedicated psychopharmacology and diagnostic reasoning courses front-load the sequence, with substance use disorders addressed within diagnostic training.

  • Advanced Physical Assessment Across the Lifespan; Pathophysiology; Clinical Pharmacology for Prescribing
  • Psychopharmacology in Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing
  • Diagnostic Reasoning for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners
  • Advanced Theory and Practice I–IV for PMHNPs (clinical practicum sequence)

More curriculum details are available here.

MS Clinical Requirements

The MS requires 760 supervised clinical hours — above the 500–600 typical of MSN-level PMHNP programs — and the setting range is unusually broad, extending past hospitals and clinics into substance abuse programs, shelters, and private practice, consistent with the program’s vulnerable-populations emphasis.

  • 760 total supervised clinical hours
  • Individually precepted placements; arranging responsibility not clearly stated
  • Settings span hospitals, outpatient clinics, community mental health, substance abuse facilities, shelters, and private practice

MS Admissions

Pace requires psychiatric experience up front — a meaningful gate that means classmates arrive with mental health backgrounds.

  • BSN from an accredited nursing program
  • Active New York State RN license
  • Minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA
  • One year of clinical experience in psychiatric nursing (required, not preferred)
  • Undergraduate statistics with a C or higher
  • Personal statement (500–600 words), resume with 5-year employment history, 2 letters of recommendation
  • No GRE or Miller Analogy Test; personal interview may be required
  • Application deadline: March 1
  • Residents of NY, NJ, and CT only

Advanced Certificate PMHNP

The estimated tuition for the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies PMHNP at Pace University is approximately $44,380–$58,645 (28–37 credits at $1,585/credit, set by gap analysis). The program can generally be completed in about 1.5–2 years part-time and starts each fall.

Certificate Curriculum

Built for master’s-prepared nurses and NPs certified in another specialty, the certificate delivers the full PMHNP specialization — psychopharmacology, diagnostic reasoning, and the complete four-course Advanced Theory and Practice sequence. The three P’s are required for all non-NP entrants, and there’s a freshness rule worth knowing: physical assessment and clinical pharmacology credit is only accepted if completed within two years of starting the practicum sequence; otherwise a test-out option applies. Applicants with pre-licensure master’s degrees may need additional common core courses.

  • Psychopharmacology in Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing
  • Diagnostic Reasoning for PMHNPs
  • Advanced Physical Assessment, Pathophysiology, Clinical Pharmacology (non-NP entrants)
  • Advanced Theory and Practice I–IV for PMHNPs

More curriculum details are available here.

Certificate Clinical Requirements

The certificate carries the identical 760-hour clinical requirement as the MS — no reduction for prior NP certification — across the same breadth of psychiatric settings.

  • 760 total supervised clinical hours
  • Individually precepted placements
  • Outpatient, community, institutional, and substance abuse environments

Certificate Admissions

  • Master’s degree in nursing
  • NP certification in another specialty, or master’s-prepared nurse seeking PMHNP credentials
  • One year of psychiatric mental health nursing experience
  • Credits set by individual gap analysis
  • Fall start
  • Residents of NY, NJ, and CT only

Tuition

Total tuition runs approximately $77,665 for the MS and $44,380–$58,645 for the certificate, both billed at $1,585 per credit — roughly 60% of NYU’s rate for a comparably located program. The certificate’s range reflects gap-analysis credit assignments between 28 and 37 credits. Tuition is subject to change annually. More tuition details are available here.

Why Choose This PMHNP Program?

Pace occupies a niche no other New York metro program in this guide fills: near-online delivery. One to two campus visits per semester is a fraction of what campus-based programs demand, and the tri-state enrollment window (NY, NJ, CT) extends access beyond schools requiring a New York license alone. The clinical package supports the flexibility rather than diluting it — 760 precepted hours across settings that include shelters and substance abuse programs, a range aligned with the curriculum’s vulnerable-populations focus. Graduates also leave with dual exam eligibility (ANCC and AANP), which most New York programs don’t advertise.

The gates are real. A full year of psychiatric nursing experience is required — not preferred — for both tracks, which shuts out med-surg nurses hoping to pivot directly into psych. Both tracks run part-time with one intake per year (March 1 deadline for the MS; fall start for the certificate), and who actually arranges the individually precepted placements isn’t published — ask before enrolling. Head-to-head with NYU: Pace’s MS costs roughly $78K to NYU’s $127K and trades NYU’s faculty-arranged flagship-hospital network for online convenience and a lower bill.

The nurse Pace fits best already works in psychiatric care somewhere in the tri-state area, wants to keep that job through school, and values schedule flexibility over prestige placements.

Accreditation

The Pace University PMHNP MS program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The university states graduates of both the MS and certificate programs meet eligibility requirements for national PMHNP certification through both the ANCC and the AANP. Separate accreditation status for the certificate is not clearly stated.

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