MCPHS PMHNP Programs (Psych NP)

Program Tracks Overview

Program	Est. Tuition	Est. Duration
MSN PMHNP	~$55K	27 months
AD-to-MSN PMHNP Bridge	~$80K	~3+ years

MCPHS is one of the few PMHNP programs that accepts both BSN and ADN nurses, front-loads five semesters of coursework before clinical rotations, earned a 100% ANCC first-time pass rate in 2024, and allows students to complete all 750 clinical hours in their own community.

MSN PMHNP

The estimated cost for the MSN Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at MCPHS is approximately $55,000.

Estimate based on42 credits × $1,275/credit = $53,550 + $600 online technology fee + $390 graduation fee.

The program takes 27 months to complete.

MSN Curriculum

The MSN PMHNP requires 42 total credits structured across seven semesters.

The design is deliberately front-loaded.

Semesters one through five are entirely didactic, building an advanced knowledge base in pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment, evidence-based practice, population health, NP role development, quality and leadership, and psychiatric mental health theory and psychopharmacology before a single clinical hour is logged.

Semesters six and seven are immersive clinical rotations — 375 hours each — focused exclusively on PMHNP practice.

This model gives students five semesters to develop diagnostic, psychopharmacological, and psychotherapeutic competencies before applying them to patients.

Year 1, Semester 1 (6 credits):

NUR 720 – Introduction to Graduate Studies (1 cr)
NUR 724 – Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology (3 cr)
NUR 722 – Nurse Practitioner Role and Professional Identity Development (2 cr)

Year 1, Semester 2 (8 credits):

NUR 730 – Translation of Evidence to Inform NP Practice (3 cr)
NUR 726 – Advanced Pharmacology for the NP (3 cr)
NUR 732 – Advanced Population Health Concept (2 cr)

Year 1, Semester 3 (6 credits):

NUR 740 – Advanced Health Assessment (4 cr)
NUR 812 – Management of Psychiatric Mental Health Conditions: Psychopharmacology and Psychotherapeutics (2 cr)

Year 2, Semester 4 (7 credits):

NUR 804 – Quality and Leadership for Advanced Practice (2 cr)
NUR 813 – Psychiatric Mental Health Provider I (5 cr)

Year 2, Semester 5 (5 credits):

NUR 814 – Psychiatric Mental Health Provider II (5 cr)

Year 2, Semester 6 — Clinical Immersion (5 credits):

NUR 815 – PMHNP Clinical Experience I (5 cr, 375 hours)

Year 2, Semester 7 — Clinical Immersion (5 credits):

NUR 817 – PMHNP Clinical Experience II (5 cr, 375 hours)

MSN Clinicals

The MSN PMHNP requires 750 direct patient care hours completed under an approved preceptor across two dedicated clinical immersion semesters.

Clinical rotations are completed in the student’s own community.

Students are responsible for identifying and securing clinical placements, which must be approved by the clinical faculty and course coordinator.

Total clinical hours: 750 (375 hours per semester × 2 semesters)
NUR 815 – PMHNP Clinical Experience I: 375 hours
NUR 817 – PMHNP Clinical Experience II: 375 hours
Clinical settings include: community mental health centers, inpatient psychiatry, private psychiatric practice, outpatient psychiatry clinics, psychiatric consult services, state psychiatric facilities, VA psychiatric facilities, urban nurse-managed clinics
Potential alternate sites (with prior approval): psychopharmacology clinics, residential substance abuse facilities
Note: Students source their own preceptors; placements must be approved by the clinical faculty and course coordinator
Out-of-state students must notify the Clinical Coordinator and Track Director before completing rotations outside Massachusetts or their home state of record
Two required on-campus residencies (2 days each) at Worcester, MA campus, plus one online orientation residency

MSN Admissions

The MSN PMHNP requires a BSN from an accredited institution with a minimum 3.0 GPA in nursing coursework; free application with fall, spring, and summer starts.

BSN from an accredited college or university required
Minimum GPA: 3.0 in nursing coursework
Current unencumbered RN license in the jurisdiction where experiential learning will occur
Free MCPHS graduate application (no application fee)
Personal essay (500+ words)
Official transcripts from every college attended
1 professional letter of recommendation
Copy of current RN license
Resume or CV
Fall, spring, and summer starts available
Applications reviewed on a rolling basis once all materials are received

AD-to-MSN PMHNP Bridge Program

The estimated cost for the AD-to-MSN Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Bridge Program at MCPHS is approximately $80,000.

Estimate based on 62 total credits × $1,275/credit = $79,050 + $600 online technology fee + $390 graduation fee.

The program takes approximately 3 or more years to complete (1 bridge year + 27-month MSN).

AD-to-MSN Curriculum

The AD-to-MSN PMHNP totals 62 credits: a 20-credit bridge year followed by the full 42-credit MSN PMHNP curriculum.

The bridge year — three semesters — expands the ADN nurse’s skills and competencies to the baccalaureate level through coursework in health assessment and clinical reasoning, population health and health policy, role and legal concepts for the professional nurse, evidence-based practice application, and leadership and management.

The bridge year also includes 100 experiential hours in community-based settings through a Community-Based Health Education Project, but these hours do not count toward the 750-hour MSN preceptorship requirement.

After completing the bridge, students proceed directly into the MSN curriculum without interruption. An online residency orientation is attended prior to starting bridge courses; the two on-campus residencies are part of the MSN phase.

Bridge Year courses (20 credits):

NUR 440 – Transition to Graduate Studies (1 cr)
NUR 454 – Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning (5 cr, includes 40 experiential hours)
NUR 456 – Intro to Population Health and Health Policy (4 cr, includes 20 experiential hours)
NUR 442 – Role and Legal Concepts for the Professional Nurse (3 cr)
NUR 458 – Evidence Based Practice Application (4 cr, includes 20 experiential hours)
NUR 460 – Leadership, Management and Delegation Skills and Competencies for Nursing Practice (3 cr, includes 20 experiential hours)

MSN courses (42 credits — identical to the MSN PMHNP curriculum):

NUR 720 – Introduction to Graduate Studies (1 cr)
NUR 724 – Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology (3 cr)
NUR 722 – Nurse Practitioner Role and Professional Identity Development (2 cr)
NUR 730 – Translation of Evidence to Inform NP Practice (3 cr)
NUR 726 – Advanced Pharmacology for the NP (3 cr)
NUR 732 – Advanced Population Health Concept (2 cr)
NUR 740 – Advanced Health Assessment (4 cr)
NUR 812 – Management of Psychiatric Mental Health Conditions: Psychopharmacology and Psychotherapeutics (2 cr)
NUR 804 – Quality and Leadership for Advanced Practice (2 cr)
NUR 813 – Psychiatric Mental Health Provider I (5 cr)
NUR 814 – Psychiatric Mental Health Provider II (5 cr)
NUR 815 – PMHNP Clinical Experiential Hours (5 cr, 375 hrs)
NUR 821 – PMHNP Clinical Experiential Hours (5 cr, 375 hrs)

AD-to-MSN Clinicals

The bridge year includes 100 experiential hours in community-based settings (as part of bridge coursework), but these do not count toward the 750-hour MSN preceptorship requirement. The MSN phase requires the same 750 direct patient care hours in PMHNP settings as the standalone MSN track, completed in the student’s local community under an approved preceptor.

Bridge year experiential hours: 100 (community-based health education project, may include simulation or lab)
MSN preceptorship hours: 750 (375 hrs × 2 clinical semesters — NUR 815 + NUR 821)
Bridge year hours do NOT count toward the 750-hour preceptorship requirement
Note: Students source their own preceptors for MSN clinical rotations; placements must be approved
Same clinical setting options and geographic notification requirements as MSN PMHNP

AD-to-MSN Admissions

The AD-to-MSN bridge requires an associate’s degree in nursing with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA; fall start only.

Associate’s degree in nursing from a state-approved program required
Minimum GPA: 2.0 in arts and sciences courses AND 3.0 cumulative GPA
RN licensure in the state where clinical hours will be completed
Free MCPHS graduate application
Official transcripts from all schools and colleges attended
Resume or CV
Personal statement
Fall start only
Note: Geographic eligibility list for the AD-to-MSN is more limited than the MSN — confirm your state eligibility before applying

Tuition

MCPHS charges $1,275 per credit for online graduate nursing programs (MSN, doctoral, graduate certificate, and CAGS), effective for current enrollment.

At 42 credits, the MSN PMHNP runs approximately $53,550 in tuition; the AD-to-MSN at 62 credits runs approximately $79,050.

Additional mandatory fees include a one-time online technology fee of $600 (billed in the first semester) and a graduation fee of $390 (billed in the final semester). Online students are not charged orientation or comprehensive service fees. The graduate application is free.

See the official tuition and fees page for full details.

Accreditation

The Master of Science in Nursing degree program at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). MCPHS is ranked among the top 10% of nursing schools in the United States and 5th in Massachusetts by College Factual.

Graduates of all PMHNP tracks are eligible to sit for the PMHNP certification examination through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB). In 2024, 100% of MCPHS PMHNP and CAGS-PMHNP students who took the ANCC board certification exam passed on the first attempt, exceeding the national average.

MCPHS PMHNP Programs