UMass Dartmouth offers 3 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner tracks:
- Post-Master’s Certificate
- BS-to-DNP
- Post-Master’s-to-DNP
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAGS | ~$13.5K | ~2 yrs | 18 |
| BS-DNP | ~$50.4K | 4 yrs (5 PT) | 67 |
| Post-MS DNP | ~$21K | <2 yrs | 28 |
UMass Dartmouth’s defining advantage is price: its 18-credit CAGS (~$13,530) is the least expensive post-master’s PMHNP certificate in Massachusetts, and its BS-to-DNP (~$50,362) undercuts every other doctoral PMHNP path in the state at a flat online rate with no out-of-state premium. The trade-offs are firm: enrollment is restricted to five New England states, and the certificate is still pursuing initial CCNE accreditation.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | Post-Master’s CAGS, BS-to-DNP, Post-MS-to-DNP |
| Format | CAGS: Online, asynchronous. DNP: Mostly Online — one campus day per semester |
| Clinical Hours | CAGS: 500 • BS-to-DNP: 1,008 • Post-MS DNP: 504 |
| Clinical Placement | Not clearly stated; clinicals must occur in ME, VT, NH, MA, or RI |
| Population | Lifespan |
| Distinctive Coursework | Neuro-psychopharmacology; three-semester DNP leadership residency |
| Enrollment Restriction | RN license AND home residence required in ME, VT, NH, MA, or RI |
| CAGS Intake | Currently admitting for the Spring 2028 cohort only |
| Tuition | $617/credit + $134.67/credit fees = $751.67; flat rate, all states |
| Accreditation | CCNE (bachelor’s, master’s, DNP); CAGS pursuing initial CCNE accreditation |
Post-Master’s CAGS — Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the PMHNP Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study at UMass Dartmouth is approximately $13,530 (18 credits at $751.67/credit, tuition plus per-credit fees).
The program can generally be completed in about two academic years across four terms, beginning in spring. The school is currently accepting applications for the Spring 2028 cohort — nurses ready to start sooner will need to look elsewhere.
CAGS Curriculum
At 18 credits, this is one of the leanest post-master’s PMHNP certificates in New England — Regis College’s runs roughly twice the credit load. UMass Dartmouth achieves this by limiting the plan to the psychiatric specialty sequence itself: three paired didactic/practicum course blocks plus a dedicated psychopharmacology course, with no repeated core coursework.
The three advanced-practice “3P” courses (pathophysiology, pharmacology, physical assessment) are admission prerequisites rather than certificate credits; applicants missing them can take them before starting the CAGS plan, which lengthens the real timeline and cost for some students.
- NUR 564/565 — Advanced Practice Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing I + Practicum (5 credits)
- NUR 554 — Neuro-psychopharmacology and Biologically Based Treatments (3 credits)
- NUR 676/677 — Advanced Practice Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing II + Practicum (5 credits)
- NUR 678/679 — Advanced Practice Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing III + Practicum (5 credits)
More curriculum details are available here.
CAGS Clinical Requirements
- 500 total faculty-supervised clinical hours across three practicum courses (NUR 565, 677, 679)
- Clinical hours must be completed in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, or Rhode Island
- Clinical placement support is not clearly stated
500 hours meets the ANCC minimum but sits at the low end for Massachusetts certificates — Regis structures 800 hours into its certificate. Fewer required hours means faster completion and less unpaid clinical time, at the cost of less supervised practice before boards. With no published placement policy, plan on confirming whether you must secure your own preceptors within the five eligible states.
CAGS Admissions
Unusually, an NP license is optional — the CAGS is open to master’s- or doctorally prepared nurses who are not nurse practitioners, a group most certificate programs exclude.
- Master’s or doctoral degree in nursing
- Evidence of graduate-level coursework in advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology, and physical assessment across the lifespan (may be taken as prerequisites after review)
- Active, unencumbered RN license from ME, VT, NH, MA, or RI; permanent residence in one of those states
- NP license optional
- 1–2 page statement of purpose, resume, official transcripts
- Two recommendation letters: one from a supervisor (DNP-prepared nurse preferred), one from a nurse educator (a second supervisor letter may substitute)
BS-to-DNP — Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Track
The estimated tuition for the BS-to-DNP PMHNP track at UMass Dartmouth is approximately $50,362 (67 credits at $751.67/credit, tuition plus per-credit fees).
The program can generally be completed in about 4 years full-time or 5 years part-time, with a 7-year maximum from matriculation. This is a doctorate for the price many Massachusetts programs charge for a master’s.
BS-to-DNP Curriculum
Structure. The 67-credit plan front-loads advanced practice sciences and health-systems coursework in years one and two, runs the three-course PMHNP specialty sequence with paired practica in the middle years, and closes with a three-semester DNP residency focused on informatics and quality improvement alongside health-system leaders — a structured capstone rather than a self-directed project. The PMHNP track carries 3 more credits than the school’s AGPCNP track because of a dedicated neuro-psychopharmacology course.
Key coursework:
- NUR 554 — Neuro-psychopharmacology and Biologically Based Treatments
- NUR 564/565, 676/677, 678/679 — three-course Advanced Practice Psychiatric-Mental Health sequence with practica
- NUR 770/771 — DNP Seminars (health systems leadership; genetics, ethics, and innovations)
- NUR 508 — Healthcare Economics and Managing Healthcare Finance
- NUR 605 — Statistical Analysis
- NUR 772/774/776 — three-part translational research project (proposal, implementation, dissemination)
- NUR 773/775/777 — DNP Residency I–III
Students with a non-nursing bachelor’s plus an associate degree in nursing enter through the Graduate Admission Program (GAP) with a transition course. More curriculum details are available here.
BS-to-DNP Clinical Requirements
- 1,008 total practicum hours (school-stated total; per-course hours are not itemized)
- Hours accrue through three PMHNP practica (NUR 565, 677, 679) and the three-semester DNP residency
- Clinical hours must be completed in ME, VT, NH, MA, or RI
- Delivery is asynchronous online; the program page states one on-campus day each semester, while the 2025–26 catalog states one day once yearly in spring — confirm the current requirement with the program
1,008 hours clears the 1,000-hour benchmark expected of BSN-entry DNP programs and is roughly double what a typical master’s PMHNP requires — that volume is the doctoral premium in time. The residency hours are spent on systems-level informatics and quality improvement work with healthcare leaders, not just direct patient care, which shapes graduates toward practice leadership roles.
BS-to-DNP Admissions
No GRE, no stated experience minimum, and an ADN entry route — an accessible doctoral gateway by Massachusetts standards.
- BSN from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited program (ADN + related bachelor’s may enter via GAP)
- 3.0 undergraduate GPA
- Active, unencumbered RN license (or eligibility) from ME, VT, NH, MA, or RI; permanent residence in one of those states
- Statement of purpose (300+ words), resume, all transcripts, $60 fee
- Two recommendation letters (one supervisor, DNP preferred; one nurse educator)
Post-Master’s-to-DNP
The estimated tuition for the Post-MS-to-DNP at UMass Dartmouth is approximately $21,047 (28 credits at $751.67/credit, tuition plus per-credit fees). The program can generally be completed in less than two years.
Note this track does not prepare new PMHNPs — it is a doctoral completion program for nurses who already hold an MSN and APRN certification, including practicing PMHNPs who want the DNP credential.
Post-MS DNP Curriculum
The 28 credits concentrate on leadership, health economics, statistics, and the same three-part translational research project and three-semester residency that anchor the BS-to-DNP — no additional clinical specialty coursework. NUR 547 (Promoting the Health of Populations) is waived if an equivalent was completed in the applicant’s MSN, though under university policy a waived course is replaced with an alternative graduate course rather than reducing total credits.
Post-MS DNP Clinical Requirements
- 504 practicum hours per the 2025–26 catalog, accrued primarily through the DNP residency sequence
These are leadership and quality-improvement residency hours, not psychiatric patient-care hours; certified PMHNPs will typically combine them with prior MSN clinical hours to document the 1,000 post-baccalaureate hours the DNP requires.
Post-MS DNP Admissions
- MSN from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited program
- Current APRN certification and active, unencumbered NP license (or eligibility)
- Standard graduate application materials as listed for the BS-to-DNP
Tuition
Total estimated tuition and mandatory fees: approximately $13,530 for the CAGS (18 credits), $50,362 for the BS-to-DNP PMHNP (67 credits), and $21,047 for the Post-MS DNP (28 credits).
All three derive from the 2026–27 UMass Dartmouth Online graduate rate: $617/credit tuition + $50 technology fee + $6 library fee + $78.67 College of Nursing & Health Sciences fee = $751.67 per credit. The rate is flat — Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island students pay the same as Massachusetts residents.
- These programs bill under the UMass Dartmouth Online schedule, not the university’s standard graduate schedule ($737.54/credit resident, $1,303.71 non-resident); the standard page states online students pay online rates. Confirm which schedule applies to your enrollment before budgeting.
- Registration fee: $30/semester; graduation fee: $220 (one-time)
- CAGS applicants needing 3P prerequisite courses pay for those credits on top of the 18-credit certificate
- Rates are for 2026–27 and subject to annual change — a 4–5 year DNP will span multiple rate years
Even allowing for annual increases, the all-in cost stays well below every private Massachusetts option and below UMass Chan’s public DNP rate.
See the official UMass Dartmouth Online tuition page.
Why Choose This PMHNP Program?
This is the program for New England nurses who want the lowest-cost route to PMHNP practice — whether as an 18-credit certificate or a full doctorate — and can accept a regional enrollment box and some accreditation timing risk.
The pricing case is hard to beat in-state. Massachusetts certificate seekers otherwise face $825–$1,275 per credit at UMass Chan, Northeastern, Regis, and MCPHS — UMass Dartmouth’s ~$13,530 certificate can cost less than half the nearest alternative. The certificate is also open to master’s-prepared nurses who aren’t NPs, an entry door most competitors keep shut. On the doctoral side, ~$50,362 for a BS-to-DNP undercuts UMass Chan’s equivalent path by a wide margin, and Westfield State — the state’s cheapest master’s option — offers no certificate or doctoral track at all.
The trade-offs deserve equal weight. Your RN license, your permanent residence, and your clinical sites must all be in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, or Rhode Island — nurses elsewhere are simply ineligible. The CAGS is admitting only for Spring 2028, so the low price comes with a wait, and its CCNE accreditation is still in process (see below). No placement guarantee is published, unlike UMass Chan’s arranged placements. If you need to start soon, need placement support, or live outside the five states, the pricier rivals earn their premium; if you qualify and can plan ahead, UMass Dartmouth is the cost leader in the state at both the certificate and doctoral level.
Accreditation
The baccalaureate, master’s, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs at UMass Dartmouth are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) — this covers the BS-to-DNP and Post-MS DNP tracks.
The post-graduate APRN certificate program (the PMHNP CAGS) is pursuing initial CCNE accreditation, and the university notes that applying does not guarantee accreditation will be granted. Because certification eligibility depends on graduating from an accredited program, CAGS applicants should ask the College of Nursing & Health Sciences for the current accreditation timeline in writing before enrolling.
The university is institutionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). UMass Dartmouth states that graduates of the PMHNP CAGS and the DNP tracks will have completed the coursework and clinical experiences required for certification by ANCC or AANPCB.
Consider Additional Massachusetts PMHNP Programs
- Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences - Boston
- Northeastern University - Boston
- Regis College - Weston
- Simmons University - Boston
- UMass Chan Medical School
- University of Massachusetts Amherst - Amherst
- Westfield State University - Westfield