Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Estimated Cost | Duration (Full-Time) |
|---|---|---|
| MSN – PMHNP | $38,862 | 2–3 years |
| BSN to DNP – PMHNP | $72,854 | 3–4 years |
| Post-Graduate Certificate – PMHNP | $26,670 | 4–7 semesters (FT) |
Clinical/practicum sites can be completed in or near the student’s hometown. Clarkson College has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs in the nation for the 13th consecutive year.
Master of Science in Nursing – PMHNP
The estimated cost for the MSN-PMHNP program is $38,862 and would take approximately 2-3 years to complete on a full-time basis.
Estimate based on $762 per credit hour for 51 credits.
MSN Curriculum
The MSN-PMHNP program requires 51 semester hours and prepares nurses to become advanced practice providers promoting health and providing care for patients in mental and behavioral health settings.
The curriculum integrates foundational graduate nursing courses with psychiatric-mental health specialty courses covering neuroscience psychopharmacology, counseling models, and evidence-based psychiatric nursing practice across the lifespan.
Core Graduate Courses
NRS 830 – Advanced Physical Assessment (3 credits)
You build skills in history taking, comprehensive exams, and clinical reasoning across the lifespan. You practice differential diagnosis, patient education, and family assessment using evidence-based plans. You also apply informatics, cultural factors, and advocacy in primary care decisions.
NRS 833 – Foundations of Adult-Gerontologic Healthcare (2 credits)
You study health needs from adolescence through older adulthood and the effects of aging. You examine acute and chronic conditions, daily function, and end-of-life planning. You use team-based strategies to support safe, evidence-based care.
NRS 834 – Advanced Nutrition (3 credits)
You learn how nutrition prevents and treats disease in clinical practice. You define the NP’s role in assessing, counseling, and monitoring diet across settings. A required service experience strengthens real-world application.
NRS 835 – Foundations of Psychiatric-Mental Health (2 credits)
You review core neuroscience and common psychiatric conditions across the lifespan. You connect pathophysiology to evidence-based management, including psychopharmacology basics. You prepare for advanced assessment and treatment planning.
NRS 836 – Pharmacology for Practitioners (3 credits)
You integrate pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to make safe prescribing decisions. You link pathophysiology and diagnosis to medication selection, dosing, and monitoring. You plan therapy across the lifespan with clear patient education.
NRS 838 – Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
You study how injury and disease alter normal anatomy and physiology at cellular and organ levels. You recognize disease patterns and relate them to clinical signs. You use this knowledge to support treatment choices.
PMHNP Specialty Courses
NRS 855 – Pharmacology for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (2 credits)
You focus on psychopharmacology for disorders across the lifespan. You cover mechanisms, indications, dosing, interactions, contraindications, and safety teaching. You apply neurobiologic principles to select and monitor psychotropic therapy.
NRS 856 – Introduction to Psychiatric-Mental Health Concepts (3 credits)
You develop core skills in psychiatric assessment, data analysis, and differential diagnosis. You plan collaborative care using medical, pharmacologic, and non-pharmacologic therapies. You emphasize caring practices that support safe, high-quality outcomes.
NRS 857 – Application of Psychiatric-Mental Health Concepts (3 credits)
You treat more complex psychiatric cases across the lifespan. You refine assessment and diagnosis and build advanced, team-based care plans. You combine therapies to match patient needs and context.
NRS 858 – Complex Psychiatric-Mental Health Concepts (3 credits)
You manage highly complex presentations using deeper differential diagnosis and data analysis. You coordinate collaborative plans across nursing, medical, and therapeutic domains. You evaluate outcomes and adjust care for safety and effectiveness.
NRS 859 – Advanced Psychiatric-Mental Health Concepts (3 credits)
You demonstrate near-independent practice by managing multifocal psychiatric problems. You synthesize prior coursework to design holistic, interdisciplinary treatment. You show growth in clinical judgment, autonomy, and outcomes tracking.
NRS 860 – Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Transition to Practice (2 credits)
You prepare for certification with targeted reviews, exam-style quizzes, and a personal study plan. You identify knowledge gaps and meet benchmarks to guide preparation. You also cover steps for entering professional PMHNP practice.
More curriculum details here.
MSN Clinicals
Clinical hours are integrated throughout the PMHNP specialty courses, with practicum experiences embedded in NRS 856, 857, 858, 859, and the transition to practice course (NRS 860).
Students complete clinical/practicum requirements in or near their home communities, with sites arranged to provide hands-on experience in mental and behavioral health settings. The curriculum is designed for singular progression through clinical courses, with only one clinical course taken at a time.
MSN Admissions Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from an ACEN or CCNE accredited institution
- 3.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale
- Valid state unencumbered RN license effective in state of practice or where clinical experience will occur
- Completed application through Clarkson College admissions process
- Rolling admissions for all semesters
Doctor of Nursing Practice – BSN to DNP PMHNP
The estimated cost for the BSN to DNP-PMHNP program is $72,854 and would take approximately 3-4 years to complete on a full-time basis.
Estimate based on $998 per credit hour for 73 credits.
DNP Curriculum
The BSN to DNP-PMHNP program requires 73 semester hours and prepares nurses for the highest level of advanced practice nursing in psychiatric-mental health care.
The curriculum combines doctoral-level coursework in leadership, evidence-based practice, healthcare policy, and informatics with advanced psychiatric-mental health nursing content.
Doctoral Core Courses:
- IPE 301: Interprofessional Education (0 credits)
- GRD 798: Essentials of Scholarly Writing (1 credit)
- GRD 847: Applied Statistics (3 credits)
- DNP 915: Outcomes of Healthcare in a Global Society (3 credits)
- DNP 916: Healthcare Informatics and Data Analytics (3 credits)
- DNP 918: Organizational Systems and Behaviors (2 credits)
- DNP 919: Healthcare Policy and Law (3 credits)
- DNP 932: Leadership (3 credits)
- DNP 944: Biostatistics/Epidemiology (2 credits)
- DNP 945: Healthcare Economics and Financial Management (3 credits)
- DNP 948: Evidence-Based Practice (3 credits)
- DNP 960: DNP Scholarly Project I (2 credits)
- DNP 961: DNP Scholarly Project II (2 credits)
- DNP 962: DNP Scholarly Project III (2 credits)
Advanced Practice Nursing Courses:
- NRS 807: Theories and Concepts of Advanced Practice Roles (3 credits)
- NRS 805: Application and Evaluation of Theory in Nursing (2 credits)
- NRS 830: Advanced Physical Assessment (3 credits)
- NRS 833: Foundations of Adult-Gerontologic Healthcare (2 credits)
- NRS 834: Advanced Nutrition (3 credits)
- NRS 835: Foundations of Psychiatric-Mental Health (2 credits)
- NRS 836: Pharmacology for Practitioners (3 credits)
- NRS 838: Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
PMHNP Specialty Courses:
- NRS 855: Pharmacology for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (2 credits)
- NRS 856: Introduction to Psychiatric-Mental Health Concepts (3 credits)
- NRS 857: Application of Psychiatric-Mental Health Concepts (3 credits)
- NRS 858: Complex Psychiatric-Mental Health Concepts (3 credits)
- NRS 859: Advanced Psychiatric-Mental Health Concepts (3 credits)
- NRS 860: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Transition to Practice (2 credits)
- Electives (4 credits)
Students complete a DNP scholarly project demonstrating expertise in translating research into practice.
DNP Clinicals
Clinical experiences are integrated throughout the psychiatric-mental health specialty courses and follow a singular progression model.
Students complete practicum hours in NRS 856, 857, 858, 859, and the transition to practice course (NRS 860).
Clinical/practicum sites can be arranged in or near the student’s home community, providing exposure to diverse mental and behavioral health settings.
Students are required to attend one on-campus weekend for NRS 830 (Advanced Physical Assessment).
DNP Admissions Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from an ACEN or CCNE accredited institution
- 3.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale
- Valid state unencumbered RN license effective in state of practice or where clinical experience will occur
- Completed application through Clarkson College admissions process
- Rolling admissions for all semesters
Post-Graduate Certificate (PGC) – PMHNP
The estimated cost for the PGC-PMHNP program is $26,670 and would take 4-7 semesters on a full-time basis or 7-10+ semesters on a part-time basis.
Estimate based on $762 per credit hour for 35 credits.
Certificate Curriculum
The Post-Graduate Certificate prepares graduate degree-prepared nurses for advanced practice in the psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner specialty.
The 35 credit hour program is designed for registered nurses with a graduate degree in nursing who seek additional academic preparation and includes courses in advanced assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and psychiatric-mental health nursing concepts.
The curriculum meets national certification requirements including required support courses, didactic specialty courses, and clinical/practicum hours.
Required Courses:
- NRS 807: Theories and Concepts of Advanced Practice Roles (3 credits)
- NRS 830: Advanced Physical Assessment (3 credits)
- NRS 833: Foundations of Adult-Gerontologic Healthcare (2 credits)
- NRS 834: Advanced Nutrition (3 credits)
- NRS 835: Foundations of Psychiatric-Mental Health (2 credits)
- NRS 836: Pharmacology for Practitioners (3 credits)
- NRS 838: Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
- NRS 855: Pharmacology for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (2 credits)
- NRS 856: Introduction to Psychiatric-Mental Health Concepts (3 credits)
- NRS 857: Application of Psychiatric-Mental Health Concepts (3 credits)
- NRS 858: Complex Psychiatric-Mental Health Concepts (3 credits)
- NRS 859: Advanced Psychiatric-Mental Health Concepts (3 credits)
- NRS 860: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Transition to Practice (2 credits)
Certificate Clinicals
Clinical requirements are integrated throughout the psychiatric-mental health specialty courses with practicum hours embedded in NRS 856, 857, 858, 859, and the transition to practice course. Students complete any clinical/practicum requirements in or near their home communities. The curriculum is designed for singular progression through clinical courses, with only one clinical course taken at a time. Students are required to attend an on-campus weekend for NRS 830 (Advanced Physical Assessment).
Certificate Admissions Requirements
- Graduate degree in nursing (MSN or DNP)
- Valid state unencumbered RN license
- 3.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale
- Completed application through Clarkson College admissions process
- Rolling admissions for all semesters
- Advanced standing credit may be available based on previous life/work experience per Academic Policy AA-47
Tuition
Graduate nursing students pay $762 per credit hour for MSN and Post-Graduate Certificate programs.
Doctoral program students pay $998 per credit hour for DNP programs.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Additional Fees:
- Enrollment Fee for first-time students: $150
- IPE Course Fee (IPE 301): $140
- IDI Cultural Assessment Fee: $45
- MSN Typhon Only: $100
- MSN Graduate Weekend and Typhon (NRS 830): $290
- HESI Pre-Cert for Nurse Practitioners (NRS 852, NRS 854, NRS 860): $100
- AANP Certification Fee: $315
- ANCC Certification Fee: $395
Accreditation
Clarkson College is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs in the nation for 13 consecutive years. The college maintains a 99% National Board Examination pass rate and provides access to 1,000+ clinical education sites across 45 states.
Other Nursing Programs
MSN Specialties:
- Nursing Healthcare Administration
- Nursing Education
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
BSN Programs:
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (LPN to BSN)
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN)
Doctoral Programs:
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (BSN to DNP) – Family Nurse Practitioner
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (BSN to DNP) – Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP
- BSN to DNP – Nurse Anesthesia
- DNP Post-Master’s
Certificate Programs:
- Post-Graduate Certificate in Nursing (multiple specialties)
- Clinical Practice Instructor Certificate