Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN | $34.1K | ~2.5 years (6 semesters) | 44 |
| Post-Master’s Certificate | Varies | Varies (individualized plan) | Varies |
Florida Southern College’s defining advantage is a named clinical-placement service: a Clinical Placement Coordinator assigns every student to a site and preceptor, though a student may request their own if preferred. The program combines that support with a hybrid format built around monthly on-campus attendance rather than a fully remote model.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN; Post-Master’s Certificate |
| Format | Hybrid: monthly on-campus attendance, predominantly online asynchronous coursework otherwise |
| Clinical Hours | At least 540 population-focused hours (MSN); see note below on a per-course figure that adds up differently |
| Clinical Placement | Clinical Placement Coordinator assigns sites and preceptors; students may request their own if preferred |
| Population | Population-focused, across the lifespan |
| Distinctive Coursework | Advanced Mental Health Assessment and Diagnostics Across the Lifespan; three-course psychotherapy and role-synthesis practicum sequence |
| Concentrations | Single PMHNP focus; no sub-concentrations |
| RN License Requirements | Current, active Florida RN licensure (both tracks) |
| Tuition | $680/credit (2026-2027), plus per-semester program and technology fees |
| Accreditation | CCNE (nursing programs); SACSCOC (institutional) |
| Single Annual Intake | MSN admits once a year for a January cohort (see Admissions) |
MSN, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The estimated tuition for the MSN, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at Florida Southern College is approximately $34,070 (44 credits at $680/credit, plus FSC’s published per-semester and one-time fees). The program is designed for completion in 6 semesters, about 2.5 years, though individual timelines may vary.
MSN Curriculum
The 44-credit, 15-course plan pairs a standard MSN core (leadership, pharmacology, pathophysiology, health assessment, evidence-based practice, population health, informatics) with a five-course PMHNP specialty block.
The specialty block runs advanced psychopharmacology and assessment courses into a three-course practicum sequence: individual and family psychotherapy, then individual and group psychotherapy, then a role-synthesis capstone.
- NUR 5120 Leadership, Role Development, and Advocacy for Advanced Nursing Practice
- NUR 5150 Advanced Pharmacology Across the Life Span
- NUR 5200 Advanced Pathophysiology Across the Life Span
- NUR 5220 Advanced Health Assessment and Differential Diagnoses Across the Life Span
- NUR 5250 Evidence Translation and Quality Improvement for Advanced Nursing Practice
- NUR 5400 Health Promotion, Clinical Prevention, and Population Health for Advanced Nursing Practice
- NUR 5450 Informatics and Health Care Technologies
- NUR 6530 Transition to Advanced Nursing Practice Role: PMHNP
- NUR 6600 Advanced Psychopharmacology Across the Lifespan
- NUR 6610 Advanced Mental Health Assessment and Diagnostics Across the Lifespan
- NUR 6670 PMHNP Across the Lifespan I: Individual & Family Psychotherapy, plus Practicum
- NUR 6680 PMHNP Across the Lifespan II: Individual & Group Psychotherapy, plus Practicum
- NUR 6690 PMHNP Across the Lifespan III: Role Synthesis capstone, plus Practicum
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- FSC’s individual course descriptions name specific direct-care hour minimums for two of the three practicum courses (180 and another 180) and a clinical-hour figure for the third (120), summing to 480 hours. FSC’s own program page separately states “at least 540 population-focused hours” for the full program. ⚠ This profile reports the program page’s aggregate figure, since it is the more general and more recently confirmed statement, but the two sources do not reconcile; confirm the current per-course breakdown directly with the nursing department.
MSN Clinical Requirements
- At least 540 total population-focused clinical hours, per FSC’s own program page
- Placement: the Clinical Placement Coordinator assigns every student to a site and preceptor; a student may request their own site if preferred
- Delivery requires monthly on-campus attendance, with the remaining coursework predominantly online and asynchronous
At 540 hours, the MSN clears the 500-hour floor most states use for national PMHNP certification eligibility, but falls short of the 750-hour minimum the 2022 NTF Standards set for every NP track’s direct patient care, by 210 hours.
The placement model here is a genuine service, not just a promise to try: FSC names a specific coordinator role and also gives students the option to arrange their own site. Confirm the current per-course hour breakdown directly, given the discrepancy noted above.
MSN Admissions
FSC admits the MSN PMHNP cohort once a year, for a January start.
- BSN from a regionally accredited institution with a CCNE, CNEA, or ACEN-accredited nursing program
- Current, active Florida RN licensure
- Minimum 3.0 GPA on the last 60 undergraduate credit hours
- Prerequisite courses with a “C” or better: health assessment, nursing research or evidence-based practice, and statistics or biostatistics
- Three short (2-minute) video responses to program-specific prompts
- Current resume
- Personal interview may be required
- Criminal background check, immunizations, and drug screen once admitted
- 2026-2027 cohort: priority deadline September 1, 2026; admission decisions by October 1, 2026; final deadline December 15, 2026; program starts January 12, 2027
You Should Know
- Because FSC admits only once a year, missing the December 15 final deadline means waiting a full year for the next cohort.
Post-Master’s Certificate, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The estimated cost for the Post-Master’s Certificate, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at Florida Southern College varies with each applicant’s gap-analysis results. FSC does not publish a fixed credit count, tuition total, or completion timeline for this track; it is billed at the same $680/credit rate as the MSN.
Certificate Curriculum
FSC builds an individualized plan of study after admission, based on a gap analysis of the applicant’s completed MSN coursework against PMHNP certification requirements. Required practicum hours correspond to the PMHNP track and can be derived from approved prior credit or completed during certificate enrollment.
Delivery is the same hybrid model as the MSN, with some on-campus attendance required. Applicants must have already completed graduate-level pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment, and research courses before starting clinical coursework.
You Should Know
- Because the plan of study is individualized, ask for a written estimate of credits, clinical hours, and cost before enrolling. FSC’s own page describes the total as dependent on gap-analysis results rather than a published figure.
Certificate Clinical Requirements
- Required clinical hours are individualized: FSC’s page states they “correspond to the PMHNP track” and can come from approved prior credit or new clinical coursework
- Same placement model as the MSN: the Clinical Placement Coordinator assigns sites, with the option for a student to request their own
Because this track’s requirements are individualized, the true clinical-hour total, and how it compares to the 500-hour certification floor and 750-hour NTF benchmark, depends entirely on each applicant’s gap analysis rather than one published figure.
Certificate Admissions
This track requires both a completed BSN and a completed MSN, each from a regionally accredited, CCNE/CNEA/ACEN-accredited program.
- BSN and MSN from regionally accredited institutions with CCNE, CNEA, or ACEN-accredited programs
- Current, active Florida RN licensure
- Minimum 3.0 GPA on the last 60 undergraduate credit hours
- Same prerequisite courses and video-response requirements as the MSN track
- Graduate-level completion of pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment, and research
- Gap analysis determines the individualized program requirements
Tuition
Florida Southern College bills both PMHNP tracks at a published rate of $680 per credit hour for the 2026-2027 academic year. All totals below are estimates built from that rate plus FSC’s published per-semester and one-time fees.
| Fee | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $680/credit | Per credit hour |
| Program Fee | $550 | Per semester |
| Technology Fee | $25-$100 | Per semester |
| Deposit | $250 | One-time, applied to tuition |
| CastleBranch Package | $224 | One-time |
For the 44-credit MSN across 6 semesters, that works out to roughly $34,070: $29,920 in tuition (44 credits x $680), $3,300 in program fees ($550 x 6 semesters), and an estimated $375 in technology fees at the midpoint rate.
Add the $250 deposit and $224 CastleBranch package on top; the deposit applies toward tuition, so it is not additive to the total.
- $680/credit tuition rate for 2026-2027, confirmed on FSC’s own program page
- 44 credits for the MSN; the certificate’s credit total is individualized and not published
- $550/semester program fee and $25-$100/semester technology fee apply across both tracks
Be aware that:
- The technology fee is a range, not a fixed amount. FSC publishes $25 to $100 per semester without stating what sets the rate within that range.
- The certificate has no published total cost. Every figure depends on the individualized gap analysis completed after admission.
- The MSN admits once a year. Missing the December 15 final deadline means waiting a full year for the next January cohort.
- The $680/credit rate is higher than the $675/credit figure previously published on this page. Confirm the current rate directly before budgeting.
The MSN’s total cost is close to fixed once enrolled, since the credit count and per-credit rate are both published. The certificate is the one track where a student controls the final bill: a stronger, more complete prior MSN transcript going into the gap analysis can mean fewer required credits and a lower total.
Confirm current rates directly with the nursing program office before enrolling.
Why Choose This PMHNP Program?
Best suited for nurses who want a named clinical-placement service rather than an open-ended search, are comfortable with monthly on-campus attendance, and are choosing between a direct-entry MSN and a gap-analysis-driven post-master’s certificate.
A named coordinator, not just a promise to help. FSC’s Clinical Placement Coordinator assigns every student to a site and preceptor, while still letting a student request their own site if preferred. That combination, default placement plus opt-out flexibility, is a genuine middle ground between a fully self-directed search and a rigid, single-region assignment.
A structured monthly campus cadence, not an unpredictable one. The program’s hybrid format is built around predictable monthly on-campus attendance with online asynchronous coursework in between, rather than leaving campus requirements open-ended.
The trade-offs are real. The MSN’s 540 published clinical hours clear the certification floor but land short of the 750-hour NTF Standards benchmark, and FSC’s own course descriptions and program page don’t agree on the per-course math behind that total.
The MSN also admits only once a year, so a missed December deadline costs a full year. And the certificate’s cost and length stay unknown until after a gap analysis, so a prospective certificate student cannot budget precisely before applying.
Accreditation
Florida Southern College’s nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), which covers both PMHNP tracks profiled here.
Florida Southern College holds institutional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Institutional accreditation is separate from CCNE’s program-level review and is what makes the college’s credits and degrees eligible for federal financial aid and generally transferable to other accredited institutions.
Graduates of both PMHNP pathways are prepared to sit for the national PMHNP certification exam (ANCC or AANPCB) and, once certified, to apply for APRN licensure in their state of practice.
Review More PMHNP Programs in Florida
- Florida Atlantic University - Boca Raton
- Florida National University - Hialeah
- Florida State University - Tallahassee
- Jacksonville University - Jacksonville
- St Thomas University - Miami Gardens
- University of Florida - Gainesville
- University of North Florida - Jacksonville
- University of St Augustine - St Augustine