The program highlights holistic, trauma-informed, resilience-based care and emphasizes social justice, structural competency, and advocacy to reduce inequities in mental health care.
Program Track Overview
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Post-Graduate Certificate (PMHNP-PGC)
The estimated cost for the PMHNP-PGC program is approximately $50,388 in tuition, and it would take about 1.5 years (four continuous semesters) to complete on a full-time basis.
Estimate based on 19 credits at $2,652 per credit.
Curriculum
The PMHNP-PGC curriculum builds advanced psychiatric assessment, diagnostic, and treatment skills for work with individuals, families, and populations across the lifespan.
Students complete 19 graduate credits in a structured four-semester sequence that integrates didactic content with progressive clinical learning.
The hybrid design blends synchronous online discussions, asynchronous materials, and on-campus learning intensives that use standardized patients and simulation to support skill development in a safe setting.
Key courses include:
Psychiatric Evaluation, Formulation, and Differential Diagnosis 3 credits
This course is foundational for understanding the scope and standards of PMHNP practice, including legal and ethical considerations for safe, empathic, and collaborative mental health care across the lifespan. Students will examine current research evidence related to interactive influences of genetic, biological, psychosocial, and structural factors on vulnerability to, and expression of, mental and substance use disorders. Students will learn how to conduct a psychiatric interview and mental status exam, synthesize data from multiple sources into an integrated biopsychosocial formulation and differential diagnosis, and determine appropriate treatment settings and level of care. Emphasis is placed on using professional psychiatric terminology for formal documentation and verbal communication.
Neuroscience for Mental Health Care 2 credits
This course builds upon the student’s knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology. Course content will include brain structures and functions, neurotransmission and communication pathways, and systems involved in the regulation of emotion, behavior, and cognition. Students will read and discuss current neuroscientific studies and theories regarding the contributions of genetic and socio-environmental factors to neurodevelopment, neurobiology, neurophysiology, and psychopathology. Students will develop skill in identifying appropriate neurobiological targets for pharmacological treatment based on diagnosis, symptom patterns, and suspected pathophysiology.
PMHNP Clinical Practicum I 1 credit (100 clinical hours)
This clinical practicum introduces students to the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental, episodic, and acute psychiatric conditions. The clinical experience provides opportunities to participate in interdisciplinary teams in the context of unique therapeutic structures and processes in the mental health care setting that promote safety, comfort, and stabilization. Through mindful and self-reflective practice, students will develop greater self-awareness and self-confidence in establishing therapeutic relationships with patients and their families. Students will develop skill in psychiatric evaluation and mental status examination, and in synthesizing relevant patient-specific information into integrative biopsychosocial case formulations with differential diagnosis and treatment planning based on patient factors and acuity. Clinical discussions will provide students with opportunities to develop a trauma-informed approach to person-centered care and clinical reasoning, with consideration of cultural diversity, preferences, values, resources, and the impact of social and structural factors on mental health.
On-Campus Intensive: Formative 0 credits
(workshops and simulations with standardized patients)
Psychopharmacology 3 credits
This course builds upon the student’s understanding of fundamental pharmacological principles and their application in mental health care. Students will examine the neurobiological targets and mechanisms of action of drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders. Students will utilize patient physical and laboratory data, patient history and preferences, and current practice guidelines on first-line treatments, risk-benefit comparisons, drug-drug interaction tables, and other decision-making tools to provide a rationale for pharmacologic treatment recommendations. Students will develop informed consent documents for virtual simulated patients, along with a timeline and plan for evaluating outcomes. Case discussions during the weekly seminar will provide opportunities to discuss pharmacological decision making and care coordination for patients with comorbidities and complex presentations.
PMHNP Clinical Practicum II 1 credit (150 clinical hours)
This clinical practicum focuses more specifically on the evaluation and treatment of adults with episodic, acute, and chronic psychiatric conditions. The clinical experience provides opportunities for students to strengthen psychiatric interview skills for evaluation, differential diagnosis, and treatment planning. Emphasis is placed on participation in the mental health care of patients. Clinical case discussions will provide opportunities to strengthen clinical reasoning skills for safe and effective applications of psychopharmacology, across phases of illness, levels of acuity, and with consideration of comorbid conditions and treatments. Through mindful and self-reflective practice, students will develop greater self-awareness and self-confidence for providing person-centered mental health care.
Psychotherapy: Theory and Practice 3 credits
This course builds upon the student’s experience in establishing therapeutic relationships with patients to promote positive change. The course content will include an overview and comparison of major theoretical frameworks, common cross-theoretical factors, and evidence-based approaches to individual, group, and family therapy for treatment of specific psychological and behavioral issues. Students will examine the evidence for creating a safe space, maintaining professional boundaries, collaborating with patients to develop goals and to monitor progress. Emphasis is placed on developing personal competency in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) case formulation, collaborative goal setting, and implementation of evidence-based individual and group CBT interventions for specific problems and issues. Self-awareness, self-reflection, and self-care are essential components to the role.
PMHNP Clinical Practicum III 2 credits (250 clinical hours)
In this clinical practicum, students will develop individual and group psychotherapy skills. Settings may include intensive outpatient programs, partial hospitalization, community, and/or residential settings that include both pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments for patients with episodic or complex mental health or substance use problems. Students have opportunities to work with team members to co-facilitate groups, plan and implement groups and individual psychotherapies. Group clinical discussions will provide opportunities to strengthen skills in integrating psychotherapy into clinical practice.
Community Mental Health 2 credits
The vision for graduates of Georgetown University School of Nursing includes the leadership skills to advocate for social justice, promote policies for health equity, and shape the future of nursing. In this course, students will utilize a socio-ecological model to examine the dynamic interactions between individuals, interpersonal relationships, organizations, communities, and public policies that promote or create barriers to mental health. Students will examine community mental health care frameworks for improving community engagement, de-stigmatization, mental health literacy, harm reduction, care integration, and recovery. Student presentations will provide opportunities to discuss the implementation and evaluation of community focused interventions among specific populations.
PMHNP Clinical Practicum IV 2 credits (250 clinical hours)
In this final practicum, students will demonstrate competency in working with interdisciplinary health care teams to provide culturally-sensitive and trauma-informed mental health care to socially disadvantaged and minoritized populations in community settings. Emphasis is placed on addressing social and structural determinants through an intersectoral approach to mental health care. Professional issues are integrated throughout the course. Through self-reflective practice, students will identify professional goals and associations for continued learning and development as PMHNPs. Group clinical discussions provide students with opportunities to strengthen advocacy and leadership skills in community mental health.
On-Campus Intensive: Summative 0 credits
(workshops and simulations that provide a comprehensive synthesis of all clinical knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired in courses)
Clinicals
The PMHNP-PGC includes 750 total clinical hours spread across four PMHNP clinical practicum courses.
Clinical experiences take place in approved sites across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, where students apply trauma-informed, holistic, and recovery-oriented approaches with diverse populations.
Across PMHNP Clinical Practicums I–IV, students progress from:
- Foundational psychiatric assessment and basic management
- To advanced differential diagnosis, psychopharmacologic decision-making, and
- Psychotherapy integration for complex mental health and substance use conditions.
The program includes two required on-campus intensives that give students structured practice with:
- Patient interviews
- Mental status examinations
- Clinical decision-making using standardized patients
A summative on-campus intensive at the end of the program provides a comprehensive synthesis of:
- Clinical knowledge
- Hands-on skills
- Professional attitudes needed for advanced psychiatric nursing practice.
Admissions
Applicants to the PMHNP-PGC must already hold a graduate nursing degree and advanced practice preparation and must meet selective academic and professional standards.
The program currently admits one cohort per year in the fall.
Admission is restricted to nurses licensed and practicing in D.C., Maryland, or Virginia who can complete clinicals in those regions.
Key admissions and prerequisite requirements include:
- U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Bachelor’s degree
- Graduate-level nursing degree such as CNL/entry-level MS in Nursing, APRN degree, DNAP, DNP, or PhD from a CCNE-, ACME-, or ACEN-accredited program
- Current, unencumbered U.S. RN license
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and 3.0 science GPA
- Successful completion of a three-credit college statistics course with a grade of C or better
- Passing grades in previous advanced health assessment, advanced pathophysiology, and advanced pharmacology courses
- Professional curriculum vitae
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
- Personal statement describing goals and fit for advanced psychiatric practice
- Three letters of recommendation, including at least one former nursing faculty member and at least one recent supervisor or practice director
Applicants benefit from virtual information sessions and Zoom advising sessions hosted twice weekly, which cover program expectations, application steps, and opportunities in psychiatric mental health nursing.
Tuition
Georgetown’s online nursing programs, including the PMHNP-PGC, charge $2,652 per credit hour for the 2025–2026 academic year, and students also pay a School of Nursing (SON) technology fee of $180 per semester.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Accreditation
The post-graduate APRN certificate programs at Georgetown University, including the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Post-Graduate Certificate, are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Other Nursing Programs
Within the distance-based and hybrid graduate portfolio, Georgetown’s Berkley School of Nursing also offers other post-graduate APRN certificate specializations, which allow advanced practice nurses to add or change population foci:
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Post-Graduate Certificate
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG-ACNP) Post-Graduate Certificate
- Nurse-Midwifery (NM) Post-Graduate Certificate
- Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) Post-Graduate Certificate
These options give experienced APRNs a pathway to gain additional certifications while using many of the same online learning technologies, Objective Clinical Intensives, and clinical placement support systems that the PMHNP-PGC students use.
Related Programs
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- Old Dominion University - Norfolk
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- University of Virginia - Charlottesville