Program Track Overview
| Program | Est. Cost | Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-Master’s Certificate | $12,474 | 1–2 years | 27 |
Indiana State’s Post-Master’s Certificate credits up to 250 hours of a student’s prior verified APRN clinical experience toward its 750-hour total, cutting the remaining supervised-hours burden for already-practicing nurses.
Quick Facts
| Program Types | Post-Master’s Certificate (single track) |
| Format | Online |
| Clinical Hours | 750 total: a minimum of 500 supervised hours, plus up to 250 hours credited from verified prior APRN clinical experience |
| Clinical Placement | Settings include private and community mental health agencies, hospitals, psychiatric offices, short- and long-term care facilities, and substance abuse treatment centers; remaining requirement set by gap analysis at admission |
| Population | Across the lifespan |
| Distinctive Coursework | Credits up to 250 hours of prior verified APRN clinical experience toward the 750-hour clinical total |
| Concentrations | Single PMHNP focus; no sub-concentrations |
| RN License Requirements | Current, unencumbered RN license; MSN from an accredited institution required for admission |
| Admission Cycle | Twice yearly — October 1 deadline for January start, March 1 deadline for August start (Spring 2027 deadline extended to November 15, 2026) |
| Entrance Exam | Not clearly stated; no GRE mentioned |
| Tuition | $462/credit for Indiana residents; $610/credit for eligible out-of-state online students ($954 standard non-resident), 2026–27; plus a $60 online delivery fee per course and clinical education and faculty course fees |
| Accreditation | ACEN since 1989, now continuing accreditation with conditions for 24 months after a September 2026 visit; institutional accreditation from HLC |
Post-Master’s Certificate – PMHNP
The Post-Master’s PMHNP Certificate is 27 credit hours, costing an estimated $12,474 for Indiana residents at $462 per credit hour, and takes 1–2 years to complete. Applications are accepted twice yearly, with an October 1 deadline for a January start and a March 1 deadline for an August start; the Spring 2027 deadline is extended to November 15, 2026.
Certificate Curriculum
Core classes include the following:
APN 600 Graduate Writing for Healthcare Professionals
Graduate-level scholarly writing and research skills, including argumentation, source use, and formatting for common graduate assignments.
APN 610 Psychopharmacology I
Psychopharmacology across the lifespan with a focus on pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, current research, and practice guidelines.
APN 611 Psychopharmacology II
Advanced medication management for acute and chronic mental health conditions, including lab interpretation and monitoring treatment response (prereq: APN 610).
APN 612 Psychiatric Mental Health Assessment & Diagnosis
Comprehensive assessment and diagnostic skills using DSM criteria, neuroscience, and cultural/genetic factors, with 100 clinical hours.
APN 613 Theoretical Frameworks for Advanced Psychiatric Nursing Practice
Theories of personality, behavior, psychopathology, and psychotherapy change, applied to guide advanced psychiatric nursing practice (co-req: APN 614).
APN 614 Psychiatric Mental Health Diagnosis and Management I
Diagnostic reasoning and disorder management across the lifespan, with a 150-hour practicum introducing PMHNP scope in varied settings (prereqs: APN 610, 611; co-req: APN 613).
APN 615 Psychiatric Mental Health Diagnosis and Management II
Extends diagnosis, treatment planning, and medication management in diverse settings, with 100 clinical hours across varied comorbidities and backgrounds (prereq: APN 614).
APN 616 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Preceptorship
Capstone clinical course integrating comprehensive management of psychiatric and behavioral health conditions, with 150 clinical hours under preceptor guidance.
APN 675 Role of the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
Seminar examining APRN roles, functions, and professional identity, refining a personal clinical style (co-req: APN 670 or 616).
More curriculum details are available here.
Certificate Clinical Requirements
Students complete a minimum of 500 supervised clinical hours, and can apply up to 250 hours of verified prior APRN clinical experience toward the program’s 750-hour total. Clinical experiences occur in private and community mental health agencies, hospitals, psychiatric offices, short- and long-term care facilities, and substance abuse treatment centers.
At 750 hours, this meets the 2022 NTF Standards’ 750-hour minimum, and well exceeds the roughly 500-hour national certification floor.
You Should Know
Crediting prior clinical experience toward the total is a genuine time-saver, but it means the real remaining hour count varies by applicant — a nurse with no verified prior psychiatric hours should plan for the full 500-hour supervised minimum rather than assuming 250 hours are automatically waived.
Certificate Admissions
- Master of Science in Nursing degree from an accredited institution; graduate GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (MSN students may apply in their final semester)
- Current, unencumbered RN licensure, verified via State Board or nursys.com
- Advanced Pharmacology (minimum “B,” completed within 5 years, 3 credits), Advanced Pathophysiology (minimum “B,” 3 credits), and Advanced Assessment (minimum “B,” syllabus required for review)
- Statement of Purpose (500 words maximum, APA format) and current resume
- Government-issued ID, background check via CastleBranch, current Healthcare Provider-Level CPR certification, and immunization form
- Post-Baccalaureate Clinical Hour Verification form and School of Nursing Honor Code agreement
- $100 non-refundable seat fee upon acceptance
- TOEFL scores required for ESL students (550 PBT, 79–80 iBT, or 213 CBT)
- Application through GradCAS; 4–6 weeks processing time after the deadline; a video or in-person interview may be required
Tuition
For 2026–27, graduate tuition is $462 per credit hour for Indiana residents and $610 for eligible out-of-state students admitted to an online program. Standard non-residents pay $954. Each online graduate course also carries a $60 online delivery fee. Nursing students enrolled in specific nursing courses are also charged a clinical education fee and a faculty course fee, on top of standard tuition.
Be aware that:
- The $12,474 estimate covers tuition only (27 credits × $462); it doesn’t include the $60-per-course online delivery fee (about $540 across nine courses), the clinical education fee, faculty course fee, or the $100 seat fee.
- Nursing students are excluded from Indiana State’s Interstate and Midwest Consortium scholarships, but eligible out-of-state online students still pay the $610 online rate rather than the $954 standard non-resident rate. Online enrollment is limited to eligible states.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Why Choose This PMHNP Program?
Best suited for an MSN-prepared APRN adding the PMHNP specialty who has documented psychiatric clinical experience to credit toward the 750-hour requirement and wants a fully online, moderately priced certificate.
At $462/credit and $12,474 total tuition, this is one of the more affordable Indiana options for an already-licensed APRN, and the twice-yearly admission cycle offers more entry points than a single annual deadline.
The trade-off is eligibility: this track requires an existing MSN and current APRN licensure, so a BSN-only nurse without a master’s degree will need a different entry point, such as Indiana University’s BSN-to-DNP track.
Accreditation
Indiana State University’s master’s and post-master’s certificate programs have been accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) since 1989, which covers the Post-Master’s PMHNP Certificate profiled here. After a September 2026 visit, ACEN granted continuing accreditation with conditions for 24 months. The programs remain accredited while they address the conditions, and the next full visit is scheduled for spring 2034.
Indiana State University holds institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Institutional accreditation is separate from ACEN’s program-level review and is what makes the university’s credits and degrees eligible for federal financial aid and generally transferable to other accredited institutions.
Graduates are prepared to sit for the national PMHNP certification exam through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
Consider Other Indiana PMHNP Programs
- Indiana University - Bloomington
- Indiana Wesleyan University - Marion
- Purdue University - West Lafayette
- University of Southern Indiana - Evansville