Program Track Overview
Doctor of Nursing Practice – BSN to DNP with PMHNP
The estimated cost for the BSN to DNP-PMHNP program is $87,570 for Louisiana residents and would take 3 years to complete on a full-time basis.
Estimate based on $973 or $1,700 per credit × 90 credits.
DNP Curriculum
The 90-credit curriculum includes DNP core courses and psychiatric mental health specialty courses delivered through lectures, seminars, case studies, presentations, and simulation.
Students complete a faculty-guided DNP scholarly project demonstrating integration and synthesis of concepts learned throughout the program to improve patient outcomes.
Required Courses (90 credits):
Year 1 – Summer (10 credits):
- NURS 6324 Introduction to Epidemiology (3)
- NURS 7105 Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
- NURS 7103 Organization and Systems Leadership (4)
Year 1 – Fall (12 credits):
- BSDS 6100 Biostatistical Methods for Nursing (3)
- HLSC 6409 Advanced Pharmacology (3) — Covers major drug classes, PK/PD, and therapeutic use; emphasizes toxicity, interactions, and safety across the lifespan.
- HLSC 6410 Advanced Pathophysiology (3) — Examines disease mechanisms across systems and ages; builds clinical reasoning to distinguish normal from altered physiology.
- NURS 7203 Research Design and Methodology (3)
Year 1 – Spring (14 credits)
- NURS 7206 Advanced Practice Nursing Psychopharmacology & Pharmacotherapeutics Across the Lifespan (3) — Applies neuroscience and advanced pharmacology to safe selection, prescribing, and monitoring of psychoactive meds, including legal and patient-education standards.
- HLSC 7426 Clinical Neuroanatomy, Neurophysiology, and Mental Health (3) — Links brain structure/function and neuropathophysiology to mental health disorders; notes epigenetic influences.
- NURS 6315 Advanced Health Assessment (5) [3.5 didactic, 1.5 lab] — Develops comprehensive history/physical and diagnostic reasoning with lab/sim to form differentials and stratify risk.
- NURS 7101 Theoretical and Philosophical Foundations of Nursing (3)
Year 2 – Summer (9 credits)
- NURS 7207 Advanced Psychiatric-Mental Health Assessment & Diagnostics (3) [2 didactic, 1 lab] — Builds psychiatric assessment using structured interviews, rating scales, observation; applies DSM-5-TR for differentials via a biopsychosocial lens.
- NURS 7210 Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner I: Psychotherapeutic Modalities (6) [3 didactic, 1 lab, 2 practicum] — Introduces evidence-based therapies for individuals, couples, families, and groups; integrates psychotherapy with medication strategies.
Year 2 – Fall (16 credits)
- NURS 7211 Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner II: Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health (9) [3 didactic, 1 lab, 5 practicum] — Covers assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for pediatric/adolescent populations; blends didactic and clinical experiences.
- NURS 7109 Health Outcomes: Information Systems, Measurement, Analysis and Management (3)
- NURS 7481 Evidence-Based Practice (4)
Year 2 – Spring (9 credits)
- NURS 7212 Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner II: Adult and Gerontology Mental Health (9) [3 didactic, 1 lab, 5 practicum] — Focuses on adult/older-adult care across settings; emphasizes evidence-based assessment, treatment, and prevention for common and complex conditions.
Year 3 – Summer (4 credits):
- NURS 7110 Scholarly Project I: Project Development (3)
- NURS 7021 Advanced Nursing Practicum I (1) — Sets an individualized plan to grow clinical expertise at a selected site; completes ≥180 supervised hours toward the 1,000-hour total.
Year 3 – Fall (8 credits)
- NURS 7120 Scholarly Project II: Implementation (3)
- NURS 7022 Advanced Nursing Practicum II (2) — Builds on Practicum I to expand leadership and advanced clinical skills; adds ≥180 supervised hours aligned to goals.
- NURS 7306 Health Policy and Politics (3)
Year 3 – Spring (8 credits)
- NURS 7130 Scholarly Project III: Project Evaluation and Dissemination (3)
- NURS 7023 Advanced Nursing Practicum III (2) — Demonstrates advanced practice depth and role readiness; completes ≥180 hours to reach the 1,000-hour minimum.
- NURS 7950 Role Transition into Professional NP Practice (3) [2 didactic, 1 practicum]
More curriculum details are available here.
All students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher with no grade lower than B; courses with grades below B must be repeated at the next offering (courses may be repeated once). Students have eight years from program admission to complete all degree requirements.
DNP Clinicals
Students complete a total of 1,080 practicum hours across clinical learning experiences in community-based outpatient, residential, and inpatient psychiatric settings.
Clinical experiences focus on advanced assessment diagnosis, and management of patients across the lifespan, with practicum developing clinical competency under faculty guidance and direct supervision by approved preceptors.
Practicum hours are distributed across multiple courses including:
- NURS 7210 (2 credits practicum)
- NURS 7211 (5 credits practicum)
- NURS 7212 (5 credits practicum)
- NURS 7021 (1 credit)
- NURS 7022 (2 credits)
- NURS 7023 (2 credits)
- NURS 7950 (1 credit practicum)
DNP Admissions Requirements
Prerequisites:
- Official transcripts from regionally accredited college or university documenting BSN or BSN equivalent (BSN equivalent requires conferral of Master’s degree)
- All previous undergraduate and graduate transcripts must be submitted
- All nursing course credits must be from specialized nursing accredited program
- Grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate and graduate coursework
- Statement of purpose
- Current resume or curriculum vitae
- Evidence of immunization
- Completion of physical assessment (across the lifespan) course or evidence of physical assessment skills
- Completion of undergraduate course in introductory statistics
- Current unencumbered license to practice nursing in any state with eligibility for licensure in Louisiana
- Successful completion of interview process
- Three letters of reference (at least one from peer, one from Nurse Practitioner, one from nursing supervisor)
- Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Provider certification
- TOEFL score of 550 (paper-based) or 79-80 (internet-based) for non-native English speakers
- $100 non-refundable application fee
- Application through NursingCAS (www.nursingcas.org)
- Summer application deadline: January 31st
LSUHSC-NO School of Nursing uses holistic admissions framework capturing experiences, attributes, and metrics (EAMs) of each qualified applicant, with individualized consideration of potential contributions to the SON, nursing profession, and community.
Tuition
Doctor of Nursing Practice tuition and fees for the 90-credit BSN to DNP-PMHNP program:
Louisiana Residents:
- $973 per credit hour (Fall/Spring semesters)
- $733 per credit hour (Summer semester)
- Total estimated program cost: $87,570 (90 credits × $973 average per credit)
Non-Louisiana Residents:
- $1,700 per credit hour (Fall/Spring semesters)
- $1,278 per credit hour (Summer semester)
- Total estimated program cost: $153,000 (90 credits × $1,700 average per credit)
The per-credit rate includes tuition plus mandatory fees (operational, academic excellence, safety and security, building use, technology, student housing, student health services, and general activity fees).
Additional Costs:
- $100 non-refundable application fee
- Background check fees (through Certphi)
- Drug screening fees (through Premier)
- Random drug testing (~$35 per test)
- Laptop computer with webcam compatible with LSUHSC computing equipment
- Transportation and related travel expenses
- Clinical agency-specific background screening and drug testing fees
- Mandatory requirements maintenance costs
A limited number of scholarships and traineeships may be available to full-time graduate students.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Accreditation
The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and fully approved by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing.
Graduates are academically qualified to meet eligibility requirements to take the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Across the Lifespan Certification) examination sponsored by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
More PMHNP Programs in Louisiana
- Loyola University - New Orleans
- Southeastern Louisiana University - Hammond
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette - Lafayette