Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Cost * | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MSN – PMHNP | $22,024 | ~2 years (full-time) |
| Post-Graduate Certificate – PMHNP | $16,746 | ~1–1.5 years |
*TX resident
The MSN-PMHNP program requires 48 credit hours including 640 clinical hours segmented across adult, child/adolescent, and geriatric populations, with specific hour allocations for medical management and therapy experiences. The program admits students only in Fall semester with an April 1st application deadline for MSN degree-seeking students and October 31st deadline for Post-Graduate Certificate applicants, requiring minimum one year of psychiatric/mental health nursing experience for admission.
Master of Science in Nursing – PMHNP
The estimated cost for the MSN-PMHNP program is approximately $22,024 for Texas residents ($27,544 non-Texas, $44,104 international) and takes approximately 2 years to complete on a full-time basis.
Curriculum
The 48-credit program combines 21 hours of graduate nursing core with 18 hours of clinical specialty courses and 9 hours of evidence-based project courses.
Core courses include:
NURS 5043 – Pathological Processes for Advanced Nursing Practice
Builds an in-depth understanding of pathophysiology and psychopathology across the lifespan to inform advanced assessment, diagnosis, and clinical decision-making.
NURS 5111 – Health Assessment for Advanced Nursing Practice Clinical
Applies comprehensive health assessment skills with individuals, families, groups, and communities, distinguishing normal variants from pathology and practicing added diagnostics in lab/clinical.
NURS 5113 – Health Assessment for Advanced Nursing Practice
Refines advanced history-taking and physical exam techniques across the lifespan, emphasizing recognition of pathological change versus normal findings and the judicious use of diagnostics.
NURS 5123 – Population Health in Graduate Nursing
Introduces population health concepts with a focus on vulnerable groups, integrating family and group dynamics to plan theory-based community assessments, diagnoses, and interventions.
NURS 5133 – Pharmacotherapeutics in Advanced Nursing Practice
Covers pharmacokinetics/dynamics and evidence-based drug therapy for common conditions, preparing clinicians to select, monitor, and optimize medications to promote health.
NURS 5283 – Role of the Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Explores APRN scope and evolving responsibilities, linking resource utilization, cost-effective management, and health promotion to leadership in diverse care settings.
NURS 5322 – Psychopharmacology and Therapy Across the Lifespan
Examines psychiatric prescribing principles alongside non-pharmacologic treatments, surveying psychotherapy theories and evidence-based applications for individuals, groups, and families.
NURS 5463 – Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practicum I
Develops foundational PMHNP competencies in interviewing, screening, mental status exams, and management of serious mental illness using both pharmacologic and counseling approaches.
NURS 5473 – Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practicum I Clinical
Provides supervised clinical immersion to assess, diagnose, and treat individuals with psychiatric disorders, integrating medication strategies with therapeutic counseling techniques.
NURS 5483 – Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practicum II
Advances diagnostic reasoning and therapeutic relationships, expanding individual counseling and integrated treatment for persistent mental health conditions across settings.
NURS 5493 – Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practicum II Clinical
Continues supervised practice managing serious psychiatric disorders, strengthening interviewing, mental status assessment, and combined pharmacologic/non-pharmacologic care.
NURS 5523 – Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practicum III
Focuses on complex illness and addictions, coordinating pharmacological and psychotherapeutic management and evaluating outcomes for individuals, families, and groups across venues.
NURS 5533 – Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practicum III Clinical
Capstone clinical experience applying comprehensive PMHNP care to complex cases, delivering team-based therapy and medication management while measuring treatment outcomes.
Capstone requirements include:
- Evidence Based Project I (3 credits)
- Evidence Based Project II (3 credits)
More curriculum details can be found in the course catalog here.
Clinicals
Students complete 640 direct patient care clinical hours distributed across three practicum courses with highly specific population requirements.
- Advanced Assessment includes 64 clinical hours with primary care preceptor.
- Practicum I (Fall, 192 hours) requires 80 hours with adults, 44 hours child/adolescent, 44 hours geriatric, 16 hours individual/group/family therapy, and 8 hours addiction.
- Practicum II (Spring, 192 hours) maintains identical hour distribution.
- Practicum III (Summer, 192 hours) requires 104 hours adults, 40 hours geriatric, 40 hours child/adolescent, and 8 hours therapy.
Acceptable medical management preceptors include board-certified psychiatrists or PMHNPs with prescriptive authority. Therapy preceptors must hold master’s or doctoral preparation as licensed psychologists, LCSW-ACPs, LMFTs, or LPCs.
Clinical settings span individual/group counseling centers, drug/alcohol treatment centers, behavioral health centers, rehabilitation centers, psychiatric facilities, and various therapeutic environments. Students must attend mandatory on-campus immersions at midterm and finals for clinical courses.
Prerequisites & Admissions
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from nationally accredited program
- Current RN license to practice in Texas and state of residence
- Minimum 3.0 GPA on last 60 hours of undergraduate work (excluding two-year college credits)
- Required: Minimum one year experience working in psychiatric/mental health nursing
- Complete Graduate School application with fee
- Submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended
- Complete online Wilson School of Nursing MSN Application including essay section
- Participate in personal interview with graduate program coordinator (scheduled after all materials received)
- Fall semester admission only with April 1st application deadline
- Submit transcripts at least one month before deadline for processing
Post-Graduate Certificate – PMHNP
The estimated cost for the Post-Graduate PMHNP Certificate is approximately $16,746 for Texas residents ($20,886 non-Texas, $33,306 international) and takes 1-1.5 years to complete.
Curriculum
The 33-credit certificate program serves nurses with existing MSN or higher degrees. Required courses include:
- Pathological Processes for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credits)*
- Health Assessment for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credits)*
- Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics (3 credits)*
- Role of the Advanced Nurse Practitioner (3 credits)
- Psychotherapy and Therapy Across the Lifespan (3 credits)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practicum I (3 credits)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practicum I Clinical (3 credits)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practicum II (3 credits)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practicum II Clinical (3 credits)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practicum III (3 credits)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practicum III Clinical (3 credits)
*Courses marked with asterisk may not be required for students holding current APRN license actively practicing with prescriptive authority
Clinicals
Certificate students complete the same 640 clinical hours (64 assessment + 576 practicum hours) with identical population distribution requirements as MSN students across adult, child/adolescent, geriatric, therapy, and addiction settings under board-certified preceptor supervision.
Prerequisites & Admissions
- Master’s degree in nursing (MSN) or higher from nationally accredited institution
- Current RN license to practice in Texas and state of residence
- Minimum 3.0 GPA on last 60 hours of undergraduate work
- One year psychiatric/mental health nursing experience required
- Complete Graduate School application
- Submit official transcripts from all institutions
- Complete Wilson School of Nursing application with essay
- Personal interview with graduate program coordinator
- Spring or Summer admission based on transcript evaluation
- October 31st application deadline (transcripts due October 15th)
Tuition
Graduate nursing tuition is approximately $530 per credit hour for Texas residents ($646 non-Texas, $990 international) based on 9 credit hours per semester at $4,773 per semester for residents.
Costs exclude textbooks and class supplies.
Accreditation
The Wilson School of Nursing graduate programs meet requirements for advanced practice nursing established by the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners. Graduates are eligible for recognition by the Board of Nursing as advanced practice nurses and to sit for national PMHNP certification examinations.
Other Nursing Programs
Midwestern State University’s Wilson School of Nursing offers additional graduate pathways:
- Master of Science in Nursing Programs: Family Nurse Practitioner (48 credits with 512 clinical hours)
- Post-Graduate Certificates: Family Nurse Practitioner (33 credits)
Other Programs in Texas
- Baylor University - Waco
- Texas A&M - Texarkana
- Texas Christian University - Fort Worth
- Texas State University - Round Rock
- Texas Tech University - Lubbock
- Texas Woman's University - Denton
- UT Health Houston - Houston
- UT Health San Antonio - San Antonio
- University of Texas at Arlington - Arlington
- University of Texas at El Paso - El Paso
- UTTyler - Tyler