Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Cost | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MSN – PMHNP | $41,654 (direct costs) | ~3.5 years (9 semesters) |
| Post-Graduate APRN Certificate | $11,960–$18,200 | 1–2 years |
Students can reduce tuition costs by up to 25% through scholarships including Alliance Partnership awards, Opportunity Awards, and alumni-family discounts. The program operates asynchronously for didactic coursework, allowing working nurses flexibility while maintaining rigorous standards preparing graduates to perform biopsychosocial assessments and diagnose psychiatric and mental disorders across the lifespan.
Master of Science in Nursing – PMHNP
The estimated cost for the MSN-PMHNP program is approximately $41,654 in direct costs (tuition, fees) and takes 3.5 years to complete starting Fall semester only.
Curriculum
The 47-credit program spans 9 semesters with structured progression across four years.
The curriculum builds from foundational advanced practice nursing courses through specialized PMHNP content as follows:
NURS 500 – Professional Role Development
This course prepares students for transition into advanced nursing practice. It builds skills in communication, collaboration, and leadership while examining interprofessional roles and practice models. Students analyze historical, social, legal, political, and economic factors that shape advanced practice.
NURS 501 – Applied Research and Biostatistics
Students learn to analyze, interpret, and present clinical research for evidence-based practice. The course covers critical appraisal, application of findings, and use of theories with diverse populations. Learners review published studies and translate results into advanced nursing decisions.
NURS 502 – Population Health and Healthcare Deliver in a Global Society
The course applies evidence-driven decision-making to improve population health and reduce disparities. Students examine epidemiology, health policy, and social determinants within an ethical framework. Learners design or assess interventions for selected population health issues.
NURS 503 – Healthcare Quality Outcomes, Safety and Informatics
Students explore leadership roles that use health IT and patient care technologies to improve outcomes and safety. Content includes outcome monitoring, quality improvement, technology selection, and consumer informatics. Legal, ethical, regulatory, and risk considerations are emphasized.
NURS 504 – Advanced Pharmacology Across the Lifespan
This course develops pharmacotherapeutic knowledge for prevention and treatment across the lifespan. Topics include major drug classes, cost-effective therapy, monitoring, OTC and herbal agents, and adverse effects. Students address ethical, legal, cultural issues and prescribing regulations.
NURS 505 – Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan
Students study physiology and pathophysiology to support evidence-based diagnosis and management. Emphasis is on homeostasis, systems interactions, and common primary care conditions. Case-based learning builds clinical reasoning for diverse populations across the lifespan.
NURS 506 – Advanced Physical Assessment, Clinical Reasoning and Diagnosis Across the Lifespan
The course advances health assessment skills using comprehensive histories and physical, psychosocial, and cultural assessments. Students synthesize data into differential diagnoses, weigh tests and treatments, and create management plans. Emphasis is on clinical reasoning across the lifespan.
NURS 507 – Advanced Physical Assessment Across the Lifespan Lab
Students perform comprehensive assessments and develop patient-centered care plans. Work includes building databases and integrating psychosocial, developmental, cultural, and physiologic factors. The lab strengthens diagnostic accuracy and evidence-based planning.
NURS 539 – Mental Health Nurse Practitioner: Synthesis Lifespan and Continuum of Care – Clinical I
This first practicum applies psychopathology, psychopharmacology, and psychiatric assessment across the lifespan. Students deliver diagnosis, treatment, and management for mental health and substance use disorders in primary care settings. The focus is on the full PMHNP role in mental health care.
NURS 534 – Neurophysiology and Psychopharmacological Approaches Across the Lifespan
Students integrate neuroanatomy, pharmacogenomics, neurophysiology, and pharmacology to guide psychotropic use. The course links neurobiological mechanisms to abnormal behavior and mental illness. Learners develop practical skills for psychopharmacologic management across the lifespan.
NURS 535 – Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Health Disorders Across the Lifespan
This course surveys key mental disorders and their multifactorial causes. Students examine developmental, genetic, trauma, infectious, and neurodegenerative factors. Mind–body homeostasis concepts inform assessment and management.
NURS 536 – Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Health Disorders Across the Lifespan: Clinical
This practicum (112 hours) extends NURS 535 into primary care settings. Students apply screening, labs, advanced assessment, and diagnostics to acute and chronic conditions. Training stresses holistic, ethical, culturally competent care and team collaboration using community resources.
NURS 540 – Mental Health Nurse Practitioner: Synthesis Lifespan and Continuum of Care – Clinical II
This second practicum continues comprehensive PMHNP practice across the lifespan. Students refine assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and management for psychiatric and addictive disorders in mental health settings. Emphasis remains on the full scope of the PMHNP role.
More curriculum information available in the course catalog here.
Clinicals
Students complete 525 clinical hours through on-site practicums at various hospitals and clinics arranged locally in students’ home states at approved clinical sites. Clinical experiences provide hands-on application of diagnostic skills, pharmacological management, and psychotherapeutic interventions under preceptor supervision.
Problem-based learning and simulation complement clinical practice hours, deepening clinical reasoning and decision-making abilities. Students must travel to North Central College’s Naperville, Illinois campus for 2-3 immersions throughout the program, with timing and duration varying by specialty (dates provided prior to program start).
Prerequisites & Admissions
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from CCNE or ACEN accredited program
- Current, unencumbered United States RN license (preferred; can be obtained by end of first semester if not held at application)
- Minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA on 4.0 scale for last 60 hours of BSN program
- Completed undergraduate statistics (3 credit hours) with grade of “C” or higher
- Continued healthcare experience required
- Application through NursingCAS online service only
- Official post-secondary academic transcripts
- Resume/CV with academic and work history, certificates, and services
- Three letters of recommendation (minimum one from professional nurse colleague supervisor/preceptor, one from professor or graduate-prepared nursing colleague)
- Personal narrative addressing healthcare experiences, educational background, community enrichment, and personal attributes (resilience, integrity, intellectual curiosity, ethnicity/race, socioeconomic status, multilingual abilities, geography, faith, perseverance)
- Virtual or on-campus interview required for all applicants
- State restrictions apply: Applicants outside Illinois must review home state distance education requirements
- Must contact state licensing board to determine if program meets state requirements for nurse practitioner licensing
- Fall semester start only with August 12, 2026 NursingCAS application deadline
- Currently authorized for students in: American Samoa, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia, Wisconsin (California NOT authorized)
Post-Graduate APRN Certificate – PMHNP
The estimated cost for the Post-Graduate APRN Certificate varies from approximately $11,960 to $18,200 based on gap analysis results (23-35 credit hours at approximately $520 per credit) and takes 1-2 years to complete starting Summer semester only.
Curriculum
The 23-35 credit certificate serves registered nurses with existing Master of Science in Nursing degrees seeking to add PMHNP specialization. Credit hour requirements vary based on individual gap analysis conducted by the Graduate Nursing Program Department evaluating applicants’ previous graduate coursework.
Certificate students join MSN degree-seeking students in specialty track courses, learning medical diagnosis and treatment through evidence-based didactic instruction.
Courses include:
- NURS 504 – Advanced Pharmacology Across the Lifespan
- NURS 505 – Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan
- NURS 506 – Advanced Physical Assessment, Clinical Reasoning and Diagnosis Across the Lifespan
- NURS 507 – Advanced Physical Assessment Across the Lifespan Lab
- NURS 534 – Neurophysiology and Psychopharmacological Approaches Across the Lifespan
- NURS 535 – Psychiatric Mental Health NP: Theory and Clinical Management I
- NURS 539 – Psychiatric Mental Health NP: Theory and Clinical Management II
- NURS 540 – Psychiatric Mental Health NP: Theory and Clinical Management III
Clinicals
Certificate students complete the same rigorous clinical requirements as MSN students, participating in on-site practicums at approved clinical sites arranged locally in their home states.
Problem-based learning, simulation, and clinical practice hours deepen clinical reasoning and decision-making skills specific to psychiatric mental health care. Students must complete 2-3 on-campus immersions at North Central College’s Naperville, Illinois campus throughout the program.
Prerequisites & Admissions
- Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from CCNE or ACEN accredited program
- Current, unencumbered United States RN license
- Minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA on 4.0 scale for prior MSN degree coursework
- Continued healthcare experience required
- Application through NursingCAS online service
- State restrictions apply: Contact state licensing board to determine if program meets requirements for nurse practitioner licensing
- Summer semester start only with April 15, 2026 NursingCAS application deadline
- Same state authorization restrictions as MSN program (California NOT authorized)
- Gap analysis conducted to determine individual credit requirements
Tuition
Graduate nursing tuition averages approximately $520 per credit hour based on the $41,654 total direct costs for the 47-credit MSN program (calculation: $41,654 includes program fees, so tuition-only per credit is lower).
Program fee of $2,100 applies in Year One, with $150 wellness fee assessed in Years One, Two, and Three.
Accreditation
The master’s degree programs in nursing and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at North Central College are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Graduates are eligible to sit for PMHNP board certification examinations offered by both the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), qualifying for Illinois State License and independent practice as PMHNP-BC upon successful certification.
Other Nursing Programs
North Central College’s nursing programs offer comprehensive pathways:
- Master of Science in Nursing Tracks: Family Nurse Practitioner Track, Nurse Educator Track, Nurse Executive Leader Track
- Post-Graduate APRN Certificates: Family Nurse Practitioner
More Illinois PMHNP Programs
View All PMHNP Programs in Illinois
- Chamberlain University - Addison
- Illinois State University - Normal
- Loyola University - Maywood
- Rasmussen College -
- Rosalind Franklin University - Chicago
- Rush University - Chicago
- University of Illinois Chicago - Chicago