Program Tracks Overview
| Track | Est. Duration | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| MSN PMHNP | ~22 months | $29,177 |
| Post-Master’s Certificate in PMHNP | ~18 months | $21,505 |
*Cost/credit estimated from total cost ÷ credits. NKU also publishes per-credit figures ($600 MSN / $592 Cert); differences likely reflect fees.
The program offers accelerated 7-week courses with multiple start dates throughout the year and charges the same tuition for in-state and out-of-state students. Students complete 750 clinical hours across five sequential clinical residencies while maintaining full-time employment. NKU includes two DNP-level courses in the MSN curriculum, providing advanced preparation.
MSN Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The estimated cost for the MSN PMHNP program is $29,177 and would take 22 months to complete on a full-time basis.
Curriculum
The 47-credit hour curriculum comprises 19 courses over seven-week terms, including:
- eight core courses (24 credit hours)
- five concentration courses (15 credit hours)
- five clinical courses (5 credit hours)
- capstone course (3 credit hours)
Core coursework covers the following:
MSN 600: Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Practice and Research
Study and critique nursing theories to guide practice. Identify a research problem and frame a clear research question using diverse scholarly sources.
MSN 601: Health Care Policy and Economics in Population Health
Examine how technology, society, politics, and economics shape access, financing, regulation, and decisions in U.S. health care for varied populations.
MSN 602: Advanced Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Practice and Research
Apply and integrate theory within practice and research, highlighting the cycle linking theory, inquiry, and clinical use. Prerequisite: MSN 600.
MSN 610: Adv. Phys Assessment Across the Lifespan
Build advanced assessment skills through cases and hands-on practice. Perform holistic histories, focused exams, and interpret diagnostics for all ages.
MSN 611: Adv. Pharmacology Across the Lifespan
Manage pharmacotherapy across major drug classes with safe selection, education, and monitoring. Address psychosocial, cultural, ethical, and legal factors. Prerequisite: MSN 610.
MSN 612: Role Development in Advanced Practice Nursing
Explore the APN roles of provider, consultant, educator, researcher, collaborator, leader, and administrator. Review legal, ethical, and practice issues grounded in nursing theory.
DNP 816: Analysis and Application of Health Data for Advanced Nursing Practice (ANP)
Analyze health data and evidence to plan, apply, and evaluate recommendations that improve outcomes in public and population health. Prerequisite: DNP 802 and DNP 800 (DNP students) or MSN 602 (MSN students).
MSN 664L: Psych-Mental Health NP Clinical Course I
Begin supervised PMHNP practice by observing preceptors, assessing patients, forming diagnoses, and drafting evidence-based plans with medication under supervision. Prerequisites: MSN 671, 672, 673, 674.
MSN 665L: Psych-Mental Health NP Clinical II
Advance in supervised care planning, assessment, diagnosis, and psychopharmacology across the lifespan while refining clinical reasoning.
MSN 667L: Psych-Mental Health NP Clinical III
Provide more independent assessment, diagnosis, and treatment with preceptor oversight. Strengthen evidence-based planning and medication management.
MSN 668L: Psych-Mental Health NP Clinical IV
Function with minimal supervision while evaluating and managing psychiatric conditions. Demonstrate growing independence in comprehensive care.
MSN 669L: Psych-Mental Health NP Clinical V
Provide near-independent, full-scope care: assess, diagnose, treat, and evaluate outcomes using evidence-based psychotherapies and medications. Prerequisite: MSN 668L.
MSN 671: Psychopathopharmacology I
Study neurobiology, genetics, and neurocircuitry that inform advanced medication use in psychiatric care.
MSN 672: Psychopathopharmacology II
Examine drug selection and management for specific psychiatric disorders, building on advanced concepts from Psychopathopharmacology I.
MSN 674: Psychotherapy for Psych-Mental Health NP
Learn non-pharmacologic therapies—individual, group, family, play, reminiscence, and complementary approaches—and their clinical use. Emphasize therapeutic relationship and teaching-coaching skills.
MSN 673: Psych-Mental Health Assessment and Diagnosis
Use history, neuroscience, DSM criteria, and lab data to reach diagnoses and differentials. Incorporate cultural, genetic, religious, and behavioral factors into clinical judgments.
MSN 675: Management of Psych-Mental Health Disorders
Integrate assessment, neurophysiology, diagnosis, and both medication and therapy to treat psychiatric conditions. Consider lifestyle, culture, religion, socioeconomic status, genetics, and risk.
MSN 676: PMHNP Capstone
Synthesize PMHNP scope, standards, ethics, policy, and legal issues. Complete a practice-focused project that demonstrates scholarship and dissemination.
Clinical Requirements
Students complete 750 supervised clinical hours across five separate clinical residencies. These hands-on experiences occur in various psychiatric and mental health settings, allowing students to work with patients across the lifespan under qualified preceptors.
Clinical placements are typically arranged by students with program approval, providing flexibility to align with career goals and geographic preferences. Students must secure clinical sites and preceptors 60-90 days before each placement begins.
MSN Program Requirements:
- BSN from regionally accredited and ACEN/CCNE/CNEA accredited nursing program
- Minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA
- Undergraduate statistics course with grade C or better
- Current unencumbered RN license
- 1,000 clinical hours of RN practice
- Criminal background check through PreCheck StudentCheck
- $40 application fee (waived for alumni and military)
Post-Master’s Certificate in PMHNP
The estimated cost for the Post-Master’s Certificate program is $21,505 and would take 18 months to complete on a full-time basis.
Curriculum
The 35-credit certificate targets nurses with existing MSN degrees.
Coursework includes:
MSN 609: Adv. Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan
Builds advanced understanding of disease by tracing abnormalities from cellular disruption to system-level dysfunction. Equips APRNs to connect mechanisms of illness to assessment findings across all ages.
MSN 610: Adv. Phys Assessment Across the Lifespan
Hones comprehensive, patient-centered assessment through labs, cases, and diagnostic interpretation. Emphasizes safe, high-quality holistic evaluations across the lifespan.
MSN 611: Adv. Pharmacology Across the Lifespan
Covers pharmacotherapeutics across major drug classes with focus on selection, dosing, monitoring, and patient education. Highlights psychosocial, cultural, ethical, and legal considerations in prescribing.
MSN 612: Role Development in Advanced Practice Nursing
Explores the evolution and scope of APN roles—provider, educator, researcher, leader, and more. Integrates nursing theory while addressing legal, ethical, and practice issues.
MSN 671: Psychopathopharmacology I
Introduces advanced neurobiologic foundations of psychopharmacology, including genetics and neurocircuitry. Lays the groundwork for medication decision-making in psychiatric care.
MSN 672: Psychopathopharmacology II
Applies advanced drug concepts to specific psychiatric disorders and treatment strategies. Emphasizes medication selection, response, and management across conditions.
MSN 673: Psych-Mental Health Assessment and Diagnosis
Develops diagnostic reasoning using history, neuroscience, DSM criteria, and laboratory data. Incorporates cultural, genetic, religious, behavioral, and social factors to form differentials.
MSN 674: Psychotherapy for Psych-Mental Health NP
Surveys evidence-based non-pharmacologic therapies—individual, group, family, play, reminiscence, and complementary approaches. Stresses therapeutic use of self and phases of the clinician-patient relationship.
MSN 675: Management of Psych-Mental Health Disorders
Integrates assessment, neurophysiology, and diagnosis to plan pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic care. Considers lifestyle, culture, religion, socioeconomic context, genetics, and risk in treatment.
MSN 664L: Psych-Mental Health NP Clinical Course I
Begins supervised practice with observation and guided participation in assessment and care planning. Students formulate diagnoses and propose evidence-based, preceptor-approved psychopharmacologic plans.
MSN 665L: Psych-Mental Health NP Clinical II
Expands supervised involvement in evaluating care, conducting assessments, and refining diagnoses. Advances evidence-based planning and medication management under preceptor guidance.
MSN 667L: Psych-Mental Health NP Clinical III
Strengthens clinical independence while performing assessments, diagnoses, and treatments. Emphasizes integrating data to deliver progressively autonomous, supervised care.
MSN 668L: Psych-Mental Health NP Clinical IV
Transitions toward independent practice with minimal supervision. Focuses on comprehensive, evidence-based management of psychiatric conditions across the lifespan.
MSN 669L: Psych-Mental Health NP Clinical V
Culminates in near-independent, full-scope psychiatric care—assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes evaluation. Demonstrates proficiency in psychopharmacology and psychotherapy with limited preceptor oversight.
MSN 676: PMHNP Capstone
Synthesizes PMHNP role competencies across scope, standards, ethics, policy, and legal frameworks. Concludes with a practice-scholarship project and dissemination demonstrating readiness for advanced practice.
Clinical requirements mirror the MSN program with supervised practicum experiences across psychiatric mental health settings and patient populations.
Post-Master’s Certificate Requirements:
- MSN from accredited nursing program with minimum 3.0 GPA
- Current unencumbered RN license
- 1,000 clinical hours of RN practice
- Same background check and application requirements
Tuition
MSN program tuition totals $29,177 for 47 credit hours ($600 per credit hour).
Post-Master’s Certificate tuition totals $21,505 for 35 credit hours ($592 per credit hour).
The same tuition rate applies to in-state and out-of-state students with financial aid available for eligible students.
Accreditation
Northern Kentucky University’s baccalaureate, master’s, postgraduate APRN certificate, and Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice programs maintain accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Other Nursing Programs
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP)
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
- Nursing Education (NED) concentration
- Nurse Executive Leadership (NEL) concentration
- Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice
- Various nursing education and leadership tracks
Other Programs in Kentucky
View All PMHNP Programs in Kentucky
- Bellarmine University - Louisville
- Frontier Nursing University - Versailles
- University of Louisville - Louisville
- Western Kentucky University - Bowling Green