Program Track Overview
Students complete 1,008 clinical hours through specialty practicum, immersion residency, and DNP project practicum experiences, with telepsychiatry simulation through Rush’s Simulation Lab.
Doctor of Nursing Practice – PMHNP
The estimated cost for the DNP-PMHNP program ranges from $58,876 (41 credits MSN-APRN entry) to $97,648 (68 credits BSN entry) at $1,436 per credit hour and takes 2-4 years to complete on a part-time basis depending on entry pathway.
Curriculum
The program offers three distinct curricular pathways based on educational background. BSN-to-DNP (68 credits, approximately 4 years part-time) includes Graduate Nursing Core (12 credits):
- Antiracism in Organizational Leadership (3 credits)
- Applied Epidemiology Biostatistics Nursing (3 credits)
- Research for Evidence-Based Practice (3 credits)
- Health Promotion in Individuals and Clinical Populations (3 credits)
Advanced Practice Nursing Core (12 credits):
- Advanced Pharmacology (3 credits)
- Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
- Transition to the APRN Role (3 credits)
- Advanced Health Assessment Across the Life Span with Lab (3 credits combined)
DNP Core (14 credits):
- Leadership in Evolving Health Care Environments (3 credits)
- Health Care Economics, Policy, Finance (3 credits)
- Program Evaluation (3 credits)
- DNP Project Planning and Implementation (3 credits)
- DNP Project Proposal Seminar (2 credits)
Population/Role Cognates (18 credits):
- Major Psychopathological Disorders (3 credits)
- Psychopharmacology (3 credits)
- Neuropathophysiology: Life Span Approach (3 credits)
- Diagnostics and Management I: Psychiatric Assessment Across Life Span (3 credits)
- Diagnostics and Management II: Evidence-Based Treatment (3 credits)
- Diagnostics and Management III: Group Therapy and Complex Care (3 credits)
DNP Practica and Project (12 credits, 1,008 clinical hours)
MSN-to-DNP for APRNs (41 credits, approximately 3 years part-time) includes DNP Core (14 credits), Population/Role Cognates (15 credits), and DNP Practica/Project (12 credits, 1,008 clinical hours).
MSN-to-DNP for non-APRNs (56 credits) adds Advanced Practice Nursing Core (12 credits) to the APRN pathway requirements. Gap analysis performed for all MSN students to tailor program based on previous graduate education.
Clinicals
Students complete 1,008 clinical hours distributed across the following:
- DNP Specialty Practicum (6 credits, 504 hours)
- DNP Immersion Residency (3 credits, 252 hours)
- three DNP Project Practicum courses (3 credits total, 252 hours combined at 84 hours each)
Clinical experiences prepare graduates to function independently in advanced nursing roles across diverse populations in complex clinical, organizational, and educational systems. The program incorporates synchronous telehealth psychiatric evaluations on simulated patients facilitated by Rush’s Simulation Lab, reflecting contemporary telepsychiatry practice.
Students present DNP projects during final summer term either online or on campus, with expectation to attend all classmates’ presentations. One-day on-campus orientation in September is highly recommended but not required.
Prerequisites & Admissions
- Minimum Bachelor of Science in Nursing from accredited institution
- Minimum 3.0 GPA on 4.0 scale (cumulative GPA for all college coursework and prelicensure nursing GPA calculated by NursingCAS)
- Current U.S. Registered Nurse licensure (recent BSN/MSN graduates must submit upon matriculation)
- Preference given to applicants working in clinical psychiatric setting or beginning psychiatric work at program start
- Three professional letters of recommendation from individuals in leadership positions who can speak to clinical abilities (current manager strongly preferred, one academic faculty acceptable if coursework within past two years)
- Resume/CV including community service, educational/leadership/professional organization activities, scholarly activities (publications, presentations, research, honors, awards), and work experience
- Substantive answers to personal essay questions in NursingCAS Program Materials section
- Personal interviews with faculty required
- TOEFL scores if required for international applicants
- GRE scores NOT required
- For MSN-to-DNP students: Gap analysis performed to determine coursework requirements based on previous graduate education covering Advanced Health Assessment, Advanced Pathophysiology, Advanced Pharmacology, Biostatistics/Epidemiology, Research, Transition to APRN Role
- Application through NursingCAS only plus $40 Rush supplemental application
- Fall 2026 admission: Application deadline October 20, 2025, term starts September 8, 2026
- Degree must be completed within five years
- State enrollment restrictions: Cannot enroll residents of Louisiana, Tennessee, California, New York (advanced practice programs only), or Canada
- Applicants outside Illinois must contact state higher education regulation authority regarding distance education requirements
Tuition
Graduate DNP tuition is $1,436 per credit hour with no additional program fees mentioned beyond the $40 supplemental application fee.
Accreditation
Rush University College of Nursing maintains accreditation preparing graduates to sit for national lifespan PMHNP certification examination offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
The program’s exceptional first-time pass rate on national certification qualifies graduates for state Advanced Practice Nurse licensure where available, with U.S. News & World Report ranking the program among the best nationally and consistently in the top three.
Other Nursing Programs
Rush University College of Nursing offers comprehensive graduate-level education:
- Doctor of Nursing Practice Programs: Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Advanced Public Health Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Anesthesia, Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Transformative Leadership: Population Health, Transformative Leadership: Systems
- Postgraduate Certificates: Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care (Postdoctoral), Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Educator
- Master of Science in Nursing: Generalist Entry Master’s for Non-Nurses (Clinical Nurse Leader), Nursing Leadership: Clinical Nurse Leader for RNs
- Doctoral Programs: Nursing Science PhD
More Illinois PMHNP Programs
View All PMHNP Programs in Illinois
- Illinois State University - Normal
- Loyola University - Maywood
- North Central College - Naperville
- Rosalind Franklin University - Chicago
- University of Illinois Chicago - Chicago
- University of St Francis - Joliet