Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN | $42K–$48K | 2.5 yrs (full-time) | 42–48 |
| BS to DNP | $70K | 4.5–5.5 yrs | 72 |
| MSN to DNP | $23K | ~2 yrs (part-time) | 24 |
| Post-Master’s Cert | $25K | Varies | 32 |
Russell Sage’s defining advantage is price with a regional employer pipeline behind it: at $780–$990 per credit — the lowest rates among New York’s PMHNP programs in this guide — plus a 30% MS tuition discount for Albany Med Health System employees, it delivers a near-online psychiatric NP education for a fraction of downstate costs.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MSN (42–48 cr), BS-to-DNP (72 cr), NP-to-DNP (24 cr), Post-Master’s Certificate (32 cr) |
| Format | Mostly Online — 100% online except 4–6 in-person health assessment labs |
| Clinical Hours | 500–700 (MSN); 1,250 (BS-to-DNP); 500 (NP-to-DNP); varies (certificate) |
| Clinical Placement | Preceptor-supervised in approved Capital Region settings; who arranges placements not clearly stated |
| Population | Lifespan, with dedicated child/adolescent and adult/geriatric theory-practicum courses |
| Employer Partnerships | Albany Med employees: 30% off MS tuition; Healthcare Workforce Development partners: 10% off |
| Financial Aid | Graduate assistantships up to $3,910/semester (6+ credits) |
| Licensure Requirement | Unencumbered New York State RN license (NP license for NP-to-DNP and certificate) |
| Tuition | $990/credit (MS); $970/credit (DNP); $780/credit (certificate) |
| Accreditation | MSN: CCNE. DNP: pursuing initial CCNE accreditation — not yet granted ⚠️ |
MSN PMHNP
The estimated tuition for the MSN PMHNP Across the Lifespan at Russell Sage College is approximately $41,580–$47,520 (42–48 credits at $990/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 2.5 years full-time, or longer part-time, with fall enrollment and a bridge option for RNs holding an associate’s in nursing plus a bachelor’s in another field.
MSN Curriculum
The 42–48 credits organize into six categories: nursing core, research, cognate sciences, supporting pharmacology, clinical specialty, and assessment.
Two features stand out from typical PMHNP curricula: a dedicated neurobiology course covering CNS mechanisms of mental disorders, and unusually deep therapy training — separate courses in behavior therapy, family processes, and group processes rather than a single psychotherapy survey.
Diagnostic Health Assessment (NSG 619) is the gateway: it must be completed before any clinical course. Specialty theory splits into child/adolescent and adult/geriatric courses, each pairing classroom work with practicum.
- Advanced Human Pathophysiology; Advanced Pharmacology; Diagnostic Health Assessment
- Neurobiology
- Advanced Psychopharmacology
- Advanced Clinical Practice Behavior Therapy; Family Processes; Group Processes Across the Lifespan
- Diagnostic Mental Health Assessment & Intervention
- Child/Adolescent Mental Health Theory; Adult/Geriatric Mental Health Theory
More curriculum details are available here.
MSN Clinical Requirements
The MSN requires 500–700 preceptor-supervised clinical hours in approved settings across New York’s Capital Region and beyond, ideally in the student’s home area. (Note:The college’s DNP materials cite 750 master’s-level clinical hours — confirm the current requirement with the program.)
Aside from 4–6 on-campus health assessment lab sessions, everything else is online.
- 500–700 supervised clinical hours with a preceptor
- 4–6 in-person health assessment labs (the program’s only campus requirement)
- Sites include tertiary hospitals, primary care clinics, and inpatient/outpatient psychiatric settings
- Who arranges placements: not clearly stated
MSN Admissions
Applications are due November 1 for spring or March 1 for fall.
- RN with an unencumbered New York State license
- Minimum 1 year of nursing employment
- Undergraduate GPA of 3.0+
- Official transcripts, current resume, 1–2 page career goals essay
- Two letters of recommendation (nurse manager, NP, or former professor)
- Bridge program available for ADN-prepared RNs with a non-nursing bachelor’s
- Advisor meeting required before each semester’s registration
DNP PMHNP
The estimated tuition for the DNP PMHNP at Russell Sage College is approximately $69,840 for the BS-to-DNP pathway (72 credits at $970/credit) or $23,280 for the MS-Prepared NP-to-DNP pathway (24 credits at $970/credit).
The BS-to-DNP takes about 4.5–5.5 years and starts fall only; the NP-to-DNP takes about 2 years part-time and starts spring only, with a gap analysis determining whether credits beyond the standard 24 are needed.
DNP Curriculum
The BS-to-DNP wraps the complete MS-level PMHNP curriculum — including the neurobiology and multi-course therapy sequence — inside doctoral coursework in leadership, systems improvement, health policy, and quality improvement, adding an advanced group and family therapy skills course at the doctoral level. Both pathways culminate in a DNP Scholarly Project with a clinical mentor drawn from the practice setting. The complete doctoral core course list is not published; contact the program office.
- Neurobiology
- Advanced Clinical Practice Behavior Therapy
- Child/Adolescent Mental Health Theory; Adult/Geriatric Mental Health Theory
- Advanced Skills Group and Family Therapy
- Advanced Psychopharmacology
- Doctoral core: leadership, systems improvement, health policy, DNP Scholarly Project
More curriculum details are available here.
DNP Clinical Requirements
The BS-to-DNP requires 1,250 total supervised clinical hours — 750 at the master’s level plus 500 for DNP requirements — while NP-to-DNP students complete the 500 DNP hours only.
A distinctive requirement: the curriculum mandates exposure to at least two psychotherapeutic treatment modalities, with clinical experiences reflecting them when available.
- BS-to-DNP: 1,250 total hours (750 master’s-level + 500 DNP-level)
- NP-to-DNP: 500 DNP-level hours
- Required exposure to two or more psychotherapy modalities
- Settings span tertiary, comprehensive, and community hospitals, primary care, and inpatient/outpatient psychiatry, ideally in the student’s home region
DNP Admissions
Qualified applicants interview with the DNP Admissions Committee; the personal statement must address a scholarly project idea up front.
- Unencumbered NYS RN license (current NP license and national NP certification for the NP-to-DNP pathway)
- Minimum 3.0 GPA in all prior programs
- At least 1 year or 2,000 hours of RN experience
- Descriptive statistics course completed within the past 5 years
- 2–3 page personal statement covering DNP rationale, career goals, scholarly project idea, and workload plan
- Three letters of recommendation spanning a doctorally prepared nurse, academia, a supervisor, and an APRN (categories may overlap)
- NP-to-DNP applicants complete a gap analysis with the DNP program director
- BS-to-DNP: fall start only (and the only pathway offered full-time); NP-to-DNP: spring start only
Post-Master’s Certificate PMHNP
The estimated tuition for the Post-Master’s Certificate PMHNP Across the Lifespan at Russell Sage College is approximately $24,960 (32 credits at $780/credit). Duration varies with a gap analysis of prior graduate coursework, on a full- or part-time basis — and at $780 per credit, it’s the cheapest rate in the college’s nursing catalog.
Certificate Curriculum
Designed for NPs adding a psychiatric specialization to an existing certification (an FNP returning for the Psych NP credential, for example), the 32-credit certificate carries the full specialty spine: neurobiology, psychopharmacology, the three-course therapy sequence (behavior, family, group), diagnostic mental health assessment, and both population theory courses. NSG 619 Diagnostic Health Assessment is the prerequisite gateway to all clinical courses and carries a mandatory clinical lab fee. Prior graduate coursework is reviewed for waivers.
- Advanced Human Pathophysiology; Advanced Pharmacology; Diagnostic Health Assessment
- Neurobiology; Advanced Psychopharmacology
- Behavior Therapy, Family Processes, and Group Processes courses
- Diagnostic Mental Health Assessment & Intervention
- Child/Adolescent and Adult/Geriatric Mental Health Theory
More curriculum details are available here.
Certificate Clinical Requirements
Clinical hours are embedded in the specialty and behavior therapy courses, with the total set individually by gap analysis of prior graduate clinical experience — a published baseline is not clearly stated. In-person attendance is limited to the NSG 619 health assessment labs.
- Total clinical hours: individually determined; confirm with the program office
- In-person requirement limited to health assessment labs
- Clinical hours embedded in behavior therapy and mental health assessment courses
Certificate Admissions
- MS in Nursing from an accredited program
- Current unencumbered NYS RN and NP license
- Minimum 3.0 GPA in the graduate nursing program
- Credit requirements set by gap analysis
- Full- or part-time enrollment; contact Admissions for track-specific deadlines
Tuition
Total tuition runs approximately $41,580–$47,520 for the MSN, $69,840 for the BS-to-DNP, $23,280 for the NP-to-DNP, and $24,960 for the certificate, at tiered per-credit rates of $990 (MS), $970 (DNP), and $780 (certificate). A $100-per-semester Typhon clinical tracking fee applies to select nursing courses. The discounts are unusually concrete: Albany Medical Center employees get 30% off MS tuition, Healthcare Workforce Development partner employees get 10% off, and graduate assistantships pay up to $3,910 per semester for students taking 6+ credits — stack an AMC discount or assistantship on the base rates and this becomes one of the cheapest PMHNP paths in the Northeast. More tuition details are available here.
Why Choose This PMHNP Program?
Russell Sage wins on arithmetic. Its per-credit rates undercut every downstate program in this guide — the full MSN costs less than half of NYU’s and roughly 60% of Pace’s — while delivering an even lighter campus footprint than Pace’s metro-flexible model: 100% online except 4–6 health assessment labs. The Albany Med partnership converts that value into a career pipeline for Capital Region nurses, and the curriculum is more substantive than the price suggests, with a dedicated neurobiology course and three separate therapy courses (behavior, family, group) where most programs offer one.
The caveats deserve equal weight. The DNP is still pursuing initial CCNE accreditation — pursuing does not guarantee granting, so DNP applicants should confirm status directly with the program before enrolling and understand what non-accreditation would mean for certification and employment. The college’s clinical hour figures don’t fully reconcile (the MSN page says 500–700 hours while DNP materials cite 750 master’s-level hours, and the DNP’s 1,250 total appears elsewhere as 1,150–1,200), placement arrangement responsibility isn’t published, and each pathway has exactly one start term per year. A New York RN license is required throughout.
For a Capital Region nurse — especially one badged at Albany Med — the value case is hard to beat, but it comes with homework: verify the DNP’s accreditation status and pin down your exact clinical hour requirement in writing before you commit.
Accreditation
The BSN and MSN programs at Russell Sage College are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and all nursing programs are registered with the New York State Education Department. The DNP program is currently pursuing initial CCNE accreditation — prospective students should confirm accreditation status directly with the program office before enrolling, as pursuing accreditation does not guarantee it will be granted. The college states MSN graduates are eligible for ANCC certification.
More PMHNP Programs Near You
- Adelphi University - Adelphi
- Binghamton University - Binghamton
- Columbia University - New York
- D'Youville University - Buffalo
- Hofstra University - Hempstead
- Hunter College - New York
- Mercy University - Dobbs Ferry
- Molloy University - Rockville Centre
- NYU - New York
- Pace University - New York
- St. John Fisher University - Rochester
- Stony Brook University - Stony Brook
- SUNY Upstate Medical University - Syracuse
- University of Rochester - Rochester