Program Tracks Overview
| Program | In-State Cost | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Master of Science in Nursing – PMHNP | $35,640 | 2–2.5 years (full-time) |
| BSN-to-DNP – PMHNP | $55,920 | 3–4 years (full-time) |
| MSN-to-DNP – PMHNP | $22,368 | Varies by individual plan of study |
| Post-Graduate Certificate – PMHNP | $18,216 | 1–1.5 years (4 semesters) |
The MSN-PMHNP program admits students for fall semester only, while the DNP program is a joint offering with East Tennessee State University featuring both BSN-to-DNP and MSN-to-DNP pathways.
Master of Science in Nursing – PMHNP
The estimated cost for the MSN-PMHNP program is approximately $35,640 for in-state students (45 credits × $792/credit) and $41,940 for out-of-state students (45 credits × $932/credit), and would take 2-2.5 years to complete on a full-time basis.
MSN Curriculum
The 45-credit curriculum includes core MSN courses, advanced practice courses, and PMHNP clinical courses:
NURS6000 – Theoretical Foundations
This course introduces major nursing theories and how they guide advanced practice. Students analyze theory development, evaluate key concepts from nursing and related sciences, and connect theory to care of individuals, families, and groups.
NURS6001 – Health Care Policy
This course examines public and private healthcare delivery systems and their structure. Students analyze current policies, explore system challenges, and consider strategies to improve access, quality, and outcomes.
NURS6002 – Advanced Nursing Research
This course reviews the research process and its use in clinical decision making. Students critique studies, apply evidence-based practice concepts, and translate research findings to improve nursing care.
NURS6003 – Advanced Role Development
This course explores the evolution, scope, and responsibilities of advanced nursing roles. Legal, ethical, political, social, and historical influences on advanced practice are examined to clarify professional identity and expectations.
NURS6911 – Transition to Certification/Practice – Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
This course prepares PMHNP students for the ANCC certification exam and entry into practice. Content includes exam format, registration, test-taking strategies, review of major psychiatric diagnoses, practice testing, and development of a personalized post-graduation study plan.
NURS6101 – Advanced Health Assessment
This course prepares advanced practice nurses to perform comprehensive and focused health assessments across the lifespan. Emphasis is placed on diagnostic reasoning using history, physical examination, and diagnostic data.
NURS6102 – Advanced Health Assessment Clinical
This clinical course applies advanced assessment skills with patients across the lifespan. Students refine physical exam techniques, interpret findings, and integrate data to support clinical judgments.
NURS6103 – Advanced Pathophysiology
This course examines complex pathophysiologic processes underlying common health problems encountered in advanced practice. Students link disease mechanisms across the lifespan to diagnostic testing and clinical management.
NURS6104 – Advanced Pharmacology
This course covers pharmacologic principles and therapies for conditions commonly treated by advanced practice nurses. Students focus on safe prescribing, monitoring, and adjusting pharmacotherapy based on patient needs.
NURS6710 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing I
This course introduces diagnosis and management of common psychiatric illnesses, developmental and behavioral issues, and substance use disorders across the lifespan. Students build a foundation for family-focused psychiatric care.
NURS6711 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing I: Practicum
This practicum emphasizes care of adults in underserved rural and urban settings. Students apply advanced assessment, pathophysiology, and evidence-based interventions to promote mental health and manage identified disorders.
NURS6712 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing II
This course advances knowledge in caring for individuals and families with psychiatric disorders using diverse delivery models. Students examine treatment planning and coordination of specialty psychiatric services.
NURS6713 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing II: Practicum
This practicum focuses on advanced nursing care for individuals and families with psychiatric conditions. Students further apply assessment, pathophysiology, and evidence-based strategies in supervised clinical settings.
NURS6714 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing III
This course concentrates on ongoing management of common psychiatric disorders in both children and adults. Students refine skills in long-term treatment planning and monitoring of clinical progress.
NURS6715 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing III: Practicum
This practicum integrates psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacologic interventions for complex psychiatric and mental health issues across the lifespan. Students apply advanced assessment and evidence-based care with diverse clients.
NURS6716 – Final Psychiatric Nursing Preceptorship
This capstone course synthesizes previous learning in PMHNP practice. Under preceptor guidance, students integrate psychotherapy and pharmacologic management to care for complex psychiatric conditions across varied settings and populations.
MSN Clinicals
The program includes clinical practicum requirements integrated throughout the PMHNP specialty courses, completed with preceptors in the student’s local area.
Tennessee Tech faculty provide assistance with securing clinical placements, ensuring students can complete requirements near their home location.
MSN Admissions Requirements
- Unencumbered RN license in Tennessee or the state where clinical assignments will be completed
- Bachelor’s degree in nursing with minimum 3.0 GPA (provisional admission may be considered on case-by-case basis for students below 3.0)
- Completion of or planned enrollment in statistics course
- Application deadline: July 1 for fall admission
- Copy of RN licensure
- State-issued ID
- Letter of intent/cover letter discussing interest in the program
- Resume or CV
- Transcripts from all previously attended schools
- Three letters of reference (at least one professional and one educational)
Doctor of Nursing Practice – PMHNP (TTU-ETSU Joint Program)
The estimated cost for the BSN-to-DNP PMHNP program is approximately $55,920 for in-state students (80 credits × $699/credit) and $67,120 for out-of-state students (80 credits × $839/credit), and would take 3-4 years to complete on a full-time basis.
The MSN-to-DNP option requires 32 credits and costs approximately $22,368 for in-state students and $26,848 for out-of-state students.
DNP Curriculum
BSN-DNP Core Requirements (35 hours):
- NRSE5000 – Concepts Systems for Advanced Nursing Practice
- NRSE5001 – Nursing Research/Evidence-based Practice
- NRSE5006 – Advanced Role Development
- NRSE5009 – Advanced Health Assessment Throughout the Life Span
- NRSE5010 – Advanced Health Assessment Throughout the Life Span Practicum
- NRSE5016 – Advanced Pathophysiology
- NRSE5018 – Advanced Clinical Pharmacology
- NRSE5030 – Scholarly Writing
- NRSE5100 – Primary/Population Health/Data Analysis/Advanced Nursing Practice
- NRSE6002 – Health Policy Leadership
- NRSE6050 – Quality/Translation
- NRSE6713 – Systems Management
BSN-DNP Concentration Requirements (33 hours):
- NRSE5303 – Psychopharmacology
- NRSE5404 – Advanced Psychiatric Family Nursing Care I
- NRSE5405 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing Care Practicum I
- NRSE5408 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing Care II
- NRSE5409 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing Care Practicum II
- NRSE5410 – Interpersonal Treatment Modalities
- NRSE5411 – Interpersonal Treatment Modalities Practicum
- NRSE6414 – Neurobiology Psychiatric Disorders
- NRSE6415 – Mental Health Care Delivery Systems
- NRSE6950 – Internship Advanced Nursing Practice
- Advisor-approved elective (3 credits)
DNP Project (12 hours):
- NRSE6801 – DNP Project Identification
- NRSE6802 – DNP Project Development
- NRSE6803 – DNP Project Implementation
- NRSE6804 – DNP Project Evaluation & Dissemination
MSN-DNP Core Requirements (11 hours):
- NRSE5030 – Scholarly Writing
- NRSE5100 – Primary/Population Health/Data Analysis/Advanced Nursing Practice
- NRSE6050 – Quality/Translation
- NRSE6713 – Systems Management
MSN-DNP Concentration Requirements (9 hours):
- NRSE6414 – Neurobiology Psychiatric Disorders
- NRSE6415 – Mental Health Care Delivery Systems
- Advisor-approved elective (3 credits)
More curriculum details are available here.
DNP Clinicals
Clinical practicum hours are integrated throughout the concentration courses and completed with approved preceptors. The program includes an internship in advanced nursing practice (NRSE6950) that provides extensive clinical experience in psychiatric mental health settings.
DNP Admissions Requirements
General Requirements:
- Unencumbered RN license in the United States and eligibility for Tennessee licensure (or equivalency for international students)
- Minimum two years full-time work experience as a registered nurse
- Three letters of recommendation (from current supervisor, faculty member, and applicant’s choice)
- Writing sample describing a clinical practice problem
- Personal interview
- Cover letter expressing personal goals for doctoral study
- Current resume or curriculum vitae
- GRE required for applicants with cumulative GPA less than 3.2
BSN-DNP Applicants:
- Bachelor’s degree in nursing required
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on 4.0 scale from nationally accredited program
MSN-DNP Applicants (4 options):
- Certification in selected nursing specialty for the concentration, OR
- Master’s in nursing in a specialty different than intended concentration (requires longer program), OR
- Non-nursing master’s with BSN from nationally accredited program (requires longer program), OR
- Master’s in nursing with APRN certification (NP, CNS, CNM, or CRNA) or master’s level nursing administration/healthcare systems leadership concentration
Post-Graduate Certificate – PMHNP
The estimated cost for the Post-Graduate PMHNP Certificate is approximately $18,216 for in-state students (23 credits × $792/credit) and $21,436 for out-of-state students (23 credits × $932/credit), and would take 1-1.5 years to complete (4 semesters with 2 courses per semester).
Certificate Curriculum
The 23-credit certificate includes 560 clinical contact hours and the following coursework:
Required Courses:
- NURS6710 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing I
- NURS6711 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing I: Practicum (140 clinical hours)
- NURS6712 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing II
- NURS6713 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing II: Practicum (140 clinical hours)
- NURS6714 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing III
- NURS6715 – Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing III: Practicum (140 clinical hours)
- NURS6716 – Final Psychiatric Nursing Preceptorship (140 clinical hours)
- NURS6911 – Transition to Certification/Practice – Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Certificate Clinicals
The certificate requires 560 clinical contact hours distributed across four practicum courses:
- Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing I Practicum (140 hours)
- Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing II Practicum (140 hours)
- Advanced Family Psychiatric Nursing III Practicum (140 hours)
- Final Psychiatric Nursing Preceptorship (140 hours).
Clinical requirements are completed with preceptors in the student’s local area.
Certificate Admissions Requirements
- Master of Science in Nursing from regionally accredited institution with nursing program accreditation
- Current, unencumbered RN license
- Current certification as an APRN
- Minimum 3.0 GPA in last degree earned
- Minimum grade of “B” in prerequisite courses (must be independent courses addressing concepts across the lifespan):
- Advanced Pathophysiology
- Advanced Pharmacology (including pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacotherapeutics)
- Advanced Health Assessment with lab (including all human systems and advanced techniques)
- Resume or CV with three professional references
- Copy of RN licensure
- State-issued ID
- Letter of intent/cover letter discussing program interest
- Transcripts from all previously attended schools
- Three letters of reference (at least one professional and one educational)
- Application deadline: July 1 for fall admission
Tuition
Graduate nursing tuition is $792 per credit hour for in-state students and $932 per credit hour for out-of-state students (MSN programs).
DNP program tuition is $699 per credit hour for in-state students and $839 per credit hour for out-of-state students. International student rates are $1,518 per credit hour for MSN programs and $1,425 per credit hour for DNP programs.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Accreditation
The Master’s degree program in nursing at Tennessee Tech University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) through 2025.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at East Tennessee State University and Tennessee Tech University is also accredited by CCNE through 2025. Certificate graduates are eligible to sit for national PMHNP certification examinations.
Other Nursing Programs
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) – Traditional four-year program
- 2nd-Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing – Accelerated program
- RN-to-BSN – Online program
- DNP – Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Concentration (Joint with ETSU)
- DNP – Nursing and Healthcare Leadership Concentration (Joint with ETSU)
- DNP – Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration (Joint with ETSU)
- DNP – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner-Primary Care Concentration (Joint with ETSU)
- DNP – Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner Concentration (Joint with ETSU)
Related Programs
View All PMHNP Programs in Tennessee
- Austin Peay - Clarksville
- East Tennessee State University - Johnson City
- Middle Tennessee State University - Murfreesboro
- University of Tennessee - Knoxville
- Vanderbilt University - Nashville