Program Track Overview
PMHNP Post-Graduate Certificate
The estimated cost for the UC PMHNP Certificate program is approximately $21,115 for California residents ($36,297 for non-residents) and takes 12 months (four consecutive quarters including one summer) to complete on a full-time basis.
Curriculum
The UC PMHNP Certificate requires 48 units of graduate academic coursework completed over four consecutive quarters.
Core courses are offered primarily online through UC Davis with virtual sessions for clinical case conferences and three virtual immersion sessions in summer, fall, and winter quarters.
The curriculum prepares students to sit for the ANCC Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Across the Lifespan) Board Certification examination.
Program Structure:
- Full-time enrollment required (12 units per quarter)
- Four consecutive quarters (summer, fall, winter, spring)
- Case-based immersion courses at UC Davis
- Virtual classroom learning with clinical case conferences
- Evening and weekend courses and clinical experiences may be required
- Integrative case-based learning with technology and systems-wide perspectives
Required Content Areas:
- Psychiatric assessment and symptom management across the lifespan
- Psychopharmacology
- Therapy modalities (individual, group, family psychotherapy)
- Sociocultural factors affecting health care access
- Structural barriers and system-level approaches to patient care
- Clinical decision-making and leadership skills
- Telehealth practice preparation
Specific course listings are determined through gap analysis based on prior graduate nursing education. Faculty from UCI, UCLA, and UCSF are involved in recruiting clinical placements, mentoring students, and teaching curricula.
Clinicals
The certificate requires at least 500 hours of supervised clinical experiences completed across all four quarters in students’ regional communities throughout California.
Students complete 16-24 hours per week of supervised clinical training in diverse psychiatric settings.
Clinical placements are arranged by nursing faculty across the UC system throughout the state to accommodate students’ geographic locations. Simulation labs allow for synchronous practice and feedback anywhere in California.
The hybrid/online model equips students with skills for serving as a PMHNP in telehealth environments.
Prerequisites & Admissions
- Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree or equivalent, or higher degree at time of application
- Foundation as Nurse Practitioner, Certified Nurse Midwife, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, or Certified Nurse Specialist
- Current unencumbered Registered Nurse (RN) licensure
- Licensed and certified as APRN in California with valid license for practice throughout program
- Minimum cumulative bachelor’s degree GPA of 3.0
- Completion of five ANCC prerequisite courses:
- Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology (including general principles across lifespan)
- Advanced Physical/Health Assessment (all human systems, advanced techniques)
- Advanced Pharmacology (pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacotherapeutics)
- Health Promotion and/or Disease Prevention
- Differential Diagnosis and Disease Management
- Must meet ANCC national certification guidelines to sit for PMHNP board certification examination
- Three letters of recommendation (academic performance, work supervisor, academic or professional reference from within last two years)
- Statement of purpose (maximum 4,000 characters) addressing academic preparation, motivation, interests, career goals, understanding of PMHNP role, and professional goals
- Personal history and diversity statement (maximum 4,000 characters) describing how personal background informs decision to pursue mental health specialization
- Resume or CV (maximum four pages) including mental health experience, leadership, teaching, community service, research involvement
- Official transcripts from all institutions attended
- TOEFL scores for international applicants (scores valid two years, minimum TOEFL not specified, IELTS alternative accepted)
- Completed UC Davis Office of Graduate Studies application
- Application fee: $135 ($155 for international applicants)
- Priority deadline: January 5 (decisions announced early March)
- Space-available deadline: May 1 (decisions announced late May if spaces remain)
- Admissions decisions made case-by-case basis; meeting criteria does not guarantee admission
Tuition
The program costs approximately $21,115 annually for California residents and $36,297 annually for non-California residents.
Full-time enrollment of 12 units per quarter is required. Additional costs may include textbooks, clinical supplies, liability insurance, clinical onboarding fees, and other program-specific materials.
Fee remissions may be available for graduate students who meet AAP eligibility requirements through their hiring department.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Accreditation
The UC Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis is developed in collaboration with Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing at UC Irvine, UCSF School of Nursing, and UCLA School of Nursing.
Graduates are eligible to sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Across the Lifespan) Board Certification (PMHNP-BC™) examination to become board-certified PMHNPs authorized to prescribe psychotropic medications, treat severe mental illness and substance abuse disorders, and offer psychiatric care.