| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP | ~$66.7K in-state | 3 yrs (FT) | 70 |
| Certificate | Not stated | 1 yr | 22 |
*All-in totals (tuition + fees) from the school’s 2022–23 published breakdown; out-of-state total derived from the $1,113/credit rate. Confirm current rates.
UMass Chan’s defining advantage is guaranteed, school-arranged clinical placements, backed by the only Massachusetts nursing school that shares a campus with a nationally top-ranked medical school and a 12-month post-graduation fellowship at community health centers. Enrollment is restricted to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, and the certificate accepts only applicants living in or relocating to New England.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | BSN-to-DNP; Post-Graduate Certificate; Graduate Entry (non-nurses) to DNP |
| Format | Mostly Online (verify per track; not clearly stated by the school) |
| Clinical Hours | Not clearly stated |
| Clinical Placement | Guaranteed; school-arranged across Massachusetts with a dedicated coordinator |
| Population | Lifespan (child through older adult) |
| Distinctive Coursework | Interprofessional community-service learning; two dedicated psychotherapy courses |
| RN License Requirements | DNP: unrestricted MA RN license. Certificate: unrestricted MA NP license |
| Tuition | $825/credit in-state; $1,023 NE Regional; $1,113 out-of-state (2022–23) |
| Accreditation | CCNE (DNP and post-graduate APRN certificate) |
| Enrollment Restrictions | U.S. citizens/permanent residents only; certificate limited to 6 NE states |
| Start Terms | DNP: fall only; part-time allowed only for Year 1 coursework |
| Post-Grad Fellowship | Optional 12-month community health center fellowship after certification |
BSN-to-DNP PMHNP
The estimated tuition for the BSN-to-DNP Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at UMass Chan is approximately $57,750 in-state (70 credits at $825/credit), or about $66,697 including mandatory and course fees, based on the school’s 2022–23 published breakdown.
The program can generally be completed in about 3 years of full-time study, with a part-time option that spreads only the first-year coursework over two years.
The school’s current financial information page lists 2026–27 DNP tuition and fees at roughly $27,259 per year in-state ($33,199 NE Regional; $36,358 out-of-state). Those annual figures are financial-aid budgeting estimates and do not reconcile cleanly with the older itemized track breakdown, so confirm current per-credit rates with the bursar before budgeting.
DNP Curriculum
The 70-credit curriculum (73 for Pre-Graduate Option students, who add two bridge courses) is organized into three distinct years, which matters for planning: Year 1 is heavy didactic work (34 credits), Year 2 is the dedicated PMHNP clinical year, and Year 3 is a lighter 9-credit year for the scholarly project, leadership practicum, and a final clinical immersion. Few BSN-to-DNP programs isolate the specialty clinical training into a single concentrated year this cleanly; it means your most demanding clinical semesters don’t overlap with core doctoral coursework.
Foundation and doctoral core (Year 1): advanced pathophysiology, pharmacotherapeutics, and health assessment, plus epidemiology, health policy, informatics, and evidence-based practice. A community-service learning sequence (N603B) places students with underserved and high-risk populations early.
PMHNP specialty sequence (Year 2): each semester pairs a didactic course with a practicum, moving from lifespan assessment and diagnosis, to adults and older adults, to children, adolescents, and families.
Scholarly project and leadership (Year 3): project implementation and dissemination, a leadership course, transition-to-practice preparation, and an advanced practice immersion.
- N732A/N732B: Psychiatric assessment and diagnosis across the lifespan (DSM-5-based), with paired practicum
- N733A/N733B: Psychiatric care of adults and older adults, with paired practicum
- N734A/N734B: Psychiatric care of children, adolescents, and families, with paired practicum
- N671: Psychotherapeutic Interventions I — individual therapy
- N675: Psychotherapeutic Interventions II — group, couples, and family therapy
- N673: Clinical psychopharmacology across the lifespan
- N728: Advanced practice clinical immersion (final year)
- N772/N773: DNP scholarly project implementation and dissemination
More curriculum details are available here.
DNP Clinical Requirements
- Clinical placements are guaranteed for all DNP tracks and arranged by the school across Massachusetts
- Dedicated clinical placement coordinator
- Settings: outpatient and inpatient psychiatry, step-down and residential programs, private outpatient practices
- Practicum credits concentrated in Year 2 (7 credits across three paired courses), plus a final immersion in Year 3
- Interprofessional training on the shared UMass Chan Medical School campus
- Total clinical hours: not clearly stated — confirm with the program
The guaranteed placement policy is the practical headline here. In most online and hybrid PMHNP programs, students must recruit their own psychiatric preceptors, which is the single most common cause of delayed graduation. UMass Chan removes that risk entirely, though the trade-off is geographic: placements are in Massachusetts, so this only works if you live within commuting range of its clinical network. The unstated total hours are a source gap, not a red flag; DNP accreditation standards require substantial supervised practice, and the structure suggests a conventional volume.
DNP Admissions
Admissions run on a fall-only annual cycle with two unusual elements: a video-essay supplemental application and a citizenship restriction.
- BSN from an accredited institution; unrestricted Massachusetts RN license
- Preferred GPA: 3.0+; statistics with B- or higher preferred (no time limit)
- NursingCAS application plus a supplemental application: residency validation, background check authorization, and 3 video essay responses (2 minutes each)
- $117 non-refundable supplemental application fee (plus NursingCAS fee)
- Personal statements: two prompts on career motivation and PMHNP role (300 words total); one prompt on how the DNP will enhance APRN practice (300 words)
- 2 letters of recommendation (1 professional, 1 academic; within 5 years preferred)
- Annual cycle for fall entry: early deadline typically February 1, final deadline April 30 (the 2026 cycle has closed; confirm next cycle’s dates)
- U.S. citizens and permanent residents only; F-1/J-1 visa holders not eligible
Post-Graduate Certificate PMHNP
Tuition for the Post-Graduate Certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at UMass Chan is not clearly stated as a program-total figure; the school bills per credit, and the certificate-specific rate is not published in available materials, so confirm it directly with the bursar.
The program can generally be completed in 1 year (3 semesters: fall, spring, summer).
Certificate Curriculum
This is a 22-credit certificate built for practicing NPs adding psychiatry as a second specialty, and its structure is unusually complete for a one-year credential: it includes two dedicated psychotherapy courses (individual therapy in fall; group, couples, and family therapy in summer) rather than folding therapy training into general specialty courses. Each semester pairs a didactic course with a practicum, so clinical training runs continuously from the first term.
Fall (6 credits):
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing I: Assessment and Diagnosis Across the Lifespan (3 cr)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Practicum I (2 cr)
- Psychotherapeutic Interventions I: Individual Therapy (1 cr)
Spring (8 credits):
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing II: Care of Adults, Older Adults and Consultation (3 cr)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Practicum II (2 cr)
- Clinical Psychopharmacology (3 cr)
Summer (8 credits):
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing III: Care of Children, Adolescents, and Families (3 cr)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Practicum III (3 cr)
- Psychotherapeutic Interventions II: Group, Couples, and Family Therapy (2 cr)
Certificate Clinical Requirements
- Three practicum courses, one per semester: 2 + 2 + 3 = 7 practicum credits
- Placements arranged by the school across Massachusetts
- Settings: outpatient and inpatient psychiatry, community mental health, and other behavioral health sites
- Total clinical hours: not clearly stated — confirm with the program
Continuous clinical training across all three semesters is a genuine advantage over certificates that backload practica, and school-arranged placements matter even more here: certificate students are working NPs who rarely have time to cold-call psychiatric preceptors. Verify the total hours before enrolling — ANCC certification eligibility depends on documented supervised clinical hours in the specialty.
Certificate Admissions
The defining admissions constraint is geography: applicants must hold an unrestricted Massachusetts NP license and live in (or commit to relocating to) one of six New England states.
- Unrestricted Massachusetts NP license required
- Residency in MA, RI, CT, NH, VT, or ME (or documented plan to relocate)
- Preferred GPA: 3.0+; B- or higher preferred in statistics, advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology, and advanced health assessment
- NursingCAS plus supplemental application with 3 video essays (2 minutes each); $117 non-refundable supplemental fee
- Personal statement (500 words) on pursuing mental health as an additional scope of practice
- 2 letters of recommendation (1 professional, 1 academic)
- Rolling application review; confirm current deadlines with admissions
- U.S. citizens and permanent residents only
Tuition
Total estimated cost for the BSN-to-DNP PMHNP is approximately $66,697 in-state: $57,750 tuition (70 credits × $825/credit) plus $8,947 in mandatory and course fees, per the school’s 2022–23 published track breakdown. Derived from the same rate sheet, the NE Regional total is roughly $80,600 (70 × $1,023 + fees) and out-of-state roughly $86,900 (70 × $1,113 + fees); fee schedules may differ by residency, so treat both as estimates.
- Mandatory per-semester fees: equipment ($173, fall/spring), health/counseling ($448), student services ($101)
- Advanced Health Assessment fee: $1,056 (one-time, Year 1 spring)
- Clinical Lab Fee: $2,112 in each of two clinical-year semesters — the largest single add-on
- TYPHON clinical tracking fee ($133) and commencement fee ($258)
- Optional student health insurance: $4,576/year (not included in totals above)
- Graduate Entry (GEP) to DNP, PMHNP track: 121 credits, about $118,875 total in-state, including a flat-rate $47,754 prelicensure year (2022–23)
- Certificate tuition: not independently published — confirm the current certificate rate with the program
- Published per-credit rates are from 2022–23; the school’s 2026–27 financial page estimates DNP tuition and fees at ~$27,259/year in-state, which does not reconcile cleanly with the older breakdown
The practical takeaway: fees add roughly 15% on top of tuition here, concentrated in the clinical year, and current rates are almost certainly higher than the 2022–23 sheet — budget with a margin and get updated figures in writing.
See the official tuition and financial information page for more details.
Why Choose This PMHNP Program?
This program fits nurses who want their clinical training handled for them, plan to build a career in Massachusetts, and want a doctorate rather than a master’s.
The placement model is the strongest reason to apply. UMass Chan guarantees clinical placements for all DNP tracks, arranged by a dedicated coordinator across its Massachusetts network — a commitment most PMHNP programs, including the large online options, do not make. The setting reinforces it: this is the only nursing school in the state sharing a campus with a nationally top-ranked medical school, so interprofessional training happens alongside physicians rather than in a nursing-only silo. The 12-month post-graduation fellowship at community health centers, run with the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, extends support past the diploma — something no other profiled Massachusetts program offers.
The trade-offs are geographic and structural. Everything about this program assumes you are in or near Massachusetts: the RN/NP license requirement, the in-state clinical network, and the certificate’s six-state residency rule. There is no BSN-to-MSN option — if you want the faster, cheaper master’s route, Westfield State ($690/credit) or Northeastern serve that need, while UMass Chan commits you to three years and a doctorate. For in-state nurses who want the DNP anyway, the arithmetic is favorable: as the state’s public option, its resident per-credit rate undercuts every private Massachusetts program on this site. International nurses on student visas should look elsewhere; the program accepts only U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
Accreditation
The DNP and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing at UMass Chan Medical School are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the pre-licensure program is approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing. The university states that PMHNP graduates are eligible to sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) PMHNP board certification exam. After graduation and certification, eligible graduates may apply to the 12-month fellowship program at a community health center managed by UMass Chan and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.
Compare UMass with Other Massachusetts PMHNP Programs
- Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences - Boston
- Northeastern University - Boston
- Regis College - Weston
- Westfield State University - Westfield