Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNP | $61.5K in-state | 3 yrs (full-time) | 75 |
UH Mānoa’s defining advantage is that it runs Hawaii’s only DNP-level PMHNP program and arranges every clinical placement for you — the School of Nursing coordinates all sites, including rural and neighbor island rotations. The trade-off is rigidity: it is a full-time, three-year cohort in a hybrid format with in-person requirements, with no part-time option.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | BSN-to-DNP (post-master’s entry not clearly stated) |
| Format | Hybrid — online plus in-person; campus visit frequency not clearly stated |
| Enrollment Model | Full-time cohort only; single August start each year |
| Clinical Hours | 810 supervised clinical hours + 270 fieldwork hours (1,000+ total DNP hours) |
| Clinical Placement | All sites coordinated by the School of Nursing, statewide including neighbor islands |
| Population | Lifespan; emphasis on vulnerable and underserved populations in urban and rural Hawaiʻi |
| Distinctive Coursework | Separate individual and family/group psychotherapy courses; psychobiology; health policy and economics |
| Concentrations | None stated |
| RN License Requirements | Active, unrestricted RN license; bachelor’s or higher in nursing |
| Tuition | $820/credit resident; $1,458/credit non-resident |
| Accreditation | CCNE (program); WSCUC (institutional) |
DNP – PMHNP
The estimated tuition for the DNP-PMHNP at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is approximately $61,500 for residents (75 credits at $820/credit). The program can generally be completed in about 3 years (eight semesters) on a required full-time schedule.
DNP Curriculum
This is a doctoral curriculum, so roughly a third of the 75 credits go to DNP-level work — evidence-based practice, program evaluation, informatics, health policy, and a three-part scholarly project — on top of the PMHNP specialty training. If you only want the clinical credential, that is coursework you would skip at an MSN program; if you want systems-level and leadership preparation, it is the reason to choose a DNP.
PMHNP Specialty Sequence. The psychiatric core is built as three progressive theory-plus-clinical pairs (entry-level management, moderate-complex cases, then complex and special populations), each with its own supervised clinical course. Psychotherapy gets unusually thorough treatment: two dedicated courses rather than the single survey course many programs use, covering individual modalities (psychodynamic, CBT, solution-focused, multicultural) and family/group models separately.
Notable courses:
- NURS 631 – Advanced Psychopharmacology Across the Lifespan (3 credits)
- NURS 683 – Psychobiology of Mental Health Disorders (3 credits)
- NURS 684/684L through 688/688L – Three-level PMH theory and clinical sequence (135 clinical hours per clinical enrollment)
- NURS 685 – Individual Psychotherapy for PMHNPs (3 credits)
- NURS 687 – Family and Group Psychotherapy for PMHNPs (3 credits)
- NURS 740 – Health Policy and Economics (3 credits)
- NURS 755/756/757 – DNP Scholarly Project: Proposal, Implementation, Evaluation & Dissemination
More curriculum details are available here.
DNP Clinical Requirements
- 810 supervised PMHNP clinical hours (three clinical courses at 135 hours each, each repeatable once — the math checks out: 6 enrollments × 135 = 810)
- 270 additional fieldwork hours, bringing total documented DNP hours above 1,000
- All clinical placements coordinated by the School of Nursing — students do not find their own preceptors
- Sites span diverse psychiatric settings across Hawaiʻi, including rural and neighbor island locations
- Clinical emphasis on vulnerable and underserved populations with culturally responsive, trauma-informed care
810 supervised specialty hours is above the 500–750 range typical of MSN-level PMHNP programs and appropriate for a DNP, where 1,000+ total hours is the standard. The bigger practical advantage is the placement model: in a state with a limited psychiatric preceptor pool, having the school arrange every site removes the single biggest failure point of distance and hybrid programs. Expect neighbor island rotations to be possible, which cuts both ways — broader experience, but potentially travel.
DNP Admissions
Admissions are unusual in two respects: you must commit up front to the three-year full-time cohort schedule, and you file two separate applications (Graduate Division plus NCAS), paying two fees.
- Bachelor’s or higher degree in nursing
- Active, unrestricted RN license
- UH Mānoa Graduate Division application ($100 fee)
- NCAS application ($80 fee)
- Annual application cycle: roughly September 1 – March 1 for an August start (the 2025–26 cycle closed March 1, 2026; confirm current-cycle dates with the school)
- Rolling admissions within the cycle
- Free online information sessions offered; attendance encouraged
Tuition
Total estimated tuition is approximately $61,500 for Hawaiʻi residents (75 credits × $820/credit) and approximately $109,350 for non-residents (75 credits × $1,458/credit).
- Graduate Student Organization fee: $3 per semester
- Campus Center fee: $4 per semester
- “Various other student fees” apply per the university — the full fee schedule is not itemized in program materials
- The resident/non-resident gap is nearly $48,000; residency status is the single largest cost variable
For residents, the all-in cost should land close to the $61,500 estimate since listed fees are trivial, but verify the complete mandatory fee schedule before budgeting. Non-residents should compare carefully — at $109K, out-of-state students lose the program’s main cost advantage. See the official tuition page for details.
Why Choose This PMHNP Program?
This program fits nurses who want doctoral preparation, can commit to three years of full-time study, and would rather have clinical placements handled for them than hunt for preceptors.
UH Mānoa holds two structural advantages in Hawaii. It is the state’s only DNP-PMHNP program, so if you want the doctorate without a later MSN-to-DNP bridge, it is the only in-state route. And at $820/credit for residents, it is the cheapest per-credit option in the state — Hawai‘i Pacific University charges $1,117/credit. The fully coordinated placement model is the third differentiator: HPU offers placement support, but UH Mānoa arranges every site outright, which matters in a state where psychiatric preceptors are scarce.
The honest trade-off is flexibility. There is no part-time track, the cohort starts once a year in August, and the hybrid format involves in-person requirements. A working nurse who cannot drop to full-time study is better served by HPU’s asynchronous, part-time online MSN, which also finishes faster (the MSN route to PMHNP practice is shorter than a BSN-to-DNP everywhere). Choose UH Mānoa if the doctorate, the price, and the hands-off placements outweigh three years of full-time commitment.
Accreditation
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa holds institutional accreditation from the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), verified from the university’s accreditation page. The university states that graduates of the PMHNP DNP program are eligible to sit for national certification through either the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) — dual-exam eligibility that not every program advertises.
More PMHNP Programs in Hawaii
Hawai‘i Pacific University is the only other “in state” program for Hawaii. Compare them on our Hawaii PMHNP Programs page where you can also find additional online options.