Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS | $86.3K | 2.5–5 yrs | 47 |
| Certificate | $34.9K–$36.7K | 1.5–2 yrs | 19–20 |
URI’s defining advantage is its faculty-coordinated clinical model: placements are planned around each student’s interests, learning needs, and career plans, with one-to-one preceptorship from PMHNPs and clinical nurse specialists. The trade-off is that this is a campus program — graduate courses meet in person, days and evenings, at URI’s Nursing Education Center in Providence — and even in-state tuition is roughly double the cost of Rhode Island’s other PMHNP option.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | MS (BSN entry); Post-Master’s Certificate |
| Format | Campus — in-person at Providence Nursing Education Center, day and evening classes |
| Clinical Hours | 750+ (MS); certificate total not clearly stated |
| Clinical Placement | Faculty-planned; one-to-one preceptorship by PMHNPs and CNSs |
| Population | Lifespan (individuals and families) |
| Distinctive Coursework | Neuro-psychopharmacology; separate adult and child/family treatment courses |
| RN Experience Gate | 1 year RN experience required for MS; 2 years preferred |
| Start Term | MS matriculation begins in fall |
| RN License Requirements | Eligibility for Rhode Island RN licensure |
| Tuition | $1,836/cr in-state; $2,755/cr regional; $3,576/cr out-of-state |
| Accreditation | CCNE (master’s and post-graduate APRN certificate) |
Master of Science: PMHNP
The estimated tuition for the Master of Science: PMHNP at URI is approximately $86,300 in-state (47 credits at $1,836/credit), rising to about $129,500 at the New England regional rate and $168,100 out-of-state. The program can generally be completed in about 2.5 years full-time or up to 5 years part-time.
MS Curriculum
The 47 credits split into 23 core credits and 24 PMHNP specialty credits, ending with a written comprehensive examination. What stands out is how URI structures psychotherapy training: instead of one combined therapy course, students take separate integrated-treatment courses for adults/older adults and for children, adolescents, and families, each paired with its own practicum.
That pairing means didactic content is applied clinically in the same population before moving on — a deliberate sequence, not a survey.
Core Courses (23 credits) cover the standard APRN “3 Ps” (pathophysiology, pharmacotherapeutics, health assessment) plus theory, policy, evidence translation, and a graduate seminar.
PMHNP Specialty Sequence (24 credits) — representative courses:
- NUR 502 – Psychiatric Assessment & Differential Diagnosis (3 cr)
- NUR 518 – PMHNP: Neuro-psychopharmacology (3 cr) — neurobiology integrated with prescribing, deeper than a general pharmacology course
- NUR 513 – Integrated Treatment for Adults/Older Adults (3 cr)
- NUR 514 – Practicum I (4 cr) — adult populations
- NUR 545 – Integrated Treatment for Children, Adolescents, & Families (3 cr)
- NUR 546 – Practicum II (4 cr) — pediatric and family focus
- NUR 547 – Practicum III (4 cr) — capstone emphasizing independent decision-making
- NUR 530 – Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan (4 cr, core)
More curriculum details are available here.
MS Clinical Requirements
- Over 750 clinical practicum hours; final totals vary by demonstrated competence
- Three practica (12 credits total), progressing adult → child/family → capstone
- One-to-one preceptorship by psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists
- Placements planned by faculty around student interests, learning needs, and employment plans
- Settings include hospital clinics, community health centers, HMOs, and private practices in urban and rural areas
- All practica supervised by an NP or physician with graduate faculty oversight
750+ hours sits well above the 500-hour floor many PMHNP programs use, and the competence-based framing means some students log more. More important is the placement model: faculty plan placements and pair every student with a PMHNP or CNS preceptor one-to-one. Students at many online programs spend months finding their own preceptors; URI students do not carry that burden, which is a real cost of the campus format offset in kind.
MS Admissions Requirements
Two gates deserve attention before applying: URI now requires one year of RN clinical experience (two preferred), and formal matriculation begins in the fall semester, so timing your application matters.
- BSN from an AACN- or NLN-accredited program
- Minimum 3.0 GPA (above 3.3 preferred)
- Eligibility for Rhode Island RN licensure (regardless of residency)
- 1 year of RN clinical experience required; 2 years preferred
- Basic statistics course completed
- Three letters of recommendation, one from a master’s-prepared nurse
- 1–2 page goals statement (part-time or full-time plan included) and CV/resume
- COVID-19 vaccination required — clinical partners do not accept religious exemptions per RIDOH regulation
- Criminal background check; nursing license history verification
- TOEFL for applicable international applicants; transcripts from all post-secondary institutions
Post-Master’s Certificate: PMHNP
The estimated tuition for the Post-Master’s Certificate: PMHNP at URI is approximately $34,900–$36,700 in-state (19–20 credits at $1,836/credit) or about $68,000–$71,500 out-of-state. The program can generally be completed in about 1.5 to 2 years.
Certificate Curriculum
The certificate is the MS specialty sequence minus the capstone practicum: master’s-prepared nurses take the six PMHNP specialty courses (20 credits by course math) and finish with a written comprehensive exam and a major paper. Applicants must show recent completion of four prerequisite courses — evidence-based strategies (waivable for current NPs), advanced health assessment, pathophysiology, and pharmacotherapeutics — or comparable coursework from another institution.
Nurses whose MSN is several years old should budget time and money for retaking aged prerequisites; that gap evaluation is what drives the 19–20 credit range and the real cost.
Required Courses:
- NUR 502 – Psychiatric Assessment & Differential Diagnosis (3 cr)
- NUR 518 – Neuro-psychopharmacology (3 cr)
- NUR 513 – Integrated Treatment for Adults/Older Adults (3 cr)
- NUR 514 – Practicum I (4 cr)
- NUR 545 – Integrated Treatment for Children, Adolescents, & Families (3 cr)
- NUR 546 – Practicum II (4 cr)
The required courses sum to 20 credits; the stated “minimum 19–20” likely reflects individualized gap plans.
Certificate Clinical Requirements
- Total clinical hours: not clearly stated
- Two practica (8 credits) versus the MS track’s three (12 credits)
- Same settings and one-to-one PMHNP/CNS preceptorship model as the MS
- Transportation required to reach clinical sites
Because the certificate omits Practicum III, its clinical requirement is probably lower than the MS track’s 750+ hours, but URI does not publish a total. Certificate applicants should confirm the hour requirement directly — ANCC certification requires supervised PMHNP clinical hours, and your prior NP hours may factor into the gap analysis.
Certificate Admissions Requirements
Beyond the shared requirements above (GPA, references, goals statement, background check, vaccination), certificate applicants need:
- Master’s degree in nursing
- Prerequisite courses (NUR 521, 530, 535, 582 or equivalents) completed within the past several years — NUR 521 may be waived for current NPs
Tuition
Total estimated tuition is about $86,300 in-state for the MS (47 credits × $1,836/credit) and $34,900–$36,700 in-state for the certificate (19–20 credits × $1,836/credit).
Per-credit rates: $1,836 in-state, $2,755 New England regional, $3,576 out-of-state (derived from published 9-credit semester rates of $16,530 / $24,796 / $32,186).
- Required fees add $2,076 annually ($60 registration, $646 health services, $360 technology, $1,010 student services) — roughly $5,200–$10,400 over the MS and $3,100–$4,200 over the certificate
- Accident/sickness insurance ($3,512/year) is mandatory for full-time students unless waived with comparable coverage
- Traineeships, graduate assistantships (tuition plus stipend for 10–20 hrs/week of work), and loans are available; full-time MS students are eligible for assistantships
Realistically, an in-state MS student should plan on roughly $92,000–$97,000 all-in before aid — and out-of-state applicants should weigh the New England regional rate or another program entirely, since $168,000+ is hard to justify against national online options.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Why Choose This PMHNP Program?
URI fits Rhode Island nurses who learn best in person and want their clinical training arranged for them rather than left to their own networking.
The clinical model is the strongest argument. Faculty plan each placement around your interests and employment plans, preceptorship is one-to-one with PMHNPs and clinical nurse specialists, and the Providence Nursing Education Center sits within walking distance of the state’s major hospitals and Brown’s medical school. The curriculum backs this up with 750+ clinical hours — well above the typical 500 — and paired didactic-practicum sequences for adult and child/family care.
The honest comparison: Salve Regina delivers its MSN mostly online for about $41,000 — less than half URI’s in-state cost — with six start dates a year versus URI’s fall matriculation. If you need to keep working full-time on a variable schedule, Salve’s format wins. If you value in-person instruction, hands-on faculty oversight, and guaranteed one-to-one specialty preceptorship, URI is the only Rhode Island program built that way. Out-of-state applicants without regional eligibility should look elsewhere; the math doesn’t work.
Accreditation
The master’s degree program in nursing and the post-graduate APRN certificate program at the University of Rhode Island are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) — verified from URI’s accreditation page, which states the accreditation covers “the baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program.” CCNE conducted its routine reaccreditation site visit in February 2026. URI states that graduates of either track are eligible for both the ANCC and AANPCB PMHNP certification exams, and that the curriculum meets APRN licensure education requirements in Rhode Island; verify requirements for other states before enrolling.
More PMHNP Programs
Rhode Island only has 2 PMHNP programs. Take a look at Salve Regina or compare both schools on our main Rhode Island page.