Program Tracks Overview
| Track | Duration (full-time) | Estimated Cost | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN – PMHNP | ~2.5 years | $45,828 | Online + required campus immersions; |
| BSN to DNP – PMHNP | ~3–4 years | $97,000–$133,000 (varies by credits & residency) | Online + immersions; |
| Post-Graduate Certificate | ~1–2 years | $18,000–$32,000 (plan & residency status dependent) | Online + immersions; |
Master of Science in Nursing PMHNP Track
The estimated cost for the MSN PMHNP track is $45,828 for in-state students and $79,320 for out-of-state students and would take 2.5 years to complete on a full-time basis.
This comprehensive online track serves registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees seeking advanced practice specialization in psychiatric-mental health care across the lifespan.
Curriculum
The 47-credit curriculum progresses through eight semesters and includes the following courses:
NURS 700 Theoretical and Conceptual Foundation for Nursing — Examines how concepts, models, and theories are built and used in nursing. Emphasizes critiquing contemporary nursing theories, related research, and applicable theories from the natural, behavioral, and health sciences.
NURS 720 Clinical Application of Population Analysis — Applies epidemiology, genetics/genomics, informatics, and population assessment to guide clinical decisions. Links population data to practice improvement and health policy development across care settings.
NURS 717 Application of Basic Statistics for Nursing Practice & Service Management — Introduces core statistical methods to solve common clinical and operational problems. Focuses on selecting, running, and interpreting analyses that inform nursing care and service management.
NURS 790 Research Methods for Nursing — Surveys quantitative and qualitative designs and their use in studying nursing problems. Stresses alignment of questions, methods, measurement, and analysis for rigorous inquiry.
NURS 791 Seminar in Clinical Nursing Research — Critically appraises current clinical nursing studies and relevant interdisciplinary research. Highlights strengths, limitations, and translation of findings to practice.
NURS 799 Thesis Preparation — Guides development of a graduate thesis from proposal through plan of work. May be repeated; only 6 hours apply to the degree.
NURS 702 Pharmacologic Mgmt in Pediatric, Adult, & Gerontological Patients Across Hlthcare Delivery Continuum 3 — Covers evidence-based medication management for acute and chronic conditions across the lifespan. Emphasizes safe prescribing, monitoring, and interprofessional coordination in varied care settings.
NURS 704 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning 1 — Builds advanced history-taking, physical exam, and diagnostic reasoning skills across the lifespan. Combines didactic, lab, and fieldwork to recognize pathology and initiate appropriate interventions.
NURS 707 Advanced Pathophysiology for Nurses — Explores complex pathophysiologic mechanisms and their clinical implications. Connects cellular to systems-level changes to support advanced nursing decision-making.
NURS 718 Diagnostic Interpretation and Therapeutic Modalities — Teaches interpretation of labs and diagnostics to drive clinical decisions in advanced practice. Introduces selected medical and nursing procedures and therapeutic approaches.
NURS 761 Neuroscientific Basis for Pharmacological & Nonpharmacological Treatments for Psychiatric Conditions — Links neurobiology to behavior and psychopathology to inform treatment choices. Integrates psychopharmacology and psychotherapeutic mechanisms for evidence-based care.
NURS 763 Advanced Psychiatric Nurse Practicum I: Management of Psychiatric/Mental Health Conditions 2 — Provides supervised assessment and management of common psychiatric conditions across the lifespan in primary and acute settings. Blends didactic content with field experience.
NURS 764 Advanced Psychiatric Nurse Practicum II: Management of Complex Psychiatric/Mental Health Conditions 2 — Advances skills in treating complex psychiatric presentations using pharmacologic and behavioral interventions. Emphasizes care in hospitals and community environments with supervised practice.
NURS 768 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner: Legal, Ethical, and Role Transition — Prepares students for the PMHNP role with attention to business, policy, legal, cultural, and ethical issues. Focuses on safe, accountable, and equitable practice.
NURS 768A Advanced Psychiatric Nurse Practicum III: Role Development 2 — Culminating supervised practicum refining autonomous PMHNP practice. Emphasizes leadership, interprofessional collaboration, and comprehensive patient management.
More curriculum information available here:
Clinicals
Clinical requirements include 672 direct clinical hours distributed across three clinical courses:
- Advanced Psychiatric Nurse Practicum I (management of psychiatric/mental health conditions)
- Practicum II (management of complex conditions)
- Practicum III (role development)
Students complete campus immersion experiences for advanced health assessment while maintaining online flexibility for working professionals.
MSN Track Requirements
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing from nationally accredited program
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA on 4.0 scale
- Minimum 2400 hours nursing experience within past 24 months
- Preferred psychiatric or related field clinical experience
- Personal statement and current CV/resume
- Three professional references from master’s-prepared healthcare professionals
- Copy of unencumbered RN license from approved state
- Current BLS certification
BSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice PMHNP Track
The estimated cost for the BSN to DNP PMHNP program is estimated at approximately $97,000-$133,000 based on credit hours and would take 3-4 years to complete on a full-time basis.
This terminal degree pathway serves registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees seeking doctoral-level preparation in psychiatric-mental health nursing practice with advanced leadership capabilities.
Curriculum
The 75-credit curriculum encompasses the complete MSN PMHNP coursework plus doctoral-level competencies in health policy, organizational theories, applied technology, advanced nursing leadership, population health, and evidence-based practice. The program emphasizes population-based application science to improve patient outcomes while maintaining specialized psychiatric clinical competencies.
Courses include:
NURS 702 Pharmacologic Mgmt in Pediatric, Adult, & Gerontological Patients Across Hlthcare Delivery Continuum 3 — Evidence-based medication management for acute and chronic conditions across the lifespan. Emphasizes safe prescribing, monitoring, and collaboration across care settings.
NURS 704 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning 1 3 — Advanced history, physical exam, and clinical reasoning skills for patients of all ages. Blends didactic, lab, and fieldwork to detect pathologic changes and initiate appropriate interventions.
NURS 707 Advanced Pathophysiology for Nurses 3 — In-depth mechanisms of disease from cellular to systems levels. Connects pathophysiology to advanced clinical decision-making within specialty practice.
NURS 717 Application of Basic Statistics for Nursing Practice & Service Management 3 — Practical statistical tools to address everyday clinical and operational questions. Focuses on selecting, running, and interpreting analyses that guide care and management.
NURS 718 Diagnostic Interpretation and Therapeutic Modalities 3 — Interpretation of laboratory and diagnostic data to support advanced practice decisions. Introduces selected procedures and therapeutic techniques for targeted treatment.
NURS 720 Clinical Application of Population Analysis — Applies epidemiology, genetics/genomics, informatics, and population assessment to improve clinical decisions. Links population data to practice change and health policy.
NURS 737 Foundations for DNP Development 3 — Orientation to DNP roles as expert clinician, clinical scholar, policy/patient advocate, and healthcare leader. Establishes expectations for practice scholarship and impact.
NURS 761 Neuroscientific Basis for Pharmacological & Nonpharmacological Treatments for Psychiatric Conditions 4 — Integrates neurobiology, behavior, and psychopathology to inform therapy selection. Supports evidence-based psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic decisions.
NURS 763 Advanced Psychiatric Nurse Practicum I: Management of Psychiatric/Mental Health Conditions 2 6 — Supervised assessment and management of common psychiatric conditions across the lifespan in primary and acute settings. Combines classroom learning with hands-on field experience.
NURS 764 Advanced Psychiatric Nurse Practicum II: Management of Complex Psychiatric/Mental Health Conditions 2 6 — Care of complex psychiatric presentations using pharmacologic and behavioral interventions. Emphasizes practice in hospital and community environments with guided supervision.
NURS 768 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner: Legal, Ethical, and Role Transition 2 — Prepares for the PMHNP role with attention to legal, ethical, cultural, business, and policy issues. Promotes safe, accountable, and equitable practice.
NURS 768A Advanced Psychiatric Nurse Practicum III: Role Development 2 3 — Culminating supervised practicum refining independent PMHNP practice. Highlights leadership, interprofessional collaboration, and comprehensive case management.
NURS 779 Health Policy 2 3 — Examines forces shaping public-sector health delivery, models of political decision-making, and current legislation. Analyzes policy impacts on access, equity, and outcomes.
NURS 780 Organizational Theories and Systems in Healthcare 3 — Applies systems and organizational theory to complex healthcare settings. Develops strategic planning and systems thinking for advanced nursing roles.
NURS 781 Applied Technology in Health Care 3 — Use of informatics and emerging technologies in administration, patient-care management, and research. Focus on improving safety, quality, and efficiency.
NURS 783 Clinical Project Immersion & Proposal Development 2 3 — Integrates theory, research, and advanced practice into a clinically focused project. Produces a proposal with clear process and outcome evaluations to transform care for a target population.
NURS 790 Research Methods for Nursing — Overview of qualitative and quantitative designs for studying nursing problems. Emphasizes methodological fit, measurement, and rigor.
NURS 805 Advanced Nursing Leadership — Leadership principles for complex organizations, including change management, communication, and quality improvement. Prepares nurses to lead teams and initiatives.
NURS 808 Advanced Nursing in Population Health — Designs and applies evidence-based interventions to address population health needs. Stresses prevention, health promotion, and reduction of disparities.
NURS 817 Application of Statistics for Evidence Based Nursing Practice — Intermediate inferential methods to build and translate evidence into practice. Focus on proper test selection, interpretation, and application.
NURS 819 Evidence and Nursing Practice — Critical appraisal and synthesis of evidence to generate actionable practice recommendations. Supports guideline development and implementation.
NURS 897 DNP Project Preparation and Residency 2 6 — Develops the DNP project from literature synthesis to real-world implementation. Residency experience applies findings in practice with measurable impact.
More curriculum information available here:
Clinicals
Clinical requirements include the same psychiatric mental health practicum hours as the MSN track plus additional doctoral-level clinical scholarship components and residency requirements.
Students complete comprehensive assessments through project proposal defense and oral defense of research utilization/evidence-based practice projects.
BSN to DNP Requirements
- Same requirements as MSN track
- Three letters of recommendation from doctorally-prepared RN or physician
- Additional doctoral-level academic preparation expectations
- 18 graduate credit hour residency requirement
Post-Graduate Certificate PMHNP Track
The estimated cost for the Post-Graduate Certificate PMHNP program is estimated at approximately $18,000-$32,000 based on credit hours and would take 1-2 years to complete on a full-time basis. This pathway targets master’s-prepared nurses seeking psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner certification as an additional specialization.
Curriculum
The 18-32 credit curriculum varies based on previous advanced practice nursing certification status. Students already certified as APRNs complete 18 credits focused on psychiatric specialty coursework, while non-APRNs complete 32 credits including advanced practice core requirements (pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment, diagnostic interpretation).
All students complete neuroscientific basis coursework and three clinical practicum experiences identical to master’s-level requirements.
Clinicals
Clinical requirements mirror the MSN track with comprehensive psychiatric mental health practicum experiences across the same three clinical courses.
Students complete campus immersion requirements and comprehensive role transition preparation for psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner certification eligibility.
Post-Graduate Certificate Requirements
- Master’s degree in nursing required
- Same GPA and experience requirements as other tracks
- Determination of course requirements through GAP analysis based on previous education
- APRN certification may reduce required coursework
Tuition
Graduate tuition is $572.25 per credit hour for resident students and $1,240.00 per credit hour for non-resident students. Additional fees include $200 technology fee per semester for full-time students and health center fees ranging from $127-$190 depending on credit hours.
More tuition information available here: https://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/bursar/tuition_and_required_fees/index.php
Out-of-state students may qualify for nursing scholarships reducing costs to in-state rates.
Accreditation
The University of South Carolina College of Nursing maintains appropriate accreditation standards through national nursing education bodies. Graduates from all tracks meet educational eligibility requirements to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner certification examination.
Other Nursing Programs
USC College of Nursing offers additional graduate programs including:
- Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
- Nurse Educator
- Various doctoral and certificate programs
- General nursing scholarships and financial aid opportunities
More PMHNP Programs in South Carolina
- Anderson University - Anderson
- Medical University of South Carolina - Charleston