Winona State University offers 3 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Tracks:
- BS-to-DNP
- Post-Master’s DNP
- Post-Graduate Certificate
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| BS-DNP | ~$84.7K | 3–4 yrs | 72 |
| Post-Master’s DNP | ~$50.6K | 2–3 yrs | ~43 new |
| Certificate | ~$28.2K | ~2–2.5 yrs | 24 |
Winona State’s defining advantage is rural-emphasis psychiatric clinical training built around 1,080 practicum hours in the BS-to-DNP track — the highest clinical requirement of any Minnesota PMHNP program. The Graduate Nursing per-credit rate is the same for residents and non-residents, so out-of-state nurses pay no premium.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | BS-to-DNP, Post-Master’s DNP (New Role and No Role Change), Post-Graduate Certificate |
| Format | Hybrid, based at the Rochester, MN campus; Fall and Spring starts |
| Clinical Hours | 1,080 (BS-DNP); 600 direct hours (certificate, may be tailored) |
| Clinical Placement | Practicums under qualified preceptors; coordination model not clearly stated |
| Population | Lifespan psychiatric-mental health care |
| Distinctive Coursework | Neurobiology, psychopathology across the lifespan, rural-emphasis practicums |
| RN License Requirements | 3.0 GPA required; certificate requires a nationally accredited master’s in nursing |
| Tuition | $1,175.70/credit + $28.97/credit fees, flat for all residencies |
| Accreditation | CCNE (DNP and post-graduate APRN certificate through June 2030); HLC institutional |
BS-to-DNP PMHNP
The estimated tuition for the BS-to-DNP PMHNP at Winona State is approximately $84,650 (72 credits at $1,175.70/credit), plus about $2,086 in per-credit fees. The program can generally be completed in about 3 to 4 years, with structured plans of study for each pace.
Credit-total conflict: the catalog states 72 credits in two places, but the university’s program snapshot lists a 74-credit total, and the published subtotals (33-credit core + 35-credit concentration + 3 elective credits) sum to 71. The itemized concentration course list also sums higher than its stated 35-credit subtotal. Confirm your exact credit count with an advisor — it changes total cost by $1,200–$2,400.
BS-DNP Curriculum
The curriculum splits into a 33-credit nursing science core shared by all WSU DNP students and a 35-credit PMHNP concentration, plus 3 elective credits. The concentration front-loads the APRN three P’s (pathophysiology, pharmacology, assessment) before a dedicated psychiatric sequence, and the DNP Project runs as a three-course clinical series rather than a single capstone — a structure that spreads scholarly work across the final years instead of compressing it.
Specialty Sequence
- NURS 609 Psychopharmacology (3)
- NURS 679 Psychopathologic Disorders Across the Lifespan: Neurobiology, Psychiatric Assessment, and Evidence-Based Treatments (4)
- NURS 680/681 PMHNP Role I + Clinical (3 + 4–5)
- NURS 682/683 PMHNP Role II + Clinical (3 + 4–5)
- NURS 686/687 Role Synthesis Seminar + Clinical (1 + 2)
- NURS 780–782 DNP Project I–III Clinical (7 total)
Starting Fall 2027, the Role I and Role II clinical courses increase from 4 to 5 credits each, adding 2 credits (~$2,410 with fees) to the program for later cohorts.
More curriculum details are available here.
BS-DNP Clinical Requirements
- 1,080 total clinical hours (1 clinical credit = 60 contact hours)
- WSU requires a minimum of 1,000 hours for all DNP graduates
- Practicums supervised by qualified preceptors across psychiatric specialty settings with a rural emphasis
- DNP Project completed in the clinical setting
At 1,080 hours, this is the heaviest clinical load among Minnesota PMHNP programs — above the University of Minnesota’s ~1,000 hours and well above St. Catherine’s 810. That means more supervised patient contact before independent practice, but also a longer practicum commitment for working nurses. The rural emphasis is deliberate: WSU trains for the settings where Minnesota’s psychiatric provider shortage is most acute. The source does not clearly state whether WSU arranges preceptors or students find their own — ask before applying, since this is the single biggest workload difference between MN programs.
BS-DNP Admissions
- Bachelor’s degree in nursing
- 3.0 GPA required
- Fall and Spring semester starts
- Other requirements (RN license details, experience, references): not clearly stated
Post-Master’s DNP (New Role)
The estimated tuition for the Post-Master’s DNP New Role track is approximately $50,555 for the 43 credits taken at WSU (14-credit nursing science core + 29-credit PMHNP role sequence at $1,175.70/credit).
The program can generally be completed in 2 to 3 years, with the 72-credit DNP total met through credit for your completed master’s degree and experience.
Post-Master’s DNP Curriculum
This track is for certified (or certification-eligible) APRNs in another specialty — FNPs, CNSs, acute care NPs — who want to add the PMHNP role while earning the doctorate. Twenty credits of pre-admission coursework (statistics, informatics, leadership, health promotion, and the APRN three P’s) are expected from your master’s; only content gaps must be retaken, so real cost depends on how current your prior coursework is.
- NURS 703 Epidemiological Approaches to Population Health (3)
- NURS 771 Research and Evidence-Based Practice (4)
- NURS 780–782 DNP Project I–III Clinical (7)
- NURS 609 Psychopharmacology (3)
- NURS 679 Psychopathologic Disorders Across the Lifespan (4)
- NURS 680–687 PMHNP Role I/II + Synthesis with clinicals (17–19)
- DNP Elective (3)
A separate No Role Change option (14 core credits + 17 electives, 960 clinical hours) serves nurses already certified as PMHNPs who only want the DNP credential — it does not prepare you for PMHNP certification.
Post-Master’s DNP Clinical Requirements
- Minimum 1,000 clinical/practicum hours required for all DNP graduates (includes credited prior APRN experience)
- Role-change clinical courses total 10–12 clinical credits (600–720 hours) at WSU
- 1 clinical credit = 60 contact hours
Because WSU credits master’s-level experience toward the 1,000-hour DNP requirement, experienced APRNs complete meaningfully fewer new practicum hours here than in the BS-DNP track — a practical advantage for nurses balancing full-time work.
Post-Master’s DNP Admissions
- Master’s degree from a nationally accredited graduate nursing program
- Certified or eligible for certification as an APRN
- 3.0 GPA required
- Evidence of pre-admission coursework; gaps must be completed before specialty courses
Post-Graduate Certificate
The estimated tuition for the PMHNP Post-Graduate Certificate is approximately $28,217 (24 credits at $1,175.70/credit), plus about $695 in fees.
The program can generally be completed in about 2 years per the university, though the current plan of study spreads courses across three academic years starting in summer.
Credit-total conflict: the program page and official plan of study state 24 credits, while the catalog lists 29 credits — the higher figure includes a 3-credit DNP elective and the 5-credit clinical courses that take effect Fall 2027/Spring 2028. Budget toward the higher number if you’re starting in 2027 or later (~$34,100 at 29 credits).
Certificate Curriculum
The certificate runs the same specialty sequence as the DNP tracks — identical courses, identical faculty — without the DNP core. WSU reviews your master’s syllabi at admission and requires only genuine gap courses (Advanced Health Promotion, Pharmacology, Pathophysiology, Assessment) rather than a blanket bridge semester, which keeps the credit count low for nurses with current APRN coursework.
- NURS 679 Psychopathologic Disorders Across the Lifespan (4)
- NURS 609 Psychopharmacology (3)
- NURS 680/681 PMHNP Role I + Clinical (3 + 4)
- NURS 682/683 PMHNP Role II + Clinical (3 + 4)
- NURS 686/687 Role Synthesis Seminar + Clinical (1 + 2)
More curriculum details are available here.
Certificate Clinical Requirements
- 600 direct clinical hours (10 clinical credits × 60 hours)
- Clinical hours may be tailored based on prior experience
- Rural-emphasis practicums under qualified preceptors
Six hundred hours is a moderate certificate requirement — enough to satisfy ANCC eligibility with margin, lighter than the DNP tracks. The explicit policy of tailoring hours to prior experience is unusual and worth exploiting: experienced psychiatric RNs should ask exactly how much reduction their background earns before comparing this against fixed-hour certificates elsewhere.
Certificate Admissions
Admission runs through a syllabi-review process rather than a fixed prerequisite checklist — expect to submit course syllabi from your master’s program.
- Master’s or doctoral degree from a nationally accredited graduate nursing program
- 3.0 GPA required
- Evidence of Advanced Pathophysiology, Advanced Health Assessment (with diagnostic reasoning), Advanced Health Promotion, and Advanced Pharmacology
- Advanced Pharmacology must be within the last 3 years for credentialing in some states
- Identified content gaps must be completed before specialty role courses
- Fall and Spring starts
Tuition
Total estimated tuition ranges from about $28,217 (certificate) to $84,650 (BS-DNP). Graduate Nursing at WSU uses a program-specific rate of $1,175.70 per credit on the Rochester campus — roughly double the standard WSU graduate rate, but flat across all residencies.
- BS-DNP: 72 × $1,175.70 = $84,650; certificate: 24 × $1,175.70 = $28,217; Post-Master’s DNP: ~43 × $1,175.70 = $50,555
- Rochester campus fees: $28.97 per credit (adds ~$695–$2,086 by track)
- Online courses carry a $4.50-per-credit differential
- No non-resident surcharge on the Graduate Nursing rate — out-of-state students pay the same per-credit price
- Post-Master’s DNP cost rises if pre-admission gap courses are required (up to 20 additional credits, ~$23,500)
- Fall 2027 clinical-credit increases add ~$2,400 to DNP tracks and ~$2,400+ to the certificate for later cohorts
All-in, expect roughly $28,900–$86,700 depending on track — mid-pack for Minnesota at the DNP level, and among the state’s cheaper school-based certificates.
Official tuition and fees are here.
Why Choose This PMHNP Program?
Winona State fits nurses who want the most clinically intensive PMHNP preparation in Minnesota and plan to practice outside the Twin Cities metro.
The 1,080-hour BS-DNP clinical requirement exceeds every other Minnesota program, and WSU pairs it with an explicit rural practicum emphasis from its Rochester base in southeastern Minnesota. If you intend to work in greater Minnesota — where independent-practice authority matters most and psychiatric access gaps are widest — that combination is better career preparation than a metro-focused program. Compared head-to-head, the University of Minnesota offers more prestige and coordinated placements at a higher price ($88K), while St. Catherine costs slightly less ($81.6K) with 270 fewer clinical hours.
The trade-offs are real. WSU’s Graduate Nursing rate is double its own standard graduate tuition, the hybrid format assumes reasonable access to Rochester, and the catalog’s conflicting credit totals (71 vs. 72 vs. 74) plus the 2027 clinical-credit increase make precise budgeting harder than it should be. Clinical placement support is also not clearly described — verify whether preceptor-finding falls on you. For out-of-state nurses, though, the flat per-credit rate makes WSU one of the few Minnesota publics where non-residents pay no penalty.
Accreditation
Winona State University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice programs and post-graduate APRN certificate programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) through June 2030, per the university’s accreditation page (verified from the school’s accreditation page). The nursing program is approved by the Minnesota Board of Nursing, and the university holds institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. WSU states the certificate prepares graduates for the ANCC Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner examination.
Review More Minnesota PMHNP Programs
- St. Catherine University - St. Paul
- The College of St. Scholastica - Duluth
- University of Minnesota. - Minneapolis