Nurse Practitioner to Psych-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate Online
This online nursing program covers the full scope of practice and integrates the diagnosis, treatment, and management of mental health disorders for patients across the life span.
Program Overview
Get to know our Nurse Practitioner to PMHNP Certificate online program
Take your nurse practitioner experience to the next level and qualify for leading roles in the mental health field with this Nurse Practitioner to Psych-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate online at Northern Kentucky University. You will build on your abilities to use comprehensive assessment, psycho-social intervention, and prescription medications in the treatment of individuals with psychiatric needs.
Featuring 100% online coursework, this affordable, 100% online PMHNP program emphasizes advanced psychopharmacology and aligns with NKU's strategic mission to address a regional opioid issue and our overall commitment to be agents of change by promoting population health. You will learn to assess risk and determine effective treatment by synthesizing neuroscientific principles, neurophysiological theory, and a broad range of therapeutic methods with patients' lifestyle, culture, religion, socio-economics, and genetics.
Our CCNE-accredited NP to Psych-Mental Health NP Certificate
online program can be completed in an accelerated timeframe. Once you finish, you will be eligible
to take the ANCC Psychiatric-Mental Health NP certification examination.
In this online program, you will:
- Engage with, assess, diagnose, and suggest treatment and management for patients of all ages in a series of supervised clinical residencies
- Use evidence-based practice to demonstrate advanced levels of clinical judgment, systems thinking, and accountability while implementing change to improve healthcare outcomes
- Assess risk of psychiatric mental health problems by studying variables such as lifestyle, culture, religion, socio-economics, and genetics
- Explore the appropriate clinical application of non-pharmacological methodologies and interventions including group, play, and family therapies while analyzing the use of self, the therapist-patient relationship, and phases of the therapeutic relationship
- Demonstrate effective communication in order to facilitate nursing practice at an advanced level
- Utilize cultural, genetic, religious, and behavioral laboratory data as well as patient history, neuroscientific principles, and his or her comprehensive assessment to form diagnoses
- Engage with, assess, diagnose, and suggest treatment and management for patients of all ages in a series of supervised clinical residencies
- Use evidence-based practice to demonstrate advanced levels of clinical judgment, systems thinking, and accountability while implementing change to improve healthcare outcomes
- Assess risk of psychiatric mental health problems by studying variables such as lifestyle, culture, religion, socio-economics, and genetics
- Explore the appropriate clinical application of non-pharmacological methodologies and interventions including group, play, and family therapies while analyzing the use of self, the therapist-patient relationship, and phases of the therapeutic relationship
- Demonstrate effective communication in order to facilitate nursing practice at an advanced level
- Utilize cultural, genetic, religious, and behavioral laboratory data as well as patient history, neuroscientific principles, and his or her comprehensive assessment to form diagnoses
As a graduate and a certified psychiatric nurse practitioner, you will be qualified to practice in many public and private healthcare settings, such as:
- Hospitals, clinics and mental health facilities
- County and municipal health departments
- Military and veteran hospitals
- Private PMHNP practices or consulting organizations
- Hospitals, clinics and mental health facilities
- County and municipal health departments
- Military and veteran hospitals
- Private PMHNP practices or consulting organizations
Also available:
Northern Kentucky University offers a variety of Nursing programs online. View our online healthcare programs.
Accreditation
The baccalaureate degree in nursing, master’s degree in nursing, postgraduate APRN certificate, and Post-Master's Doctor of Nursing Practice degree programs at Northern Kentucky University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
Tuition
Benefit from our budget-friendly, pay-by-the-course tuition
The NP to Psych-Mental Health NP Certificate online program offers the same affordable, pay-by-the-course tuition for in-state and out-of-state students. Financial aid may be available to eligible students.
| Program | Per Credit Hour | Required Fees | Total Program with Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| NP to Psych-Mental Health NP Certificate | $578 | $5,358 | $16,918 |
Tuition and fees subject to change at any time. Some fees are course-based and subject to change based on date student enters such course.
Tuition Breakdown:
#6 among Kentucky's Online Colleges
Ranked #6 among "The Best Online Colleges in Kentucky" by TheBestSchools.org (2022)
Calendar
Know when to apply, when classes start, when tuition is due
The NP to Psych-Mental Health NP Certificate online program is flexible and efficient for busy schedules, with accelerated courses that start multiple times a year. View the calendar to find the best start date for you, and be sure to submit your application, registration, documents and tuition by the corresponding deadlines.
| Session | Program Start Date | Application Deadline | Document Deadline | Registration Deadline | Payment Due |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 1 | 5/12/25 | 4/30/25 | 5/5/25 | 5/9/25 | 5/12/25 |
| Summer 2 | 6/30/25 | 6/18/25 | 6/23/25 | 6/27/25 | 6/30/25 |
| Fall 1 | 8/18/25 | 8/6/25 | 8/11/25 | 8/15/25 | 8/18/25 |
| Fall 2 | 10/15/25 | 10/2/25 | 10/7/25 | 10/10/25 | 10/15/25 |
Now enrolling:
Admissions
See how to apply to the online nurse practitioner to PMHNP program
The admission process is the first step toward earning your NP to Psych-Mental Health NP Certificate online. Before you apply, please review the Program Map to determine eligibility of this program in your state. Requirements for admission to this program include:
Admission Requirements:
- 3.0 GPA or higher on accredited MSN degree
- Valid NP nursing license and National NP certification
- 1,000 clinical hours of practice as a Registered Nurse
NP to Psych-Mental Health NP Certificate Online Admission Requirements
- Completed application for graduate admission
- $40 application fee paid
- Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate academic work
- Valid NP nursing license and National NP certification
- Master of Science in Nursing degree from an ACEN, CCNE, or CNEA-accredited program
- Minimum 3.0 GPA in MSN graduate coursework
- 1,000 clinical hours of practice as a Registered Nurse; fill out the verification form here
- A criminal background check (state and federal) is required for admission to the program. Applicants are required to use PreCheck StudentCheck to purchase the background check. Instructions on how to purchase and initiate the background check can be found here.
Official documents may be mailed or emailed to:
NKU Office of Graduate Education302 Lucas Administrative Center
Highland Heights, KY 41099
During our application review, you may receive a request for syllabi for the courses listed below and/or program curriculum information, to ensure the courses you have taken in your master’s program are equivalent to the corresponding NKU course.
- MSN 610 – Diagnostic Reasoning & Advanced Physical Assessment*
- MSN 611 – Clinical Pharmacology & Intervention*
- BIO 669 – Advanced Human Physiology*
- MSN 612 – Role Development in Advanced Practice Nursing
*must be over the lifespan
Upon this review, if our faculty determine you do not have equivalent coursework, you may need to take those courses at NKU if admitted. Click here to search the syllabi for each of the courses above as taught at NKU.
Have a question? Call us at 800-985-7215.
Courses
Preview what you’ll study in our PMHNP online courses
For the NP to Psych-Mental Health NP Certificate online program, students must complete a total of 20 credit hours. These include five core courses and five supervised Psych-Mental Health NP clinical residencies with a total of 750 clinical hours. All courses are seven weeks in length.
Student must take the following courses:
