• On-Campus Component
    Yes
  • Cost
    $1,053.00 per credit (resident and nonresident)
  • Total Credits
    80
  • Credential
    Doctorate Degree
  • Admission GPA
    3.0
  • Application Deadlines
    Early Decision Review: January 2 | Final: March 1
  • Campus
    Twin Cities
  • College
    School of Nursing

The Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialty prepares students for independent clinical practice to treat psychiatric disorders and mental health problems of people across the lifespan. Students learn to diagnose disorders and provide holistic treatment and lifestyle management, including pharmacological interventions, complementary and alternative therapies, and individual, group, and family psychotherapies that promote mental health and reduce disability.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at the University of Minnesota is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Program Format

The post-baccalaureate option of the DNP program is a three-year full-time program.

All DNP students are required to come to campus for a four-day session (Tuesday through Friday) each semester that includes: core courses, enhancement programming, specialty courses, and meetings with their advisor.

In addition, beginning in the second year of the program, students in the Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialty are expected to be on campus for coursework four to five additional times per semester for one to two days each time. Students also complete 1,000 hours at clinical sites arranged by the school.

Recommended 3-Year Program Plan

Sample Courses

  • NURS 6200 – Science of Nursing Intervention (3 cr)
  • NURS 7202 – Moral and Ethical Positions and Actions in Nursing (2 cr)
  • NURS 7610 – System Leadership and Innovation (3 cr)
  • NURS 6504 – Assessing, Managing Psychiatric Disorders in Advance Practice PMH Nursing (2 cr)
  • NURS 5115 – Interprofessional Health Care Informatics (3 cr)

Online Catalog

International Students

Applicants who are not US citizens or permanent residents should understand that the University of Minnesota’s DNP program does not meet the requirements for eligibility needed to obtain the appropriate F-1 student visa or status because the DNP has limited (fewer than four) face-to-face on-site classes per DNP course. During the application process, we ask that international students use ECE or WES credential services for the evaluations.

Career Readiness

Our program prepares students for a wide variety of employment opportunities across the mental health care service spectrum, including community-based psychiatric case managers, private practice clinicians, and hospitalists for inpatient psychiatric units.

Upon graduation, students are eligible to take the certifying exam through the American Nurses Credentialing Center to become certified as a Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.