• On-Campus Component
    Yes
  • Cost
    $1,100.00 per credit (resident and nonresident)
  • Total Credits
    80
  • Credential
    Doctorate Degree
  • Admission GPA
    3.0
  • Application Deadlines
    Application review begins December 2 | Applications verified after December 2 are reviewed on a rolling basis and as such applications can close or shift to waitlist only consideration at any time if enrollment capacity has been reached.
  • 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 offers a three-year or four-year program plan option. Each semester, students attend a one-week session on campus that includes core courses, enhancement programming, specialty courses, and advisor meetings. Once specialty coursework begins, students are required to be on campus an additional four to five times per semester for one or two days. Students also complete 1,000 hours at clinical sites arranged by the school.

Online Catalog

International Students

The DNP program at the University of Minnesota does not meet the requirements for eligibility necessary to obtain a F-1 student visa due to the limited face-to-face on-site classes per DNP. We are only able to accept US Citizens or permanent residents.

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.