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Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (DNP)
DNP Program Specialization
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs) provide mental health care for individuals across the lifespan, from infancy to old age. They also work with families and populations at risk for developing and/or having a diagnosis of psychiatric disorders or mental health problems.
PMHNPs provide mental health treatment, preventive services, consultation and leadership in hospitals, clinics, community settings and private practice. They offer a range of continuous and comprehensive services to meet patients' needs and promote optimal mental health. This includes:
- Building relationships with patients for ongoing care.
- Promoting mental well-being through preventive strategies.
- Assessing, diagnosing, and treating mental health and psychiatric disorders across the lifespan.
- Maintaining mental health through ongoing management plans.
Graduates of the PMHNP track are eligible for New York State NP certification and meet the educational requirements for national certification by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Course of Study
The program is open to nurses with a baccalaureate or master's degree in nursing and may be completed on a full-time or part-time basis. Admitted students without a prior master's degree in nursing from an accredited program complete 90 credits and 1130 supervised clinical practicum hours.
Students with a prior master's degree in nursing may be eligible for advanced standing, based on an assessment of the student's prior graduate record. Up to 42 credits for master's courses completed with a grade of 'B' or better, including relevant clinical hours completed for the master's degree, may be counted toward the 90 credits required for the DNP degree. Those eligible for advanced standing generally begin the program starting at the post-master's plan of study. DNP Capstone courses require a total of 500 clinical practicum hours.
Course descriptions are available in the Hunter College Graduate Catalog.
Post-Baccalaureate Entry (48 credits)
Nursing Core Courses (12 credits)
NURS 700 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Science (3 cr)
NURS 702 Advanced Nursing Research (3 cr)
NURS 704 Healthcare Systems and Policy (3 cr)
NURS 749 Health Promotion & Disease Prevention in Diverse Pop. (3 cr)
Advanced Practice Core Courses (9 credits)
NURS 717 Advanced Pathophysiology for Nursing Practice (3 cr)
NURS 750 Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics (3 cr)
NURS 751 Advanced Health Assessment (3 cr)
Specialization Courses (27 credits, 630 practicum hours)
NURS 784 Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Psych-Mental Health Nursing Care and Practice (1 cr)
NURS 737 Mental Health Policy and Advocacy: The Role of the PMHNP (1 cr)
NURS 746 Epidemiology of Behv'l Health & Community Mental Health (1 cr)
NURS 747 Adv. Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology of the Brain (1 cr)
NURS 777 Adv. Psych-Mental Health Assessment and Intervention (3 cr)
NURS 778 Adv. Child/Adolescent Psych-Mental Health Assessment and Intervention (2 cr)
NURS 719 Psychopharmacology (3 cr)
NURS 748 Therapeutic Counseling Modalities (3 cr)
NURS 779 Family & Group Theories & Therapeutic Modalities (2 cr)
NURS 781 Comprehensive Psych-Mental Health Assessment and Intervention of Acute and Chronic Disease States (1 cr)
NURS 782 PMHNP Clinical Practicum I (4.5 cr, 315 practicum hrs)
NURS 783 PMHNP Clinical Practicum II (4.5 cr, 315 practicum hrs)
Post-Master's Curriculum (42 credits)
NURS 716 Informatics for Evidence-Based Practice (3 cr)
NURS 780 Health Care Ethics in the Life Span (3 cr)
NURS 800 Leading Systems and Organizations (3 cr)
NURS 801 Leadership for Quality Improvement (3 cr)
NURS 802 Analytic Methods for Evidence-Based Practice (3 cr)
NURS 804 Finance and Management of Advanced Practice Nursing (3 cr)
NURS 810 Clinical Genetics (3 cr)
NURS 850 Health Policy and Population-Focused DNP Practice (3 cr)
PH 750 Fundamentals of Biostatistics (3 cr)
PH 752 Fundamentals of Epidemiology (3 cr)
DNP Capstone Courses (12 credits, 500 practicum hours)
NURS 90001 Capstone 1: Internship (3 cr, 105 practicum hrs)
NURS 90002 Capstone 2: Proposal Development (3 cr, 105 practicum hrs)
NURS 90003 Capstone 3: Implementation (3 cr, 210 practicum hrs)
NURS 90004 Capstone 4: Evaluation & Dissemination (3 cr, 80 practicum hrs)
Total Credits for Degree: 90
Sample Program Plans
PMHNP Post-Baccalaureate Plan of Study (PDF)
DNP Post-Master's Plan of Study - All Tracks (PDF)
How to Apply
First, please carefully review our DNP program admission requirements. Information on the application process is available from the Office of Graduate Admissions.
For more information, contact Dr. Maya Clark-Cutaia, Evelyn Lauder Associate Dean for Nurse Practitioner Programs, at maya.clark-cutaia@hunter.cuny.edu or 212-481-4348.
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