Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Kent State's Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner master's concentration will prepare you to provide advanced psychiatric nursing care to individuals, families, and groups across the lifespan.
Today, many Americans do not have access to mental health services, in part due to a lack of qualified mental health professionals. Nurses who become Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs) help bridge this gap and provide holistic care to those who are struggling with mental illnesses and addictions.
The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner concentration builds on core advanced practice nursing knowledge and focuses on knowledge and skill development in mental health assessment and diagnostic reasoning, prescribing and medication management, and advanced therapeutic modalities such as individual, group, and family psychotherapy.
In this role, you may be employed in a variety of settings, including community mental health centers, private practice, primary care, emergency settings, correctional facilities, and on consultation/liaison teams in hospitals.
Why Kent State? We offer you:
- Faculty mentorship and advising from nationally certified advanced practice nurses, as well as active researchers with decades of experience
- Full- and part-time customizable academic plans
- Classes are held 100% online and delivered by expert nurses via leading edge instructional technology.
- Fall and spring semester start dates
- Networking and mentoring opportunities for graduates during and after the program
Admissions Criteria
We invite you to apply to the MSN program if you meet the following criteria:
- Bachelor's and/or graduate degree from an accredited registered nursing program.1
- Minimum 3.000 undergraduate/graduate GPA on a 4.000 point scale. 2
- The completion of an undergraduate statistics course with a minimum C grade.
- Active, unrestricted registered nurse license in Ohio
Curriculum
The Psychiatric Mental Health NP concentration is 46 credit hours which includes 600 practicum hours. Options for part-time plans of study are also available.
Courses are 100% online – students are never required to come to campus.
See if this program is offered in your state. >>
Post-Master's Certificates
We also offer a Psych Mental Health NP post-master's certificate for nurses who already hold a Master's degree or higher in nursing.
Learn more about the Psychiatric Mental Health NP certificate
Meet the Faculty
Learn more about the Psychiatric Mental Health NP course instructors:

James K. Tudhope
DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Concentration Coordinator

Andrea Warner Stidham
Ph.D., MSN, RN
Assistant Professor

Andrea L. Nelson
MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Lecturer
Get to know all of the MSN Faculty
Begin Your Transformation
Discover why Kent State's PMHNP master's concentration is right for you. Enrollment advisors can be reached at 330-672-7911.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Kent State University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791. Kent State University College of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) concentrations within the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program and APRN Certificates, along with the Bachelor of Science in Nursing to Doctor of Nursing Practice (BSN-to-DNP) program qualify graduates to sit for national APRN certification and APRN licensure in Ohio. States other than Ohio may have additional requirements to apply for or obtain an APRN license, including but not limited to specific state examinations, letters of recommendation, or proof of completion of an accredited nursing program. The College of Nursing is in the process of collecting information from all states and has not yet made a determination whether graduates from the Kent State University College of Nursing MSN, Certificate, and BSN-to-DNP programs meet the requirements for APRN licensure outside the state of Ohio.