Post-Master’s Certificate Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Programs
Nurses who have earned a master's degree and who either wish to expand their practice or change their patient population focus have a couple of options available to them. One option is to return to school to earn a doctoral degree in nursing. Another shorter, academic pathway is to complete a post-master's certificate program.
Earning a post-master's certificate in the field of psychiatry is beneficial to many disciplines in advanced-practice nursing. Not only can a psychiatric nurse practitioner (NP) work as a patient's primary mental health provider, but family, adult-gerontology, pediatric, and women's health NPs can benefit from this certificate as well to provide holistic care to their patients.
Choosing a Psychiatric NP Post-Master's Certificate Program
Selecting a psychiatric NP post-master's degree program can be a difficult choice. Many are not sure quite where to begin. The following serve as starting points when selecting a psychiatric post-master's certificate program:
- Accreditation- Ensuring adequate accreditation is essential when choosing a post-master's certificate program. The two main accreditation agencies are the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). Some schools are accredited locally, but to ensure licensure and credentialing, the school should be accredited by one of these two entities.
- Cost- The cost to attend a post-master's certificate program is one of the most significant deciding factors when choosing a school. The cost can vary greatly between schools, states, and even cities. Private schools tend to have a higher cost. Students should take into consideration not just tuition fees, but the cost of supplies and technology needs as well.
- Length- The length of time to completion is also a major consideration. The length of time depends on the nurse's educational background; if the student has already completed advanced pharmacology, physiology, and health assessment courses, the post-master's certificate program will be shorter.
- Online Options- Many nurses who choose to return to school are already working. Additionally, nurses can work days, evenings, nights, holidays, and weekends. Many nurses need the flexibility that online learning offers. Thankfully, more and more online programs are available for students.
- Internship/Externship Options- Many post-master's certificate programs are contracted with local healthcare facilities so students can gain essential clinical knowledge before Students should consider the options available when selecting a school. For psychiatric post-master's certificate program students, they should look at which facility will provide them with the most robust and well-rounded experience.
Online Psychiatric Post-Master's Certificate Programs
As stated earlier, online learning is becoming more and more prevalent. However, choosing online learning versus classroom learning is an individual choice, as every student has different needs.
Online vs. Classroom-Based Psychiatric NP Post-Master's Certificate Programs
One of the advantages of online learning is the flexibility. Students can study when they want, and when they can. Night shift nurses can log on in the middle of the night. Students can study during holidays. The flexibility of online programs allows students to work with their schedule, rather than the other way around.
Another advantage is time. Students can avoid wasting time commuting, parking, and also save money on transportation. They simply need a computer and internet access.
Students can also learn at their own pace and use their individual learning and study methods. This can help students retain key concepts and perform better in the program.
One of the disadvantages of online learning is the lack of peer contact. Many students value the time spent with peers, exchanging knowledge, and overall support. While peer support can still be available with online learning, it is often via electronic communication.
Another disadvantage is that knowledge of technology is required. One must know how to use the internet and navigate the websites. While many young students are already well-versed in technology, some may not be, and this could present a challenge.
The cost of the necessary technology can also be considered a disadvantage. Students may need to purchase a computer or laptop, webcam, and other supplies which can be costly.
There are other considerations with online learning that prospective students should be aware of:
- Accreditation- As stated earlier, more and more online programs are popping up. Students should look closely at a school's accreditation status- especially with online programs. Many schools advertise quick completion and lowest rates- but are they nationally recognized? Students need to ensure that there will not be any licensing or certification issues after graduation- which may occur if a school is not nationally accredited.
- Program Length- Many online programs may advertise "shortest program available." Students need to look closely to make sure all the required curriculum is covered for licensure and certification.
Psychiatric Post-Master's Certificate Admission Requirements
While admission requirements may vary between schools, general admission requirements for a psychiatric post-master's certificate program may include:
- Master's degree from an accredited school
- Current RN/NP license
- Submission of a resume/CV
- A written statement of purpose/goal statement
- Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher (specific GPA requirements may vary)
- Submission of transcripts from prior educational institutions
- Prior clinical experience
Psychiatric Post-Master's Certificate Curriculum
For advanced-practice nursing, students must complete advanced pharmacology, health assessment, and physiology courses. If not already taken, prospective students must complete these core courses. Additional courses specific to the psychiatric discipline may include:
- Psychopharmacology
- Differential diagnosis of mental disorders
- Psychotherapeutics
- Adult mental health
- Pediatric mental health
Helpful Resources
- American Psychiatric Nurse Association
- Association of Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses
- American Association of Nurse Practitioners
Other Degree Programs
List of Post Master's Certificate Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Programs
Select Your State:
Alabama
School | Contact Information |
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The University of Alabama Graduate Certificate Programs | 50 University Boulevard East Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 (205) 348-6639 |
Alaska
School | Contact Information |
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University of Alaska Anchorage Graduate Certificate Programs | 3211 Providence Drive Anchorage, AK 99508 (907) 786-4406 |
Arizona
School | Contact Information |
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Arizona State University Graduate Certificate Programs | 411 N Central Ave Phoenix, AZ 85004 (480) 965-7788 |
University of Arizona Graduate Certificate Programs | 1305 N. Martin | PO Box 210203 Tucson, AZ 85721 (520) 626-6154 |
California
School | Contact Information |
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Brandman University Graduate Certificate Programs | 16355 Laguna Canyon Road Irvine, CA 92618 (949) 341-9800 |
Cal State LA Graduate Certificate Programs | 5151 State University Drive Los Angeles, CA 90032 (323) 343-3000 |
California State University Long Beach Graduate Certificate Programs | 1250 Bellflower Boulevard Long Beach, CA 90840 (562) 985-4111 |
California State University San Marcos Graduate Certificate Programs | 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Rd San Marcos, CA 92096 (760) 750-4000 |
National University Graduate Certificate Programs | 9388 Lightwave Ave San Diego, CA 92123 (800) 628-8648 |
Colorado
School | Contact Information |
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University of Colorado Graduate Certificate Programs | 12950 E. Montview Boulevard Aurora, CO 80045 (303) 724-2152 |
Connecticut
School | Contact Information |
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University of Saint Joseph Graduate Certificate Programs | 1678 Asylum Avenue West Hartford, CT 06117 (186) 023-2457 x1 |
Yale University Graduate Certificate Programs | 400 West Campus Drive Orange, CT 06477 (203) 785-2389 |
Florida
School | Contact Information |
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Florida Atlantic University Graduate Certificate Programs | 777 Glades Road Boca Raton, FL 33431 (561) 297-6261 |
Florida International University Graduate Certificate Programs | 11200 SW 8th Street Miami, FL 33199 (305) 348-7703 |
Florida State University Graduate Certificate Programs | 600 W. College Avenue Tallahassee, FL 32306 (850) 644-5621 |
University of Miami Graduate Certificate Programs | P.O. Box 248153 Coral Gables, FL 33124 (305) 284-3666 |
Georgia
School | Contact Information |
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Augusta University Graduate Certificate Programs | 1120 15th Street Augusta, GA 30912 (706) 721-9767 |
Georgia College Graduate Certificate Programs | 231 W. Hancock St. Milledgeville,, GA 31061 (800) 342-0471 |
Georgia Southern University Graduate Certificate Programs | 1332 Southern Drive Statesboro, GA 30458 (912) 478-4636 |
Georgia State University Graduate Certificate Programs | 33 Gilmer St SE Atlanta, GA 30303 (404) 413-2000 |
Illinois
School | Contact Information |
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Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing Graduate Certificate Programs | 511 NE Greenleaf Street Peoria, IL 61603 (309) 655-2201 |
University of St. Francis Graduate Certificate Programs | 500 Wilcox St. Joliet, IL 60435 (800) 735-7500 |
Indiana
School | Contact Information |
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University of Southern Indiana Graduate Certificate Programs | 8600 University Blvd. Evansville, IN 47712 (812) 464-8600 |
Iowa
School | Contact Information |
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University of Iowa Graduate Certificate Programs | 50 Newton Road Iowa City, IA 52242 (319) 335-7018 |
Kansas
School | Contact Information |
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University of Kansas Graduate Certificate Programs | 3901 Rainbow Blvd. Kansas City, KS 66160 (913) 588-1619 |
Washburn University Graduate Certificate Programs | 1700 SW College Ave Topeka, KS 66621 (785) 670-1010 |
Kentucky
School | Contact Information |
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Eastern Kentucky University Graduate Certificate Programs | 521 Lancaster Ave Richmond, KY 40475 (859) 622-1000 |
Frontier Nursing University Graduate Certificate Programs | 195 School Street Hyden, KY 41749 (606) 672-2312 |
University of Kentucky College of Nursing Graduate Certificate Programs | 315 College of Nursing Building 751 Rose Street Lexington, KY 40536 (859) 323-5108 |
Western Kentucky University Graduate Certificate Programs | 1906 College Heights Blvd Bowling Green, KY 42101 (270) 745-0111 |
Louisiana
School | Contact Information |
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McNeese State University Graduate Certificate Programs | 4205 Ryan Street Lake Charles, LA 70609 (337) 475-5000 |
Southeastern Louisiana University Graduate Certificate Programs | 500 W University Ave Hammond, LA 70402 (985) 549-5637 |
Maryland
School | Contact Information |
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Johns Hopkins University Graduate Certificate Programs | 525 N. Wolfe Street Baltimore, MD 21205 (410) 955-4766 |
Massachusetts
School | Contact Information |
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Massachusetts College Of Pharmacy And Health Sciences Graduate Certificate Programs | 179 Longwood Avenue Boston, MA 02115 (617) 879-5964 |
MGH Institute Of Health Professions Graduate Certificate Programs | 36 1st Avenue Boston, MA 02129 (617) 726-2947 |
Regis University Graduate Certificate Programs | 235 Wellesley Street Weston, MA 02493 (781) 768-7000 |
Minnesota
School | Contact Information |
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The College of St. Scholastica Graduate Certificate Programs | 1200 Kenwood Avenue Duluth, MN 55811 (800) 447-5444 |
University of Minnesota Graduate Certificate Programs | 308 Harvard Street SE Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612) 624-9600 |
Winona State University Rochester Graduate Certificate Programs | 859 30th Ave SE Rochester, MN 55904 (507) 285-7100 |
Mississippi
School | Contact Information |
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The University of Southern Mississippi Graduate Certificate Programs | 118 College Drive Hattiesburg, MS 39406 (601) 266-1000 |
Missouri
School | Contact Information |
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Maryville University Graduate Certificate Programs | 650 Maryville University Drive St. Louis, MO 63141 (314) 529-9300 |
University of Missouri - St. Louis Graduate Certificate Programs | 1 University Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63121 (314) 516-5000 |
Nebraska
School | Contact Information |
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University of Nebraska Medical Center Graduate Certificate Programs | 42nd and Emile Omaha, NE 68198 (402) 559-4000 |
Nevada
School | Contact Information |
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University of Nevada, Reno Graduate Certificate Programs | 1664 N. Virginia Street Reno, NV 89557 (775) 784-1110 |
New Hampshire
School | Contact Information |
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Rivier University Graduate Certificate Programs | 420 South Main Street Nashua, NH 03060 (603) 888-1311 |
The University of New Hampshire Graduate Certificate Programs | Hewitt Hall, 4 Library Way Durham, NH 03824 (603) 862-1177 |
New Jersey
School | Contact Information |
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Fairleigh Dickinson University Graduate Certificate Programs | 1000 River Rd Teaneck, NJ 07666 (201) 692-2000 |
Monmouth University Graduate Certificate Programs | 400 Cedar Avenue West Long Branch, NJ 07764 (732) 571-3400 |
New Mexico
School | Contact Information |
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The University of New Mexico Graduate Certificate Programs | 2502 Marble Ave NE Albuquerque, NM 87131 (505) 272-0858 |
New York
School | Contact Information |
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Adelphi University Graduate Certificate Programs | One South Ave, P.O. Box 701 Garden City, NY 11530 (800) 233-5744 |
Binghamton University Graduate Certificate Programs | 4400 Vestal Parkway East Binghamton, NY 13902 (607) 777-2000 |
D'Youville College Graduate Certificate Programs | 320 Porter Avenue Buffalo, NY 14201 (716) 829-8000 |
Hunter College Graduate Certificate Programs | 695 Park Ave NY, NY 10065 (212) 772-4000 |
NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing Graduate Certificate Programs
| 433 First Avenue New York, NY 10010 (212) 998-5300 |
St. John Fisher College Graduate Certificate Programs | 3690 East Avenue Rochester, NY 14618 (585) 385-8000 |
Stony Brook University Graduate Certificate Programs | 101 Nicolls Road Stony Brook, NY 11794 (631) 689-8333 |
North Dakota
School | Contact Information |
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University of North Dakota Graduate Certificate Programs | 3501 University Ave Grand Forks, ND 58202 (701) 777-3000 |
Ohio
School | Contact Information |
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Case Western Reserve University Graduate Certificate Programs | 10900 Euclid Ave Cleveland, OH 44106 (216) 368-2000 |
Kent State University Graduate Certificate Programs | 1375 University Esplanade Kent, OH 44242 (330) 672-7930 |
Ohio University Graduate Certificate Programs | Athens, OH 45701 (740) 593-1000 |
Otterbein University Graduate Certificate Programs | 1 South Grove Street Westerville, OH 43081 (614) 890-3000 |
The University of Akron Graduate Certificate Programs | 302 E Buchtel Ave Akron, OH 44325 (330) 972-7111 |
University of Cincinnati Graduate Certificate Programs | 2600 Clifton Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45220 (513) 556-0000 |
Ursuline College Graduate Certificate Programs | 2550 Lander Rd Pepper Pike, OH 44124 (440) 449-4200 |
Pennsylvania
School | Contact Information |
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Drexel University Graduate Certificate Programs | 1601 Cherry Street Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 895-2000 |
Robert Morris University Graduate Certificate Programs | 6001 University Blvd Moon Township, PA 15108 (800) 762-0097 |
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Graduate Certificate Programs
| 418 Curie Boulevard Philadelphia, PA 19104 (215) 898-8281 |
South Carolina
School | Contact Information |
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University of South Carolina Graduate Certificate Programs | 1601 Greene Street Columbia, SC 29208 (803) 777-7412 |
South Dakota
School | Contact Information |
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South Dakota State University Graduate Certificate Programs | 1004 Campanile Dr Brookings, SD 57007 (605) 688-4114 |
Tennessee
School | Contact Information |
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East Tennessee State University Graduate Certificate Programs | 807 University Pkwy Johnson City, TN 37614 (855) 590-3878 |
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center- Memphis Graduate Certificate Programs | 910 Madison Ave Memphis, TN 38163 (901) 448-5500 |
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Graduate Certificate Programs | 1200 Volunteer Blvd. Knoxville, TN 37996 (865) 974-4151 |
Union University Graduate Certificate Programs | 1050 Union University Drive Jackson, TN 38305 (731) 661-6545 |
Texas
School | Contact Information |
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Texas Tech University Graduate Certificate Programs | 3601 4th St. Lubbock, TX 79430 (806) 743-2730 |
The University of Texas at Austin Graduate Certificate Programs | 110 Inner Campus Drive Austin, TX 78712 (512) 471-3434 |
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Graduate Certificate Programs | 1201 W University Dr Edinburg, TX 78539 (888) 882-4026 |
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio - UT Health San Antonio Graduate Certificate Programs | 7703 Floyd Curl Dr San Antonio, TX 78229 (210) 567-7000 |
Vermont
School | Contact Information |
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University of Vermont Graduate Certificate Programs | The University of Vermont Burlington, VT 05405 (802) 656-3131 |
Virginia
School | Contact Information |
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Radford University Graduate Certificate Programs | E Main St Radford, VA 24141 (540) 831-5000 |
Shenandoah University Graduate Certificate Programs | 1460 University Dr Winchester, VA 22601 (540) 665-4500 |
University of Virginia Graduate Certificate Programs
| 225 Jeanette Lancaster Way Charlottesville, VA 22903-3388 (434) 924-0141 |
Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate Certificate Programs | 1100 East Leigh Street Richmond, VA 23298 (804) 828-0724 |
Washington
School | Contact Information |
---|---|
University of Washington Graduate Certificate Programs | 1410 NE Campus Parkway Seattle, WA 98195 (206) 543-2100 |
Wisconsin
School | Contact Information |
---|---|
University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate Certificate Programs
| 702 West Johnson Street. Suite 1101 Madison, WI 53715 (608) 263-2400 |
Are we missing your school's program or need to update information listed? Please contact us so we can make the necessary changes.