Admission Requirements: Post-Master's Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Admission Requirements: Post-Master's Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
07.01.2024
Dependent on educational background
08.26.2024
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LIVE VIRTUAL INFO SESSION: THURSDAY, MAY 23RD @ 6:00 PM EST

Join us for an interactive info session to get your questions answered by program director Dr. Lee Tyson, DNP, DMin, APRN-CNP, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP, FIAAN, as well as learn more about program-specific admission requirements and the application process.

stack of documents icon Admission Requirements

Designed for working nurses with busy schedules, our online Master of Nursing (MSN) graduate certificate programs enable you to pursue your professional goals on your own time. Earn your graduate degree without forfeiting your current position.

This certificate allows you to earn the required licensure to advance your career to a leadership position in a high-demand specialization. Admission requirements for certificates differ slightly from the online MSN programs.

The online graduate certificates offered through the College of Nursing are designed for nurse practitioners and other advanced-level nurses who have already earned their master’s degree. Passionate and highly motivated professionals with a goal of working in an advanced specialization will benefit most from these post-master’s certificates.


The University of Cincinnati’s online graduate nursing programs are not currently available to students located in Arizona, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Tennessee. State restrictions are subject to change. We encourage you to contact the appropriate state licensing agency in your state or the state where you intend to work to seek the most up-to-date information regarding state licensure requirements before starting the program. For more information on restricted states, please visit our State Authorization page.


Applications for our online certificate programs are accepted every semester. Applicants will be reviewed for admission based on their ability to complete this online program and on the criteria listed below.

Prerequisites

  1. Current unrestricted RN license and a master’s in nursing degree from a regionally accredited institution
  2. At least one year of clinical experience
  3. Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree conferred from a regionally and nursing (ACEN, formerly NLNAC or CCNE) accredited institution
  4. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the last degree earned
  5. Completion of an undergraduate statistics course with a 2.0 or higher on 4.0 scale.
  6. Science GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
  7. Master of Science degree conferred from a regionally and nursing (ACEN* or CCNE) accredited institution

Required Courses

  1. Advanced physiology/pathophysiology, including general principles that apply across the life span
  2. Advanced health assessment, which includes assessment of all human systems, advanced assessment techniques, concepts, and approaches
  3. Advanced pharmacology, which includes pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacotherapeutics of all broad categories of agents

These courses must be passed with a B or better, taken across the lifespan for the Advanced Practice Nurse and will only accept as independent courses. These are not permitted to be combined.  You can be admitted if you do not have these courses, these credits will be added to your program schema.

Application

Applications for the online Master of Science in Nursing and online Post-MSN Certificate programs are submitted through NursingCAS.


Transcripts

Official transcripts from all institutions attended should be sent directly to NursingCAS (American Association of College of Nursing). NO TRANSCRIPTS should be sent to the University.


References

Three letters of reference from previous educators, managers, supervising physicians and Advanced Practice Nurses in the specialty to which you are applying for admission


Personal Goal Statement

Personal goal statement that is 500-750 words, including:

  • Motivation for pursing a career in the NP specialty for which you are applying
  • Qualities you possess which would make you a good practitioner in the specialty for which you are applying
  • Specific things you have done to prepare yourself to enter a NP program in this specialty

Professional Resume


Additional Fees

  • $20 non-refundable University of Cincinnati Graduate School application fee.
  • $200 non-refundable matriculation fee required upon acceptance but will be applied to tuition.

Restrictions

  • State & U.S. Territory Restrictions

    • The University of Cincinnati’s online graduate nursing programs are not currently available to students located in Arizona, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Tennessee. For more information on restricted states, please visit our State Authorization page.
    • Currently, we cannot admit students from any U.S. territory: America Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
  • International Student Restrictions

    • An international student is defined as someone who holds citizenship in another country and is not a permanent resident of the United States.
    • International students are admissible to our online programs, providing they commit to doing their clinical requirements in the United States.
    • Due to the clinical requirements in our graduate online programs, international students must already have a visa that gives them legal status to work within the United States or must be able to obtain the legal status that will allow them to come to the U.S. and engage in clinical activities.
    • International students are not eligible for student visas for online programs, including clinical requirements.
    • It is the responsibility of the international student to have the appropriate work authorization documents or be able to obtain the appropriate work authorization before applying to online programs in the College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati.
  • Clinical Restrictions

    • We cannot admit residents of U.S. Territories or in a country outside of the U.S. Only persons serving in the military who reside on a military base and can complete clinical requirements on the military base should apply to our College of Nursing graduate online programs. Prior to application to our program, the prospective student should confirm that they will have the ability to complete clinical requirements on the military base.
    • Students cannot complete clinicals at a U.S. Embassy.