PMHNP Programs in Georgia
Georgia has 5 verified, in-state PMHNP programs, most of them clustered around Atlanta. The state's defining licensure quirk is easy to miss and expensive to discover late: your prescribing authority runs through a nurse protocol agreement that the delegating physician — not you — has to initiate. Here are the verified programs, that rule in detail, and what the job pays.
The short version
Georgia has 5 verified, in-state PMHNP programs, listed below from our canonical dataset. Most sit in metro Atlanta — see our Atlanta PMHNP guide for the metro view.
Georgia is a restricted-practice state. APRNs prescribe only under a nurse protocol agreement with a delegating physician — and per the Georgia Composite Medical Board, the physician must initiate it, not the APRN.
That asymmetry is the practical constraint. Your ability to prescribe depends on a physician actively choosing to sponsor and register a protocol for you, which makes employer selection a licensure decision, not just a career one.
The statewide NP wage is $129,430 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a little under the $132,300 national median — but Georgia's 90th percentile reaches $166,060, the strongest upper end of the Southern states in this guide.
Accredited online programs also enroll Georgia residents — see our online PMHNP ranking.
Most guides to practicing in Georgia stop at "restricted practice" and move on. The detail that actually changes your plans sits one level down, in how the nurse protocol agreement works. Georgia requires APRNs to prescribe under a protocol with a delegating physician, and the Georgia Composite Medical Board places the responsibility for initiating that registration on the physician.
For a psychiatric nurse practitioner that has a concrete consequence: you cannot unilaterally arrange your own prescribing authority, and a job offer without a committed delegating physician behind it is not a job you can fully do. It is the first question to ask in an interview, and it is worth asking before you have moved for the role.
The training field itself is solid and concentrated — 5 verified in-state programs, most of them in and around Atlanta. Below are the verified programs with sourced details, the licensure path, and Georgia-specific pay.
The 5 verified psychiatric nurse practitioner (PMHNP) programs based in Georgia
Georgia Southern University School of Nursing
Statesboro, GA
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, GA
Georgia State University Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
Atlanta, GA
Augusta University College of Nursing
Augusta, GA
Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Atlanta, GA
Accredited online psychiatric nurse practitioner (PMHNP) programs Georgia residents can do
Most PMHNP study is online. These verified, accredited programs enroll students from most states and let you complete the supervised clinical hours near you. Online programs set their own state authorization, so confirm each one admits Georgia residents before you apply.
California State University, Fresno
CCNE-accredited · post-master's certificate · 540 clinical hrs
Program pageDrexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions
CCNE-accredited · post-master's certificate · 640 clinical hrs
Program pageFairleigh Dickinson University Henry P. Becton School of Nursing and Allied Health
ACEN-accredited · MSN · 750 clinical hrs
Program pageGeorgia Southern University School of Nursing
CCNE-accredited · BSN-to-DNP · 630 clinical hrs
Program pageGeorgia State University Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
CCNE-accredited · MSN · 500 clinical hrs
Program pageHerzing University
CCNE-accredited · MSN / post-master's certificate · 540 clinical hrs
Program pageJohns Hopkins University School of Nursing
CCNE-accredited · post-master's certificate · 500 clinical hrs
Program pageLa Salle University School of Nursing and Health Sciences
CCNE-accredited · MSN · 692 clinical hrs
Program pageLewis University College of Nursing and Health Sciences
CCNE-accredited · MSN · 540 clinical hrs
Program pageNorthern Kentucky University School of Nursing
CCNE-accredited · MSN · 750 clinical hrs
Program pageRadford University School of Nursing
CCNE-accredited · post-master's certificate · 540 clinical hrs
Program pageRocky Mountain University of Health Professions
CCNE-accredited · post-master's certificate · 540 clinical hrs
Program pageSimmons University
CCNE-accredited · MSN / post-master's certificate · 756 clinical hrs
Program pageUniversity of Cincinnati College of Nursing
CCNE-accredited · post-master's certificate
Program pageUniversity of South Alabama College of Nursing
CCNE-accredited · MSN / post-master's certificate · 600 clinical hrs
Program pageConfirm current state authorization with each program. For the full comparison of these programs, see our online PMHNP ranking.
How to become a PMHNP in Georgia
The path to becoming a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner in Georgia is the same graduate-nursing route used nationwide, with one local variable: your APRN license and prescriptive authority come from the Georgia Board of Nursing. Here are the five steps.
- 01
Earn a BSN and an RN license
Most PMHNP programs admit Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduates who hold an active RN license. If you start with an associate degree or a non-nursing bachelor's, bridge programs exist. You'll practice on a Georgia RN license while you complete graduate school.
- 02
Enroll in an accredited PMHNP program
Choose an MSN or a BSN-to-DNP with a PMHNP focus. The degree must hold CCNE or ACEN accreditation, or it won't qualify you for the certification exam. Georgia has 5 verified in-state programs (listed above), and 46 accredited online programs also enroll Georgia residents.
- 03
Complete a minimum of 500 supervised clinical hours
The ANCC requires at least 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours, and many programs require 600 to 750. Securing local clinical placements is the biggest practical hurdle, so confirm whether a program arranges your preceptors before you enroll.
- 04
Pass the ANCC PMHNP-BC certification exam
The ANCC PMHNP-BC first-time pass rate was 83% in 2024 and 82% in 2025. Either the ANCC exam or the newer AANPCB PMHNP exam qualifies you for state licensure; ANCC's PMHNP-BC is the one most employers list by name.
- 05
Get Georgia APRN licensure and DEA registration
The Georgia Board of Nursing issues your APRN license and prescriptive authority once you're certified, and a federal DEA registration lets you prescribe controlled substances. Practice authority varies by state, so confirm current Georgia requirements with the board before you enroll.
For the full national pathway, including itemized cost, timeline, and program selection advice, see our complete guide on how to become a PMHNP.
Georgia NP licensure and the nurse protocol agreement
Georgia licenses APRNs through the Georgia Board of Nursing on top of national PMHNP-BC certification, and classifies as a restricted-practice state. Prescribing runs through a nurse protocol agreement with a delegating physician.
What separates Georgia from other restricted states is who holds the pen. Protocol registration goes through the Georgia Composite Medical Board — a physician board, not the nursing board — and the delegating physician is the party that must initiate it. An APRN cannot start the process alone.
The practical reading: treat "who will be my delegating physician, and have they registered a protocol before?" as a screening question for employers, alongside salary and caseload. In a large health system this is routine administration. In a small private practice or a new telehealth venture it can be the thing that delays your ability to prescribe for months.
What the state requires
- Active Georgia RN license (or a multistate compact license)
- Graduate PMHNP degree from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited program
- National PMHNP-BC certification (ANCC)
- APRN authorization from the Georgia Board of Nursing
- A nurse protocol agreement with a delegating physician, initiated by that physician
- Protocol registration through the Georgia Composite Medical Board
- DEA registration to prescribe controlled substances
State board: Georgia Board of Nursing
PMHNP pay in Georgia
Georgia's statewide NP wage is $129,430 per BLS OEWS (May 2025), with a mean of $128,800 across 10,460 nurse practitioners — a little under the $132,300 national NP median.
The upper end is where Georgia does well relative to its neighbours. The 90th percentile reaches $166,060 — higher than Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky or Missouri — while the quartiles run $110,360 to $141,240. The 10th percentile of $99,160 is comparatively low, so the spread between the bottom and top of the Georgia market is wide. In practice that gap tends to track the difference between metro Atlanta systems and rural or community settings.
BLS does not publish separate entry-level or experienced tiers for Georgia, nor a distinct psychiatric-mental health NP wage — psychiatric-mental health pays above the NP average nationally, so treat these figures as a floor for the specialty. Our PMHNP salary guide breaks pay down by setting and practice model.
The Georgia PMHNP job market
Georgia's demand splits sharply between metro Atlanta — which concentrates the large systems, academic centers and the bulk of the state's 10,460 nurse practitioners — and a rural south Georgia with persistent mental health provider shortages. The BLS projects nurse practitioner employment to grow about 40% from 2024 to 2034 nationally; a Georgia-specific projection is not separately verified here. The protocol-agreement requirement interacts badly with that rural shortage: the places that most need psychiatric prescribers are the places with fewest physicians available to delegate, which is worth understanding before committing to an underserved-area role.
- Community mental health centers and FQHCs in Georgia often qualify for the federal NHSC Loan Repayment Program.
Choosing a PMHNP program from Georgia
With 5 verified in-state programs plus the national online field, Georgia rewards a focused shortlist. The factors that matter most:
- Ask who arranges your clinical placement. School-arranged placement is a significant advantage; student-arranged means finding your own Georgia preceptor, which is the usual cause of a delayed graduation.
- Plan for the nurse protocol agreement before you graduate. Ask prospective employers whether a delegating physician is already committed and has registered protocols previously.
- Choose your degree level deliberately — see our MSN PMHNP ranking and post-master's certificate ranking for how the routes compare.
- If you are Atlanta-based or willing to commute, our Atlanta PMHNP guide covers the metro options specifically.
- Favor programs whose clinical network already spans metro Atlanta systems, since those are the employers most likely to have physicians experienced with protocol registration.
- Weigh the in-state field against the national online options in our online PMHNP ranking.
Keep researching
PMHNP Programs in Atlanta
The metro guide: verified Atlanta-area programs and local context.
Best Online PMHNP Programs
The full national field of accredited online options.
PMHNP Programs by State
Browse every state's verified programs.
How to Become a PMHNP
The pathway, certification, and clinical-hour requirement.
PMHNP Salary Guide
What psychiatric NPs earn by state, experience, and setting.
Best PMHNP Programs
The flagship ranking across every format.
Questions, answered
How many PMHNP programs are in Georgia?+
What is a nurse protocol agreement in Georgia?+
Can nurse practitioners practice independently in Georgia?+
How much do PMHNPs make in Georgia?+
Can I do a PMHNP online in Georgia?+
Program details and figures trace to primary sources; gaps are labeled, not estimated.
- [1] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS: Nurse Practitioners (29-1171), national and state wages (May 2025)
- [2] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Nurse Practitioners
- [3] AANP, State Practice Environment (Georgia: restricted practice)
- [4] Georgia Composite Medical Board — APRN Protocol Registration
- [5] Georgia Board of Nursing