PMHNP Programs in Houston
Our verified dataset has no accredited PMHNP program based in the Houston metro yet. Because most PMHNP study is online, that does not close the door: accredited online programs enroll Texas residents and let you complete the supervised clinical hours locally. The options below are generated from our verified dataset, so they stay accurate. Local cost-of-living, clinical-placement, and metro-pay detail is in progress and labeled rather than estimated.
The short version
We have not yet verified any accredited PMHNP program based in the Houston metro. The in-metro section below reflects that honestly rather than listing a program we can't source. For verified in-state options elsewhere in Texas, see our Texas PMHNP page.
Most PMHNP study is online. Accredited online programs enroll students from most states and let you complete the supervised clinical hours locally — see the verified online options below and our online PMHNP ranking.
Nationally, nurse practitioners earn a median of about $132,300 (BLS), and psychiatric-mental health is among the higher-paying NP specialties. A Houston-metro wage and cost-of-living breakdown is in progress.
If you are searching for PMHNP programs in Houston, here is the honest picture: our canonical dataset currently has no accredited PMHNP program based in the Houston metro. We would rather show that clearly than list a program we cannot trace to a primary source. Verified in-state options do exist elsewhere in Texas — see our Texas PMHNP page for the statewide view.
Because most PMHNP study is online, Houston residents are not blocked by the lack of a local in-person school — the accredited online programs further down enroll students from most states and support local clinical placements. We are still writing the Houston-specific sections (cost of living, clinical-placement landscape, local employers, and the metro-area wage); rather than estimate those, we label them in progress and show only what we can verify today.
The greater Houston metro
Primary: Houston, Texas. Students commonly commute across the metro for the in-person clinical hours, so we include:
PMHNP programs in the Houston area
No accredited PMHNP program is based in the Houston metro in our verified dataset. Most students here study through an accredited online program and complete the in-person clinical hours locally. The verified online options below are open to residents of most states.
Accredited online PMHNP programs Houston 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 Texas 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, see our online PMHNP ranking.
How to become a PMHNP in the Houston area
The path to becoming a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner in the Houston area is the same graduate-nursing route used nationwide, with one local variable: your APRN license and prescriptive authority come from the Texas 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 Texas 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. No PMHNP program is verified as based in the Houston area yet, and 45 accredited online programs also enroll Texas 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 Texas APRN licensure and DEA registration
The Texas 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 Texas 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.
What it costs to study in Houston
A Houston-specific cost-of-living and tuition breakdown is in progress. Tuition is the bigger, more controllable swing than rent, and each verified program shows its own per-credit or total figure from the school's pages. We will add a sourced metro cost-of-living comparison here rather than estimate one.
Where you complete clinical hours
A Houston clinical-placement guide — the hospital systems, community mental-health centers, and clinics that host supervised psychiatric hours across the metro — is in progress. Until it is sourced, confirm how each program secures placements (school-arranged vs. student-arranged) directly with the school; the program cards note this where the dataset has it verified.
Who hires PMHNPs in Houston
A Houston employer guide for PMHNPs — the major health systems and behavioral-health providers hiring in the metro — is in progress. We will name specific employers only once sourced, rather than list them from memory.
What PMHNPs earn near Houston
The national anchor is sourced: the national NP median is $132,300 (BLS, May 2025), and psychiatric-mental health is among the higher-paying NP specialties. A Houston-metro-specific wage from BLS OEWS is in progress; we will publish the metro figure here rather than estimate it. For now, see our PMHNP salary guide for pay by setting and practice model.
Other PMHNP city guides
We are adding metro guides as the verified dataset grows. In the meantime, compare options nationally or see another metro guide.
Keep researching
PMHNP Programs in Texas
The statewide view: every verified Texas program, plus licensure and pay.
Best Online PMHNP Programs
Accredited online options Texas residents can consider.
How to Become a PMHNP
The pathway, certification, and clinical-hour requirement.
PMHNP Salary Guide
What psychiatric NPs earn by state, experience, and setting.
PMHNP in Houston, answered
Are there PMHNP programs in Houston?+
Can I become a PMHNP in Houston through an online program?+
Program details and figures trace to primary sources; gaps are labeled, not estimated.
- [1] Per-program details (tuition, credits, clinical hours, accreditation) trace to each school's own pages and the CCNE/ACEN directory, captured in our verified PMHNP program dataset
- [2] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Nurse Practitioners (national median wage, job growth)
- [3] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS: Nurse Practitioners (29-1171), metropolitan-area wages