Duke University PMHNP Program

Duke's psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner MSN requires 49 credit hours and 560 clinical hours. Students who start in the fall finish in eight semesters, and spring starters in seven. Coursework is distance-based, and the program includes on-campus intensives that Duke describes as time to "connect with faculty and peers and engage in valuable hands-on training."

The curriculum includes a course on delivering evidence-based mental health care to historically marginalized and underrepresented populations, alongside a stand-alone course on addictive disorders.

MSN tuition for the 2026-27 academic year is $2,345 per credit hour, which Duke puts at an average of $16,415 per semester for a fully enrolled student. Fees are billed on top after registration: a $200 technology fee each semester, a one-time $500 matriculation fee, and for new students a one-time $1,500 clinical placement fee and $650 clinical readiness fee. Duke offers a merit-based scholarship and federal loans for MSN students.

Duke's Clinical Placement Office "functions as a liaison" between the school and its clinical sites, and Duke cites more than 2,000 clinical partnerships. Students are not passive in the process: they are expected to respond to placement coordinators and take part in securing sites and preceptors. Travel is usually under 120 miles, but Duke says some students travel farther or relocate temporarily, and MSN and post-graduate certificate students may be placed in a state other than their own.

Applicants need a BSN from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited program, or an associate degree in nursing plus a bachelor's in any field, and a current RN license in the state where they plan to practice. Duke gives preference to a 3.0 GPA, requires a three-credit statistics course with a C or better, three professional recommendations and three essays, and interviews by invitation. A year of nursing experience is recommended, not required, and the GRE is not part of the MSN requirements. For this major Duke recommends, but does not require, ANCC psychiatric-mental health nurse generalist certification before applying.

Some states are limited. Duke says its PMHNP does not meet the Kansas clinical-hour requirement for students admitted after March 1, 2025. Its state authorization page lists New York as pending authorization and Louisiana as not authorized. Duke's MSN and Post-Graduate APRN Certificate hold CCNE accreditation through December 31, 2033.

Nurses who already hold a master's can take the post-graduate certificate. Credits vary from student to student, set by a review of prior coursework, and the certificate includes at least 500 supervised direct patient care hours. Admission asks for a master's from an ACEN- or CCNE-accredited nursing school, three references, the statistics prerequisite and a personal interview, and the GRE is not required.