School of Nursing

Master of Science in Nursing, Psychiatric - Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Concentration

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Why Choose the Psychiatric - Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Concentration?photo of students and a professor in a classroom

The Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) concentration is designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide psychiatric and mental health care to individuals and families throughout the lifespan. Your course of study includes 24 credit hours of graduate nursing coursework and 22 credit hours of psychiatric nurse practitioner-specific coursework. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to sit for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification examination through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and/or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB). National certification is necessary to obtain advanced practice licensure in most states. The master's degree program in nursing at Wright State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education http://www.ccneaccreditation.org.

After obtaining your master’s degree and certification, you will be qualified to:

  • Work with individuals, families, groups, and communities across the life-span
  • Offer primary mental health care services, including assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for acute and chronic mental health disorders
  • Offer the full scope of therapeutic services, including medication management and psychotherapy
  • Collaborate with other members of the health care team to provide the highest quality of care possible
  • Work in a variety of clinical settings including private practice, inpatient, outpatient, residential, and forensic environments

Second Master's Option

There is a second master’s degree option for this program primarily aimed at nurse practitioners from other specialties who wish to pursue the specialty of psychiatry. Admission requirements, as required by the Graduate School policies, are the same as the admission requirements for the program with the addition of a master’s degree in nursing.

Second Master's Option Pre-requisites and Curriculum Requirements (PDF)

Post-Master’s Training

We’re pleased to offer educational opportunities to post-master’s applicants. The admission requirements for the post-master’s option are the same as the admission requirements for the program with the addition of a master’s degree in nursing. To determine the number of clinical hours and didactic courses, a gap analysis will be conducted. Depending upon this analysis, students can complete the program in one to two years. Please email Dr. Tonya Schmitt at tonya.schmitt@wright.edu to discuss the post-master’s program.

 

Rankings

"Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs," U.S. News & World Report, 2019

U.S. News & World Report ranked Wright State's online graduate nursing programs No. 126 among all graduate nursing programs. The nursing program has a high certfication pass rate, excellent clinical site placements, and an outstanding reputation in the region with strong community partnerships. 

 

Academics and Curriculum

View the Master of Science in Nursing program information and degree requirements in the Academic Catalog.

All of the courses are offered online with the exception of the physical assessment course which has a two day on-campus requirement; and the three practicum courses, all of which have a required on-campus class on Tuesday, in addition to the clinical hours required.

Efforts will be made to meet your individual goals and to provide experiences in your geographic area. Clinical courses are supervised by the PMHNP faculty. The college faculty will work with you to facilitate clinical placement in appropriate practice settings for the depth and breadth of clinical experience necessary to be prepared for beginning practice.

Individualized plans, including those for part-time, transfer, and second master’s students, will be developed on admission.

Please see the list of required courses (DOCX).

Admission

Due Dates/Program Start

  • December 1 for Spring Semester start
  • April 1 for Summer Semester start
  • July 31 for Fall Semester start

Part-time, transfer, or second master’s students are encouraged. Such admissions are based on cohort availability and may vary as openings occur. The final practicum sequence is taught once a year.

Application to the School of Nursing is a two-step process.

1

Apply to Wright State Graduate School.

Required Documents

The documents listed below should be uploaded directly to your Graduate School online application. Please do not send these materials to the School of Nursing.

  • Graduate School application (online)
  • Transcripts from all colleges/universities attended
  • Resume/curriculum vitae
  • Meaningful clinical experience essay illustrating your interest in psychiatric care (2 pages maximum)
  • Statement of professional goals (250 words maximum)
  • Provide the name and email address of two references for letters of recommendation. These references must be able to speak to your abilities as a psychiatric practitioner, as well as professional and personal attributes. Appropriate references include current or most recent supervisor, faulty members from your nursing program, or previous employers.

When the Graduate School application is complete, notification will automatically be sent to the School of Nursing.

2

Apply to the School of Nursing.

Required Documents

The school will provide instructions on how to complete the above steps after receiving notification of the completed Graduate School application. All School of Nursing-required documents should be sent directly to the School of Nursing.

Admission Requirements

  1. Be a bachelor’s prepared nurse, having earned a B.S.N. in nursing from an accredited institution.
  2. Have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale from your baccalaureate degree and any subsequent graduate work.
  3. Hold an unencumbered U.S. nursing license.
  4. Have a minimum of one year full-time, or two years part-time, experience in the field of psychiatry.
  5. Provide evidence of no criminal record on file through a clear BCI/FBI background screen.
  6. International students must hold an unencumbered U.S. Nursing license and provide proof of English proficiency by achieving at least the minimum score in one of the following:
    • TOEFL IBT: 79
    • IELTS: 6.0
    • Pearson PTE: 57
    • Students who show proof of successful completion of an Intensive English Program from an accredited Institution or program accepted by international admissions are exempt from the requirement to take an approved English Proficiency exam.

Program Outcomes

The M.S. graduate will:

  1. Examine scientific findings from nursing, biopsychosocial fields, genetics, public health, quality improvement, and organizational sciences for the continual improvement of nursing care across diverse settings 
  2. Demonstrate leadership skills necessary for ethical and critical decision making, effective working relationships, and a systems-perspective to promote high quality and safe patient care
  3. Apply quality principles within an organization and articulate the methods, tools, performance measures, and standards related to quality
  4. Apply evidence-based outcomes 
within the practice setting, resolving practice problems, working as a change 
agent, and disseminating results  
  5. Use communication strategies and patient-care technologies to integrate, coordinate, deliver, and enhance care
  6. Examine the policy development process and advocacy strategies necessary to intervene at the 
system level to influence health and health care
  7. Use communication strategies necessary for interprofessional collaboration and consultation to manage and coordinate care
  8. Integrate broad, organizational, client-centered, and culturally appropriate concepts in the planning, delivery, management, and evaluation of evidence-based clinical prevention and population care and services to individuals, families, and aggregates/identified populations
  9. Demonstrate advanced level of understanding of nursing and relevant sciences as well as the ability to integrate this knowledge into practice including both direct and indirect care components that influence health care outcomes for individuals, populations, or systems

Contact Information

For questions about the program, the admission process, or to check on the status of your application, please call the college at 937-775-3132.

Concentration Contact

Tyler D. Green, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC,
Assistant Professor
tyler.green@wright.edu
Phone: 937-775-4591
Fax: 937-775-4571

General Contact Information

School of Nursing
Location: 225 Millett Hall
Phone: 937-775-3132
Fax: 937-775-4571
Email: nursing@wright.edu

Questions about the graduate school application? Contact:

The College of Graduate Programs and Honors Studies
Location: 160 University Hall
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 937-775-2976
Fax: 937-775-2453
Email: wsugrad@wright.edu

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Nursing, School of

Health, Education, and Human Services, College of
Location: 
225 Millett Hall
Hours: 
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 
937-775-3132
Fax: 
937-775-4571
Email: 

nursing@wright.edu

Health, Education, and Human Services, College of

Location: 
163 Millett Hall
Phone: 
Undergraduate Academic Advising: 
937-775-3086
Dean's Office: 
937-775-2821
Fax: 
937-775-4855
Email: 

cheh-info@wright.edu

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