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Simmons University · School of Nursing

Direct Entry Doctor of Nursing Practice - Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

DNPDirect-Entry MSNBSN-to-DNPPMHNPPrelicensure — leads to a first nursing license examPrivate nonprofit

Award: Doctor of Nursing Practice

Program facts last verified October 6, 2026. Each fact links to the official page it came from.

Overview

A 108-credit, three-year program (70 credits for the MSN plus 38 for the DNP) for applicants without a nursing degree: pre-licensure coursework on campus, NCLEX eligibility after Term 4, then the DNP phase with PMHNP clinical decision-making courses and DNP project seminars.

Credential
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Pathway
Direct-Entry MSN, BSN-to-DNP
Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Specialty track
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Delivery
On-campus, Hybrid
Study intensity
Full-time, Part-time
Duration
3 years
Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Credits
108 credit program (70 credits for the MSN + 38 for the DNP)
Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Campus
Boston campus (The Fenway) — Boston, MA

Entry background & licensure

Who can apply
Bachelor's degree in another field
Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Licensure stage
Prelicensure: prepares students who are not yet licensed for a first license exam
Licensure exam
Eligible to sit for the NCLEX after Term 4 of the pre-licensure phase
Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Certification preparation
DNP conferred after Term 9; eligible to sit for the PMHNP certification exam
Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026

Admissions requirements

Prior degree
Bachelor's degree (BS or BA) in a discipline other than nursing, from a regionally accredited US institution or a recognized institution abroad
Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Prerequisite courses
All prerequisites completed with a grade of C+ or better within seven years before the start of the term; up to three may be outstanding at application
Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Essays / personal statement
Personal statement and short answer responses submitted via NursingCAS
Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026
References
Two letters of recommendation
Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026
GRE General Test
Not requiredStated for the graduate nursing programs at Simmons
Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026

Requirements not listed here are unknown to us — not “not required”.

Tuition & fees

Shown exactly as the school publishes it, with its fee basis. Per-credit, per-term, annual and total-program figures are never treated as comparable.

Program tuition: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

Institution-wide tuition (all students, not nursing-specific)
  • Average undergraduate tuition, in-state, full-time, 2023-24: $44,208
  • Average undergraduate tuition, out-of-state, full-time, 2023-24: $44,208
  • Required fees, in-state undergraduates, full-time, 2023-24: $1,330
  • Average graduate tuition, in-state, full-time, 2023-24: $28,500
  • Average graduate tuition, out-of-state, full-time, 2023-24: $28,500
Source: nces.ed.gov · verified October 6, 2026

Start terms & deadlines

Start terms: Fall Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026

A date without a year printed next to it on the school's page is shown as “date not confirmed”. Passed dates are never rolled forward.

Clinical, simulation & campus requirements

Clinical hours
756 clinical hours in the post-licensure phase
Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Campus visits
All students complete pre-licensure coursework on the Boston campus
Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026

We never infer a placement guarantee from marketing wording; only arrangements the school states are shown.

Accreditation & approval

Program accreditation, state board approval and institutional accreditation are separate. Records below cover this program's degree level at this institution as the body lists it.

Nursing program accreditation

  • CCNE— Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

    Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) (DNP) · School of Nursing, Boston, MA

    Initial: April 15, 2010 · Most recent: September 16, 2024 · Term expires: June 30, 2035 · Next review: Fall 2034

    Source: directory.ccnecommunity.org · verified October 6, 2026
    Accredited

State board of nursing approval

  • BORN— Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing

    Scope as stated by the source

    Source: simmons.edu · verified October 6, 2026
    Full approval

Sources

  1. CCNE-Accredited Programs directory (MA) — Accreditor directory, verified October 6, 2026
  2. simmons.edu/academics/programs/nursing-direct-entry-doctor-nursing-practice-psychiatric-me — Official school page, verified October 6, 2026
  3. simmons.edu/admission-aid/application-process/graduate-applicants/nursing-bsn-msn — Official school page, verified October 6, 2026
  4. simmons.edu/admission-aid/application-process/graduate-applicants/nursing-direct-entry-gra — Official school page, verified October 6, 2026
  5. simmons.edu/directory/departments/son/accreditation-and-licensure — Official school page, verified October 6, 2026

Spotted something out of date? Request a correction.

Related programs

Simmons University

Nursing (BSN)

BSNPrelicensure
  • Boston campus (The Fenway) — Boston, MA
  • On-campus · Full-time
  • For: New to nursing (no prior degree needed)

Not yet verified: tuition, length, upcoming deadline

View Program