Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners in the Lone Star State work to make mental health services more accessible to underserved populations. As a graduate of one of the PMHNP programs in Texas, you’ll be prepared to work autonomously, assessing and diagnosing mentally ill patients, providing psychotherapy, prescribing medications and educating family members about their loved ones’ illnesses. PMHNPs in the Lone Star State are highly sought after; demand for their services is expected to increase by 66 percent in the next 10 years. They also make high salaries, averaging $132,620 a year. Could this be the right career move for you? Find out more by reading about the 9 best psychiatric nurse practitioner programs in Texas for 2025.
(Based on our Ranking Methodology, we have ranked the 9 best campus-based and online PMHNP programs in Texas.)
MSN Program Details: If you're looking for a highly respected online Master's of Science in Nursing (MSN)/Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) pathway, Texas Tech University Health Science Center's program fits the bill. You can enroll in this 49-credit PMHNP program in Texas full-time and graduate in six semesters (24 months) or part-time and graduate in nine semesters (36 months.) The program admits a new cohort each spring.
The curriculum emphasizes psychiatric-mental health nursing courses like " Diagnostics & Management I: Advanced Mental Health Assessment Across the Lifespan," " Neuroscience and Epigenetics: A Lifespan Approach," and " Diagnostics & Management 1, II, III & IV." You'll have to make one two-day visit to the university's campus in Lubbock to participate in an immersive skills lab while you're completing "Advanced Health Assessment." You must also complete 367.5 clinical hours at a psychiatric hospital, community mental health center, or other healthcare facility in your own community, and you are responsible for identifying your own preceptor and clinical site.
Applicants must have a BSN from an accredited nursing program with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. You must have RN licensure in the state where you expect to do your clinical rotations. Texas residents and residents of TTUHSC's service area have admission preference.
Post-Graduate Certificate Program Details: Texas Tech University Health Science Center's PMHNP certificate is not a stand-alone. You won't be able to pursue the certificate unless you've been accepted into the university's DNP program.
Once accepted into the program, TTUHSC's School of Nursing will design an individualized program of study for you. Nurses who already hold nurse practitioner certification can expect to complete 28 credits; nurses who are not NPs must complete 29 credits. All coursework except for clinical rotations is delivered online. You'll take courses like " Psychotherapeutic Modalities with Individuals, Families and Groups" and " Neuroscience & Genomics: A Lifespan Approach" and complete 525 clinical hours at a healthcare facility in your own community.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center doesn't accept students from Arizona, California, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, or Washington State into its MSN/PMHNP program.BSN-to-DNP Program Details: The University of Texas Health Science Center-San Antonio offers a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner program that will teach you how to manage psychotropic medications and provide psychotherapy within the context of evidence-based practice and organizational effectiveness. This clinical specialty is part of UTHSC-San Antonio's BSN-to-DNP degree. Full-time students can finish this 76-credit program in nine semesters (36 months), while part-time students will complete it in 15 semesters (60 months).
You'll access your core DNP coursework online but travel to the university's campus in San Antonio's South Texas Medical Center two to three times throughout the program to participate in hands-on skills intensives. You'll also log 1,080 hours pursuing clinical practicums in the San Antonio metro region and other parts of the Lone Star State. UT Health San Antonio’s School of Nursing will match you with a preceptor and a site.
Foundational DNP courses include "Science of Knowledge Translation and Implementation I & II," "Informatics & Health Care Technologies," and "Advanced Health Promotion, Health Protection, and Disease Prevention." The curriculum includes a three-semester DNP project designed to integrate the nursing theory you've learned in your classes with a healthcare issue that's challenged you during your practicums. You must write a paper and give an oral presentation of your project to faculty and peers as a condition of graduation.
Applications must be submitted through NursingCAS and are only open to BSNs from accredited colleges and universities with active Texas RN licenses. Three professional recommendations, an essay, and a resume or CV must accompany your application.
Post-Graduate Certificate Program Details: Are you an MSN- or DNP-educated nurse thinking about branching out into psychiatric-mental health nursing? The University of Texas Health Science Center-San Antonio's 28-credit Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certificate will prepare you to be certified as a PMHNP.
Coursework is identical to the PMHNP specialty track of the BSN-to-DNP program. This PMHNP program in Texas is mostly offered via a distance learning platform, but some campus-based skills intensives are included, and you'll have to complete 660 clinical hours in person at a Texas-based healthcare facility. Classes start in the spring, and it will take you five semesters (18 months) to complete the course.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• UT Health San Antonio has a 100 percent first-time pass rate for the American Nurses Credentialing Center's (ANCC) PMHNP certification exam.MSN Program Details: The University of Texas-Austin's psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner track is widely regarded as one of the best PMHNP programs in Texas. You'll complete 12 credits of core MSN coursework, nine credits of foundational APRN preparation, and 24 credits focusing on psychiatric and mental health issues within a nursing context for a total of 48 credits. Courses include "Health Systems: Policy, Planning, and Evaluation," "Leadership Development for Healthcare Professionals," and "Advanced Health Assessment." Between class time, studying and homework, and clinical rotations, plan on spending 20 to 30 hours a week on your schoolwork.
UT-Austin accepts a new cohort into its MSN/PMHNP program each fall. Full-time students should be able to graduate in five semesters (24 months.) The program also offers a part-time option. UT-Austin's MSN/PMHNP program is based at the university's campus in downtown Austin. You'll complete all 525 clinical hours at prestigious healthcare facilities throughout the Greater Austin Metropolitan Area, such as UT Health Austin, Ascension Seton, and Dell Children's Medical Center, so you must have RN licensure in the Lone Star State to attend this program.
To enter psychiatric-mental health NP training at UT Austin, you must have a BSN from an accredited nursing program with a grade point average of at least 3.0. You must submit three recommendations, a CV or a resume, and a statement of purpose with your application.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• U.S. News & World Report dubbed the University of Texas-Austin's nursing program the best in the Lone Star State and the university's MSN program the 14th-best in the nation.BSN-to-DNP Program Details: UT Health Houston's BSN-to-DNP/PMHNP track is designed to be flexible to meet the needs of RNs who must work while they advance their nursing education. This PMHNP program in Texas offers online coursework, and you can pursue the curriculum full-time or part-time. Full-time students typically complete the course in 10 semesters (40 months.) You can start the program in either the spring or fall semester.
The 79-credit program includes foundational DNP courses like "Role Transition," "Clinical Reasoning & Diagnostic Skills," and "Translational Science I, II, III, & IV." You'll complete 1,000 clinical hours participating in supervised practicums at prestigious healthcare facilities in the Houston metro, like the Texas Medical Center or the UTHealth Houston John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center, or at an inpatient or outpatient facility closer to your home. You must complete your clinical rotations in Texas, though, so you'll need an RN license from the Lone Star State.
Applications must be submitted through NursingCAS. You must have at least one year of experience as a professional RN working with psychiatric patients. This program is only open to students who've earned a BSN with a GPA of 3.00 or higher from an accredited nursing program. You must submit three professional references and a statement of purpose with your application.
Post-Graduate Certificate Program Details: Are you an RN with a graduate degree who wants to take your professional career in a new direction? UT Health Houston offers a post-graduate Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track that will prepare you to assess, diagnose, treat, and manage patients with psychiatric or behavioral issues.
Depending upon your previous coursework, you'll take anywhere from 33 to 39 credits. The number of clinical hours you'll be responsible for completing may vary, too, but at a minimum, you must complete 540 hours. The certificate curriculum matches the PMHNP concentration in UT Health Houston's BSN-to-DNP pathway.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• UT Health Houston’s PMHNP program consistently achieves a 100 percent first-time pass rate on the ANCC board exam.MSN Program Details: The MSN/Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program at the University of Texas-Arlington is offered entirely online except for clinical rotations and one mandatory two-day Objective Structured Clinical Examination on campus during the semester you take "Advanced Health Assessment." You'll complete 46 credits and 720 clinical hours. This program may be one of the best PMHNP programs in Texas for students who are juggling work and family obligations in addition to educational goals because it has three start dates a year in the spring, summer, or fall and offers full-time and part-time enrollment options.
Foundational MSN courses like "Exploration of Science and Theories for Nursing" and "Evidence Based Practice" will provide advanced knowledge in nursing theory, while "Therapy Concepts for the Psychiatric Mental Health NP," "Psychopharmacology for the Psychiatric Mental Health NP," and other courses in the PMHNP track will prepare you to provide mental health care in a variety of practice settings.
You'll work with the clinical placement student services team to identify and secure a preceptor and a clinical rotation site. Though UT Arlington prefers students to have an RN license from Texas or a compact state, they will accept students licensed in other states so long as those licenses are unrestricted. All applicants to this MSN/PMHNP program must have at least two years of clinical experience.
Post-Master’s Certificate Program Details: The University of Texas-Arlington's Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certificate program caters to postgraduate RNs seeking to expand their expertise into psychiatric and behavioral healthcare. Its curriculum mirrors the PMHNP focus area in UT-Arlington's nursing master's program.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• Graduates of the University of Texas-Arlington's nurse practitioner programs have a first-time pass rate of over 96% on national certification exams.BSN-to-DNP Program Details: The University of the Incarnate Word offers its psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner track in a hybrid format that blends online, on-campus, and clinical practicum opportunities. UIW offers this program as part of its Doctor of Nursing Practice program, in accordance with the recommendation of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing that DNP become the terminal degree for nursing clinicians.
This PMHNP program in Texas consists of 76 credits and 1,216 clinical hours. MSN core courses like "Nursing Theory for Advanced Practice" and "Foundations for Doctor of Nursing Practice: Science Underpinnings of Practice" will hone your ability to think critically. You'll learn how to assess and treat patients with chronic and acute behavioral and psychiatric mental illnesses in classes like "Individual, Family and Group Psychotherapy" and "Psychopharmacology for the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse." You'll also complete a 3-semester DNP project.
Classes begin in the spring semester. Full-time students will graduate in nine semesters (36 months.) Part-time enrollment options are also available. You'll participate in clinical rotations at CHRISTUS Health, Methodist Healthcare, and other hospitals and community settings throughout the Greater San Antonio Area. All applicants must have a BSN with a GPA of 2.75 or higher from an accredited nursing program and a Texas RN license. Two years of professional RN experience is preferred but not required.
Post-Graduate Certificate Program Details: Are you a Texas RN with a nursing master's degree who would like to add an additional certification to your clinical skill mix? The University of the Incarnate Word's post-graduate PMHNP certificate is a 19- to 22-credit curriculum that you can finish in five semesters (20 months.) You'll alternate between classes at the university's campus in San Antonio on the first and third weeks of each month and online coursework. The program also includes 512 hours of clinical rotations, which will be scheduled at healthcare facilities throughout the San Antonio region.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• The University of the Incarnate Word is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. Although the university welcomes students from all faiths and backgrounds, Catholic values are reflected in its nursing education.Post-Master’s Certificate Program Details: The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley offers an 18-credit post-master's Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certificate that's taught entirely online except for 520 clinical hours. You'll be able to participate in precepted practicums within your own community. You can earn this certificate in just 12 months.
Your coursework will consist of five courses, including "NP Role and Theoretical Diagnostics for Mental and Substance Abuse," "Clinical Diagnostics for Mental and Substance Use Disorders," and "Diagnosis and Management Across the Lifespan Theory I & II." This PMHNP program in Texas starts in the summer semester. The program is only open to students who are already nurse practitioners and hold a master's degree in nursing.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• You'll learn hands-on clinical competencies by participating in virtual skills sessions.MSN Program Details: Midwestern State University's psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner track is associated with its nursing master's degree. This 48-credit program consists of 21 foundational MSN credits, nine project hours, and 18 hours of psychiatric-mental health training. You'll take core classes like "Theoretical Foundations in Nursing," "Roles of the Advanced Nurse Practitioner," and "Health Assessment for Advanced Nursing Practice," as well as clinical courses that will prepare you to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with psychiatric and behavioral disorders. To graduate, you must complete a two-semester MSN project that will focus on implementing an intervention for a challenge you encountered during your clinical rotations.
Courses are primarily offered online, although some classes require teaching sessions at the university's campus in Wichita Falls. The program also includes 576 clinical hours to prepare you to work with adult, child and adolescent, and geriatric patients affected by mental health issues. You'll be able to do your clinical rotations at healthcare facilities near your home, but preceptors must be psychiatrists or board-certified PMHNPs.
This program accepts new cohorts in the fall semester and only offers full-time enrollment. You'll graduate in six semesters (24 months.) Applicants must have a BSN from an accredited nursing program with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. You must have a valid RN license from the state where you'll be pursuing your practicums.
Post-Graduate Certificate Program Details: Midwestern State University offers master 's-prepared RNs the opportunity to prepare for psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner certification through a post-graduate certificate program. This 33-credit program essentially duplicates the university's MSN/PMHNP track but without core MSN coursework or the two-semester evidence-based project. You'll take classes like "Pharmacotherapeutics in Advanced Nursing Practice" and "Diagnostics for Mental Disorders." You can complete the curriculum in a single year. Classes begin in the fall.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• Midwestern State University's MSN/Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track is one of the most affordable PMHNP programs in Texas.MSN Program Details: Texas State University offers a 40-credit MSN/PMHNP program. The curriculum is delivered via distance learning, for the most part. However, you will have to attend learning intensives on the university's Round Rock campus twice each semester. Full-time students can complete the curriculum in five semesters (20 months); it will take part-time students seven semesters (32 months.) All classes begin in the fall semester.
Unlike many other PMHNP programs in Texas, the curriculum is not front-loaded with foundational MSN coursework; instead, throughout the length of the program, core courses are integrated with classes that teach you the competencies you'll need to render evidence-based care to clients with psychiatric and behavioral conditions. You'll take classes like "Neuroscience, Epigenetics, and Psychopharmacology," "Clinical Prevention and Population Health," and "Psychiatric Mental Health Integrative Clinical Management Across the Lifespan." You'll also develop and present a capstone project demonstrating how critical thinking skills can solve real-world mental health-related issues.
Texas State University's MSN/PMHNP program also entails 605 practicum hours, which you must complete at a psychiatric hospital, community clinic, or other healthcare facility in the Lone Star State. All applicants must have RN licensure in Texas. The program is only open to applicants with a BSN from an accredited nursing program, and three professional references and a statement of purpose must accompany your application.
Post-Master’s Certificate Program Details: Are you an RN with a master's degree interested in adding mental health nursing to your professional portfolio? Texas State University's 20-credit post-graduate Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certificate will only take you four semesters (16 months) to complete. The curriculum is essentially the same as the concentration focus of the university's MSN/PMHNP program.
Though most of your coursework will be accessible online, you must attend campus intensives twice a semester. The program also requires 545 precepted hours, which you must spend in a clinical setting within Texas. This program accepts new students each spring, and you can enroll full-time or part-time.
Must-Know Highlights For Potential Students
• 100 percent of Texas State University's psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner graduates pass their PMHNP certification exam on the first attempt.| Hourly | $50.63 |
| Weekly | $2,025 |
| Monthly | $8,780 |
| Annual | $105,310 |
| Level of Experience | Hourly | Weekly | Monthly | Annual |
| Entry-Level | $50.63 | $2,025 | $8,780 | $105,310 |
| 1-4 Years of Experience | $57.29 | $2,292 | $9,930 | $119,160 |
| 5-9 Years of Experience | $67.63 | $2,705 | $11,720 | $140,660 |
| 10-19 Years of Experience | $75.31 | $3,012 | $13,050 | $156,640 |
| 20 Years or More Experience | $90.00 | $3,600 | $15,600 | $187,190 |
| Hourly | $68.82 |
| Weekly | $2,753 |
| Monthly | $11,930 |
| Annual | $143,140 |
| Metro | Hourly | Weekly | Monthly | Annual |
| Abilene | $63.53 | $2,541 | $11,010 | $132,140 |
| Amarillo | $61.40 | $2,456 | $10,640 | $127,720 |
| Austin-Round Rock | $70.32 | $2,813 | $12,190 | $146,260 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | $69.95 | $2,798 | $12,120 | $145,490 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen | $64.30 | $2,572 | $11,150 | $133,740 |
| College Station-Bryan | $62.39 | $2,496 | $10,810 | $129,770 |
| Corpus Christi | $64.89 | $2,596 | $11,250 | $134,980 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $68.38 | $2,735 | $11,850 | $142,230 |
| El Paso | $65.86 | $2,634 | $11,420 | $136,980 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | $73.77 | $2,951 | $12,790 | $153,440 |
| Killeen-Temple | $67.49 | $2,699 | $11,700 | $140,370 |
| Laredo | $62.31 | $2,493 | $10,800 | $129,610 |
| Longview | $63.46 | $2,538 | $11,000 | $132,000 |
| Lubbock | $60.42 | $2,417 | $10,470 | $125,670 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | $65.95 | $2,638 | $11,430 | $137,180 |
| Midland | $64.59 | $2,583 | $11,200 | $134,340 |
| Odessa | $64.36 | $2,574 | $11,160 | $133,860 |
| San Angelo | $61.45 | $2,458 | $10,650 | $127,810 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $66.41 | $2,656 | $11,510 | $138,130 |
| Sherman-Denison | $65.05 | $2,602 | $11,280 | $135,300 |
| Texarkana | $65.64 | $2,626 | $11,380 | $136,530 |
| Tyler | $68.34 | $2,734 | $11,850 | $142,150 |
| Victoria | $70.75 | $2,830 | $12,260 | $147,150 |
| Waco | $63.24 | $2,529 | $10,960 | $131,530 |
| Wichita Falls | $65.13 | $2,605 | $11,290 | $135,470 |
| Average Texas PMHNP Annual Salary | Average National PMHNP Annual Salary | Difference | |
| Number | % | ||
| $143,140 | $141,470 | +$1,670 | +1.18% |
| State | Average Annual Salary | Difference | |
| Number | % | ||
| California | $177,860 | -$34,720 | -19.52% |
| Nevada | $163,690 | -$20,550 | -12.55% |
| Washington | $160,090 | -$16,950 | -10.59% |
| New Jersey | $159,680 | -$16,540 | -10.36% |
| Oregon | $159,590 | -$16,450 | -10.31% |
| Massachusetts | $158,560 | -$15,420 | -9.73% |
| New York | $157,260 | -$14,120 | -8.98% |
| Connecticut | $150,820 | -$7,680 | -5.09% |
| New Mexico | $150,590 | -$7,450 | -4.95% |
| Minnesota | $148,650 | -$5,510 | -3.71% |
| District of Columbia | $148,470 | -$5,330 | -3.59% |
| Rhode Island | $146,940 | -$3,800 | -2.59% |
| Hawaii | $146,010 | -$2,870 | -1.97% |
| Arizona | $145,950 | -$2,810 | -1.93% |
| Delaware | $144,350 | -$1,210 | -0.84% |
| Iowa | $144,040 | -$900 | -0.62% |
| New Hampshire | $143,950 | -$810 | -0.56% |
| Texas | $143,140 | $0 | 0.00% |
| Wisconsin | $141,290 | +$1,850 | +1.31% |
| Maryland | $140,920 | +$2,220 | +1.58% |
| Utah | $140,730 | +$2,410 | +1.71% |
| North Dakota | $140,670 | +$2,470 | +1.76% |
| Pennsylvania | $140,320 | +$2,820 | +2.01% |
| Illinois | $139,720 | +$3,420 | +2.45% |
| Alaska | $138,920 | +$4,220 | +3.04% |
| Vermont | $138,840 | +$4,300 | +3.10% |
| Montana | $137,230 | +$5,910 | +4.31% |
| Idaho | $137,130 | +$6,010 | +4.38% |
| Oklahoma | $136,890 | +$6,250 | +4.57% |
| Wyoming | $136,040 | +$7,100 | +5.22% |
| Indiana | $135,780 | +$7,360 | +5.42% |
| Maine | $135,360 | +$7,780 | +5.75% |
| Ohio | $135,280 | +$7,860 | +5.81% |
| Colorado | $134,310 | +$8,830 | +6.57% |
| Nebraska | $133,970 | +$9,170 | +6.84% |
| North Carolina | $133,870 | +$9,270 | +6.92% |
| Georgia | $133,390 | +$9,750 | +7.31% |
| South Dakota | $133,200 | +$9,940 | +7.46% |
| Virginia | $133,080 | +$10,060 | +7.56% |
| Michigan | $132,870 | +$10,270 | +7.73% |
| Florida | $131,800 | +$11,340 | +8.60% |
| Kansas | $131,320 | +$11,820 | +9.00% |
| Louisiana | $130,660 | +$12,480 | +9.55% |
| Mississippi | $129,360 | +$13,780 | +10.65% |
| South Carolina | $128,750 | +$14,390 | +11.18% |
| Missouri | $128,470 | +$14,670 | +11.42% |
| West Virginia | $124,910 | +$18,230 | +14.59% |
| Arkansas | $124,870 | +$18,270 | +14.63% |
| Kentucky | $121,520 | +$21,620 | +17.79% |
| Alabama | $121,130 | +$22,010 | +18.17% |
| Tennessee | $114,200 | +$28,940 | +25.34% |
| Type of Nurse | Average Annual Salary | Difference | |
| Number | % | ||
| Nurse Anesthetist | $216,280 | -$73,140 | -33.82% |
| Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner | $143,140 | $0 | 0.00% |
| Nurse Midwife | $112,660 | +$30,480 | +27.05% |
| Nursing Instructor and Teacher, Postsecondary | $93,750 | +$49,390 | +52.68% |
| Registered Nurse | $90,210 | +$52,930 | +58.67% |
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse | $56,490 | +$86,650 | +153.39% |
| Nursing Assistant | $35,370 | +$107,770 | +304.69% |
| Job Title | Average Annual Salary | Difference | |
| Number | % | ||
| Dentist | $220,000 | -$76,860 | -34.94% |
| Podiatrist | $201,210 | -$58,070 | -28.86% |
| Optometrist | $152,060 | -$8,920 | -5.87% |
| Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner | $143,140 | $0 | 0.00% |
| Physician Assistant | $134,780 | +$8,360 | +6.20% |
| Pharmacist | $133,600 | +$9,540 | +7.14% |
| Veterinarian | $129,830 | +$13,310 | +10.25% |
| Radiation Therapist | $107,460 | +$35,680 | +33.20% |
| Physical Therapist | $106,960 | +$36,180 | +33.83% |
| Occupational Therapist | $101,610 | +$41,530 | +40.87% |
| Audiologist | $95,110 | +$48,030 | +50.50% |
| Chiropractor | $94,040 | +$49,100 | +52.21% |
| Speech-Language Pathologist | $91,030 | +$52,110 | +57.24% |
| Dental Hygienist | $87,270 | +$55,870 | +64.02% |
| S.No. | Accrediting Agency |
| 1 | Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) |
| 2 | Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) |
| 9 |
| $68.82 |
| $2,753 |
| $11,930 |
| $143,140 |
| 10-Year Job Outlook (2022-2032) |
| +59.97% |









Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH