Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing

The College of Nursing offers admission to the Ph.D. program under two options: B.S.N. entry and Master’s entry. Details on each option are listed on this page. See the Graduate Program section of this Catalog for general information, such as program admission and degree requirements. 

Overview of the Ph.D. Program Curriculum

Ph.D. students may pursue an individualized plan of study or a concentration in Health Policy. Students wishing to have a Ph.D. with a major in Nursing and concentration in Health Policy must be formally accepted into the concentration at the time of admission to the Ph.D. program or subsequent to admission to the Ph.D. program through submission of required materials by the deadline. All students take the same 24 credit hours of core courses and prescribed research methods courses. The substantive area coursework varies, depending on the student’s plan of study (individualized vs. Health Policy). The student’s advisor and Committee on Studies guide the student in selecting coursework that helps meet personal, professional, and scholarship needs.


B.S.N. Entry Option

To be considered for the B.S.N. entry to the Ph.D. program, the applicant must have earned the B.S.N. degree prior to the start of classes for the Ph.D. program and be licensed as a registered nurse within the first term of admission to the Ph.D. program. Students admitted to the Ph.D. program complete 9 credit hours of M.S.N. core (501, 503, 505) and an additional 9 credit hours of graduate coursework focused on substantive nursing content and teaching. These 18 credit hours of bridge coursework are distinct from the credit hours required for the Ph.D., making 69 total coursework credit hours under the B.S.N. to Ph.D. option. The dissertation requirement remains the same, at 18 credit hours (per UNM requirements).

Curriculum Plan for B.S.N. to Ph.D.

Required Master's Courses

Credit
Hours
NURS 501 Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing
NURS 503 Research in Nursing
NURS 505 Health Care Policy, Systems and Financing for Advanced Practice Roles
NURS 509 Teaching in Nursing
NURS 559 Physiologic Concepts in Health and Illness
NURS 510 Educational Program Development and Evaluation
Bridge courses: 18
+ Ph. D. program: 51
Total coursework: 69
+ Dissertation: 18
Total B.S.N. Entry Option: 87

Master's Entry Option

Students with a Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree from an accredited nursing program (National League for Nursing or Commission on Credentialing of Nursing Education through the American Association of Colleges of Nursing accreditation) follow a curriculum consisting of a core of Ph.D. courses on philosophy of science, theory, statistics, and research design. Students additionally choose from a selection of research methods courses, substantive area courses, and electives.


Curriculum Plan

Required Core Courses (24 credit hours)

All students are required to take the following core courses:

NURS 600 Philosophy of Science in Nursing
NURS 601 Theory I: Nursing Knowledge Development
NURS 602 Theory II: Substantive Nursing Knowledge
NURS 606 Quantitative Methods in Nursing Research
NURS 607 Qualitative Methods in Nursing Research
NURS 620 Advanced Health Care Statistics I
NURS 621 Advanced Health Care Statistics II
NURS 690 Ph.D. Seminar


Methods Courses
(6 credit hours)

All students are required to select at least two of the following methods courses:

NURS 612 Clinical Nursing Therapeutics and Outcomes
NURS 613 Mixed Methods Research
NURS 614 Instrumentation
NURS 615 Critical Ethnography and CBPR in Health Care Research
NURS 624 Behavioral Observation Methods
NURS 627 Qualitative Data Analysis


Substantive Area Courses
(9 credit hours for individualized plan of study; 3 credit hours for Health Policy concentration)

Students following an individualized plan of study are required to select at least three of the four substantive area courses listed below. RWJF Nursing Fellows and other students in the Health Policy concentration take one course chosen from NURS 608, NURS 609, or NURS 611.

NURS 608 Nursing Environments of Human Health
NURS 609 Family Nursing: Concepts, Issues, and Outcomes
NURS 610 Nursing Education: Pedagogy and Roles
NURS 611 Rural and Cultural Health


Health Policy Concentration Courses
(13 credit hours)

Required for RWJF Nursing Fellows and other Health Policy students; may serve as electives for students pursuing an individualized plan of study.

NURS 640 Evidence, Health Policy, and Politics
NURS 641 Health Disparities and Policy
NURS 642 Applied Health Economics
NURS 648 Introduction to Health Policy Field Placement
NURS 649 Health Policy Field Placement


Electives
(12 credit hours)

Students following an individualized plan of study take at least four elective courses (12 credit hours) in the student’s area of interest approved in advance by the student’s Committee on Studies. RWJF Nursing Fellows and other Health Policy students take two elective courses (6 credit hours) related to health policy, approved in advance by the student’s Committee on Studies. For all students, subject to the approval of the Committee on Studies, up to 6 credit hours of electives may be taken as independent study as part of the program of studies; however, no more than 3 credit hours of independent study in Nursing may be applied to the degree requirements.

Dissertation (18 credit hours)

Students must complete 18 credit hours of NURS 699 Dissertation. Once enrollment in NURS 699 begins (may be counted no earlier than the term in which the student passes the Ph.D. comprehensive exam), the student must enroll in 6 credit hours of NURS 699 each term until completion of the Ph.D. degree. Students may include the NURS 699 credit hours in their Application for Candidacy during the term in which they pass the Ph.D. comprehensive examination and subsequent terms. During completion of the dissertation, it is possible that students may have enrolled in more than 18 credit hours of NURS 699; however, no more than 18 credit hours of NURS 699 may be counted in the Application for Candidacy for degree requirements. The College of Nursing requires enrollment in a minimum of 6 credit hours of NURS 699 (dissertation) per term.

Individualized Plan of Study

  • 51 credit hours of coursework plus dissertation
  • Total credit hours: 69

Health Policy Concentration

  • 52 credit hours of coursework plus dissertation
  • Total credit hours: 70

B.S.N. Entry Option (includes 18 credit hours of bridge coursework)

  • 69 credit hours of coursework plus dissertation
  • Total credit hours: 87

Courses

NURS 129. Topics. (1-3 )



NURS 201. Introduction to Nursing Concepts. (3)



NURS 220L. Principles of Nursing Practice. (4)



NURS 224. Application of Growth and Development to Health Care. (3)



NURS 229. Topics. (1-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



NURS 238. Pharmacology in Nursing and the Health Professions. (3)



NURS 239. Pathophysiology I. (3)



NURS 240. Pathophysiology II. (3)



NURS 293. Nursing Topics. (1-6)



NURS 297. Independent Study. (1-3, no limit Δ)



NURS 303. Health Care Participant. (3)



NURS 321L. Assessment and Health Promotion. (4)



NURS 322L. Care of Patients with Chronic Conditions. (4)



NURS 329. Topics. (1-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



NURS 332. Evidence-Based Practice. (3)



NURS 340. Advancement of Professional Nursing. (3)



NURS 351. Health and Illness Concepts I. (3)



NURS 352. Health and Illness Concepts II. (3)



NURS 390. Professional Nursing Concepts I. (3)



NURS 397. Independent Study. (1-3, no limit Δ)



NURS 401L. Clinical Intensive I. (4)



NURS 402L. Clinical Intensive II. (4)



NURS 403L. Clinical Intensive III. (4)



NURS 419L. Capstone. (4 )



NURS 421. Nurse Intern Professional Knowledge Development. (1 to a maximum of 2 Δ)



NURS 422. Nurse Intern Professional Role Development. (1 to a maximum of 2 Δ)



NURS *429. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)



NURS 431L. Community Assessment. (3)



NURS 441. Evidence-Based Application of Health Assessment Skills. (4)



NURS 442. Nursing Leadership in Health Policy and Systems. (3)



NURS 447L. Family and Community Health Practicum. . (4)



NURS 448. Application of Health and Illness Concepts. (4)



NURS 453. Health and Illness Concepts III. (4)



NURS 454L. Nursing Synthesis. (3)



NURS 462. Special Populations in Pediatrics. (3)



NURS 472. Victimology. (3)



NURS 473 / 570. End of Life Care. (3)



NURS 474. Patient Education. (3)



NURS 476 / 576. Critical Care Nursing. (3)



NURS 491. Professional Nursing Concepts II. (3)



NURS 497. Independent Study. (1-3, no limit Δ)



NURS 498. Honors Study in Nursing I. (3)



NURS 499. Honors Study in Nursing II. (1-3, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 501. Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing. (3)



NURS 503. Research in Nursing. (3)



NURS 504. Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Health Care. (3)



NURS 505. Health Care Policy, Systems and Financing for Advanced Practice Roles. (3)



NURS 509. Teaching in Nursing. (3)



NURS 510. Educational Program Development and Evaluation. (3)



NURS 512. Resource Utilization in Nursing. (3)



NURS 513. Administration to Facilitate Quality Clinical Care. (3)



NURS 514. Nursing Administration in Health Institutions/ Agencies. (3)



NURS 515. Faculty Roles and Professional Issues. (3)



NURS 516. Advanced Community Health Nursing I. (2-3)



NURS 517. Advanced Community Health Nursing II. (3)



NURS 522. Applications of Epidemiology to Community Health Problems. (3)



NURS 526. Pathophysiology in Advanced Practice Nursing. (3)



NURS 535. Adult Health I. (4 [3])



NURS 536. Adult Health II. (3)



NURS 539. Advanced Pediatric Health and Developmental Assessment. (4)



NURS 540. Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning. (4)



NURS 541. Antepartum-Postpartum for FNP. (1 [2])



NURS 542. Ambulatory Pediatrics I. (4)



NURS 543. Pharmacological Principles of Clinical Therapeutics. (3)



NURS 544. Antepartum and Postpartum Care. (1-7, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 546. Ambulatory Pediatrics II. (4)



NURS 547. Pediatric Chronic Illness/Special Needs. (5)



NURS 548. Women's Health. (1-4, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 549. Adolescent Health. (3)



NURS 550. Intrapartum Care. (1-9, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 551. Newborn Care. (1-3 )



NURS 552. Evidence-Based Care in Nurse Midwifery. (1)



NURS 553. Nurse-Midwifery Professional Practice. (1)



NURS 558. Brain and Behavioral Correlates of Health and Illness. (3)



NURS 559. Physiologic Concepts in Health and Illness. (3)



NURS 560. Differential Diagnosis for Advanced Practice. (3)



NURS 561. ACNP Applications to Practice I: Introduction to the Acutely Ill Adult [ACNP Applications to Practice I]. (5)



NURS 562. Complex Patient Analyses and Treatment. (3)



NURS 563. ACNP Applications to Practice II: High Acuity Adult Patients [ACNP Applications to Practice II]. (5)



NURS 564. Health Promotion, Protection, and Disease Prevention for Acute, Critical or Chronically Ill Adults. (2)



NURS 566. Advanced Diagnostic and Therapeutic Skills. (3)



NURS 568. ACNP Clinical Topics I. (3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)



NURS 569. ACNP Clinical Topics II. (3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)



NURS 570 / 473. End of Life Care. (3)



NURS 571. Geriatric and End of Life Concepts for Advanced Nursing Practice. (2 [3])



NURS 572. Iatrogenesis in the Elderly. (3 [2])



NURS 576 / 476. Critical Care Nursing. (3)



NURS 591. Graduate Problems. (1-6, no limit Δ)



NURS 593. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)



NURS 594. Advanced Practice Seminar. (1)



NURS 595. Advanced Nursing Field Work. (1-7, no limit Δ)



NURS 596. Professional Paper. (1)



NURS 597. Applied Examination. (1)



NURS 599. Nursing Thesis I. (1-6, no limit Δ)



NURS 600. Philosophy of Science in Nursing. (3)



NURS 601. Theory I: Nursing Knowledge Development. (3)



NURS 602. Theory II: Substantive Nursing Knowledge. (3)



NURS 606. Quantitative Methods in Nursing Research. (3)



NURS 607. Qualitative Methods in Nursing Research. (3)



NURS 608. Environments of Human Health. (3)



NURS 609. Family Nursing: Concepts, Issues and Outcomes. (3)



NURS 610. Nursing Education: Pedagogy and Roles. (3)



NURS 611. Rural and Cultural Health. (3)



NURS 612. Clinical Nursing Therapeutics and Outcomes. (3)



NURS 613. Mixed Methods Research. (3)



NURS 614. Instrumentation. (3)



NURS 615. Critical Ethnography and CBPR in Health Care Research. (3)



NURS 620. Advanced Health Care Statistics I. (3)



NURS 621. Advanced Health Care Statistics II. (3)



NURS 624. Behavioral Observation Methods. (3)



NURS 630. Personal and Social Context of Illness. (3)



NURS 640. Evidence, Health Policy, and Politics. (3)



NURS 641. Health Disparities and Policy. (3)



NURS 642. Applied Health Economics. (3)



NURS 648. Introduction to Health Policy Field Placement. (1)



NURS 649. Health Policy Field Placement. (3)



NURS 690. Ph.D. Seminar. (1-3, no limit Δ)



NURS 691. Independent Study. (1-3, no limit Δ)



NURS 693. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)



NURS 699. Dissertation. (3-9, no limit Δ)



NURS 701. Applied Research in Advanced Nursing Practice. (3)



NURS 702. Applied Epidemiology in Advanced Nursing Practice. (3)



NURS 703. Applied Clinical Research in Advanced Nursing Practice. (3)



NURS 705. The Business and Policy of Practice and Their Influence on the U.S. Health Care System [Financial Economics and the Business of Advanced Nursing Practice]. (3)



NURS 706. Organizational Systems and Quality Management for Advanced Nursing Practice. (3)



NURS 713. Applied Pharmacotherapeutics for APRNs. (2)



NURS 723. Effective Human Resource Management in Health Care Settings. (3)



NURS 725. Principles of Advanced Nursing Management. (3)



NURS 726. Leading Organizational Change. (3)



NURS 727. Health Care Innovations and Informatics. (3)



NURS 730. Geriatric and End of Life Concepts for Advanced Nursing Practice. (3)



NURS 746. Mental Health Concepts for APRNs. (3)



NURS 751. Chronic and Complex Illness in Adults. (3)



NURS 769. Comparative Models of Maternal and Child Health Care Delivery. (3)



NURS 770. Cultural and Complementary Healing. (3)



NURS 771. Midwifery Leadership and Change. (1)



NURS 784. Pediatric Chronic and Complex Illness. (4)



NURS 791. Independent Study. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



NURS 793. Topics. (1-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



NURS 795. Advanced Nursing Practice Residency [D.N.P. Residency]. (1-10 to a maximum of 10 Δ)



NURS 796. D.N.P. Capstone Seminar. (1)



NURS 797. D.N.P. Capstone Project. (1-8 to a maximum of 8 Δ)



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