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. 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 27 credit hours of core courses and prescribed research methods courses. Elective 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.

Curriculum Plan

The Ph.D. curriculum consists 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.

Program of Studies: Common Core Courses

		Credit Hours
	Required Core Courses
	Upon completion of the Year 1 Core courses, all students take the Progression Exam.
NURS 600	Philosophical Foundations of Nursing Science	3
NURS 601	Theory I: Methods and Processes of Nursing Knowledge Development	3
NURS 602	Theory II: Synthesis of Knowledge for Nursing Inquiry	3
NURS 606	Quantitative Methods in Health Research	3
NURS 607	Qualitative Methods in Health Research	3
NURS 620	Health Care Statistics I	3
NURS 621	Health Care Statistics II	3
NURS 640 -or- NURS 641	Health Policy, Politics, and Evidence Health Disparities and Policy	3
NURS 690	Ph.D. Seminar	3
	Total	27
	Methods Courses
NURS 623	Advanced Qualitative Methods	3
	Choose one from:
NURS 612	Health Outcomes Research	3
NURS 613	Mixed Methods Research	3
NURS 616	Secondary Data in Health Research	3
	Total	6
	Outside Electives
	Courses from a discipline other than Nursing.
	Total	6
	Dissertation
NURS 699	Dissertation (per semester)	3-9
	Dissertation Total	18
	Common Courses Total	57

Program of Studies: Individualized Plan of Study Courses (in addition to core)

		Credit Hours
	Substantive Area Courses
	Choose two from:
NURS 605	Symptom Management Science	3
NURS 608	Environments of Human Health and Nursing	3
NURS 609	Family Health: Concepts, Issues and Outcomes	3
NURS 611	Rural and Cultural Health	3
	Total	6
	Nursing Elective Courses
	Six credit hours chosen from:
NURS 615	Critical Ethnography and CBPR in Health Care Research	3
NURS 642	Applied Health Economics	3
NURS 693	Topics	3
NURS 694	Research Practicum	1-3
	Total	6
	Individualized Studies Total	12
	+ Common Core Courses Total	57
	Ph.D. General Program of Studies Total	69

Program of Studies: Health Policy Concentration

		Credit Hours
	Substantive Area Courses
	Choose one from:
NURS 605	Symptom Management Science	3
NURS 608	Environments of Human Health and Nursing	3
NURS 609	Family Health: Concepts, Issues and Outcomes	3
NURS 611	Rural and Cultural Health	3
	Total	3
	Health Policy Courses
	Note: Either NURS 640 or NURS 641 will have been taken as part of the Required Core. Health Policy concentration students must take the other course.
NURS 640 -or- NURS 641	Health Policy, Politics, and Evidence 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
	Total	10
	Health Policy Concentration Total	13
	+ Common Core Courses Total	57
	Ph.D. Health Policy Concentration Program of Studies Total	70