Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing

Degree Offered

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (Ph.D.)
Concentration: Health Policy.

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Nursing program at the College of Nursing prepares individuals to design, conduct, and communicate independent research, to collaborate with others in the conduct of research, and to assume leadership roles in research, education, health care, and health policy. The program focuses on knowledge development to advance the science of nursing, conducting research in health care and health policy related to multicultural, rural, and underserved populations, and the improvement of nursing care and health outcomes of individuals, families, and communities.

The Ph.D. in Nursing is delivered online, with attendance at a 1-week summer residency in Albuquerque required the first 3 years of enrollment in the program. Students may follow an individualized plan of study or a concentration in Health Policy. The Ph.D. program follows the term calendar of UNM and has both B.S.N.- and master's-entry options.

Objectives for the Ph.D. Program

Graduates of the Ph.D. in Nursing program will demonstrate the following competencies:

Design, conduct, and communicate independent research to generate new knowledge and provide theoretically sound solutions to health problems.
Develop research expertise relative to a particular population, setting, or human response to health or illness.
Provide leadership in research, education, health care, and health policy to promote health equity and improve care to diverse populations.
Collaborate with interdisciplinary and interprofessional teams to advance the science of health and the discipline of nursing.

Students’ dissertation research should fall within the College of Nursing’s identified areas of research emphasis, including symptom science and self-management, women’s and children’s health, health policy, and public health, with an overall focus on rural health and health equity.

The Ph.D. program is planned as a part-time program, and is expected to take 4 to 5 years to complete for master’s-prepared applicants, with an additional year for students admitted under the B.S.N.-entry option. Students are required to take at least 6 credit hours of prescribed courses each term (Summer, Fall, Spring) until completion of the coursework. Options exist for students who wish to complete an accelerated program. On acceptance into the program, each student is required to work with a faculty advisor to develop and commit to a plan of study that will serve as a guide to individual progress.

Admission Requirements

General admission requirements for the Ph.D. in Nursing are set forth in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog. Specific requirements for the College of Nursing’s Ph.D. program are:

A Bachelor of Science (B.S.N.) in Nursing or Master of Science (M.S.) in Nursing degree from an accredited nursing program (National League for Nursing or Commission on Credentialing of Nursing Education of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing). Students with a B.S.N. and a master’s degree in another field and international students are considered on an individual basis.
A grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Preference is given to applicants with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.
Submission of a writing sample that demonstrates evidence of scholarly ability. Examples include, but are not limited to, a thesis, a published or unpublished scholarly paper, or written creative work.
A letter of intent that addresses professional and personal goals.
A brief two- to three-page résumé that summarizes educational and professional background.
Three letters of recommendation from persons who know the applicant professionally and can attest to his or her academic ability and potential for a career focused on research in nursing, health care, or health policy. These letters must be submitted through the online application system.
An upper-division or graduate-level statistics course completed within 3 years preceding the date of admission is highly recommended.
After initial screening, priority candidates are interviewed. Interviews for acceptance by the program are conducted either in person or by videoconferencing.
Those offered admission must be in compliance by the date of enrollment with health requirements prescribed by the College of Nursing.
A valid RN license from any U.S. state or territory, or foreign country must be kept current throughout the program. Note that students holding teaching or research graduate assistantships must have an active New Mexico RN license (or multistate compact license).
Exceptions to any of the above requirements may be considered on an individual basis and are at the discretion of the Ph.D. Committee with recommendation to the Ph.D. program Director.

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing

The Ph.D. in Nursing curriculum consists of core courses on philosophy of nursing science and theory and statistics and quantitative and qualitative research methods, exclusive of dissertation. In consultation with their faculty advisor/chair, students will then select more advanced research methods courses and electives. The methods coursework and electives vary, depending on the student’s plan of study (individualized study vs. Health Policy concentration) and research interests. Students admitted under the B.S.N. entry option complete 18 prerequisite credit hours before starting Ph.D. coursework and should consult with the Ph.D. program Director for those requirements. General requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree are set forth in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog.

Requirements

		Credit Hours
	Required Core Courses
NURS 600	Philosophical Foundations of Nursing Science	3
NURS 601	Theory I: Methods and Processes of Nursing Knowledge Development	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 640	Health Policy, Politics, and Evidence	3
	Upon completion of the above, all students take the Progression Exam.
NURS 602	Theory II: Synthesis of Knowledge for Nursing Inquiry	3
NURS 621	Health Care Statistics II	3
NURS 690	Ph.D. Seminar	3
	Subtotal	27
	Methods Courses
NURS 612 -or- NURS 623	Health Outcomes Research Advanced Qualitative Methods	3
	Choose one from:
NURS 613	Mixed Methods Research	3
NURS 615	Critical Ethnography and CBPR in Health Care Research	3
	Subtotal	6
	Health Policy Concentration
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
	Concentration Subtotal	10
	Electives
	Choose from: NURS 605, 608, 611, 615, 693 (selected topics), 694, 715, 727, or other courses as approved by the student's advisor or dissertation Chair and Committee.
	Individualized Study Subtotal	18
	Concentration Subtotal	9
	Dissertation
NURS 699	Dissertation (per semester)	18
	Subtotal	18
	Individualized Study Total	69
	Concentration Total	70

Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination

The University requires doctoral (Ph.D.) students to pass a Comprehensive Examination, specific to the discipline, before advancement to Ph.D. candidacy. At the College of Nursing, the Comprehensive Examination consists of two components: (1) a progression exam; and (2) preparation and defense of a dissertation proposal. Students must pass both components to be admitted to doctoral candidacy.

The progression exam is a required, online, written exam that tests a student’s knowledge of the content from the six core courses. Students take the progression examination after completing the first year of the Ph.D. program. Students must earn a passing grade on each section of the exam.

A student who fails one or more sections must receive his or her advisor’s approval prior to enrolling in, or continuing to be enrolled in, any course.
A student who fails only one section of the exam must retake that section the next time the progression exam is administered.
A student who fails more than one section of the exam must retake all sections of the exam the next time it is administered.
A student who fails all or part of the progression exam on a second attempt will be suspended from the Ph.D. program. The student may reapply to the program; however, readmission is at the discretion of the Ph.D. program faculty and is not guaranteed. See the Graduate Program section of this Catalog for more information.

As the second component of the comprehensive examination, the student must prepare a written dissertation proposal and pass an oral examination (proposal defense) conducted by the dissertation committee. After passing both Ph.D. comprehensive examination components, the student must apply for and be admitted to doctoral candidacy.

The Dissertation

The dissertation is a comprehensive written report of an original investigation of a significant problem in the major field of study which must demonstrate the student’s ability to conduct independent research and the student’s competence in scholarly exposition. The dissertation should provide the basis for a publishable contribution to the research literature. In addition to the approval of the dissertation committee, the research will require review and approval by the Human Research Protections Office of the UNM Health Sciences Center to ensure compliance with requirements for protection of human research subjects.

Composition of the Dissertation Committee: The Chair and members of the student's dissertation committee guide the student in planning the remainder of the program of studies (coursework), choosing a dissertation topic, and developing ideas for the dissertation proposal. All Ph.D. in Nursing students must identify a dissertation committee Chair no later than the second year of enrollment in the Ph.D. program. The Chair must hold a tenured or tenure-track appointment in the College of Nursing. The Chair assists the student in identifying dissertation committee members. The dissertation committee consists of at least four members, all of whom must be approved for committee service by the Dean of Graduate Studies. Apart from the Chair, at least one other committee member must hold a tenured or tenure-track appointment at UNM (i.e., at least two members must have tenured or tenure-track UNM appointments). At least one member must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member external to the College of Nursing (either in another academic unit at UNM or at another university). The Chair and dissertation committee members must meet Graduate Studies requirements for composition of Doctoral Dissertation Committees. See the Graduate Program section of this Catalog for more information.

Transfer of Courses

A limited number of courses may be considered for transfer to The University of New Mexico. To be transferable, coursework must be no more than 5 years old at the time of application for candidacy, and the transfer of credit hours must be approved by the student’s advisor.

Keys and Symbols Reference