Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing

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, healthcare, and health policy. The program focuses on knowledge development to advance the science of nursing, conducting research in healthcare 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 in Albuquerque required for one week of face to face class time each semester for the first three years of coursework. Please check university status related to COVID-19 prior to attendance.

Students may follow an individualized plan of study or a concentration in Health Policy. The Ph.D. program follows the term calendar of the university 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, healthcare, 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,
public health/preparedness and biobehavioral, 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 Ph.D. program are:

  • Entry-level degree of either a Bachelor or Master of Science in Nursing degree from an accredited program (Commission on the Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing [ACEN] or equivalent. If outside of the United States, equivalency will be determined on a case-by-case basis).  The degree must be earned prior to entering the PhD program.
  • Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master's degree in another field (the degree will be considered on an individual basis).
  • A graduate level statistics course within the previous three years completed with a grade of B and by the date of admission.
  • Most recent degree conferred with a grade-point average 3.5 or higher (most recent degree). Students with a grade-point average of 3.0 – 3.49 may be considered for admission to the PhD program with stipulations* (see below).
  • A valid RN license in any U.S. state, territory, or foreign country.
  • Letter of intent discussing the applicant’s (1) goals for undertaking the PhD program (2) area of research interest, and (3) identified faculty member matching the applicant’s area of research interest with an explanation of the potential faculty match (letter limit of 2 pages, double-spaced);
  • Three letters of recommendation, including one from a reference with a PhD;
  • Current resume or CV;
  • Submission of a writing sample that demonstrates evidence of scholarly ability and the potential for scholarly growth. Examples include, but are not limited to, a thesis, a published or unpublished scholarly paper, or written creative work.
  • Optional: GRE completed within the previous three years.
  • University of New Mexico, Graduate Studies (OGS). All applicants must also be eligible for graduate admission to UNM. Visit Apply to UNM Graduate and Professional Programs to submit an application and all official transcripts to UNM Graduate Admissions.
  • Personal interview (completed after review of NursingCAS submission and by invitation).
  • Exceptions to any program admission criterion are considered individually, at the discretion of the Admissions Committee, with a recommendation to the UNM College of Nursing, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

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

Philosophy of Science

3

NURS 601

Theoretical Foundations for Research

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

Upon completion of the above, all students take the Progression Exam.

 

NURS 640

 

Health Policy, Politics, and Research

 

3

 

 

 

NURS 690

Ph.D. Seminar

3

Subtotal

24

Methods Courses

NURS 612

Health Outcomes Research

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

Understanding Health Disparities in Policy & Research

3

NURS 642

Health Care Economics

3

NURS 648

Health Policy Field Placement Prep

1

NURS 649

Health Policy Field Placement

3

Health Policy Concentration Subtotal

10

Electives

Choose from: NURS 602, 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

21

Health Policy Concentration Subtotal

12

Dissertation

NURS 699

Dissertation (per semester)

18

Subtotal

18

Individualized Study Total

69

Health Policy 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 following Nursing courses of the Ph.D. program: 600, 601, 606, 607, 620 and 621. 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 Associate Dean of Research and Scholarship. 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 Program Director.


Courses

NMNC 3110. Introduction to Nursing Concepts. (3)



NMNC 3120. Evidence-Based Practice. (3)



NMNC 3135. Principles of Nursing Practice. (4)



NMNC 3210. Health and Illness Concepts I. (3)



NMNC 3220. Health Care Participant. (3)



NMNC 3230. Nursing Pharmacology. (3)



NMNC 3235. Assessment and Health Promotion. (4)



NMNC 4310. Health and Illness Concepts II. (3)



NMNC 4320. Professional Nursing Concepts I. (3)



NMNC 4335. Care of Patients with Chronic Conditions. (4)



NMNC 4410. Health and Illness Concepts III. (4)



NMNC 4435. Clinical Intensive I. (4)



NMNC 4445. Clinical Intensive II. (4)



NMNC 4510. Concept Synthesis. (3)



NMNC 4520. Professional Nursing Concepts II. (3)



NMNC 4535. Clinical Intensive III. (4)



NMNC 4545. BSN Capstone. (4)



NURS 129. Topics. (1-3)



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



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



NURS 239. Pathophysiology I. (3)



NURS 240. Pathophysiology II. (3)



NURS 241. Pathophysiology for Nursing Professionals. (4, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 293. Topics. (1-6)



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



NURS 301. Professional Communication for Nurses. (1)



NURS 302. Advancement of Professional Nursing. (2)



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



NURS 404. Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 405. Genetic Literacy Across the Lifespan. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 406. Nursing in the Community. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 407. Nursing Care of Vulnerable Populations. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 408. Professional Leadership and Management Roles in Nursing. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 409. Health Policy, Economics and Systems. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 410. Foundations of Leading Change and Advancing Health. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 421. Nurse Intern Professional Knowledge Development. (1, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 422. Nurse Intern Professional Role Development. (1, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS *429. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)



NURS 432. UNMH Nurse Residency Program. (3)



NURS 433. Introduction to Holistic Nursing. (3)



NURS 434. Introduction to Oncology Nursing. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 469. Special Populations in Obstetrics. (3)



NURS 470. Nursing Wound Care Management. (3, may be repeated two times)



NURS 471. Breastfeeding. (3)



NURS 472. Healthcare Ethics for Nurses. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 473. End of Life Care. (3)



NURS 474. Patient Education. (3)



NURS 478. Care of the Veteran. (3)



NURS 480. Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (3)



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



NURS 498. Honors Study in Nursing I. (1 or 2, may be repeated once Δ)



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



NURS 508. Human Resource Management in the Changing Healthcare Environment. (4)



NURS 512. Finance for Nurse Leaders in Contemporary Healthcare. (4)



NURS 513. Quality Management in a Transformative Healthcare Environment. (4)



NURS 514. Transforming Organizations through Healthcare Reform. (4)



NURS 516. Teaching, Assessment, and Evaluation in Nursing Education. (4)



NURS 517. Professional Roles, Curriculum Design, and Program Evaluation. (4)



NURS 518. Population Health Leadership Across the Continuum. (4)



NURS 525. Primary Care Concepts. (3)



NURS 526. Advanced Pathophysiology. (3)



NURS 527. Pathophysiology, Physical Assessment, and Pharmacology in Nursing Education. (4)



NURS 534. Primary Care Geriatrics. (2)



NURS 535. Primary Care of Adults I. (3-4, may be repeated for a maximum of 4 Δ)



NURS 536. Primary Care of Adults II. (3-4, may be repeated for a maximum of 4 Δ)



NURS 537. Primary Care of Adults III. (4)



NURS 538. Case Studies in Diagnostic Reasoning. (1)



NURS 539. Advanced Pediatric Health and Developmental Assessment. (3)



NURS 540. Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning. (3)



NURS 541. Antepartum-Postpartum for FNP. (1)



NURS 542. Primary Care of Pediatrics I. (3 or 4)



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



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



NURS 546. Primary Care of Pediatrics II. (4 or 5)



NURS 547. Pediatric Chronic Illness/Special Needs. (4)



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 to a maximum of 3 Δ)



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



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



NURS 554. The Evidence Base for APRN Primary Care Practice. (1)



NURS 555. Management of the Acutely Ill Adult-Gerontology Patient. (4)



NURS 557. Biophysical and Psychosocial Concepts of Health and Illness. (4)



NURS 561. AG-ACNP Practicum I. (3)



NURS 562. Management of the Complex and Chronically Ill Adult-Gerontology Patient. (4)



NURS 563. AG-ACNP Practicum II. (5)



NURS 564. Health Promotion, Protection, and Disease Prevention for Acute, Critical or Chronically Ill Adults. (3)



NURS 565. Management of the Critically Ill Adult-Gerontology Patient. (4)



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



NURS 568. ACNP Clinical Topics I. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)



NURS 569. ACNP Clinical Topics II. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)



NURS 583. Psychotherapy, Behavior Change, and Health Promotion-Disease Prevention Across the Lifespan. (3)



NURS 584. Integrated Behavioral Health Care and Common Psychiatric Presentations. (3)



NURS 585. Advanced Assessment, Neurobiology, and Psychopharmacology Across the Lifespan. (3)



NURS 586. Diagnosis and Management of Adults for the PMHNP. (3)



NURS 587. Diagnosis and Management of Children and Older Adults for the PMHNP. (3)



NURS 588. Advanced Practicum I. (1 or 4, may be repeated once Δ)



NURS 589. Advanced Practicum II. (3)



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



NURS 592. Clinical Specialty Practicum. (4, may be repeated once 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 597. Applied Examination. (1)



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



NURS 600. Philosophy of Science. (3)



NURS 601. Theoretical Foundations of Research. (3)



NURS 602. Theory II: Synthesis of Knowledge for Nursing Inquiry. (3)



NURS 605. Symptom Management Science. (3)



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



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



NURS 608. Environments of Human Health and Nursing. (3)



NURS 611. Rural and Cultural Health. (3)



NURS 612. Health Outcomes Research. (3)



NURS 613. Mixed Methods Research. (3)



NURS 620. Health Care Statistics I. (3)



NURS 621. Health Care Statistics II. (3)



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



NURS 641. Understanding Health Disparities in Policy & Research. (3)



NURS 642. Health Care 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 to a maximum of 3 Δ)



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



NURS 693. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)



NURS 694. Research Practicum. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



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



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. (3)



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



NURS 715. Genetics and Genomics for Advanced Practice Nursing. (3)



NURS 720. Etiology and Management of Complex Health and Illness in Rural Health. (3)



NURS 724. Professional Concepts and Issues for Advanced Nursing Practice. (3)



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



NURS 726. Leading Organizational Change. (3)



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



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. (1-10 to a maximum of 10 Δ)



NURS 796. D.N.P. Scholarly Project Seminar. (1)



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



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Albuquerque, NM 87131

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