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Graduate Committee

Dr. Roxanne Vandermause, (Chair & Program Director), Dr. Beth Beam, Dr. Melissa Florell, Dr. Robin Lally, Dr. Marcia Shade, and Dr. Leeza Struwe

The PhD program in Nursing prepares nurse scientists in promoting and managing health of at-risk populations or those with chronic conditions; health systems and quality; or nursing education. There are two tracks 1) MS to PhD and 2) BSN to PhD.  

The BSN to PhD track was created expressly for academically strong BSN graduates who want to be educators and researchers. Students must be full-time and can complete their PhD degree in 4.5 to 5 years without all the clinical requirements of the MSN program.  All features and benefits of the traditional PhD program apply, including faculty advisor support and mentoring.

A minimum of 57 credit hours is required for the PhD in Nursing. Graduate-level electives (courses from other disciplines and/or nursing in areas of concentration) are required to support a student's area of research interest. Responsible Conduct of Research is integrated into existing core courses.  In addition, students are required to participate in departmental research seminars.

BSN to PhD Curriculum

NRSG 930SOCIALIZATION TO THE SCHOLARLY ROLE3
NRSG 929PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE AND THEORY DEVELOPMENT4
BIOS 806BIOSTATISTICS3
EPI 820EPIDEMIOLOGY IN PUBLIC HEALTH3
NRSG 803FOUNDATIONS OF THEORIES AND EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE3
BIOS 808BIOSTATISTICS II3
NRSG 802FOUNDATIONS OF QUALITY, SAFETY, INFORMATICS AND FINANCE4
NRSG 905RESEARCH IMMERSION IN NURSING3
NRSG 891TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES FOR THE CLASSROOM3
NRSG 804POPULATION-BASED HEALTH POLICY3
NRSG 935QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS3
NRSG 934QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS3
NRSG 909HEALTH CARE POLICY AND GLOBAL ISSUES3
NRSG 918STATE OF THE SCIENCE4
NRSG 937PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT IN HEALTH SCIENCES3
Electives (9 credits)9
Elective 1 Required Advanced Methodology Course (3 credits) - select one course
HPRO 903MIXED METHODS RESEARCH3
HSRA 920QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH3
BIOS 835DESIGN OF MEDICAL HEALTH STUDIES3
Elective 2 (3 credits)3
Elective 3 (3 credits)
NRSG 893USING TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES3
NRSG 908TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND COMPLEX SYSTEMS3
NOTE: All PhD nursing core courses, statistics courses, and electives must be completed prior to taking comprehensive exam
Other Required Courses:
NRSG 998DOCTORAL SEMINAR (This course must be taken twice; total of 2 cr)2
NRSG 999DOCTORAL DISSERTATION (NRSG 999 is variable credits per course - minimum of 12 credit hours required)12
Optional Electives (4 out of 5 electives should be dual listed with graduate studies except NRSG 916)
NOTE: RCR is one day training

Master to PhD

NRSG 930SOCIALIZATION TO THE SCHOLARLY ROLE2
NRSG 929PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE AND THEORY DEVELOPMENT4
BIOS 806BIOSTATISTICS3
BIOS 808BIOSTATISTICS II3
NRSG 934QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS3
NRSG 935QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS3
NRSG 918STATE OF THE SCIENCE (Electives)4
NRSG 937PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT IN HEALTH SCIENCES3
Electives (9 credits)9
Elective 1 Required Advanced Methodology Course (3 credits) - select one course3
HPRO 903MIXED METHODS RESEARCH3
HSRA 920QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH3
BIOS 835DESIGN OF MEDICAL HEALTH STUDIES3
Elective 2 (3 credits)3
NRSG 905RESEARCH IMMERSION IN NURSING3
NRSG 909HEALTH CARE POLICY AND GLOBAL ISSUES3
Elective 3 (3 credits)3
NRSG 908TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND COMPLEX SYSTEMS3
NOTE: All PhD nursing core courses, statistics courses, and electives must be completed prior to taking comprehensive exam
Other Required Courses:
NRSG 998DOCTORAL SEMINAR1
NRSG 999DOCTORAL DISSERTATION1-10
NOTE: RCR is one day training