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.
PhD Curriculum
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PhD Nursing Core Courses (33 credits) | ||
| NRSG 905 | RESEARCH IMMERSION IN NURSING | 3 |
| NRSG 909 | HEALTH CARE POLICY AND GLOBAL ISSUES | 3 |
| NRSG 929 | PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE AND THEORY DEVELOPMENT | 4 |
| NRSG 930 | SOCIALIZATION TO THE SCHOLARLY ROLE | 3 |
| NRSG 931 | TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP | 3 |
| NRSG 932 | PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING SCIENCE | 3 |
| NRSG 934 | QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS | 3 |
| NRSG 935 | QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS | 3 |
| NRSG 937 | PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT IN HEALTH SCIENCES | 3 |
| Statistics Courses (6 credits) | ||
| BIOS 806 | BIOSTATISTICS | 3 |
| BIOS 808 | BIOSTATISTICS II | 3 |
| Electives (9 credits) | 9 | |
Students will work with their Supervisory Committee to determine the appropriate elective courses | ||
| NOTE: All PhD nursing core courses, statistics courses, and electives must be completed prior to taking comprehensive exam | ||
| Other Required Courses | ||
| NRSG 998 | DOCTORAL SEMINAR (This course must be taken twice; total of 2 cr) | 2 |
| NRSG 999 | DOCTORAL 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) | ||
| NRSG 910 | HEALTH-RELATED INSTRUMENT CONSTRUCTION & EVALUATION | 3 |
| NRSG 914 | MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESSES | 3 |
| NRSG 923 | RURAL HEALTH: PRACTICE, POLICY AND RESEARCH | 3 |
| NRSG 916 | INDEPENDENT STUDY IN NURSING SCIENCE | 1-6 |
| NRSG 928 | TRANSLATIONAL AND INTERDISCIPLINARY OUTCOMES RESEARCH | 3 |
| Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) / Ethics Training - built into curriculum | ||
| NOTE: Students entering the PhD program without an MSN must complete additional credit hours of coursework: EPI 820; NRSG 854; NRSG 809; NRSG 901; NRSG 892; and NRSG 893. The Supervisory Committee Chair initiates planning for the comprehensive examination near the end of the student's course work. Contact the PhD Program Director for more information. | ||