It is also designed to advance the development of knowledge that will increase healthy life spans and reduce disparities in health among diverse populations. The program provides abundant opportunities for faculty and student interaction and collaboration, as well as mentoring to learn the full scope of role responsibilities. Before admission to the program, faculty advisers and students are matched based on the student's stated area of interest. A series of colloquia provides opportunities for faculty and students to interact and collaborate based on shared interests. At the completion of the program graduates will be able to design and conduct research relevant to nursing practice, extend the theoretical base of nursing by empirical investigation of nursing phenomena and developing theories, and test conceptual models and theories which are derived from knowledge of nursing and related disciplines and have relevance to nursing practice.
Course work is organized in three areas.
Philosophy of Science and Transmission of Knowledge includes course work in theory development, nursing concepts, and principles of teaching and learning. Methods of Inquiry includes research design and methods, measurement, uses of data, and statistics. Policy includes health policy, and nursing research and policy. Cognates may be taken in psychology, human development, ethics, health policy, nursing, or any area related to the student's research, including appropriate courses in methods. A dissertation is required with a minimum of ten credit hours of advisement.