The current program ensures that the reputation for timeliness and excellence will continue. The purpose of the Ph.D. in nursing degree program is to prepare scholars who will discover and extend scientific knowledge that advances the science and practice of nursing and contributes to the scientific base of other disciplines. The program of study provides a coherent series of courses, seminars, and discussions designed to develop in the student a mature understanding of content, methods, and values of the field of nursing and its relation to other fields. The curriculum includes courses in history and philosophy of science, theoretical foundations for research, and the structure of nursing knowledge. Additional courses include advanced statistics, advanced quantitative methods, nursing research, instrumentation, and several research practica with experienced research mentors.
Students work with faculty nurse researchers and researchers in other disciplines.
The dissertation is the culminating requirement in the course of study. Doctoral study is rigorous and requires considerable time and energy on the part of both students and faculty. Research interests and expertise of doctoral program faculty reflect a diversity of educational backgrounds and research experience. Early in the program, the student selects an area of research emphasis. This research interest must match a faculty member's research emphasis.