Addressing the Confusion Related to DNS, DNSc, and DSN Degrees, With Lessons for the Nursing Profession

Key wordsDoctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS/DNSc), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Science in Nursing (DSN), doctoral education, nursing education, nursing researchAbstractPurpose: This article examines the evolution of Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS or DNSc) and Doctor of Science in Nursing (DSN) degrees, including their emergence as research-intensive doctoral degrees in the 1960s, efforts to distinguish the degrees from the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees, the recent decline in program numbers, and implications for degree holders.Approach: The article reviews the U.S. history of doctoral education in nursing, research examining similarities and differences between the PhD and DNS, DNSc, or DSN degrees, and how the DNS, DNSc, or DSN degree differs from DNP programs. The article also examines the confusion regarding the focus of the DNS, DNSc, or DSN degree among nurses, patients, and potential funders; and describes actions taken by universities to address the confusion, with examples provided by academic deans, nurse leaders, and nurse researchers.Findings: Longstanding confusion about the research merits of the DNS, DNSc, or DSN degree, and the growing prominence of the similarly-titled DNP degree, has created confusion about the focus of DNS, DNSc, or DSN programs and the capabilities of degree holders. Many universities have addressed this confusion by converting their DNS, DNSc, and DSN programs to a PhD or retroactively converting degrees to a PhD. Other universities have chosen not to pursue this route.Conclusions: The DNS, DNSc, or DSN experience highlights the importance of clarifying and standardizing the purpose and goals of nursing education programs and the repercussions for degree holders when such clarity is lacking. The international academic nursing communities have consistently pursued one doctoral-level nursing degree and therefore have not shared this challenging landscape in nursing education.Clinical Relevance: Findings and recommendations presented in this article have implications for schools of nursing and professional groups that oversee the development of educational programs and pathways for nurses.In the past 70 years, doctoral education for nurses has undergone a remarkable transformation, moving from an era in which the only options for nurses seeking a doctoral degree were in disciplines outside nursing, to the present, in which nurses have a choice of research-intensive and practice-oriented doctoral degrees specific to the profession. Creating multiple options in doctoral education for nurses has been useful, and perhaps critical, to assuring a sufficient number of nursing faculties, as well as the continued advancement of nursing research and leadership in healthcare administration, policy, and practice. At the same time, the different options and the multiplicity of degree titles have created confusion among nurses, interdisciplinary colleagues, potential employers, and funding agencies. The confusion is a particular issue for a subset of doctorally prepared nurses, that is, those holding a Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS or DNSc) or Doctor of Science in Nursing (DSN) degree. With these research-intensive degrees gradually being phased out in favor of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree, nurses holding the degrees are finding they need to explain their degree's research merits and their own research skills and capabilities. This challenge is compounded by the growing prominence of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, which is often confused with the similarly titled DNS, DNSc, and DSN degrees.This article examines the sources of the ongoing confusion about the different types of nursing doctoral degrees by reviewing the history of doctoral education for nurses, similarities and differences among the different types of degree programs, and the experiences of a sample of nurse leaders from academia and research that have first-hand experience with DNS, DNSc, or DSN degrees. …