
Examples of Possible Careers*
Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary
- 17.6% much faster than the average
- 72,900 number of jobs
- $75,470 potential earnings
Contact Information
- Student Services: Teresa Adams | tadams27@kent.edu | 330-672-8761
- Chat with an Admissions Counselor
Fully Offered
- Delivery:
- In person
- Location:
- Kent Campus
Admission Terms
- Fall
- Spring
*Note
Source of occupation titles and labor data is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
Description
The Ph.D. degree in Nursing prepares nurse scientists to develop methods to advance health, health care and the nursing profession. Graduates are expected to lead and promote interprofessional innovative scholarly endeavors and to assume leadership roles in the profession.
Admission Requirements
- Active, unrestricted U.S. registered nurse license (international students need to show proof of legal ability to practice as a registered nurse in country of origin)
- Bachelor's or master's degree in nursing or related field, or a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, from an accredited program1
- Minimum overall 3.000 graduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
- Official transcript(s)
- GRE scores (must be less than five years old at the time of application) - effective for fall 2023 admissions, GRE scores will no longer be required
- Résumé or curriculum vitae
- Essay (two pages, single-spaced) addressing the following questions:
- Why do you want to pursue a Ph.D. in nursing?
- What are your professional goals?
- How have you been involved in research, publications and professional presentations?
- How have you been involved in professional organizations?
- What are your research interests?
- Why are you interested in these research areas?
- How could research—and specifically your research—in these areas advance science?
- Sample of written work - effective for fall 2023 admissions, sample will no longer be required
- Three letters of reference from health care professionals or academic faculty members who can speak to the applicant's professional and academic abilities (two of the three references from doctoral-prepared individuals are preferred)
- Interview
- English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning one of the following:2
- Minimum 560 TOEFL PBT score (paper-based version)
- Minimum 83 TOEFL IBT score (Internet-based version)
- Minimum78 MELAB score
- Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
- Minimum 55 PTE score
- Minimum 110 Duolingo English Test score
For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.
- 1
A bachelor's degree in a closely related health field may be considered if the applicant has a master's degree in nursing or a D.N.P. degree from an accredited program. A master's degree in a closely related field may be considered if the applicant has a bachelor's degree in nursing from an accredited program.
- 2
International applicants who do not meet the above test scores may be considered for conditional admission.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates from this program will be able to:
- Generate new knowledge that contributes to the advancement of health, health care and nursing science.
- Disseminate advances in scientific knowledge.
- Use collaborative, interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to knowledge generation.
- Assume leadership roles in health care and education as researchers, educators and advanced clinicians.
- Serve as stewards of the body of knowledge for the discipline of nursing.
Program Requirements
Major Requirements
Code | Title | Credit Hours |
---|---|---|
Major Requirements (min B grade in all courses) | ||
NURS 70710 | HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING SCIENCE | 2 |
NURS 70711 | SCIENTIFIC WRITING | 2 |
NURS 70712 | RESEARCH DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS | 2 |
NURS 70713 | ADVANCED STATISTICS I | 2 |
NURS 70714 | LEADERSHIP FOR NURSING SCIENCE | 3 |
NURS 70715 | THEORY CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT IN NURSING | 3 |
NURS 70740 | ADVANCED STATISTICS II | 3 |
NURS 70741 | ADVANCED STATISTICS III | 3 |
NURS 70742 | ADVANCED QUALITATIVE METHODS FOR HEALTH SCIENCES | 4 |
NURS 70743 | ADVANCED QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR HEALTH SCIENCES | 4 |
NURS 70744 | PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
NURS 70791 | VARIABLE CONTENT SEMINAR: EMERGING ISSUES IN NURSING SCIENCE AND RESEARCH | 3 |
NURS 70798 | RESEARCH IN NURSING | 3 |
Electives, two courses chosen in consultation with faculty advisor 2 | 6 | |
Culminating Requirement | ||
NURS 80199 | DISSERTATION I 1 | 30 |
Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 73 |
- 1
Each doctoral candidate, upon admission to candidacy, must register for NURS 80199 for a total of 30 credit hours. It is expected that a doctoral candidate will continuously register for Dissertation I, and thereafter NURS 80299, each semester, until all requirements for the degree have been met.
- 2
Elective courses support the student's research interest and are selected with the approval of the student's academic advisor. Two 3-credit hour doctoral-level courses will supplement the student's program of study in a substantive area of research or specific method of research, including advanced statistical approaches, or assist the student with career goals following graduation.
Candidacy Examination
At the conclusion of coursework, students sit for the candidacy examination. The examination provides the basis for evaluation of the student’s readiness for completing the dissertation. Students must successfully pass candidacy and a proposal defense before beginning dissertation work.
Graduation Requirements
- Minimum B grade in all courses. If a course must be repeated, the student cannot take other courses that require that course as a prerequisite until the course is successfully retaken. If the student retakes the course and does not earn a minimum B grade, the student may be dismissed from the Ph.D. degree.
- Passage of the candidacy examination
- Submission and successful defense of a dissertation
Roadmap
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
Semester One | Credits | |
---|---|---|
NURS 70710 | HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING SCIENCE | 2 |
NURS 70711 | SCIENTIFIC WRITING | 2 |
NURS 70712 | RESEARCH DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS | 2 |
NURS 70713 | ADVANCED STATISTICS I | 2 |
Credit Hours | 8 | |
Semester Two | ||
NURS 70715 | THEORY CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT IN NURSING | 3 |
NURS 70740 | ADVANCED STATISTICS II | 3 |
NURS 70742 | ADVANCED QUALITATIVE METHODS FOR HEALTH SCIENCES | 4 |
Credit Hours | 10 | |
First Summer Term | ||
NURS 70714 | LEADERSHIP FOR NURSING SCIENCE | 3 |
Elective | 3 | |
Credit Hours | 6 | |
Semester Three | ||
NURS 70741 | ADVANCED STATISTICS III | 3 |
NURS 70743 | ADVANCED QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR HEALTH SCIENCES | 4 |
NURS 70798 | RESEARCH IN NURSING | 3 |
Credit Hours | 10 | |
Semester Four | ||
NURS 70791 | VARIABLE CONTENT SEMINAR: EMERGING ISSUES IN NURSING SCIENCE AND RESEARCH | 3 |
NURS 70744 | PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
Elective | 3 | |
Credit Hours | 9 | |
Second Summer Term | ||
Candidacy Examination | ||
Credit Hours | 0 | |
Semester Five | ||
NURS 80199 | DISSERTATION I | 15 |
NURS 80199 | DISSERTATION I | 15 |
Credit Hours | 30 | |
Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 73 |