نظرة عامة على البرنامج

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Nursing, PhD

The PhD program in Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee prepares nurses as scholars to conduct independent and collaborative research, to develop and test theory relevant to nursing, and to improve the quality of care by expanding the body of nursing knowledge. Scholars will be prepared to serve the urban community and improve the general accessibility and acceptability of health care.

Overview

Specialization is achieved through an approved program of study and includes program elements of coursework, dissertation, and direction of faculty advisors. This specialization is focused on a particular area of nursing practice and the social context within which it occurs.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the doctoral program in Nursing, an applicant must meet Graduate School requirements plus the following School of Nursing requirements:

• A bachelor's or master's degree with a major in nursing or health-related field from a professionally accredited or approved program.
• A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all previous coursework.
• Completion of a graduate-level statistics course within the last 5 years with a grade of B or better.
• A written statement prepared by the applicant of previous professional experience, personal career goals, research interests, motivation for PhD study, and educational objectives to be accomplished in the program.
• Recommendations from at least three persons who have known the applicant in a professional capacity.
• Two examples of original work that demonstrate the applicant's academic potential.
• A conversation with the program director is required as part of the holistic admission process. A telephone conversation or visual online (e.g., Zoom, Teams) video meeting may be used when travel is prohibitive.

Reapplication

A student who receives the master's degree must formally reapply for admission to the Graduate School before continuing studies toward the PhD.

Credits and Courses

Minimum degree requirements are 61 graduate credits beyond the bachelor's degree. Of these, 12 credits included as part of the master's degree may be counted toward the PhD degree. The UWM Graduate School requires at least 31 graduate credits earned in residence at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The School of Nursing requires a minimum of 49 graduate credits beyond the master's degree in nursing or master's graduate core courses.

Course List

The following courses are required:

Nursing Core

• NURS 801: Foundations of Inquiry for Health Research (3 credits)
• NURS 802: The Science of Nursing (3 credits)
• NURS 803: Health Systems Policy and Economics (3 credits)

Specialty Core

• NURS 820: Analysis of Nursing Phenomena (3 credits)
• NURS 809: Integrative Studies (3 credits)
• Elective Credits (9 credits)

Research Core

• NURS 808: Multivariate Statistics for Healthcare (3 credits)
• NURS 881: Measurement for Health Research (3 credits)
• NURS 882: Qualitative Methods in Health Research (3 credits)
• NURS 883: Quantitative Methods in Health Research (3 credits)
• NURS 885: Advanced Quantitative Methods in Health Research (3 credits)
• or NURS 886: Advanced Qualitative Methods in Health Research
• NURS 890: Issues in Scholarship (3 credits)

Practicum

• NURS 899: Practicum in Nursing: (Leadership/Education) (1 credit)
• NURS 899: Practicum in Nursing: (Research) (1-3 credits)

Dissertation

• NURS 997: Doctoral Dissertation (3 credits minimum)

Additional Requirements for Students without a Master's Degree

Students admitted without a master's degree in nursing or related health care field must complete the following graduate courses as a basis for the PhD study prior to beginning the PhD level course work:

• NURS 725: Advanced Evidence-Based Practice in Health Care (3 credits)
• NURS 728: Population Health for Advanced Practice Nursing (3 credits)
• NURS 735: Foundations of Scholarly Writing (3 credits)
• NURS 804: Health Systems Leadership (3 credits)

Additional Requirements

Major Professor as Advisor

The student is expected to affirm their Major Professor by the end of their second semester of full-time study or the equivalent in earned credits.

Minimum Grade Requirement

For continuation in the program, in addition to general Graduate School requirements, students must achieve a minimum grade of B- in all required courses.

Minor Field

Students may take NURS 885 or NURS 886 as one of the required methods courses, with the option of taking the alternate course (NURS 885 or NURS 886) as an elective or specialty course. All students must complete a minimum of 9 credits of specialty course work and fulfill the requirements for a Minor Option A (requires minor professor) or a Minor Option B (in a specialty area) in the Doctoral Minor Options.

Language Requirement

Foreign language competency may be required at the option of the student's major professor.

Residence

The student must meet minimum Graduate School residence requirements.

Doctoral Preliminary Examination

The student must pass a doctoral preliminary examination to qualify for formal admission to candidacy for degree. The doctoral examination comprises a written and an oral component, taken in that sequence, with each component requiring a passing grade for successful completion.

Practicum

The Practicum in Nursing Leadership/Education credits are to be directed towards the development of leadership and instructional skills and should be completed while working with the Major Professor. The Practicum in Nursing Research credits are to be directed towards the development of research skills and should be completed while working as part of a faculty-directed research team.

Dissertation

The candidate must write a dissertation, which demonstrates ability to formulate a research topic and pursue independent and original investigation under the direction of the major professor.

Dissertation Defense

The candidate must, as the final step toward the degree, pass an oral examination in defense of the dissertation.

Time Limit

The student must complete all requirements for the degree within six years from the date of initial enrollment in the program. The student must complete all requirements for the degree within four years from the time of attainment of dissertator status.

Nursing PhD Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from the PhD Program in the School of Nursing will steward the discipline by being able to:

• Design and conduct original, independent and collaborative research to generate new knowledge to advance nursing science.
• Systematically and critically analyze, develop and test nursing theory.
• Cultivate in-depth knowledge of a substantive area of nursing expertise, to create scholarship and disseminate research findings to advance the discipline of nursing.
• Employ technology, information systems, and software for the generation of knowledge.
• Engage in critiquing, evaluating, and applying knowledge of research-based health policy to improve the quality of care provided to populations.
• Accurately incorporate principles of scientific integrity to design, implement, and disseminate research.