Program Overview

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Nursing, PhD

Overview

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing prepares future nurse scientists and scholars to pursue intellectual inquiry that supports health equity and contributes to the health of all populations. Graduates of the PhD program conduct independent and collaborative research, advance nursing knowledge, and provide leadership to the profession.

Admissions

Requirements

• Nursing PhD applicants must hold a master's degree in nursing. The Master’s program included at least 30 credits from an institution of higher education accredited by a Mason-recognized U.S. institutional accrediting agency or international equivalent verified from official transcripts.
• A master's degree in a related health field will also be accepted if the applicant has a baccalaureate degree in nursing.
• Applicants must have a 3.00 GPA or higher on a 4.00 scale in their master’s program.
• A valid, current nursing license in a U.S. state or territory is required; waivers for international applicants will be determined by the PhD Program Director.
• Applicants also must have completed a graduate-level course in statistics with a final grade of 3.00 or higher before the start of the fall semester.
• Applications are considered for the fall semester only.
• Applicants must meet the admission standards and application requirements specified in Graduate Admissions and must apply using the online Application for Graduate Admission.

Policies

Time Requirements

• Students must complete all requirements for the PhD in Nursing within 9 calendar years from the time of first enrollment as a doctoral student in the program.
• Students must advance to candidacy within 4.5 years from the start of the program.
• Once students advance to candidacy, they must defend their oral proposal within 2 years.
• PhD students are expected to progress steadily towards their degree.

Professional Conduct

• All students in the School of Nursing are expected to adhere to the Professional Conduct Policy of the college.

Grading

• Throughout the semester, students are assessed on how well they have met curricular outcomes.
• With the exception of NURS 998/999, final grades for all PhD in Nursing courses are submitted to the university as letter grades.
• The minimum passing grade is a B.

Grade	Quality Points	Graduate Courses
A (90-100%)	4.00	Passing
B (80-89%)	3.00	Passing
C (70-79%)	2.00	Failing
F (69% or lower)	0.00	Failing

Academic Termination

• A degree-seeking student can be terminated from the PhD in Nursing program for reasons including, but not limited to, the following:
  • Earning unsatisfactory grades (below a 3.00) in two core courses.
  • Not passing the comprehensive exam on the second attempt.
  • A finding that the student has violated the university Honor Code.
  • Failure to meet the time limits or to secure approval of an extension request.
  • Failure to enroll for two consecutive academic semesters (not including summer).

Transfer of Credit

• Students may transfer a maximum of 30 credits into the program from graduate courses taken at other institutions or taken at Mason in non-degree status.
• Transfer credits are governed by AP 6.5 Credit by Exam or Transfer and the university requirements for doctoral degrees.
• All transfer credits must be approved by the PhD program director.

Degree Requirements

• Total credits: 78
• The PhD in Nursing program comprises 78 credits, of which up to 30 credits may be awarded with approved corresponding coursework from previous graduate studies.
• The remaining credits will include 27 credits of Core Courses, 9 elective credits, and 12 credits toward dissertation requirements.

Scientific Base/Research Core

Course List Code	Title	Credits
NURS 804	Advanced Quantitative Data Analysis for Healthcare Research I	3
NURS 805	Advanced Quantitative Data Analysis for Healthcare Research II	3
NURS 814	Theory and Design in Health Science	3
NURS 860	Measurement in Nursing and Public Health Research	3
NURS 910	Using Research to Advance Healthcare Policy	3
NURS 920	Qualitative Research in Nursing and Health Care	3
NURS 930	Quantitative Methods in Nursing and Health Care	3
PH 810	Systematic Reviews of Health Research	3
GCH 700	Social and Ecological Determinants of Health	3
Total Credits	27

Elective Courses

• Students must complete a cohesive set of at least 9 credits of doctoral-level (700 or higher) electives selected with their academic advisor or the PhD Program Director to contribute to their program of research.
• Students are required to complete any remaining electives after transfer credits are awarded.

Dissertation

• The final requirement for the PhD in Nursing is the submission of an acceptable dissertation.
• The dissertation will be a report of an original, independent research project completed by the student and approved by the dissertation committee.

Advancement to Candidacy

• The student must complete all coursework and pass the comprehensive examination to advance to candidacy.
• The Doctoral Program Director of the School of Nursing will approve the student's program of study and recommend advancement to candidacy to the director of the School of Nursing, who will render final approval for candidacy.

Dissertation Credits

• During the process of writing the dissertation proposal, students must initially register for a minimum of 3 credits of NURS 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal; the student may repeat NURS 998 for variable credit until the proposal is successfully defended.
• The student must initially register for at least 3 credits of NURS 999 Doctoral Dissertation.
• Once the student has completed the required combined minimum of 12 credits of 998 and/or 999, they must register for at least 1 credit per semester until they have successfully completed the dissertation.

Course List Code	Title	Credits
At least 12 credits of	12
NURS 998	Doctoral Dissertation Proposal
NURS 999	Doctoral Dissertation
Total Credits	12

Dissertation Committee

• With the advice of the student's committee chair and approval from the PhD program director, the student will select a dissertation committee composed of at least 3 members of the graduate faculty (as defined by the university), who will direct the dissertation research.

Dissertation Proposal

• The student, in consultation with the dissertation committee, will write an acceptable dissertation proposal approved by their dissertation committee.

Dissertation

• The dissertation is a written report of original research in a content area of significance to the discipline of Nursing.
• As defined by the university, the dissertation demonstrates the candidate’s mastery of the subject matter, methodologies, and conceptual foundations in their chosen field of study.
• The PhD in Nursing program requires that the dissertation meet the guidelines as specified by the University Library and include at least two publishable manuscripts approved by the dissertation committee.