Curriculum
The course of study consists of three related units designed to prepare competent, scholarly nurse educators, scientists, and leaders in nursing education. Throughout the doctoral program, students are challenged to explore the historical, social, philosophical, ethical, and organizational implications of emergent issues that affect nursing education.
Unit I
Unit I emphasizes nursing science. It includes philosophy, epistemology, theoretical thinking, and knowledge synthesis, as well as nursing theory and nursing science development.
| UNIT I COURSES |
CREDITS |
| NURS 702 - Nursing Science I: Epistemology |
3 |
| NURS 813 - Nursing Science II: Synthesis in Nursing |
3 |
| NURS 814 - Nursing Science III: Theory Development in Nursing |
3 |
| TOTAL |
9 |
Unit II
Unit II is related to general and nursing education. It consists of specialized courses in contemporary nursing education, curriculum development, teaching concepts, and evaluation methods. Students work closely with faculty in teaching/learning situations through seminars and projects.
| UNIT II COURSES |
CREDITS |
| NURS 705 - Psychology of Learning |
3 |
| NURS 720 - Curriculum Design and Evaluation |
3 |
| NURS 724 - Scholarly Writing for the Discipline |
3 |
| NURS 750 - Assessment, Measurement, & Evaluation |
3 |
| NURS 820 - Current Issues in Higher Education Organizations |
3 |
| NURS 822 - Leadership in Nursing Education |
3 |
| NURS 853 - Evidence-Based Teaching Practice |
3 |
| Total |
21 |
Unit III
Unit III addresses research methods. It includes qualitative and quantitative design, statistical analysis, and data interpretation while fostering disciplined inquiry as students develop and implement a dissertation proposal that will contribute to the scientific basis of nursing education or practice.
| UNIT III COURSES |
CREDITS |
| NURS 815 - Qualitative Research I |
3 |
| NURS 825 - Advanced Research Design |
3 |
| NURS 826 - Foundations of Statistical Analysis |
3 |
| NURS 827 - Advanced Statistical Analysis |
3 |
| NURS 900 - Dissertation Seminar I |
3 |
| NURS 901 - Dissertation Seminar II |
3 |
| NURS 950 - Dissertation Advisement* |
3 |
| Total |
21 |
Total Credits: 48
*Dissertation Advisement (NURS 950) must be taken each fall, spring, and summer until the dissertation is completed.
Standards of Practice
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program is guided by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Research- Focused Doctoral Program in Nursing: Pathways to Excellence (AACN, 2022) and the National League for Nursing Nurse Educator Competencies (Halstead, 2007, 2019).
Comprehensive Examinations
Comprehensive examinations will be taken subsequent to the successful completion of all course work. After passing the comprehensive examinations, the student is accepted as a doctoral candidate and proceeds into NURS 901 Dissertation Seminar II.
Submission of a Manuscript
Prior to program completion, all PhD students are required to submit a manuscript for publication to a peer-reviewed journal. The manuscript may be the product of a course or course requirement. The student must be the first author on the manuscript. A copy of the manuscript, documentation of submission, and cover letter is to be submitted to the program director for the student’s file.
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