The Ph.D in Nursing prepares nurses for research and faculty roles with a research emphasis on nursing care of vulnerable and diverse populations.

Nursing faculty believe that education in nursing at the doctoral level prepares advanced nurse clinicians as nurse scientists and nurse educators to discover, understand and critically evaluate the literature in nursing and related fields, and to apply appropriate principles and procedures to the recognition, evaluation, interpretation and understanding of issues and problems at the forefront of nursing knowledge.

The doctoral program is designed with both post-baccalaureate and post-master's entry points. Nurses who have baccalaureate degrees in nursing, but have master's degrees in other fields, will be eligible for advanced placement in the program.

ADMISSION CRITERIA

1. Completion of a bachelor's or higher degree in nursing from a nationally accredited program or equivalent nursing preparation.
2. A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.00 for all undergraduate work or a GPA of at least 3.00 for the junior and senior years of undergraduate work (Based on A=4.00).
3. A cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above in graduate course work.
4. Graduate Record Examination or Miller's Analogy Test scores.
5. Completion of a statistics course.
6. A one to two page paper stating the applicant's research interests and professional goals.
7. Evidence of current, unencumbered licensure to practice as a registered nurse.
8. Three professional letters of recommendation.
9. Resumé.
10. A minimum TOEFL score of 550 on paper based test or 213 on computer based test for all applicants whose native language is not English.
11. An interview will be required for applicants meeting the admission requirements.
12. Submit to and satisfactorily complete a background check immediately following admission and prior to beginning any coursework.

APPLICATION DEADLINE
Applications from prospective students are due on April 15th for fall admission of each calendar year for preference in admission. Interviews will be conducted during the spring and fall semester for admission in the subsequent session. Students may enroll in graduate course work prior to formal admission to the graduate program. A maximum of nine credits may be taken during the application process.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Students seeking the Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general requirements set forth by the Graduate School as well as particular requirements set forth by the Nursing Department. The PhD nursing courses are offered online with synchronous and asynchronous delivery.
Ph.D. students will be required to develop and submit a nationally competitive grant to support their doctoral research.
Ph.D. students are required to submit an article for publication to a refereed journal and to present dissertation work to a regional or national audience.

PhD IN NURSING CURRICULUM
The total curriculum consists of 90 credit hours in the following categories:

Statistical and Analytic Tools Analysis (9-12 credit hours)

Theory and Research (18 credit hours), including
NURS 570 Epistemology and Philosophy of Nursing (3)
NURS 571 Theoretical Development in Nursing (3)
NURS 573 Research Grantsmanship (3)
NURS 574 Quantitative Nursing Methods (3)
NURS 575 Qualitative Research Methods in Nursing (3)

Nursing Science (18 credit hours), including
NURS 572 Vulnerable and Diverse Populations (3)
NURS 576 Ethical and Policy Issues with Vulnerable Populations (3)

Elective Support (15 credit hours)

Functional Component (9-12 credit hours)
NURS 566 Curriculum Development (3)
NURS 567 Teaching Strategies (3)
NURS 568 Teaching Practicum (2)
NURS 569 Assessment and Evaluation (3)

Dissertation (18 credit hours), including
NURS 579 Doctoral Seminar (3)
NURS 999 Dissertation (15)

• Applicants with earned master's degrees from accredited schools may qualify for up to 36 hours of credit toward the doctoral degree.
• Credit will be awarded only for courses in which a grade of B or better has been achieved.
• A maximum of 24 credit hours may be transferred for the post-masters course work.
• Various nursing courses are offered by semester - not all courses are offered every semester
• Students work with their advisors in scheduling required courses.

Click here for a Schedule of Course Offerings (pdf)

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS
There is no residency requirement. However, students are required to attend one to two "intensives" per year. The Intensive experience (3-5 days) will gather students and faculty on the UND campus or at a regional nursing research conference for purposes of scholarship, networking, and education.

COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION
Students must successfully complete a comprehensive examination (written and oral portions) prior to advancement to candidacy and approval of the dissertation proposal. The student's Program of Study form, Dissertation Committee Form, and all coursework (excluding dissertation credits) must be completed before applying to the Graduate School to take the comprehensive examination.

DISSERTATION AND FINAL EXAMINATION
Following completion of the doctoral dissertation (18 credit hours), a final examination will be scheduled and administered according to the rules of the UND Graduate School.

Research Activities

Research activities comprise a significant portion of the activities at the University of North Dakota College of Nursing. The faculty and students have presented their work and been recognized locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally because of the outcomes of their research projects, and have effectively competed at all levels for research funding. Examples of awards won recently include the Sigma Theta Tau International Research Dissemination Award, the ANA Poster Grand Rounds, the Midwest Nursing Research Society Graduate Student Poster Competition Award, the Ada Sue Hinshaw Award, and the EPSCoR Undergraduate Student Research Poster Award.

In the mid- 1980's, the College of Nursing graduated its first master's degree student. With the addition of a graduate program at the College, nursing research has become an integral part of student and faculty member's work. Graduate students have opportunities to work with a faculty member on research through funded programs such as the EPSCoR program, Graduate Research Assistantships, Sigma Theta Tau, and other funding opportunities.

In the Fall of 2008, the University of North Dakota opened its doors to the Northern Plains Center for Behavioral Research. The $4 million Center for Behavioral Research is an Interdisciplinary research facility that will address critical, unmet nation public health needs. It will be used by the nursing and psychology departments to explore human conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, alcoholism, diabetes, nutrition disorders and others by helping patients alter their behaviors.

Research programs at the College of Nursing focus on research of vulnerable and diverse populations. Nursing faculty are actively involved in research with interdisciplinary and nursing practice colleagues. Current research within the College includes the following programs:

• Chronic Psychiatric Mental Health for Native American populations
• Use of Alternative and Complementary Therapies by the Rural Elderly
• Transcultural Nursing
• Diabetes in Hispanic Migrant Farmworks
• Pressure Ulcers and Wound Healing
• Pain Management
• Ethical Decision-Making Models
• Alzheimer's Support Group over Telecommunications
• Definitions of Health from Spiritual and Crosscultural Perspectives
• Chronic Illness
• Health and Health Seeking Behaviors of Native American Indians
• Nausea and Vomiting in Vulnerable Populations

For further information

Requests for information on the Graduate Nursing programs may be made to Pam Henderson, Graduate Student Service Specialist, at graduatenursing@mail.und.edu or 701-777-4552.

The application for admission to the Graduate Nursing programs may be found at the UND Graduate School website at http://www.und.edu/dept/grad/html/admissionshome.html.