Nursing Doctoral Degree Requirements

Faculty | Master's | Doctoral | Courses

Collaborative Ph.D. in Nursing

Program Objectives and Course of Study

The purpose of the Collaborative Ph.D. in Nursing Program is to develop doctorally prepared nurse scientists/educators who have a strong foundation in both scientific inquiry and pedagogy. Upon successful completion of the program, students are awarded the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing jointly from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Massachusetts Worcester.

The program builds on the Master's program and reflects areas of faculty research expertise. Currently, the faculty's research expertise includes nursing education, mental health, adolescent health, diabetes, violence, stress and coping, interpersonal communication, HIV prevention, oncology, cancer in African Americans, and compassion.

Description of the Program

The Ph.D. Collaborative Program provides a strong foundation in both inquiry and teaching for prospective nurse researchers, scholars, and educators. The graduates will have four major areas of expertise: knowledge of the discipline of nursing; knowledge of a clinical or practice population; strategies of research and scholarship, such as grant writing and publication; and strategies of nursing education, such as mentoring and distance learning.

Graduates will be beginning-level researchers and skilled teachers who can assume research and faculty roles in schools of nursing or centers of nursing research. They will think critically and lead the profession and public to policies which promote health. To achieve this expertise, students will be educated and socialized for their future roles both didactically, through course work, seminars, and tutorials, and experientially, through research and teaching assistantships, and independent research. The program of studies comprises 54 credit hours consisting of 12 credits in nursing knowledge, 12 credits in nursing research and statistics, 12 credits in electives, and 18 credits for a dissertation. Elective credits are distributed so that the student selects 6 credits in an advanced nursing elective and 6 credits in a cognate (non-nursing advanced course). The program is designed to be completed in three years of full-time study that includes two years of course work and one year for the dissertation. There is a one-year residency requirement. Students take courses at both the University of Massachusetts Amherst and at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester.

Admission Policies

Decisions regarding admission to the doctoral program are based on an overall appraisal of applicants' abilities to undertake doctoral study and of their potential contribution to nursing science as evidenced in the following:

1. Official transcripts from colleges or universities attended.

2. Graduate grade point average of B or better.

3. Master's degree in nursing from a program accredited by the National League for Nursing (NLN) or American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

4. Acceptable verbal and quantitative scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken in the past five years.

5. Two letters of recommendation.

6. Two examples of scholarly writing (e.g., publications, scholarly papers).

7. A clinical research focus congruent with that of a faculty sponsor.

8. Completed application forms with fee.

Further information may be obtained from:

Master's and Ph.D. Program Office, School of Nursing, 229 Arnold House, University of Massachusetts, Box 30420, Amherst, MA 01003-0420, tel. (413) 545-1302.