The Baystate Midwifery Education Program (39 credits) is a post-baccalaureate graduate-level program leading to a certificate in midwifery. The hybrid program is an autonomous five-semester post-baccalaureate certificate midwifery education program with the option to obtain a concurrent master’s degree (12 credits) remotely through the University of Massachusetts Amherst. An eight-semester part-time option is also available.

• Baystate CNM Program (39 credits)
• Elaine Marieb College of Nursing (12 credits)

Course Requirements

Master of Science Student Support

University of Massachusetts Amherst Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
032 Skinner Hall
Amherst, MA 01003-9304
Dorian Pariseau, Program Assistant
dpariseau [at] umass [dot] edu (dpariseau[at]umass[dot]edu) 

The Master of Science in Nursing Education (MSNE) concentration (32 credits) prepares students to educate nursing students and health care professionals in the classroom, clinical, and online learning environment for the overall enhancement of nursing practice and health care delivery. The program fulfills the knowledge and competencies specified by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) for master’s education and for the specific master’s in nursing education role and readies graduates to take the National League for Nursing certification examinations.

Objectives

1. Develop a grounding in pedagogical theories
2. Evaluate nursing curriculum using accreditation guidelines
3. Consider quality measures in nursing education in developing and evaluating nursing curriculum
4. Use creative teaching methods to enhance pedagogy
5. Reflect on their own teaching style as a means of incorporating new teaching strategies
6. Train nurses for education roles in colleges, universities, and clinical settings
7. Develop an area of advanced clinical expertise for further development of the nurse educator role

Course Requirements

The Nursing Education concentration in the master’s program consists of 32 credits, including N621Advanced Direct Care and Clinical Reasoning for Nurse Educations, a direct care clinical practicum in which the student will develop an area of advanced expertise in nursing practice, and N698T Practicum: Teaching in Nursing.

Required Courses and Course Sequence

Course Descriptions

• N603 Theoretical Components of Nursing Practice- 3 credits
  Students will examine and evaluate the components and functions of theory by exploring the role of different types of theory in a practice discipline.  
• N604 Introduction to Statistics for Health Research- 3 credits
  This course focuses on introductory statistical techniques frequently used in health sciences research, use of analytic software and database creation and management.
• N560 Simulation for Healthcare Education- 3 credits
  Critique theories associated with simulation, communication, and evaluation of student outcomes. Reviews care of simulation equipment and software and how to create and facilitate simulations culminating with a developed simulation.  
• N615 Advanced Pathophysiology- 3 credits  
  Concepts and theories related to disorders of physiological processes which result in health alterations in the child and the adult. Alterations in normal body functions leading to disease and discomfort of the individual presented within an organizing framework. Clinical inferences from concepts and theories of pathophysiology and pharmacology presented in relation to clinical nursing practice in primary care.  
• N614 Advanced Health Assessment- 3 credits
  Classroom and laboratory practice and case-based approaches to health assessment and differential diagnosis of common health problems for diverse groups provide the context for advanced health assessment and clinical reasoning.  
• N619 Advanced Pharmacology- 3 credits
  This course reviews in depth the principles of pharmacology for classes of drugs commonly used in various health care practices. The most pertinent drug classes for nursing practice are included in this course.
• N621 Clinical Practicum for Advanced Direct Care and Clinical Reasoning for Nurse Educators- 2 credits
  This supervised clinical practicum affords graduate students the opportunity to practice direct nursing care of diverse clients with varied needs in an identified area of nursing  
  practice at an advanced level while collaborating with an interprofessional team.  
• N641 Curriculum Development and Evaluation Process in Nursing- 3 credits  
  This course focuses on developing the knowledge and skills of nurse educators in applying principles of curriculum development, evaluation, and related processes in nursing education.  
• N642 Teaching in Nursing- 3 credits
  Focuses on the dynamic, creative process of teaching and learning clinical nursing in preparation for competent, reflective nursing practice. Philosophies, theories, methodologies, and trends relevant to nursing education included.  
• N698T Teaching Practicum in Nursing (Pre-requisites: N642 and N641)
  This course provides the framework, mentorship, and coaching for graduate students to develop skills in teaching in the classroom, in clinical settings, and in an online environment. 

Clinical and Teaching Practicum Information

Students have two practicums as part of their plan of study in the MSNE program. The first, N621 Clinical Practicum for Advanced Direct Care and Clinical Reasoning for Nurse Educators, is a direct care practicum in which students will develop an area of nursing expertise in a direct patient care setting. This is a two-credit clinical practicum course, which translates to 112 contact hours (at a one-credit-hour to four-clinical-hour ratio). These direct care clinical contact hours are allocated for supervised practice in selected clinical facilities or community agencies. Placement will be arranged through negotiation with clinical preceptors, agencies, and the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing.

Direct Care Learning Environment: Patient or Patient Population Setting

Examples:

• Health care facility/primary care setting
• Community/public health setting or outreach site
• Psychiatric-mental health setting
• OB/GYN or other specialty site
• Acute or chronic medical-surgical or long-term care/rehabilitation setting

The student will be assigned to a qualified preceptor who will guide the student in meeting course objectives. The course faculty will collaborate with the preceptor throughout the clinical practicum and will be responsible for evaluating the student’s performance and progress. Students will record their clinical hours in Typhon.

Practicum Focus

The AACN Core Competencies for Professional Nurse Education  emphasize practicum experience at the master’s degree level in the direct care role as a critical component in nursing educator training to advance the knowledge and expertise of students in a clinical area of practice. “Direct care” is defined as “nursing care provided to individuals or families that is intended to achieve specific health goals or achieve selected health outcomes.”

In N621, students will master clinical reasoning and nursing at the advanced graduate level. Depending on the plan of study, the practicum will run concurrently or sequentially with N614 Advanced Health Assessment, aligning with the didactic and theoretical material covered in the latter course. Students will hone baccalaureate level skills in health and physical assessment while advancing to higher level clinical reasoning skills and applying those skills within an identified clinical area of practice to build graduate level expertise in that area. Focus will be on analysis of patients/clients within the practice setting and application of evidence for best practice outcomes in developing and actualizing a treatment plan and patient education in collaboration with a preceptor and healthcare team.

Student Requirements for Nursing Education Practicum Sites and Preceptor Selection:

This practicum N621 will provide the opportunity for students to develop graduate level expertise in a specific area of nursing practice. All students must complete all pre-practicum requirements, including uploading documentation to the online credentialing platform (Castle Branch) before beginning clinical contact hours. See current graduate student handbook for specifics of requirements for entry to a clinical practicum site.

Students will engage in a search for their preceptors with the help of faculty. Acceptable qualified preceptors include master’s prepared nurses working directly with patients, Clinical Nurse Leaders (CNL), Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS), Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Midwives (CNMs), or MDs. Students may follow preceptors in hospitals, clinics, private practice settings and/or community settings. Students may choose settings such as acute or chronic care, long term care or rehabilitation, palliative care, psychiatric-mental health, public health primary care that match our faculty members’ areas of expertise and practice.

A student may choose to have two preceptors, if having two preceptors’ aids in achieving course requirements. Preceptors must have at least one year or greater experience in their field of expertise. Pre-approval by the practicum faculty or MS Director of all preceptors is required. Site visits for some local/regional students and online virtual or phone conference calls for all local/regional students and online virtual or phone conference calls for all local, regional, and distance preceptors will be completed during the practicum. The clinical practicum faculty of record for the course has responsibility for overall evaluation of all students and will rely, in part, on preceptors’ evaluations of students and students’ self-evaluations.

Students will arrange to complete hours as per preceptor/student schedules but should plan for about 8 hours per week so that contact hours can be completed by the end of the course. Each student will download the course syllabi (Both N614 and N621), the preceptor/faculty/student agreement, the preceptor handbook including preceptor orientation materials and all evaluation forms available in the Graduate Preceptor Handbook and Graduate Student Handbook and deliver to the preceptor on/before the initial contract meeting. The College of Nursing needs a signed preceptor/faculty/student agreement, preceptor’s resume/CV and contact information sent to the College of Nursing before contact hours can begin to be included in your student file and our preceptor directory.

Students will enroll in Typhon at the beginning of the program and document their clinical hours for N621 in the Typhon Software. They will continue to document their teaching hours in Typhon when they take their teaching practicum course, N698T and will develop a teaching portfolio.

Master’s Degree Program Office                                                                                          

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
032 Skinner Hall
Amherst, MA 01003-9304
Dorian Pariseau, Program Assistant
dpariseau [at] umass [dot] edu

Objectives

1. Apply advanced knowledge and core competencies to the development and evaluation nursing care for diverse individuals or populations.
2. Integrate and understand how nursing theory impacts nursing practice and the delivery of healthcare.
3. Interpret and critically analyze research and its application to nursing practice and evidence-based practice.

Course Requirements

The Nursing Studies Concentration in the master’s program consists of 30 credits, including the seven core courses in our Master of Science curriculum listed below:

MSNS Course Descriptions

• N603: Theoretical Components of Nursing Practice - 3 credits
  Students will examine and evaluate the components and functions of theory by exploring the role of different types of theory in a practice discipline.
• N604: Introduction to Statistics for Health Research - 3 credits
  This course focuses on introductory statistical techniques frequently used in health sciences research, use of analytic software and database creation and management.
• N615: Advanced Pathophysiology - 3 credits
  Concepts and theories related to disorders of physiological processes which result in health alterations in the child and the adult. Alterations in normal body functions leading to disease and discomfort of the individual presented within an organizing framework. Clinical inferences from concepts and theories of pathophysiology and pharmacology presented in relation to clinical nursing practice in primary care.
• N614: Advanced Health Assessment - 3 credits
  Classroom and laboratory practice and case-based approaches to health assessment and differential diagnosis of common health problems for diverse groups provide the context for advanced health assessment and clinical reasoning.
• N619: Advanced Pharmacology - 3 credits
  This course reviews in depth the principles of pharmacology for classes of drugs commonly used in various health care practices.  The most pertinent drug classes for nursing practice are included in this course.
• N630: Research Methodology in Nursing - 3 credits
  Relationship between research and theory development and clinical practice in nursing. Includes research design, methods of data collection, and a variety of analytical procedures for interpreting results.

Electives

In addition to the core courses, the following electives courses are needed: 12 additional credits, at least three of which must be from the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing. The remaining nine credits must meet the conditions for graduate credit as outlined in the Graduate Bulletin.  

Students enrolled in the PhD or DNP programs will be eligible to apply for this concentration. The goal of the MSNS concentration is to recognize students who have completed the necessary credits for a master’s degree in nursing and to provide competent MS-prepared nurses for generalist roles in nursing. This flexible program of study is intended for candidates in our doctoral or master’s programs who have fulfilled the requirements of the MSNS but are unable to complete their full plan of study or for those PhD or DNP students who were admitted as post-bachelor’s students and wish to complete the MSNS en route to completing the doctorate.

Objective

Our Master's of Science - Public Health (MS-PH) concentration (36 credits) will enable students to apply clinical nursing expertise and population health skills in federal, state and local Public Health and Community Health agencies, Visiting Nurse and Homecare Associations,  and teach public  health nursing. Population based practice in nursing focuses on improving the health of the whole community whether locally, nationally, or globally, including individuals, families, and communities, with particular emphasis on underserved and marginalized populations.  It involves a process of assessment, policy planning and development of holistic plans of care as well as critical thinking and interprofessional collaboration at the systems level.

Course Requirements

The Public Health concentration in the master’s program consists of 33 credits including two practicum experiences (N698G & N798LL).

The final two semesters will involve specialty courses and clinical practicums in public and population health practice.  These courses emphasize community engagement and collaboration including community needs assessments, practice in grant writing and the application and evaluation of evidence based nursing practice at the public health and population level.

Course Descriptions

• N604 Introduction to Statistics for Health Research- 3 credits
  This course focuses on introductory statistical techniques frequently used in health sciences research, use of analytic software and database creation and management.
• N540 Epidemiology for Clinicians – 3 credits
  This course provides in-depth theoretical knowledge on concepts and principles of epidemiology and its application in health promotion and disease prevention. Its focus will be on key areas of epidemiology. 
• N640 Advanced Public Health Nursing I course - 3 credits
  This course is designed to provide advanced practice nurses specializing in the role of the Public Health Nurse Leader with knowledge and skills required to identify and analyze population-based public health problems as they occur in the local national, and global community. Analysis and evaluation of health problems will take place and evidenced based strategies designed to strengthen health promotion and disease prevention research, practice, education, and policy. Application of this 
  knowledge also occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698G. Content and practicum focus is on conducting a Comprehensive Community Assessment and a targeted Needs Assessment. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698G. Students will engage in 250 hours (about 1 week) of practical experience to meet course objectives. This practicum is conducted in a community that the student chooses. Students will need an outside community preceptor for this course. In order to plan ahead by mid-semester students should identify a preceptor and an agency that they will affiliate with for the next practicum course, N750 offered in the spring semester.  
• N750 Advanced Public Health Nursing II course- 3 credits is an examination of the theories, models and process of public health program planning, with a focus on designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating population-based public health programs, including financial program management and effective grant writing strategies.  

The final two semesters will involve specialty courses and clinical practicums: Content and practicum focus is on conducting a Comprehensive Community Assessment and a targeted Needs Assessment. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N798LL. Students will engage in 250 hours of practical experience to meet course objectives. This practicum is conducted in a community that the student chooses. Students will need an outside community preceptor for this course. In order to plan ahead by mid-semester students should identify a preceptor and an agency that they will affiliate with for the next practicum course, N750 offered in the spring semester, and N798LL) in public and population health practice.  These courses emphasize community engagement and collaboration including community needs assessments, practice in grant writing and the application and evaluation of evidence-based nursing practice at the public health and population level.  

General Practicum Information for both courses :

• The practicum setting and preceptor must be approved before starting the practicum experiences.
• The student may prefer or need more than one preceptor to fulfill identified teaching/learning goals. 
• The preceptor(s) should be an expert in the field of public health practice who can assist the student in gaining access to the population of interest. Must be a master’s level or higher community health professional.
• The site must provide access to and authority for expanded scope of practice (for example: temporary entry into data systems, access to staff/patients for interviews/focus groups), which will allow students to practice at the highest level.
• Students will keep a log of clinical experiences, and every two weeks they will electronically enter the time and activity log into Typhon system signed by preceptor.

Master of Science Student Support

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
032 Skinner Hall
Amherst, MA 01003-9304
nursing [at] UMass [dot] edu (Nursing[at]UMass[dot]edu)

Course Requirements

The DNP Program requires completion of core foundation and upper-level core courses, as well as courses in either the FNP, PMHNP, or PHNL role concentration (see sample plans of study). If a student already holds a master’s APN degree, an individually tailored Plan of Study will be created based on transcript review. A post-master’s student must complete a minimum of 30 semester credits to complete the DNP degree. The final scholarly requirement of the DNP program is the DNP project, which is a requirement for graduation.

Read on for information that pertains to all DNP students, regardless of concentration. View information for specific concentrations at the following links:

• DNP-FNP Concentration
• DNP-PHNL Concentration
• DNP-PMHNP Concentration
• DNP Post-Master's Completion

Faculty Advisors

All College of Nursing faculty members who have graduate faculty status are potential advisors for DNP students. Students will be assigned an advisor that is congruent with their area of interest whenever possible. DNP students are expected to meet regularly with their advisors to outline their plan of study, discuss academic coursework, and to prepare for the comprehensive exam and capstone scholarly project.

DNP Role Course Sequencing and Preceptor Selection

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program is focused on advanced nursing practice and requires a core of theoretical knowledge and a significant number of practice hours.  The UMass Amherst DNP program stipulates that all students engage in practicum experiences to fulfill the hours required of a practice doctorate. Post-master’s DNP students are required to document the number of practicum hours they obtained in their previous master’s degree program.

Practicum Preceptor Selection 

Preceptors should hold advanced (graduate) degrees in nursing or medicine. Nurse Practitioners (MS-prepared NP experts or DNP graduates) or physicians are preferred preceptors, but Physician Assistants (PAs) may be approved on a case-by-case basis. Preceptors should have at least 1-2 years of experience in their field. A student may choose to have two preceptors, if having two preceptors’ aids in achieving course requirements. Students and preceptors must be licensed in the state in which they are practicing / completing their clinicals. College of Nursing faculty instructors must approve all preceptors before a student can begin a practicum experience.

Preceptors and agencies are selected based upon their best fit with the course objectives and practicum focus for each course. Students must submit all required practicum documents well in advance of any experiences with an agency or community preceptor. View practicum guidelines in the Graduate Student Handbook.

DNP/FNP

Preceptors should hold advanced degrees (a graduate degree) in nursing or medicine. Nurse Practitioners (MS prepared NP experts or DNP graduates) or physicians are preferred preceptors, but Physician Assistants (PAs) may be approved on a case-by-case basis. College of Nursing faculty instructors must approve all preceptors before a student can begin a practicum experience.

DNP Psych/Mental Health

Preceptorship may take place with a licensed Psychiatrist and or a licensed Psychiatric NP/CNS, except for the psychotherapy rotation (summer II). PMHNP students may work with a psychotherapist during which time they may precept with be a Licensed and Independent (Psychologist (PsyD), Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) Social Worker (LICSW only- LCSW (Licensed Social Workers) not acceptable) Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor (LADC), Psychiatrist,  and / or advanced practice psychiatric nurse (PMHNP/PMHCNS).

DNP Public Health Nurse Leader

The preceptor(s) should be an expert in the field of public health practice who can assist the student in gaining access to the population of interest. The preceptor must be a master’s level or higher community health professional. The site must provide access to and authority for expanded scope of practice (for example: temporary entry into data systems, access to staff/patients for interviews/focus groups), which will allow students to practice at the highest level.

Please plan well in advance with the Graduate Clinical Placements. It often works best if a student plans for and secures an approved preceptor(s) for courses up to a year in advance. The College supports students who are looking for clinical placements. The College Clinical Placement Coordinator is available to assist with identifying sites and DNP staff can assist with establishing affiliation agreements and other clinical site requirements.

If a student has not been successful in securing an approved preceptor prior to the beginning of any practicum experience, the student may be required to withdraw from the course. Withdrawal from a course will affect progression through the specialty courses and a new Plan of Study will be required.

DNP Core Courses

All DNP students take the core courses in addition to their specialty courses (except for Post Master’s DNP Completion students who do not need specialty courses).

*Please note: The course Nursing 798W (Capstone 3) has now been absorbed into Nursing 798U and is no longer a distinct, separate course.

Course Descriptions

• N630 Research Methodology in Nursing
  Examines the use of quantitative and qualitative research methods with an emphasis on analyzing clinical problems and evaluating evidence for translation into practice (3 credits)
• N651 Nursing Ethics, Health Policy & Politics
  This course provides students with a framework for examining political and ethical issues that influence health care. Major elements of national health policy and politics will be analyzed. (3 credits)
• N701 Healthcare Quality
  This course will provide an overview of the history of quality of care, with particular attention to the evolution of quality assessment, assurance, improvement, measurement, management, finance and research (3 credits)
• N704 Health Disparities and Social Justice
  Using group discussion, research, and community-focused assignments, students will gain knowledge regarding the historical dimensions leading to health disparities, social injustice, and concepts of marginalization, poverty, race, class, and gender. (3 credits)
• N715 Intermediate Statistics: Computer Application and Analysis of Data
  This course focuses on statistical techniques frequently used in health sciences research and on the use of analytic software to create, manage and analyze data on personal computers (3 credits)
• N725 Leadership in Health Systems
  The course focuses on leadership theory, research, development, and practical competencies of contemporary leaders of health care systems. (3 credits)
• N735 Informatics for Nursing Practice
  This course provides students with essential knowledge and skills to utilize information systems/technology to improve and transform healthcare systems and provide leadership within healthcare systems and/or academic settings. (3 credits)

All DNP Students: DNP Final Project Description

The DNP Project begins with the student selecting a problem arising from clinical or public health practice. Graduates of the DNP program are uniquely prepared to help bridge the research-practice gap by appropriately developing, tailoring, implementing, and evaluating theoretically and evidence- based projects and programs and disseminating the results. Graduates are then able to deliver the intended benefit of the research evidence to the group, population, or community. The DNP project gives students a supervised opportunity to independently undertake this research translation process.

The problem under study in the DNP project must represent an identified need, as evidenced by a review of current literature, a community assessment, or other method of needs identification. For the project to be most effective, the stakeholders present at the site must agree that there is a need for the project and must be consulted and involved throughout the project. Indeed, the project may be done in partnership with the clinical agency, health department, College, church, government or community agency, voluntary organization, or community group.

The project literature review must support the need for the project and suggest an evidence base for the project. The literature review should include research studies on innovations that can be synthesized and developed into a program to address the practice problem. Further, the student must be seen as a credible authority on both the problem and the research-based innovation/program by stakeholders in the setting, thus, the focus of the problem and innovation/program must be on advanced nursing practice in the student’s specialty area. Finally, the student must be sufficiently familiar with the specific site in which the program will be implemented to tailor the program to the site’s organization, resources, and constraints. 

Project sites will vary depending on the track: 

• FNP: Students who are in the FNP track work directly with their course faculty to identify a project site and project mentor in an outpatient or primary care setting. Acute care hospitals / units are not acceptable.
• Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP): Most students complete projects in psychiatric community sites or hospitals.
• Post-Masters: Students often complete their work in outpatient, primary care, community or other similar settings.
• Public Health Nurse Leader: PHNL students complete projects in a variety of public health settings. PHNL students can choose to complete their projects in public health departments, community groups, federal agencies, faith based organizations, university health departments, homecare agencies, or similar settings.

DNP Project Team 

For the DNP Project, students will identify an appropriate project site mentor in Capstone 1 and are assigned by the DNP Director a College of Nursing faculty member to serve as project chair at the end of Capstone 2. Students are expected to work closely with their capstone course faculty, assigned faculty member/chair and project site mentor, throughout the process of completing the DNP project. Students must send their proposal to the assigned faculty member/chair after Capstone 2 for approval. Students should anticipate the need for multiple drafts before final approval of the proposal and final DNP project report. Students must alo send their completed DNP project write/evaluation up to their assigned faculty member/chair in Capstone 4 for approval prior to graduation. 

Purpose of the Team

The purpose of a project team is to support the student as they design and implement the DNP project. Your project committee includes the faculty of the respective capstone course you are enrolled in for that semester, the site mentor, and an assigned faculty member/chair. The assigned faculty member/chair will be assigned by the end of the second DNP capstone course by the DNP Director. The DNP project entails collaboration among the DNP capstone course faculty, assigned committee member/chair, site mentor and student.  

The student: The student is the leader of the project team. The student works closely with the capstone course faculty and assigned faculty member/chair, along with site mentor, as they identify ideas and develop, implement, and evaluate the DNP project.

DNP Project committee: The capstone course faculty member and the assigned faculty member/chair (whose interests / expertise aligns with the project topic), along with the project site mentor serve as the DNP Project committee to promote the scholarly thinking and intellectual curiosity of the student. This is accomplished through ongoing feedback to the student from capstone course faculty and the assigned faculty member/chair. The capstone course faculty member and the assigned faculty member/chair give final approval of the DNP proposal, which must be obtained before the project is implemented; they also provide approval of the final paper/project write up (which occurs in the final capstone course).  

Project Site Mentor: A project mentor is someone who works at the project site and agrees to support the student and help to navigate the site's system. The student will be asked to identify a project mentor at the agency's site and give the name and contact information to the faculty teaching the first capstone course.  

Advisor: Upon admission to the DNP program, each student is assigned an advisor. This individual is listed in Spire. The advisor is there to answer general questions about the DNP program. The advisor may or may not be involved with the student’s DNP capstone project.

DNP Project Completion Process

In preparation for the DNP project, students are assigned one College of Nursing faculty member and will identify an appropriate project site mentor. Students are expected to work closely with their capstone course,  faculty project chair, and project site mentor   throughout the process of completing the DNP project. Students should anticipate the need for multiple drafts before final approval of the proposal and final DNP project report.

he project site mentor must approve the proposal, the work, and final write-up along with the faculty members. A project site mentor can be a nurse practitioner, physician, and/or a public health leader within the facility or community depending on the DNP track the student is in and where the project will be actualized. The designated project site mentor may be from anywhere in the world, so long as they have consented to the position on the committee and expressed a willingness to guide from a distance. The DNP Project Chair has final approval authority on the Project. 

A student must receive a grade of C or above to pass the DNP Project requirement. Upon final completion and approval, the student should submit the DNP FORM, “Approval of DNP Scholarly Project” to the DNP office and their course instructor once the final approval is given.  

The project culminates in the submission of a final report that summarizes the project’s goals, methodology, results, and conclusions.  

The final requirement also includes posting your DNP Project on ScholarWorks on the UMass Amherst Library site Instructions are provided to the student on how to do this within the final capstone course shell. All DNP projects must be presented to a professional audience either at Scholarship Day, at the clinical site, or a professional conference.

Protection of Human Subjects

Students must complete the “Human Subjects Determination” form through the Kuali website. This occurs once the proposal is written and considered “ready” for this step in the project process by the course faculty. The UMass Amherst Institutional Review Board (IRB) will determine whether the project needs additional IRB review and notify the student with a memorandum of determination via email. More information is available at: https://www.umass.edu/research/compliance/human-subjects-irb 

NOTE: Students may NOT begin data collection prior to receiving IRB determination.

DNP Final Project Course Descriptions

• N742: Defining Evidence for Problems and Solutions - 3 credits
  This course focuses on discussions and assignments regarding health intervention planning, implementation, and evaluation for the refinement and approval of the DNP Project proposal. Evaluating the evidence (literature review) and completing a gap analysis are fundamental aspects of this course. Students need to secure a site, site mentor, identify a topic for the proposal in this course and complete a literature review of the topic of interest.
• N798U: Evidence Based Proposal Development - 3 credits
  This course is the second course in the sequence of four courses for the DNP, and the first of two courses designed to concentrate students’ efforts on a community of interest (COI) / organizational assessment and analysis to refine and solidify key concepts from the literature review completed in Capstone I: Nursing 742. There are 75 project hours required for this course.  This course requires obtaining a letter of support from the proposed project site. All students are required to submit through both site IRB review (if required by the site) and UMass IRB in this course. Data collection and project implementation should not begin until after IRB approval is obtained. Students must secure a letter of support from their site, as well as IRB approval, in order to progress to the next capstone course. A student may not progress to the next capstone course without a site, site support, IRB approval and proposal approval by the capstone faculty and the assigned faculty member/chair.
• N840: DNP Project Implementation and Monitoring - 3 credits
  This course involves the actual implementation of the planned proposal. You will implement and work on your project at the designated site with your preceptor or mentor. Data collection and analysis will occur during this course. There are 100 hours of project hours required for this course.
• N898A: DNP Project Completion, Evaluation and Dissemination- 3 credits
  This course is the  final course in the DNP Project sequence and culminates with an evaluation of the completed project. You will complete and evaluate your DNP project at the designated site with your preceptor / mentor. There are 75 hours of project hours required for this course.

The DNP Project focuses on the implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and dissemination of a theoretically based research translation project designed as a programmatic intervention to address a practice problem.

Successful progression depends upon completing required course work, according to the student’s plan of study, maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, and working closely with your advisor. The advisor and student should be mindful of incomplete grades as this will inhibit progression in the DNP Program. Students whose CGPA falls below 3.0  will be in jeopardy of dismissal by the College of Nursing and the University.

For currently certified APNs.

The online Post-MS DNP Completion program prepares established Advanced Practice Nurses to reach the highest level of the nursing profession and to deliver expert care, innovative practice, and translate evidence-based care to the clinical setting.

Students who enter this DNP Program option must be Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) who are currently certified as FNP, AGPCNP, AGACNP, ANP, PNP, GNP, ACNP, Nurse Midwife, Nurse Anesthetist, or CNS. 

Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Courses

Course Descriptions

Prior to beginning any specialty courses in the FNP program, students must successfully complete and pass with a B, N614 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning, N615 Advanced Pathophysiology, and N619 Advanced Pharmacology. Students must also have completed (or take concurrently) N703 Pharmacotherapy Management and N670 Family Systems and Interventions when enrolled in the first specialty courses in the sequence, N614 Advanced Health Assessment.

In the FNP program curriculum, there is a series of five theory courses with five concurrent practicum courses that provide content and experience in the specialty area of advanced primary care/family nurse practitioner. After completing these specialty courses, students will engage in the Final Immersion Practicum taken during their final semester in the DNP program. All FNP students are required to take these courses unless they have a master’s degree in a nurse practitioner specialty and have received some course waivers at the time of admission. These courses build upon each other and must be taken in the sequence outlined in the plan of study.

Course Descriptions

• N614 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning- 3 credits
  Content focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to perform comprehensive health assessments and develop enhanced capacity for clinical reasoning and laboratory test interpretation.
• N615 Advanced Pathophysiology- 3 credits
  This course provides the conceptual basis and specific knowledge of pathophysiology and disease recognition for children and adults as observed in the primary care setting.
• N619 Advanced Pharmacology- 3 credits
  This course provides and in-depth look at the principles of pharmacology for classes of drugs commonly used in various health care practices. The most pertinent drug classes for nursing practice are included in this course.
• N703 Pharmacotherapy Management- 3 credits
  Integration of principles of pharmacology and therapeutic patient care management to construct, implement and evaluate optimal pharmacotherapeutic regimens for patients in various healthcare settings. This course includes an assignment with a local pharmacist.
• N670 Family Systems and Interventions- 3 credits
  Selected concepts, theories and research related to family dynamics and family coping, with an emphasis on practice strategies to support family well-being and mental health.
• N643 Assessment and Diagnosis of Psychiatric and Mental Health Disorders- 3 credits
  This course provides an introduction to the diagnostic processes in mental health/mental disorders using DSM 5 diagnostic criteria, ICD coding, and other mental assessment tools while considering family, community, and cultural influences.
• N610 Primary Health Care of Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults- 3 credits & N698E Practicum: Primary Health Care of Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults- 3 credits (must be taken concurrently)
  Content and practicum focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to assess, maintain, and promote the health and well-being of culturally diverse children, adolescents, and young adults. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698E. Students will select an agency and a preceptor in their community and engage in 184 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N698E UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. Students must recruit a provider who services infants through young adults either in a family practice or in a practice that specializes in the care of children and young adults. Primary care and family practice NPs and MDs or pediatric NPs or pediatricians are appropriate choices for preceptors for this semester. Students will concentrate their experiences with patients with simple acute or stable chronic health problems.
• N620 Primary Health Care of Adults and Older Adults- 3 credits & N698X Practicum: Primary Health Care of Adults- 3 credits (must be taken concurrently)
  Content and practicum focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to assess, maintain, and promote the health and well-being of culturally diverse adults and older adults. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698X. Students will select an agency and a preceptor in their community and engage in 184 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N698X UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. Students must recruit a provider who adult patients either in a family practice or in a practice that specializes in the care of adults and older adults. Primary care NPs and MDs and ANPs are preferred choices for preceptors. Internal Medicine Specialists, GNPs, or Geriatricians can be appropriate choices for preceptors for this semester as approved by the faculty. Students will concentrate their experiences with patients with simple acute or stable chronic health problems.
• N723 Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare in Primary Care- 3 credits & N798K Practicum: Sexual and Reproductive healthcare in Primary Care - 2 credits (must be taken concurrently)
  Content and practicum focus is on building knowledge and skills beyond the provision of primary These courses are intended to provide advanced practice nurses with the knowledge and skills required to assess, diagnose, and manage patients presenting for sexual and reproductive health care in the primary care setting. Topics include the most common sexual and reproductive health promotion/maintenance issues and challenges across the life cycle. Common abnormalities in sexual and reproductive well-being that are within the scope of practice of the advanced practice nurse practitioner and conditions that require collaborative management and/or referral will be included. Application of this knowledge occurs in a concurrent clinical practicum.
  
  These courses are included in a sequence of required clinical courses for FNP DNP students specializing in Primary Care Nursing/Nurse Practitioner Role. In their area of clinical specialization, the nurse practitioner applies expert knowledge and skills aimed at advancing the science and practice of Primary Care Nursing. The practicum course will consist of a supervised clinical practicum experience 128 clinical practicum hours in a community-based health care agency providing sexual and reproductive health to adolescents and adults.
• N898D Practicum: FNP Final Direct Care residency- 2 credits
  This final practicum provides an intensive immersion opportunity for students to further enhance and integrate their prior learning and to gain experience with designated DNP essentials and specialty competencies while completing the final 128 hours of clinical practicum.

The Public Health Nurse Leader (DNP- PHNL) specialization prepares nurses to assume leadership positions in a variety of settings.

Critical Need for Public Health Nurse Leaders

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for nurse leaders who are trained in population-level health assessment and intervention. The need for public health nurse leaders is expected to grow significantly in the coming decade as our society confronts the impacts of infectious diseases, natural disasters, climate change, growing concerns about health disparities and social justice issues, and an aging population with a growing number of patients with chronic and acute conditions.

In addition to the DNP core courses, PHNL students take:

PHNL Courses

Courses and Sequencing

In the DNP/PHNL program curriculum, there is a series of 3 theory courses with 3 concurrent practicum courses that provide content and experience in the specialty area of advanced public health nursing. All PHNL students are required to take these courses unless they have a master’s degree in Community or Public Health Nursing and have received some course waivers at the time of admission.

The PHNL program includes 3 practicum courses that each require 250 hours of supervised practice, for a total of 750 hours.  

The three (3) theory courses in the PHNL sequence are designed to provide instruction in Advanced Public Health Nursing. In the 3 concurrent practicum courses, students implement the knowledge they acquire in the companion theory courses. These courses must be taken in sequential order, as they build upon each other.                               

Course Descriptions

• EHS565 Environmental Health Practices (3 cr) 
  Concepts of control methods used by environmental health and engineering practitioners. Topics include water, wastewater, solid wastes, food sanitation, vector control, housing, and accident control measures.
• HPP601 Application of Social and Behavioral Theories in Public Health Interventions (3 cr)
  Methods and approaches to community health. Family, school, and community dimensions and potentials. Types and use of various methods leading to community action. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
• HPP605 (3cr) Health Equity and the Foundations of Public Health
  This course introduces public health practice through a health equity lens.
• HPP628 Financial Management of Health Institutions (3 cr)
  This course is designed to familiarize students with financial management theory and concepts as applied to healthcare settings.
• N540 Epidemiology for Clinicians (3 cr)
  This course provides in-depth theoretical knowledge on concepts and principles of epidemiology and its application in health promotion and disease prevention. Its focus will be on key areas of epidemiology.
• N640 Advanced Public Health Nursing I (3 cr)
  This course is designed to provide advanced practice nurses specializing in the role of the Public Health Nurse Leader with the knowledge and skills required to identify and analyze population-based public health problems as they occur in the local, national, and global community. Analysis and evaluation of health problems at the community and population level will occur with evidenced based strategies designed to strengthen health promotion and disease prevention, research, practice, education, and policy. Application of this knowledge also occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698G. Must be taken concurrently with N698G.
• N750 Advanced Public Health Nursing II course (3cr)
  This course is an examination of the theories, models and process of public health program planning, with a focus on designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating population-based public health programs, including financial program management and effective grant writing strategies. Must be taken concurrently with N798LL.
• N760 Contemporary Issues in Public Health Practice III (3 cr)
  As the final course in the DNP Public Health Nurse Leader specialty sequence this course provides students with the opportunity to examine the complexity of current global problems in public health and explore political, cultural, ethical, and environmental considerations affecting the development and implementation of targeted public health interventions. Must be taken concurrently with N798M.
• N698G Practicum: Advanced Public Health Practice I– 3 cr. 250 hours.
  This practicum is the first of the PHNL sequence.  This supervised practicum provides students the opportunity to apply theories and models for conducting a population-focused community assessment and a targeted needs assessment and is taken concurrently with N640.  
  N798LL Practicum: Advanced Public Health Practice II– 3 cr. 250 hours.
  This is the second practicum in the PHNL sequence. This is a supervised practicum that provides students the opportunity to apply theories and models for developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating population-focused community health intervention programs, including an emphasis on grant writing. Must be taken concurrently with N750.
• N798M Practicum: Advanced Public Health Practice III – 3 cr 250 hours.
  This is the third and final practicum in the series of the PHNL sequence. This supervised practicum provides students an opportunity to focus experience in an area of public health at the local, national, and global population level through implementation of a previously planned intervention. Must be taken concurrently with N760.

The DNP Post-Baccalaureate Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) role concentration prepares clinical experts in the delivery of care to the psychiatric-mental health population.  They work with individuals, families, groups, and communities, assessing, diagnosing and treating individuals and families with psychiatric disorders or the potential for such disorders using their full scope of therapeutic skills.

In addition to the DNP core courses, the PMHNP students take:

PMHNP Courses

Course Descriptions

• N614 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning- 3 credits
  Content focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to perform comprehensive health assessments and develop enhanced capacity for clinical reasoning and laboratory test interpretation.  
• N615 Advanced Pathophysiology- 3 credits
  This course presents the conceptual basis and specific knowledge of pathophysiology and disease recognition for children and adults as observed in the primary care setting.
• N619 Advanced Pharmacology- 3 credits
  This course provides an in-depth look at the principles of pharmacology for classes of drugs commonly used in various health care practices. The most pertinent drug classes for nursing practice are included in this course.
• N703 Pharmacotherapy Management- 3 credits
  Integration of principles of pharmacology and therapeutic patient care management to construct, implement and evaluate optimal pharmacotherapeutic regimens for patients in various healthcare settings. This course includes an assignment with a local pharmacist.
• N643 Assessment and Diagnosis of Psychiatric and Mental Health Disorders – 3 cr. This course provides an introduction to the diagnostic processes in mental health/mental disorders using DSM 5 diagnostic criteria, ICD coding, and other mental assessment tools while considering family, community, and cultural influences.
• N580 Integrative Therapies in Health Care
  In this course students will examine integrative health therapies including the cultural contexts of health and health care, telehealth, dynamics of systems and individual change, and evidence-based analysis of therapeutic effectiveness.
• N707 Neuropsychopharmacology- 3 credits
  In this course students examine the pharmacological treatment of psychiatric mental health disorders and is structured to develop the student with a logical approach and treatment strategy to use when prescribing.
• N612 Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing with Children and Adolescents- 3 credits
  Content in the psychopathology, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders affecting children and adolescents are presented.
• N698CA Practicum: Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing with Children and Adolescents- 3 credits
  This course will consist of a supervised clinical practicum experience in a community-based health care agency providing advanced practice psychiatric mental health nursing care to children, adolescents, and their families, 225 clinical practicum hours.
• N622 Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing with Adults and Older Adults- 3 credits
  This course prepares psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) students to achieve competencies in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders common in adult and older adults. Content focuses on etiology and symptomatology of disorders, including common physical disorders that may be present with psychiatric symptoms. The course fosters the development of skills in assessment, problem identification and decision-making with adults and older adults.
• N698AD Practicum: Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing with Adults and Older Adults- 3 credits
  This course will consist of a supervised clinical practicum in a community- based health agency or facility providing advanced practice psychiatric mental health care to adults and older adults, 225 clinical practicum hours.
• N721 Advanced Psychotherapy Modalities with Individuals, Groups and Families- 2 credits
  This course provides continued student preparation in the development of advanced skills to deliver individual, group and family psychosocial therapeutics using evidence based psychosocial treatment models across the lifespan.
• N798GF Practicum: Advanced Psychotherapy Modalities with Individuals, Groups and Families- 2 credits
  This course consists of a supervised clinical practicum experience in a community-based inpatient or outpatient mental health care agency providing psychotherapeutic mental health care to individuals, groups, and families, 150 clinical practicum hours.
• N722 Psychiatric Mental Health- Complex Health Problems- 3 credits
  A refinement of advanced knowledge and skills required to deliver psychiatric mental health care to culturally diverse individuals of all ages with complex mental health and psychiatric issues.
• N798X Practicum: Psychiatric Mental Health- Complex Health Problems- 2 credits
  This course will consist of supervised clinical practicum experiences in a health care agency/facility providing psychiatric mental health care to individuals, 150 clinical practicum hours.
• N898D PMHNP Practicum: Final Direct Care residency- 2 credits
  This final practicum affords students the opportunity to complete clinical hours as needed and to learn about the professional role of the PMHNP specialty, 112 clinical practicum hours.

MS-PhD students who are matriculated in Fall 2023 or after complete 41 credits of required coursework + 18 required dissertation credits (total: 57 credits). BS-PhD students complete 1 semester of additional coursework (total: 66 credits).

Plan of Study by Semester

*Students who have not satisfactorily completed a graduate level introductory statistics course within the 3 years prior to matriculation must also enroll in N790A Introduction to Statistics

 + Comprehensive Exam (upon completion of required coursework for Terms 1 and 2).

Completion of any additional post-baccalaureate credit requirements (for BS-to-PhD students) and successful passage of the comprehensive exam is a requirement for academic progression in the PhD program.

 *N890YX (advanced) strongly encouraged but not required

+ Completion of a 120-hour mentored research residency prior to approval of the dissertation prospectus

*N890ZX (advanced) strongly encouraged but not required

**Students maintain enrollment in N893 Dissertation Seminar each semester through completion of their dissertation and defense. These credits count towards the Graduate School’s dissertation credits requirement.

6 credit minimum enrollment required by Graduate School to be coded as “full-time student” during the dissertation phase

Post-Masters students who are matriculated before Fall 2023 complete the following 59 credits of coursework:

+ Comprehensive Examination

+ Mentored Research Experience (120 hours minimum)

Post Baccalaureate students must also complete course requirements for the Masters in Nursing Science (MSNS), including:

Note: Some courses are offered online through Flexible Education (formerly University Without Walls).

Note: The plan or study of applicants with DNP degrees or master’s Degrees in other fields will be tailored to the learning needs of the applicant.

In addition to academic coursework, students must:

• Successfully pass a 2-stage Portfolio-based Comprehensive Examination qualifying them as a PhD candidate.  
• Complete a 120 hour (minimum) mentored research residency.
• Submit and orally defend a scholarly dissertation prospectus.  
• Implement, write, and defend an original dissertation study. 

Full-time students are required to take a minimum of two courses (6 credits) per semester and are encouraged to complete degree requirements within four (post-master) to six (post-baccalaureate) years.

Requirement

Each student will engage in a 120-hour mentored research residency under the supervision of one or more faculty members who are PhD-advising eligible within the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing. A supervised residency under the supervision of a postdoctoral fellow or faculty member with an appropriate terminal degree and scholarly preparation outside of the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing may be acceptable, but this must be approved by both the student’s advisor and PhD Program Director in advance.

Timing

These residencies are typically undertaken after completion of the written comprehensive exam, and prior to submission of the dissertation prospectus. The 120 hours can be done during intersessions (winter or summer) and/or spread out across multiple semester if necessary and conducive to a good learning experience.

Contract

The student will contract with one or more approved supervisors, such as their advisor(s), to participate in a mentored research residency. This experience could involve working as a paid graduate research assistant on a faculty member’s research team or conducting pre-prospectus work for the student’s own research. It is expected that this experience will lead to scholarly products and dissemination activities such as peer-reviewed publications and presentations. A timeline for the residency with measurable goals and deliverables (such as submission of an original manuscript or approval of an IRB protocol) should be clearly outlined in the contract.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The research residency should involve application through activities such as grant- and/or study protocol writing, IRB submission, data generation and cleaning, data analysis and interpretation, dissemination and/or community-engaged research collaboration, AND must consist of more than a literature review and/or synthesis of existing knowledge from peer-reviewed

A copy of the Mentored Research Residency contract template is included in the Appendix.

Synchronous Distance Education

A blend of in-class and distance technologies are typically used in the PhD program. Most courses will involve a combination of live, synchronous learning during scheduled class hours and lecture materials/experiences that can be accessed asynchronously via Canvas or other online platforms. We’ve endeavored to develop a course schedule and set of supports that will meet the needs of students across diverse contexts to the best of our ability, including students navigating on-going challenges related to the global pandemic.

If you anticipate any challenges connecting to course platforms or required materials due to a lack of adequate equipment or internet issues, we encourage you to contact the r [dot] walker [at] umass [dot] edu (PhD Program Director) and/or our itservicedesk [at] umass [dot] edu (IT support team) to arrange for assistance.

In the interests of fairness and to ensure protection of the rights and intellectual property of all parties, we encourage learners and faculty to review the following guidelines and policies on authorship and order of authorship for published material.

In general, the faculty should approach their roles with the view that material produced by learners within the scope of existing coursework (such as graded papers submitted for class assignments) is provided as part of their professorial duties and these activities do not automatically meet standard authorship guidelines. In most cases, publications stemming from PhD dissertations, Honors theses, and DNP final projects would be first-authored by the student who completed the work. Exceptions to this guideline should reflect best practices for authorship as outlined below.

Please review the following authorship guidance:

1. Baerlocher, M. O., Newton, M., Gautam, T., Tomlinson, G., & Detsky, A. S. (2007). The meaning of author order in medical research. Journal of Investigative Medicine: The Official Publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research, 55(4), 174–180. doi:10.2310/6650.2007.06044/
2. International Council of Medical Journal Editors. (2018). Defining the role of authors and contributors. Retrieved from http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html
3. Kennedy, M. S. (2015). Inappropriate authorship in nursing journals. Nurse Author & Editor, 25(4), 2. Retrieved from http://naepub.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/NAE-2015-25-4-2-Kennedy.pdf
4. Nishikawa, J., Codier, E., Mark, D., & Shannon, M. (2014). Student faculty authorship: Challenges and solutions. Nurse Author & Editor, 24(4), 3. Retrieved from http://naepub.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/NAE-2014-24-4-3-Nishikawa.pdf

We direct advisors and students to this recent interpretation of the existing guidelines, regarding criteria for Authorship and Order of Authorship:

1. Heim, N., & Chinn, P. (2017). Issues of authorship: Who and in what order? Nurse Author & Editor, 27(3), 6. Retrieved from http://naepub.com/authorship/2017-27-3-6/

Note: At the time a learner or faculty recognizes that material they are developing is headed towards publication, they are encouraged to put their expectations for members of the team in writing, by drafting a preliminary Authorship Agreement. Below is a sample authorship agreement. This agreement is only a template. You may modify to meet the specific needs of any given publishing project.

Sample Authorship Agreement

Working Title/Topic: __________________________________

What is the origin of the work (check all that apply):

_ Class paper    _ Dissertation    _ Secondary analysis    _ Grant    _ DNP Project     _ Thesis    

 __ Other (specify)________________

What is the intended format? (check all that apply):  

_ Presentation    _Manuscript   _Poster    __Grant  _other 

If presentation, where will you present the research? _________________________________

If manuscript, which journal will you target? ________________________________________

List below all anticipated authors and their order:

Note: add rows as needed for additional authors.

*Examples of contribution:

• Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work
• Drafting the work or substantial critical revision for intellectual content                
• Final approval of the version to be published
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

(Adapted from: https://rio.msu.edu/sample-authorship-agreement & http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html)

If you anticipate multiple outcomes from the same research effort (e.g., poster presentation and manuscript publication), use one template for each planned activity.

All contributions from faculty refer to contributions outside of faculty role.

Please see section on Graduate Academic Polices for all graduate programs regarding progression.

All students in the PhD program are required to complete a portfolio-based comprehensive examination as a criterion for progression to PhD candidate status.

Submission and review of the Nursing PhD student portfolio represents our program’s new PhD candidacy qualifying process for the recently-instated curriculum. This review provides the Graduate Faculty with an opportunity to acknowledge individual PhD students’ progress towards curricular and programmatic objectives, while allowing for provision of formative feedback and recommendations for further scholarly development. By looking across all the portfolios submitted in a given year, faculty can also identify aspects of programmatic policies and coursework that appear to be working well, and areas where further growth and curricular revision may be warranted.

The portfolio-based comprehensive exam consists of two stages, submitted at the end of the first year and second year of PhD study, respectively. PhD students will assemble their portfolio throughout the year, according to guidelines provided by the PhD Academic Matters committee. Portfolio contents typically consist of an updated CV and annual progress report, key assignments from required coursework, and any other materials the student may elect to share. Second year portfolios include an essay prompt inviting students to reflect on growth over the first two years of PhD study.

• View detailed instructions and templates outlining portfolio requirements.

Portfolio Requirements 

Required components of the portfolio are defined by the PhD program mission and curricular objectives and informed by peer-reviewed guidance on quality benchmarks for research-focused nursing doctoral programs. Reviews are conducted holistically, applying a strengths-based lens focused on identifying areas of competency and opportunities for further growth and professional development. Students are provided with summaries of reviewer feedback following each annual review, including strengths identified, areas for further growth, and recommended resources.

Portfolio submissions should be assembled as a single PDF, according to the template provided, and submitted according to instructions circulated by the PhD Academic Matters Committee. Portfolios are typically due within 1-2 weeks of the end of spring term classes. Please follow instructions and deadlines provided by the program. 

Note: Portfolio requirements are subject to adjustments based on recommendations by the PhD faculty.  

Portfolio Template 

Please include an APA-formatted coverpage with the title “PhD Portfolio – Spring 2026” and the name of the student, year of PhD study, PhD advisor, and date.  

The table of contents should be formatted according to the year of study (see below):  

1st Year Students: 

1. Plan of Study/Progress Report....................................................................... Page # Start 
   (Does not need to be signed by adviser before submission)
2. CV.................................................................................................................... Page # Start
3. Evidence of a philosophical argument............................................................ Page # Start 9
   Suggested submission: final paper from N790 Histories & Philosophies of Science – Big Ideas in Nursing)
4. Review of the literature.................................................................................... Page # Start 
   (Suggested submission: Review of Literature - Detailed outline with PRISMA diagram & matrix fromN790 FR Edgerunners: State of Nursing’s Scholarship, Research & Innovation)
5. Individual and institutional positionality of researchers in the community...... Page # Start 
   (Suggested submission: positionality statement from N790 FC Community-guided and Experiential Approaches to Research)
6. Connecting theory with philosophy................................................................. Page # Start 
   (Suggested submission: final paper from Nursing 790XX Theory and Connections to Praxis: Putting Ideas to Work)
7. Research Question & Specific Aims…........................................................... Page # Start 
   (Suggested submission: Specific aims page developed in Nursing 790XX Working with Accountability Partners to Define the Research Focus)
8. Fundamental understanding of concepts of statistics.................................... Page # Start 
   Suggested submission: Structured Stats Critique from Nursing 790XX Deductive Reasoning
9. Additional Question (Optional): How do you feel your first has gone? What supports were useful? What support do you need moving into your second year?

2nd Year Students: 

1. Plan of Study/Progress Report...................................................................... Page # Start 
   (Does not need to be signed by adviser before submission)
2. CV.................................................................................................................. Page # Start
3. Reflection Template...................................................................................... Page # Start
4. Articulate your philosophy of leadership and corresponding plan for continuing development of leadership skills.          Page # Start 
   (Suggested submission: Nursing 890FR Leadership for Health Justice Assignment #8 [Leadership Philosophy Statement and IDP])
5. Demonstrate qualitative thinking and inductive reasoning.............................. Page # Start 
   (Suggested submission: Nursing 890FR Inductive Reasoning Research Design Assignment Parts 1-4)
6. Philosophy of teaching and learning.............................................................. Page # Start
   (Suggested submission: Nursing 890SP Create New Futures: Policy, Pedagogy, and Publishing for Impact Week 5 Assignment: Teaching Philosophy Statement)
7. Implementing Research.................................................................................. Page # Start
   (Suggested submission: Final paper from N890SR Research Design II: Designing and Implementing the Research Study)
8. Public Engagement Plan................................................................................. Page # Start
   (Suggested submission: Nursing 890SP Create New Futures: Policy, Pedagogy, and Publishing for Impact Week 9 Assignment: Public Engagement Plan)

Evaluation of the Portfolio 

Portfolios are reviewed by a committee of the Graduate Faculty who are familiar with the nature and objectives of our program and coursework. PhD students are encouraged to read the Committee’s feedback in its entirety and to incorporate recommendations into advising discussions.  

A three-person Comprehensive Exam Committee is responsible for refining annual portfolio requirements and evaluation standards. The PhD Program Director, PhDAM Chair, and the Dean will finalize selection of committee members. The Comprehensive Exam Committee is typically composed of faculty who have recently taught the required first and second year PhD courses and must include at least one faculty member who has previously participated in the generation and evaluation of the Comprehensive Exam. 

According to our PhD program policies for academic progression, outcomes of the portfolio review are: 

• Recommendation for continued academic progression (1st year) or PhD candidacy (2nd year) OR
• Referral to academic counseling with the PhD Program Director 

Upon successful completion and passage of the second year portfolio, PhD students may refer to themselves as "PhD candidate." 

In cases where portfolio requirements are not met during the 1st or 2nd year, outcomes of academic counseling with the PhD Program Director will be decided on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the student, advisor, and PhD Academic Matters Committee. This may include development of a structured learning contract with additional course requirements to address identified learning needs, referral to other academic programs, or recommendation against continued academic progression in the PhD program.

Candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) must complete an acceptable dissertation. 

A successful dissertation satisfies the following criteria:

1. Demonstrates the candidate’s intellectual competence;
2. Makes an original and valid contribution to nursing science; and
3. Is an achievement organized and led by the PhD candidate and the product of independent research.

The first step is to assign the dissertation committee (Appendix B). The dissertation research is conducted under the supervision of a dissertation committee, a group of at least three faculty members from the University of Massachusetts Amherst who have graduate faculty appointments with dissertation advising privileges. Two of the dissertation committee members must be chosen from the College of Nursing with one member serving as chairperson. The third graduate faculty member must be chosen from a department outside of nursing but within the University of Massachusetts Amherst. This person must also be a member of the graduate faculty.

The second step is to approval of the dissertation proposal (also known as the “Prospectus”). The student, under the guidance of the Dissertation Chair and the other committee members will develop a research proposal. It is the responsibility of the student to organize a meeting of the Dissertation Committee including the Chair of the Dissertation Committee, the other members, and the student, to discuss the research problem before approving the dissertation proposal. At this meeting, the student will present the proposal and with the committee will discuss the research plan.  

At the conclusion of the discussion, the Committee will determine the following:

1. Pass. The proposal is acceptable as is the student can proceed to the next step of the research process, which is usually submitting the proposal to the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB).
2. Pass with minor revisions. There is additional work on the proposal before proceeding to the IRB.
3. Pass with major revisions. There is substantial work that must be completed before the student can proceed. The committee will reconvene when the student has completed the additional work.
4. No pass. The proposal is not acceptable for a dissertation.  

All members of the dissertation committee and the Graduate Program Director must approve and sign the dissertation proposal and forward it to the Dean of the Graduate School (Appendix B). The approved dissertation proposal must be submitted to the Graduate School at least seven months prior to the dissertation defense. 

The actual structure of the dissertation manuscript will be decided on by the PhD Candidate and the Committee (all formats must be consistent with the requirements of the library as noted below). The following outline illustrates potential formats including the “traditional” (book-style) and several versions of a manuscript-based dissertation.

'Traditional’ or Book-style Format:

Dissertation may be written in the chapter format (1) Introduction, 2) Background/ROL/Theoretical framework, 3) Methods, 4) Findings, 5) Discussion/Conclusions) or be constructed in the manuscript format. Other formats may be acceptable, but these two are the most common in nursing at present. Typically, the dissertation proposal is comprised of the first three chapters (1) Introduction, 2) Background/ROL/theoretical framework, 3) Methods.

Manuscript format:

The manuscript style dissertation typically is written in five chapters with the same first (Introduction) and last (Discussion/Application/Conclusions) chapters as the 5-chapter format. The other chapters consist of manuscripts that will be (or have been) submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Students are highly encouraged to consult with their advisors and Dissertation Committee members prior to submitting any manuscripts for peer review. At least one of the manuscripts will contain data-based results and interpretation of the dissertation study. The student and committee will determine the contents of the manuscripts. Manuscripts often include a synthesis of the literature, a methods paper, a paper on clinical, theoretical or policy implications, and others. Authorships should be determined in advance according to the suggested guidelines. It is expected that the student will serve as lead author on all manuscripts generated as part of the manuscript-style dissertation.

Other dissertation formats may be possible. The dissertation format should be discussed and approved by the Dissertation Committee and meet all Graduate School requirements. 

Steps for Scheduling the Oral Prospectus & Final Defense

EMCON PhD Program Progression Milestones (required for graduation):

• QUALIFYING EXAM
  • Passage of a qualifying exam (also known as “Comps” or the “written comprehensive exam”) offered after 1st year coursework
• COURSEWORK
  • Completion of required coursework & electives/cognates (3 required)
• RESEARCH RESIDENCY
  • Completion of the 120-hour mentored research residency & submission of signed residency contract to PhD Program Director
• PROPOSAL
  • Formation of a Dissertation Committee
  • Oral Prospectus (also known as the “Proposal Defense”) wherein the PhD candidate proposes an original research study to their dissertation committee
• DISSERTATION PHASE
  • Enrollment in Dissertation Seminar & Dissertation Credits (18 credits required)
• FINAL DEFENSE
  • Final Oral Defense presenting outcomes of the dissertation project (also known as the “Dissertation Defense” or “Final defense”)
• DEGREE PAPERWORK
  • Submission of all required paperwork & documentation of degree eligibility to EMCON
  • Uploading & archiving of approved Dissertation to ScholarWorks

To File an Oral Proposal (Prospectus)

We advise filing your oral proposal at least one month ahead of time, to allow sufficient time for assessment of candidate eligibility and graduate faculty status.

1. Dissertation Committee:
   1. Work with your faculty advisor to:
      1. Confirm readiness to propose (this includes completion of all related requirements including any required core coursework, qualifying exam, and mentored research residency hours)
      2. Identify members of the dissertation committee (1 EMCON faculty advisor, 1 EMCON faculty, and 1 faculty from another UMass Amherst department)
2. Graduate Faculty Status:
   1. Confirm all 3 committee members already have “Graduate Faculty Status”. If they do not, they will have to apply for it. 
   2. PLEASE NOTE: Approval of Graduate Faculty Status for first-time applicants now requires completion of an 8-hour in-person graduate mentoring workshop through the Graduate School. Allow sufficient time for any faculty members who must apply for Graduate Faculty Status to achieve this requirement.
3. Schedule a date for the oral proposal:
   1. Create a signature page, formatted according to requirements for Dissertations, and inclusive of the following information:
      1. Title of proposal
      2. Name of candidate
      3. Names of committee members
   2. Identify a date & time that works for all committee members for the proposal defense
      1. Allow at least 90 minutes for the defense
      2. Usually candidates present their proposal for ~30 minutes followed by Q&A from the committee and private deliberation
   3. Determine whether the defense will take place via ZOOM or in-person or hybrid
   4. Submit the following information to the r [dot] walker [at] umass [dot] edu (PhD Program Director) with a CC to the Graduate Program and Credentialing Assistant, Dorian Pariseau:
      1. A properly formatted electronic copy of the signature page for PhD Program Specialist to upload to DocuSign for committee to sign post-defense (the candidate should prepare this page)
      2. Date & time of the proposal defense
      3. Chair (faculty advisor) & committee members
   5. Once the Oral Proposal is completed and the proposal (including any required revisions) is approved, the Chair/faculty advisor should immediately notify the dpariseau [at] umass [dot] edu (PhD Program Specialist) who will circulate the signature page for electronic signatures from the Committee and GPD.

To File the Final Defense:

Important Provisos:

• We strongly advise filing for your defense at least six weeks ahead of time to allow sufficient time for planning and processing.
• ALL final defenses are required to be announced at least four weeks prior to the date of the defense (this policy is set by the Graduate School).
• To be eligible for May graduation, defenses must be completed & all documentation filed by the date(s) set by the Graduate School.
  • These dates vary year to year and are usually about 2 months before the date of graduation.
  • Since all defenses must be announced at least one month prior to the defense, this means plans for a defense often must be filed at least 3 months ahead of the planned graduation date.
• Please check the Graduate School website for exact dates & deadlines.

Steps for Filing for Final Defense:

1. DETERMINE READINESS TO DEFEND:
   1. Meet with your Faculty Advisor and review the following Graduate School policies:
      1. Checklist of Requirements to Graduate
      2. Checklist for Final Doctoral Oral Examination
      3. Doctoral Degree Eligibility Form
2. SCHEDULE DEFENSE DATE:
   1. The PhD Program Assistant needs at least 5 weeks’ notice of the final dissertation defense (dissertation title, day, date, time, room) and the Graduate School’s requirement of defense announcement is 1 month prior.
      1. If there is any doubt about which staff person to contact to do this, contact the r [dot] walker [at] umass [dot] edu (PhD Program Director) for clarification.
      2. The designated staff member is Dorian Pariseau.
         1. DO NOT email Cynthia Mendoza, who is no longer at UMass – these emails will not be received.
         2. DO NOT email Karen Ayotte, who is supporting other programs.
3. SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
   1. Submit the following information via email to dpariseau [at] umass [dot] edu (Dorian Pariseau), Graduate Program and Credentialing Assistant, with a CC to the PhD program director (r [dot] walker [at] umass [dot] edu):
      1. ATTACHMENTS THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED WITH THE EMAIL:
         1. Doctoral Degree Eligibility Form with top part completed & signed by the candidate
         2. Digital copy of a Flyer to Announce the Defense:
            1. This should be constructed by the PhD candidate

            2. Template available here: https://umass-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/rklimmek_umass_edu/EXu7DwzVR8dBmqBiCfM_-EcBc-6MGQ59H3vzo2yZmyyVlA?e=Avi3el

               It should include:

               1. Candidate name & department
               2. Title of dissertation
               3. Date & time of public defense
               4. Information about room(s) or ZOOM link
               5. Optional: Name of Chair, Committee members
               6. The PhD Program specialist will circulate this flyer to the Graduate School & EMCON with an email announcement of the defense

               7. Signed copy of Mentored Research Residency contract, documenting successful completion of residency with faculty signature

                  INFORMATION THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE BODY OF THE EMAIL:

                  1. Candidate name, title & department
                  2. Title of dissertation
                  3. Date & time of public defense
                  4. Any room request(s) & AV requirements (PhD Program Specialist can assist with reserving rooms for public & private portion of defense)
                  5. Name & title of Chair
                  6. Names of Committee members with contact info & their titles/departmental affiliations
               8. The PhD Program Specialist will use this information to construct signature pages for uploading & approval by the Committee and Dean in DocuSign following the defense.

Dissertation Defense

All Dissertation Defenses will be announced in the UMass Amherst electronic journal to invite interested Graduate Faculty and others to attend. The Office of Degree Requirements must receive written notification of the scheduling of a Final Oral Examination at least four weeks prior to the date of the defense. A defense cannot be held unless it has been publicly announced in the UMass Amherst electronic journal.

The student must come to the UMass Amherst campus for the defense (unless pandemic physical distancing requirements are in effect, in which case the Graduate School will provide advisement regarding acceptable formats for a defense).

Members of a student’s dissertation committee must be present in person or via video-teleconference for the final oral defense. (Note: All Graduate Faculty are invited to attend and cannot be excluded from the Dissertation Defense. Departments differ in allowing others to attend. Courtesy suggests that the Chair of the Committee, whose name is published in the UMass Amherst electronic journal, be consulted by others attending the Defense, with the stipulation above).

The Program strongly encourages that public defenses include both a public portion for the candidate’s presentation and general questions from the public/attendees, followed by a closed portion in which only members of the Dissertation Committee are present and can ask more technical questions of the candidate.

While other faculty may attend the defense, only the three official members of the Dissertation Committee may cast a vote.

There are three possible outcomes for a dissertation defense:

• First is “Pass,” no further action is required except submission to the Graduate School.
• The second possible outcome is “Pass with revisions.” In this case the dissertation is substantially completed and sound but requires further refinement before the committee approves the dissertation.
• The third outcome is “fail”.

A unanimous vote of Pass is required for the student to pass the Dissertation Defense. The dissertation must be approved and signed by all members of the Dissertation Committee and the Dean. See the Graduate School Handbook for specific instructions.

Successful completion of the dissertation defense is reported to the Graduate School in the form of a memorandum (Appendix B). A copy of this memorandum and the signatory page will be placed in the student’s file.

Steps for dissertation defense:

PhD Program Assistant needs at least 5 weeks’ notice of the final dissertation defense (dissertation title, day, date, time, room) and the Graduate School’s requirement of defense announcement is 1 month prior.

1. Student or Committee Chair reserves Skinner room for defense.
2. PhD Program Assistant will remind the student to send her the signed doctoral degree eligibility form (required from the PhD student).
3. PhD Program Assistant will construct the signature pages and send the signature page to the PhD Student.
4. Student is to bring at least 4 copies of the original signature pages to the day of the final oral defense.
5. Student must be present on the day of their dissertation defense.
6. ALL committee members must be present on the day of the oral defense.
7. Chair to set up zoom link for dissertation defense and sent to Graduate Faculty and PhD students.
8. Once the signature pages are signed, bring 2 original pages to PhD Program Assistant office room 032
9. Electronic Dissertation submission process: https://www.umass.edu/graduate/handbook/degree-requirements/electronic-dissertation-submission-process

Manuscript Instructions:

The dissertation must be typed in a proscribed style. (Refer to the Guidelines for Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations, available in the Office of Degree Requirements or online . The Graduate School is the final and only arbitrator of what is an acceptable dissertation. The dissertation shall be submitted to the Graduate School in electronic format, by the deadline for the appropriate degree-granting period, following the instructions of the Graduate School.

Two original signature pages for the dissertation must also be submitted by the deadline to the Graduate School, along with the Eligibility for Degree Form. A microfilm fee is required to cover the submission of the electronic dissertation and the microfilm publication.

Copyrighting the dissertation is required, however registering the copyright is optional. The dissertation will be cataloged in the Library of Congress and in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library. Microfilm copies may be purchased from University Microfilms Library Services, 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103-1500 or online. Publication by microfilm does not preclude the printing of the dissertation in whole or in part in a journal or as a monograph.

Consult the Office of Degree Requirements for degree requirement deadlines. It is strongly recommended that a technical review of the dissertation take place prior to the deadline. Materials returned after the deadline or not in accordance with technical requirements will be processed for the next degree-granting period.

All students must enroll for 18 dissertation credits. No student is exempt from this requirement. Normal tuition rates will apply. In addition, all students who matriculate in Fall of 2014 and beyond are required to enroll in a dissertation seminar N893A each semester while they are working on their dissertation. Continuous enrollment is required until completion of the dissertation.

Helpful information:

• CHECKLIST FOR DOCTORAL DEGREE
• CHECKLIST FOR FINAL DOCTORAL ORAL EXAMINATIONS

A list of current PhD advisors is maintained on the program intranet.

All Elaine Marieb College of Nursing faculty who hold a PhD or equivalent terminal research degree, maintain active programs of scholarship including recent (within the past 3 years) peer-reviewed data-based publications and/or research grants, who have graduate faculty status and who have completed the Graduate School’s required research mentor training for new graduate faculty advisors are potentially eligible to serve as Dissertation Chairs and primary advisors for PhD students. If a faculty member has not previously served in a PhD Dissertation Chair role at UMass or equivalent research-intensive institution, PhD advisor status is granted upon review of qualifications and approval by the PhD Academic Matters (PhDAM) committee.  

Students will be assigned an advisor whose program of research, CV, and strengths or background are congruent with the student’s area of interest, strengths, and career goals. Students are also encouraged to consider other persons within the University community and beyond who may be in a position to support their scholarly growth, physical social spiritual and/or mental well-being, and/or serve as accountability partners for emancipatory and anti-racist nursing praxis. In some cases, PhD students may be assigned co-advisors, with one advisor serving in a primary role and another acting as an additional support person for the student. 

The program recognizes that a PhD and/or other criteria listed above for Dissertation Committee Chairs is not the end all, be all of what constitutes “expertise” to mentor and guide scholarly development – in fact, far from it.  Expertise also resides in lived experience, which may have no relationship whatsoever to a particular degree. As such, we recognize that many different types of individuals and communities may serve as vital guides and supports on the path to one’s PhD (and beyond). Further, we encourage students to look outside their particular nursing program track, to engage with persons involved in the community and scholarship of other disciplines as well as other types of nursing practice preparation (DNP, MSN, AD, RN, LPN, and CNA), teaching, community organizing and activism, policy, communications, and leadership. 

PhD students are encouraged to meet regularly with their advisors to outline their plan of study, discuss academic coursework, prepare for the comprehensive exam and dissertation, and co-create a plan for professional development. If a student wants to change advisors, they are encouraged to meet with the director of the PhD program to facilitate the change. 

PhD Program Office

Dorian Pariseau, Program Specialist
University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Nursing
032 Skinner Hall
Amherst, MA 01003-9304