PhD Curriculum Requirements
Students who are matriculated in Fall 2023 or after complete 41 credits of required coursework + 18 required dissertation credits (59 credits):
EMCON PhD Program Plan of Study by Semester
| Term 1 | Fall, Year 1 | |
| N790F | History & Political Economies of Philosophy of Science: Big Ideas in Nursing | 3 cr |
| N790FR | Edge-runners in Nursing’s Research, Scholarship & Innovation | 3 cr |
| N790E | Experiential & Community-guided Approaches to Nursing’s Research and Innovation | 3 cr |
| N790A* | Introduction to Statistics (asynchronous online) | (3 cr)* |
| N890YX | Pre-Dissertation Community & Skills-Building Seminar 1 | 1 cr |
| TOTAL TERM 1: | 10-13 credits |
*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
| Term 2 | Spring, Year 1 | |
| N790SP | Theory and Connections to Praxis: Putting Ideas to Work | 3 cr |
| N790SR | Transformative Research Design I: Working with Accountability Partners to Define the Research Focus | 3 cr |
| N790SC | Deductive Reasoning (previously known as “Intermediate Stats”) | 3 cr |
| N890ZX | Pre-Dissertation Community & Skills-Building Seminar 2 | 1 cr |
| Option for additional electives including those associated with Certificate programs | variable | |
| TOTAL TERM 2: | 10+ cr |
+ 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.
| Term 3 | Fall, Year 2 | |
| N890FP | Visionary Anti-racist Leadership I: Developing Accountable, Sustainable, Transformative Praxis | 3 cr |
| N890FR | Transformative Research Design II: Operationalizing the Research & Project Management | 3 cr |
| N890FC | Inductive & Complex Reasoning (previously known as “Qualitative & Mixed Methods”) | 3 cr |
| N890YX* | Pre-Dissertation Community & Skills-Building Seminar 1 (advanced) | 1 cr |
| Option for additional electives including those associated with Certificate programs | variable | |
| TOTAL TERM 3: | 10+ cr |
*N890YX (advanced) strongly encouraged but not required
| Term 4 | Spring, Year 2 | |
| N890FP | Visionary Anti-racist Leadership II: Policy, Pedagogy & Dissemination for Impact | 3 cr |
| xxxx | Elective: Research Design - any department | 3 cr |
| xxxx | Elective: Power, Critical Reasoning & Analysis – any department | 3 cr |
| N890ZX* | Pre-Dissertation Community & Skills-Building Seminar 2 (advanced) | 1 cr |
| Option for additional electives including those associated with Certificate programs | variable | |
| TOTAL TERM 4: | 10+ cr |
+ Completion of a 120-hour mentored research residency prior to approval of the dissertation prospectus
*N890ZX (advanced) strongly encouraged but not required
| Term 5 & beyond | Beyond completion of first 4 terms of coursework and with successful passage of comprehensive exam assessment | |
| N893A (fall) or N893B (spring)** | Dissertation Seminar | 1 cr |
| N899 | Dissertation credits | variable |
| Option for additional electives including those associated with Certificate programs | ||
| TOTAL TERM 5+: | Variable* |
**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:
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| N700 | History of Nursing Science and Philosophy | 3 |
| N710 | Quantitative Methods in Nursing Research | 3 |
| N716 | Intermediate Statistics for Health Research | 3 |
| N720 | State of the Discipline of Nursing | 3 |
| N730 | Qualitative Methods in Nursing Research | 3 |
| N775 | Measurement in Health Research | 3 |
| N810 | Advanced Nursing Research | 3 |
| N820 | Emerging Nursing Theory | 3 |
| N870 | Role of the Scholar and Leader | 3 |
| N897A | Special Topics in Health Research | 3 |
Advanced Methods Elective
| 3 | |
| N893A | Dissertation Seminar (Fall) | 1 |
| N893B | Dissertation Seminar (Spring) | 1 |
| N899 | Dissertation | 18 |
| TOTAL CREDITS | 59 |
+ Comprehensive Examination
+ Mentored Research Experience (120 hours minimum)
Post Baccalaureate students must also complete course requirements for the Masters in Nursing Science (MSNS), including:
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| N614 | Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning | 3 |
| N615 | Advanced Pathophysiology | 3 |
| N619 | Advanced Pharmacology | 3 |
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 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.