Nursing (Ph.D.)

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Program Information
The Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing prepares nurse scientists to assume roles as health care researchers, faculty, and health care administrators with an emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention in under-served and rural populations. The PhD program will educate nurse scientists in academic, research, practice and policy issues in urban, rural, frontier, and reservation areas.

Program Objectives
The graduate of the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing program will demonstrate the following:

Discover and disseminate knowledge relevant to the discipline of nursing with a focus on health promotion and disease prevention in underserved and rural populations.
Provide leadership for increasingly complex roles in nursing research, practice, and education and/or healthcare organizations.
Develop theoretical frameworks of phenomena related to nursing science.
Provide leadership for the analysis and resolution of ethical healthcare issues in an interdisciplinary context.
Integrate cultural learning into nursing practice to effectively tailor healthcare to the diverse lifeways of clients.
Seek to decrease health disparities among populations by addressing socioeconomic-political-cultural determinants of health.
Contribute to the advancement of the science of nursing serving rural and underserved populations.

Accreditation, Certification, and Licensure
Licensure
Students who are Registered Nurses must provide evidence of professional registration by submitting a copy of the most current RN license. International students who are Registered Nurses must provide evidence of national registration in good standing in their home country.

Course Delivery
Nursing courses are delivered face-to-face and enhanced with web-based instruction. Online course delivery is also offered for specified courses. Courses are offered fall, spring and summer semesters. Selected nursing and elective courses are available in summer semesters.

Curriculum Plans
Nurse scientists are prepared with a foundation in research methods and statistics to develop proposals, study, analyze, and solve healthcare problems among those who carry an excess burden of illness. The doctoral program requires a minimum of 60 credits post master’s for graduation. Four and five year Curriculum Plans are the most common, although a three year plan is available.

Available Options for Graduate Degrees

Doctor of Philosophy	60 Credit Plan
	90 Credit Plan

Core Requirements

HSC 631 - Biostatistics I Credits: 3
HSC 731 - Biostatistics II Credits: 3
NURS 615 - Foundations of Advanced Nursing Credits: 3 **
NURS 670 - Health Policy, Legislation, Economics and Ethics Credits: 3 **
NURS 675 - Cultural Competence in Health Care Credits: 3 **
NURS 810 - Doctoral Seminar Credits: 1
(3 credits required)
NURS 815 - Philosophical Basis for Nursing Inquiry Credits: 3
NURS 820 - Theory Development in Nursing Credits: 3
NURS 825 - Qualitative Research Methods in Nursing Credits: 3
NURS 830 - Quantitative Methods in Nursing Research Credits: 3
NURS 835 - Ethical Issues Influencing Practice and Research in Health Credits: 2
NURS 840 - Health Promotion Theory and Research in Underserved Populations Credits: 3 **
NURS 845 - Measurement and Instrument Evaluation in Health Sciences Research Credits: 3 **
NURS 895 - Practicum Credits: 1-3
(3 credits required)
NURS 898 - Dissertation - PhD
Credits: 19-22
Electives Credits: 12-15 (60 Credit Plan), 27-30 (90 Credit Plan)
*Must include one additional statistics or research methods course. Methods or statistics will be found in the title. Graduate students must consult with their advisors prior to registration.

** Courses required to be completed only as part of the 90 Credit Plan.

Additional Admission Requirements

GRE: Not required
TOEFL: Score of 600 paper-based, 100 Internet-based
IELTS: 7.0 total band

Current RN licensure. (International students who are nurses are required to show proof of current licensure/registration as a Registered Nurse (or equivalent), in good standing, in their home country, and maintain that licensure throughout the duration of the program.)
Bachelor’s degree in nursing from an accredited program
Master’s degree in nursing or a related field of study from an accredited program
Minimum GPA of 3.3 in master’s coursework.
Completed application to both SDSU Graduate School and the SDSU College of Nursing- Graduate Nursing Program.
Example of scholarly written work.
Interview with graduate faculty.

Students who are licensed practitioners are required to show proof of personal liability insurance at the $1 million/ $5 million OR $1 million/ $3million level if appropriate during the time they are engaging with human subjects in dissertation research.

Applicants should check with the Graduate Nursing office for application deadlines.

General Requirements

Registration is completed by the Graduate Nursing Department. Items 3-5 in the list below are required prior to initial registration and all subsequent registrations.

FBI background check
Drug screening
Basic Life Support for Health Providers
Influenza vaccine
TB test

See Doctor of Philosophy Degree Requirements.