Nursing (Ph.D.)

Program Coordinator/Contact

Mary Minton, Associate Dean for Graduate Nursing
Department of Graduate Nursing
Wagner Hall 217, Box 2275
605-688-4114

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 Ph.D. program educates nurse scientists in academic, research, practice and policy roles to address healthcare issues in urban, rural, frontier, and reservation areas.

Program Objectives

The graduate of the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing program will demonstrate the competencies:

Conduct original research relevance to the discipline of nursing.
Integrate nurse scholar and scientist role components of research, teaching, leadership, mentoring, and service to the profession.
Contribute to the advancement and dissemination of nursing science.

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 Format

Nursing courses are delivered face-to-face and enhanced with web-based instruction. Online course delivery is also offered for specified courses.

Available Options for Graduate Degrees

Doctor of Philosophy	60 Credit Plan
	90 Credit Plan

Core Requirements

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

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 898D - Dissertation - PhD (COM) Credits: 1-24 (19-22 credits required)
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.

Additional Admission Requirements

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

In addition to meeting the requirements of SDSU Graduate School, applicants must have:

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 Graduate Nursing Program via NursingCAS website.
Completed an approved statistical methods course within the past five years.
Example of scholarly written work.
Interview with graduate faculty.
Compliance requirements: Background check, FBI rolled fingerprint, drug screen, Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers, professional liability insurance, influenza vaccine, and TB test.
Applicants who have begun but not completed a graduate nursing program at another college or university must submit a letter to the College of Nursing indicating their reason for leaving that said program. A letter of recommendation must also be submitted to the College of Nursing from the dean/director of their former program that includes the applicant’s standing in that program upon exit.

General Requirements

Graduate students must consult with their advisor before registering for graduate work.

For additional information refer to the Doctor of Philosophy Degree Requirements .