Welcome to our Online Community of Excellence. . .

In our PhD Program, delivered online, you can:

Realize your potential as a nurse as you prepare for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

Prepare you to pursue a career as a nurse researcher, develop nursing knowledge and address the health care needs of diverse populations.

Focus your passion for nursing science.
Your ultimate career as a researcher may find you in academia, industry, or public health. The needs for the development of nursing knowledge and leadership abound in all these settings.

Share the excitement of cutting-edge research
Develop your research skills by working with world-class nurse researchers in a variety of areas.

Challenge your intellectual curiosity in our state-of-the-art E-learning community
Experience the power and convenience of E-learning.

Build lifelong collegial relationships in an international community of students, faculty, alumni and scholars

 Frequently Asked Questions 

Why should I consider a doctorate in nursing?

• Consider a doctorate if you want a career as a nurse researcher in a clinical, academic, or scientific environment.

• Having a match to at least one of the faculty's research areas at the UA College of Nursing is extremely important for any applicant to be admitted. You will have a faculty also serve as a mentor as you go through the program, which will be especially important during the dissertation stage. For more information please see this article entitled "Finding a Match and a Mentor in PhD Study". To view our faculty's research interest areas at the University of Arizona College of Nursing, please view our online Mentor Match search.

• Our graduate nursing program consistently ranks in the top 4% nationally, according to U.S. News and World Report.
• Our faculty of world-renowned scholars and researchers will be your teachers and mentors.
• Our student-centered learning and research model is focused on YOU.
• The collegial relationships developed in our community of excellence will be yours for a lifetime

• Our PhD, using online delivery, has have the same content and rigor of a face-to-face program, but with the enhanced learning and increased student-student and faculty-student interaction that only E-learning can provide.

• The University of Arizona continues to be one of the most affordable programs in the USA.
• Scholarships, financial aid and tuition waivers are available.
• Predoctoral fellowships and research assistantships are also available.

• You will come to Tucson for an exciting, intensive 2-week research immersion pre-session each year.

• Pre and post-doctoral fellowships are available in a number of specialties.
• On-campus research experience and mentoring is encouraged.

 Curriculum Overview 

Three research focal areas are listed below.

Understanding Mechanisms to Prevent and Treat Biological Injury

• Understanding Mechanisms to Prevent/Reduce Biological Injury
• Understanding Mechanisms to Treat Biological Injury
• Genetics to Prevent Biological Injury
  View Faculty in this focal area

Reducing Risks and Promoting Health in Vulnerable Populations

• Reducing Risks
• Promoting Health
• Supporting Decision Making to Promote Health/Reduce Risks
  View Faculty in this focal area
  

Managing Consequences of Aging or Chronic Illness

• Managing Symptoms in Chronic Illness
• Managing Symptoms in Aging
• Self Management to Improve Quality of Life
  View Faculty in this focal area

Research interests of the applicant and the match with the on-going research of the faculty member should be described as in-depth and specific as possible in the Research Interest Statement within the PhD in Nursing Application. See faculty websites for specific research interests. Contact faculty via email or telephone for more in-depth information. Potential students are encouraged to define a close research match with a current faculty’s on-going research interests. See Mentor Match in the Research section of this site.

All students will come to campus for an exciting 2-week Research Intensive Summer Experience (RISE) each year for the first three years of doctoral study. As part of the summer research immersion, you will enroll in a 1 unit of NURS 696F, Student Forum.

International students wishing to attend UA to study in-residence will be required to register for 6 units of non online courses each Spring and Fall semester.

Additional coursework is selected on an individual basis by the student and his/her Doctoral Advising Committee.

 Program of Study 

The program of study includes the Nursing major and a minor.  The Nursing major includes course work in the following areas:  Substantive Area of Research, Scientist/Academic Role, Philosophy and Theory, Research Methods, and Dissertation.:

Fifteen units of course work are to be completed from one substantive area. Couses vary according to individual substantive area.  Six of the fifteen units must include a 3-unit synthesis seminar (NURS 796 Synthesis Seminar) and a 3-unit research residency (NURS 791 Preceptorship).  The three substantive areas are:

• Understanding Mechanisms to Prevent and Treat Biological Injury

• Reducing Risks and Promoting Health in Vulnerable Populations

• Managing Consequences of Aging or Chronic Illness

Scientist/Academic Role (4 units)

NURS 795A:  Professional Role

Development (1 unit)

NURS 602: Academic Faculty Role:  Theory and Application (3 units)

NURS 705: Nursing Metatheory (3 units)
NURS 706: Middle Range Theory (3 units)

NURS 730: Quantitative Methods in Clinical Nursing Research (3 units)
NURS 731: Qualitative Methods in Clinical Nursing Research (3 units)
NURS 631: Advanced Statistics for the Health Sciences (3 units)
NURS 696F: Student Forum (3 units, 1 unit taken during each RISE)

Dissertation (18 units)

NURS 920 : Dissertation (18 units, 1-9 units taken during any one term) Minor (9 units minimum, depending on departmental requirements)

The minor requirement can be met in one of two ways, both of which must receive prior approval from the Dissertation Committee and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

1. Nursing Minor:  Students may select an area of study within the nursing curriculum, such as Informatics, Rural Health, Border Health, Biological Injury, Reducing Risks and Promoting Health in Vulnerable Populations, or Managing Consequesces of Aging or Chronic Illness.

2. Outside Minor: A student may choose another area or discipline for a minor. Other areas may include anthropology, psychology, management & policy, or sociology. Note: This coursework may not be available via online technology. In addition, departments or colleges may require more than 9 units to qualify as an official minor. While outside minors are possible, students will need to make special arrangements with the minor department, as well as their academic advisors. Students are strongly encouraged to complete an inside minor.

Time Limitation:  Students must successfully defend the dissertation within 5 years of completion of written and oral examinations.

 Sample Program of Study 

MS - PhD Entry

BSN - PhD Entry

The BSN-PhD is available to students who have completed their undergraduate nursing degree. Students who enter the PhD Program through this option must complete 15 hours of master's foundational courses during the beginning portion of the curriculum.

 Requirements for Admission 
Admission is based on an evaluation of the following:

• BSN cumulative GPA of 3.0.
• Graduate cumulative GPA of 3.5.
• Completed application form including statements related to professional goals and research interests as well as a summary of educational and employment experiences.
• Three letters of reference attesting to the applicant's potential to succeed in doctoral study.
• Official transcripts of all post-secondary academic work.
• Computer literacy.

Applicants may submit other credentials which they believe reflect their abilities.

A telephone interview will be conducted by members of the Doctoral Program Committee for top applicants.

PhD Application Deadline: January 15th, with notification on or about March 10th.

Apply Online

• Apply to the University of Arizona Graduate College.
• Apply to the College of Nursing.
• Submit all application materials by preferred deadline dates.

  International applicants:

• Submit Graduate College application materials by international deadline dates.
• Complete the TOEFL with a minimum score of 213.

 Financial Assistance 
Various forms of financial assistance are available.

You are encouraged to apply for funding through either an institutional or individual Nursing Research Service Award (NRSA). Other financial support can be obtained through Research Assistantships and through Teaching Assistantships as these positions become available.

You can also apply for various scholarships/fellowships offered through the Graduate College and the College of Nursing. Information for general graduate scholarships can be found at grad.admin.arizona.edu. See also Scholarship Opportunities on this site.

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