PhD Degree Program in the Penn State School of Nursing
In This Section:
Purpose
The purpose of the PhD program in nursing is to develop clinical scholars, faculty and researchers who can teach and provide leadership through scientific inquiry and innovative practice. Individualized plans of study allow each student to develop depth of expertise and research capability within a specialized area whichpromotes career goals.
Degree Requirements
Students entering with a M.S. degree in nursing will complete a minimum of 58 credits organized within four components:
A. Nursing Science Core (12 credits)
The core of four required nursing courses is designed to address the philosophical base and the essence of nursing science and provide students with the requisite knowledge to conceptualize and operationalize nursing science and practice.
- NURS 580, The Epistemology of Nursing Science (3 credits)
- NURS 581, Abstractions in Nursing Science (3 credits)
- NURS 582, Scientific Basis for Nursing Practice (3 credits)
- NURS 583, Advanced Seminar in Nursing Science (3 credits)
B. Research Methodology and Statistics Core (22 credits minimum)
The research methods component is designed to enable graduates to critically evaluate and extend published research within a well-defined specialty area. Competency is expected in qualitative and quantitative research methods as well as in-depth knowledge of specific research methods for pursuing the student's individual research program. Required core research courses include:
- NURS 585, Qualitative Methods in Health Research (3 credits)
- NURS 586, Quantitative Methods in Nursing Research (3 credits)
- NURS 587, Ethics in Research (1 credit)
- NURS 590, Colloquium-Nursing Research Seminar (minimum 3 credits required)
- NURS 597, Independent Study on a faculty-mentored research project (minimum 3 credits required)
C. Courses for Individual Specialty (15 credits minimum, 6 of which must be non-nursing credits, required)
The student will be expected to develop in-depth knowledge of the area of specialization through course work and independent study in nursing and/or other disciplines within the College of Health and Human Development or other Colleges of the University. The student's specialty courses build on the nursing core and the methodology/statistics core in any of the following ways: 1) a minor in an interdisciplinary field; 2) mix of nursing and interdisciplinary courses; or 3) nursing electives or independent study with a nurse researcher to develop a specific interest area.
D. Dissertation (9 credits minimum)
The dissertation will focus on a well-defined researchable problem relevant to the knowledge domain of nursing. The dissertation research topic originates from the student who writes a research proposal and presents it to the doctoral committee in a formal hearing.
For further information, please refer to the 
Ph.D. Handbook.