Nursing (PhD)

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing
Unit: School of Nursing (GN)
Program Website 
Academic Plan Code(s): NURSPHDBSN, NURSPHDMSN, NURSPHDDNP

Program Information

The Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing is designed to prepare nurse scientists to assume a variety of roles in education, research, leadership, and health policy. The program prepares nurse scientists to:

• Generate knowledge, test interventions and evaluate outcomes to reduce risks of illness/disability and promote quality of life;
• Collaborate with other disciplines to improve the delivery of healthcare;
• Assume research, leadership, executive, public policy and/or teaching roles; and,
• Affect health policy through the application of scientific knowledge.

Three progression options are offered: 1) BSN to PhD  2) MSN to PhD and 3) DNP to PhD.  The BSN to PhD students complete the first year of coursework at the master's level. The MSN to PhD and DNP to PhD students enter directly into doctoral coursework.

The PhD in Nursing consists of at least 55 credit hours of coursework beyond the baccalaureate degree, 40 credit hours beyond a master's degree and 31 credit hours beyond a DNP, plus dissertation credit hours. Full and part-time programs of study are available.

Following completion of course work, students take a qualifying examination. A dissertation is required once coursework is completed and the qualifying exam is successfully taken. The dissertation may be completed in a traditional or manuscript option format.

Admissions Criteria

A holistic review process is used when considering applications for admission to the PhD Program in Nursing.  The holistic review considers multiple criteria for admission including: the applicant’s professional career goals, academic capabilities, GPA, work experience, leadership, and community engagement, and incorporates the use of an admission rubric for consistency.

The University of Louisville School of Nursing participates in Nursing's Centralized Application Service (NursingCAS), which collects and processes application documents and verifies transcripts.  The School of Nursing receives application information from NursingCAS and uses it to make admission decisions. Please note, the GRE is not required for admission consideration for this program.

1. A completed NursingCAS application
   1. Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate college coursework are required. An undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale is recommended for BSN-PhD and a graduate cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale is recommended for MSN-PhD and DNP-PhD. 
      • For applicants with a degree conferred in the United States the degree must be from a regionally-accredited institution and an NLN- or CCNE- accredited nursing program.
      • For applicants with a degree conferred outside the United States a course-by-course transcript evaluation prepared by World Education Services (WES), Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), or some other NACES-approved evaluator is required.
   2. International students for whom English is not their primary language must show English language proficiency via the TOEFL examination, IELTS examination or, Duolingo examination. For Duolingo, only scores with sub scores will be accepted, and tests must have been taken after January 1, 2020. Minimum acceptable scores are: 105 for Duolingo; 80 for TOEFL; 6.5 for IELTS. Scores should be sent to directly NursingCAS by the testing agency. International students who have earned a bachelor’s degree, or higher, from a regionally-accredited institution in the United States are exempt from the testing requirement. 
   3. Three professional letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak to academic and/or professional capabilities and potential for a scholarly career. Recommendations should be from former faculty members, current or immediate past employer, or other nursing/health professionals. At least two references must be from nurses. Recommendations must have been completed within the last year.
   4. A Current or curriculum vitae (CV) or resume. Please include a list of publications, if applicable.
   5. An unencumbered nursing license. International students need to be licensed as registered nurses in their country of origin, if licensure is available. If direct patient care activities are provided, Kentucky RN licensure must be obtained prior to December in the first year of study.
   6. A personal statement describing career goals, area(s) of expertise, research interest(s), and reasons for pursuing doctoral studies. Maximum three pages in 12-point font. 
2. Personal interview with School of Nursing faculty will be required.
3. Criminal background check. A pre-admission Certified Background Check is needed.  Please use school code IP66bg.  For international applicants the pre-admission background check requirement is satisfied during the visa application process.

Applicants accepted into the MSN-PhD and DNP-PhD programs are strongly advised to have completed a three (3) credit hour graduate level statistics course (applied descriptive and inferential statistics) with a grade of B (3.0) or higher within five years of the enrollment date. Applicants who wish to take a refresher statistics course will be advised of available statistics courses to take prior to beginning PhD coursework in statistics.

Program Requirements

BSN-PhD students will complete 15 credit hours of required master's-level courses.

BSN-PhD and MSN-PhD Students will complete the following 40 credit hours of required doctoral-level courses, the qualifying exam, and a dissertation:

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Cognate courses support the student’s dissertation research and are chosen with approval from the advisor; they may include coursework outside of the School of Nursing. Students should consult their advisor before registration to discuss options.

DNP-PhD Coursework