Nursing (PhD)
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.
- A completed NursingCAS application
- 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-, ACEN-, 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.
- International students for whom English is not their primary language must show English language proficiency via the Graduate School English language proficiency requirements at the following link: English Language Proficiency | Graduate School
- 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.
- Current curriculum vitae (CV) or resume. Please include a list of publications, if applicable.
- An unencumbered nursing license. International students need to be licensed as registered nurses in their country of origin, if licensure is available. If the research trajectory involves direct patient care activities, a Kentucky RN licensure must be obtained prior to December in the first year of study.
- 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.
- Payment of a supplemental UofL Graduate School application fee in the amount of $40.00. No additional documents are required.
- 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.
- Personal interview with School of Nursing faculty will be required.
- Criminal background check. A pre-admission Certified Background Check is needed. For international applicants the pre-admission background check requirement is satisfied during the visa application process.
Program Requirements
BSN-PhD students will complete nine (9) credit hours of required courses in addition to the MSN to PhD curriculum.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
BSN to PhD Coursework | ||
Courses | ||
NURS 607 | Foundational Concepts of Evidence Based Practice | 3 |
NURS 657 | Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Culturally Diverse and Vulnerable Populations | 3 |
NURS 743 | Epidemiology | 3 |
Minimum Total Hours | 9 |
MSN-PhD Students will complete the following 40 credit hours of required doctoral-level courses, the qualifying exam, and a dissertation:
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Post-Master's Coursework | ||
NURS 700 | Theoretical Basis of Nursing | 3 |
NURS 702 | Philosophy of Science | 3 |
NURS 710 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
NURS 711 | Quantitative Research Methods | 3 |
NURS 712 | Nursing Measurement | 3 |
NURS 714 | Analysis of Existing Data | 3 |
NURS 715 | Designing Mixed Methods Research in Nursing and Healthcare | 3 |
NURS 725 | Analysis of Leadership and Health Policy | 3 |
NURS 735 | Socialization into the Role of the Nurse Scientist | 1 |
NURS 736 | Dissemination of Research Findings | 1 |
NURS 737 | Grant Proposal Development | 1 |
NURS 738 | Responsible Conduct of Research | 1 |
NURS 791 | Applied Statistics for Evidence Based Practice | 3 |
NURS 890 | Dissertation for the PhD in Nursing 1 | 12 |
Advanced Statistics Course | 3 | |
Two Cognates 2 | 6 | |
Minimum Total Hours | 52 |
DNP-PhD Coursework
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
NURS 700 | Theoretical Basis of Nursing | 3 |
NURS 702 | Philosophy of Science | 3 |
NURS 710 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
NURS 711 | Quantitative Research Methods | 3 |
NURS 712 | Nursing Measurement | 3 |
NURS 714 | Analysis of Existing Data | 3 |
NURS 715 | Designing Mixed Methods Research in Nursing and Healthcare | 3 |
NURS 735 | Socialization into the Role of the Nurse Scientist | 1 |
NURS 736 | Dissemination of Research Findings | 1 |
NURS 737 | Grant Proposal Development | 1 |
NURS 738 | Responsible Conduct of Research | 1 |
Advanced Statistics Courses | 6 | |
NURS 890 | Dissertation for the PhD in Nursing 1 | 12 |
Minimum Total Hours | 43 |
- 1
NURS 890 can be taken in increments of three (3), four (4), or six (6) credit hours for a total of twelve (12) credit hours.
- 2
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.