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.

  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. 
    2. 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  
    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. Current 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 the research trajectory involves direct patient care activities, a 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. 
    7. Payment of a supplemental UofL Graduate School application fee in the amount of $40.00. No additional documents are required.
  2. Personal interview with School of Nursing faculty will be required.
  3. 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.

BSN to PhD Coursework
Courses
NURS 607Foundational Concepts of Evidence Based Practice3
NURS 657Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Culturally Diverse and Vulnerable Populations3
NURS 743Epidemiology3
Minimum Total Hours9

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

Post-Master's Coursework
NURS 700Theoretical Basis of Nursing3
NURS 702Philosophy of Science3
NURS 710Qualitative Research Methods3
NURS 711Quantitative Research Methods3
NURS 712Nursing Measurement3
NURS 714Analysis of Existing Data3
NURS 715Designing Mixed Methods Research in Nursing and Healthcare3
NURS 725Analysis of Leadership and Health Policy3
NURS 735Socialization into the Role of the Nurse Scientist1
NURS 736Dissemination of Research Findings1
NURS 737Grant Proposal Development1
NURS 738Responsible Conduct of Research1
NURS 791Applied Statistics for Evidence Based Practice3
NURS 890Dissertation for the PhD in Nursing 112
Advanced Statistics Course3
Two Cognates 26
Minimum Total Hours52

 
DNP-PhD Coursework

NURS 700Theoretical Basis of Nursing3
NURS 702Philosophy of Science3
NURS 710Qualitative Research Methods3
NURS 711Quantitative Research Methods3
NURS 712Nursing Measurement3
NURS 714Analysis of Existing Data3
NURS 715Designing Mixed Methods Research in Nursing and Healthcare3
NURS 735Socialization into the Role of the Nurse Scientist1
NURS 736Dissemination of Research Findings1
NURS 737Grant Proposal Development1
NURS 738Responsible Conduct of Research1
Advanced Statistics Courses6
NURS 890Dissertation for the PhD in Nursing 112
Minimum Total Hours43
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.