Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing — PhD
The PhD in Nursing is designed for nurses who are driven to discover, challenge, and lead in healthcare science, policy, intervention, and technology. Auburn’s PhD students will work alongside scholars and scientists in many disciplines, developing innovative and practical solutions to the healthcare challenges of today and the future.
PhD graduates will provide leadership to the nursing profession: preparing new generations of professionals, expanding healthcare excellence in their communities and globally, driving innovative research and scientific advancement, and exploring new technologies and programs to create lasting health and wellness.
Full-time PhD students can complete their plan of study in nine semesters. The PhD program is primarily online. Auburn uses a variety of state-of-the-art online and distance learning technologies and techniques to facilitate the program and enrich the student learning experience.
Admission Criteria:
- Have earned a master's degree in nursing OR bachelor’s degree in nursing and non-nursing master's degree, or Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from an accredited nursing program from a U.S. regionally accredited institution or international equivalent.
- Minimum Nursing GPA of 3.0 (MSN or DNP nursing courses used to calculate nursing GPA).
- License as a Registered Nurse not Required*:
- *If you plan to take clinical nursing courses, an active, unrestricted United States RN license in the state where clinical hours will be completed is required before enrolling in the course.
- Provide three professional references for the online recommendation form from individuals familiar with your capabilities for doctoral study and for future performance as a nurse scholar and researcher. Generally, two references from former professors are expected.
- Submit a Professional Goal Statement of approximately 750-1000 words indicating your present research interests and career goals, including how the PhD in Nursing will prepare you to achieve those goals. Describe any prior experiences that have prepared you for doctoral study (previous research presentations and leadership roles in practice, education, or professional organizations).
- Provide a writing sample that demonstrates your ability to produce scholarly writing (ex. scholarly paper or coursework submitted for credit from a previous degree program).
- Provide a current curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.
- Complete an interview via telephone, on-campus, or videoconference, if requested.
Applications must be submitted and complete no later than the following deadlines:
Fall Semester Admission: May 1 deadline - ***International applicants should submit all required materials by February 1***
Continuation Requirements:
To progress through the program, all nursing graduate students must earn a grade of at least a B in all courses. Students receiving any two course grades of less than a B will be dismissed from the program. All PhD students must take and pass a comprehensive examination before commencing their dissertation research. The PhD comprehensive examination can be taken once the student has completed at least 28 credit hours of PhD course work.
MSN to PhD Plan of Study
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer | Hours |
| NURS 8340 Dev of Role of the Scientist | 3 | NURS 8460 Quant Res Design & Methods (pre-requisite is ERMA 7300 or STAT 7000; co-requisite is ERMA 7310 or STAT 7010) | 3 | NURS 8560 Synthesis Reviews | 3 |
| NURS 8350 Nurs Philos, Science, Theory | 3 | NURS 8770 Conceptual Design & Analysis | 3 | NURS 8750 Meas Hlthcare Res/Use of Data (pre-requisite is ERMA 7310 or STAT 7010) | 3 |
| ERMA 7300 Design and Analysis in Ed Ior STAT 7000: Experimental Statistics | 3 | ERMA 7310 Design & Analysis in Ed II (pre-requisite is ERMA 7300)Or STAT 7010: Experimental Statistics II(pre-requisite is STAT 7000) | 3 | NURS 8020 Doctoral Seminar II (pre-requisite is NURS 8010) | 1 |
| NURS 8010 Doctoral Seminar I (*INTENSIVE*) | 1 | ||||
| 10 | 9 | 7 | |||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer | Hours |
| NURS 8450 Qual Research Methods in Nurs (pre-requisite is NURS 8560) | 4 | NURS 8740 Dissertation Dev Seminar (pre-requisistes are NURS 8450, NURS 8460, NURS 8560, NURS 8750) | 2 | NURS 8550 Grant Writing and Mngmnt (pre-requisites are NURS 8450, NURS 8750, NURS 8770) | 3 |
| NURS 8730 Data Management (pre-requisite is ERMA 7310 or STAT 7010) | 2 | NURS 7520 Art & Science of Teaching | 3 | Elective (Committee approved) | 3 |
| NURS 7100 Found Rural/Underserved Health | 3 | NURS 8760 Research in Health Policy (pre-requisite is ERMA 7310 or STAT 7010) | 3 | ||
| Elective (Committee approved) | 3 | ||||
| 9 | 11 | 6 | |||
| Third Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer | Hours |
| NURS 8990 Research and Dissertation (Departmental approval) | 4 | NURS 8990 Research and Dissertation (Departmental Approval) | 3 | NURS 8990 Research and Dissertation (Departmental Approval) | 3 |
| 4 | 3 | 3 | |||
| Total Hours: 62 | |||||
- Courses are only taught in the semester in which each is listed.
- All electives must be committee-approved and must include a statistics elective (3 credits).
- NURS 8990: Dissertation must have departmental approval.