PhD in Nursing

Major: Nursing
Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy
Calendar Type: Quarter
Total Credit Hours: 49.0
Co-op Option: None
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 51.3801
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 29-1141

About the Program

NOTE: This program is not accepting applications for the 2021-2022 academic year. Periodic program updates will be posted as available on the College of Nursing and Health Professions website.

The College of Nursing and Health Professions (CNHP) offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science, a research-based program embedded in social justice, which aims to prepare nurse researchers to design, conduct and lead research studies as emerging nurse scientists. The objective of the PhD in Nursing is to prepare professional nurses as scholars and researchers who will make a substantive contribution to the body of knowledge for the discipline of nursing and thereby improve health services for those who receive nursing care. Graduates are expected to plan and launch an independent program of research, seek needed support for initial phases of the research program, and begin to involve others (i.e., students, clinicians, and other researchers) in their activities.

Students who have earned a master's degree in nursing are eligible to apply. In addition to structured coursework, the program builds upon a research mentorship model which recognizes that research skills are learned most effectively by working with a faculty mentor, who provides opportunities to use the tools to conduct research and design, and execute an original research within a focused program of study.

Innovation, leadership, civic engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration are strong educational values which are reflected in the Drexel University emerging strategic plan. The PhD in nursing program represents leadership in the fields, with interdisciplinary collaboration and critical consciousness as core administrative and curricular values basic to its philosophy and epistemology. Innovation is also central to this doctoral program as evidenced in its curriculum and research philosophy.

The College of Nursing and Health Professions (CNHP), Graduate Nursing Division in which the Doctoral Nursing Program is housed, is regarded as a forward-thinking, progressive, and interdisciplinary healthcare school within the university as well as in the larger context of advanced healthcare education.

Additional Information

For more information, contact:

Anna Pohuly
College of Nursing and Health Professions
1601 Cherry Street, Mail Stop 10501
10th Floor, Room 1011
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: 267-359-5872
ap469@drexel.edu

Admission Requirements

Applicants must possess a master’s degree in nursing for admission consideration. Criteria for admission include:

• GPA of 3.5
• GRE scores
• OREs (and TOEFLs, if international)
• Letters of recommendation (3)
• Articulation of research interests, career goals, and insight into important issues in the profession in essays
• Professional accomplishments
• Fit with faculty research interests and expertise

Degree Requirements

The PhD curriculum requires 49.0 quarter credits of course work plus comprehensive examination and dissertation completion. Of the 49.0 credits, 15.0 credits are required interdisciplinary courses, and 21.0 credits in nursing science. In addition, there are three elective courses that form the student’s field of concentration related to their dissertation research. These elective courses can be taken anywhere within the university but must be approved by the student’s advisor and the Doctoral Curriculum Committee in advance of taking these courses. The student files a plan of study outlining these courses in the winter of the first year which is approved by the Curriculum Committee.

Sample Plan of Study