Doctor of Philosophy Degree Program

Program Objectives and Course of Study

The purpose of the Ph.D. in Nursing Program is to develop doctorally prepared nurse researchers, scholars, and educators who will be able to advance nursing knowledge and improve nursing practice; synthesize knowledge from nursing and other disciplines to address complex health problems; and be leaders in nursing research and nursing education.

Graduates will be beginning-level researchers with a strong foundation in inquiry in the areas of clinical nursing research or health services research who can assume research and faculty roles in schools of nursing or centers of nursing research. Upon successful completion of the program, students are awarded the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Description of the Program

The Ph.D. Program graduates will have three major areas of expertise: knowledge of the discipline of nursing; knowledge of a clinical or practice population; and strategies of research and scholarship, such as grant writing and publication.

They will think critically and lead the profession and public to policies which promote health. To achieve this expertise, students will be educated didactically, through course work, seminars, and tutorials, and experientially, through grant writing, and independent research. The program consists of a minimum of 57 credit hours including 12 credits in nursing knowledge and theory development, 15 credits in research and statistics, 12 credits in electives, and 18 credits for the dissertation. Elective credits are distributed in nursing and cognates (non-nursing courses). Post-baccalaureate students must take an additional 21 credits distributed across nursing, cognates, and statistics. Students are required to successfully complete a comprehensive examination, dissertation proposal defense, and defense of the completed dissertation.

The program is designed for both post-baccalaureate, post-master’s students and Post-DNP Options. A full-time course of study includes two to three years of coursework and one year for the dissertation. A part-time plan of study may be designed in consultation with a faculty adviser. There is a one-year residency requirement as defined by the Graduate School, and an on-campus orientation.  Post-DNP students – the program will be tailored to the individual student’s education and experience.

Admission Policies

Admission priority is given to applications completed and postmarked by December 15. Decisions regarding admission to the doctoral program are based on an overall appraisal of applicants’ abilities to undertake doctoral study and of their potential contribution to nursing science as evidenced in the following:

1. Official transcripts from colleges or universities attended.

2. A master’s degree in nursing from a nationally accredited School of Nursing and a grade point average of 3.0 or better; or a baccalaureate degree in nursing from a nationally accredited university and a grade point average of 3.2 or better.

3. Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate programs attended.

4. Two letters of recommendation.

5. Two examples of scholarly writing (e.g., publications, scholarly papers).

6. Current CV or Resume.

7.  A clinical research focus congruent with that of a potential faculty research advisor.

8. Completed application forms with fee.

9. Participation in an admission interview.

Additional criteria for international applicants:

1. Completion of International Student Application, available online from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Graduate School.

2. GPA of 3.0 or equivalent.

3. Use of translation service for transcript as necessary.

4. TOEFL scores where applicable or IELTS.

Further information may be obtained from: Cynthia Mendoza, Ph.D. Program Office, College of Nursing, 026 Skinner Hall, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-0420, tel. (413) 577-2322 or cmendoza@nursing.umass.edu.