Careers in Research, Teaching, and Service
The Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing, offered by the WVU School of Nursing, is designed to educate nurse scholar-scientists for careers in research, teaching, and service. The program prepares graduates who will contribute to the body of nursing knowledge, educate the next generation, and assume collaborative leadership roles in shaping health policy, improving health, and reducing disparity. The program offers both part-time and full-time options.
Program Learning Outcomes
The expected learning outcomes of the program are that at the completion of
the program, each graduate will be able to:
- Analyze theory, scientific base, and methods to generate knowledge that informs nursing science, practice, and policy.
- Differentiate the integrated roles and responsibilities of the nurse scholar in teaching, leadership, practice, and service.
- Disseminate scholarly works through publications to advance the knowledge base of nursing.
- Conduct research that adheres to scientific integrity and ethics.
Ph.D. Program of Study and Progression Plan
The Ph.D. program requires students to take at a minimum: nursing core courses, cognate courses, and research courses comprising 55 credits of post-master’s coursework. The Ph.D. coursework provides content in scholarly processes, nursing science and an area of concentration that supports the student’s chosen area of scholarship. Students and their faculty advisors determine what other coursework and experiences are needed to support their dissertation research.
The schedule of courses can be found in the WVU School of Nursing PhD Progression Plan.
Once a student successfully passes the written and oral components of the qualifying examination, they must complete the research and dissertation phase, culminating in a written and oral dissertation defense.
Residency
Doctoral education involves many learning experiences that take place outside the formal classroom setting. These involve observing and participating in activities conducted by the graduate faculty, using departmental and University libraries, attending lectures presented by visiting scholars, informally debating other students, and similar activities. To ensure that graduate students experience this kind of informal learning, doctoral programs at WVU generally require at least two semesters in residence on campus. However, an individual student or graduate committee may propose an alternative plan by which the student can gain equivalent educational experience. This plan must be submitted in writing, approved by the college or school dean or designee, and placed in the student’s program file.