Nursing PhD
Applicants to the Ph.D. program will be holistically reviewed using criteria such as GPA, work/volunteer experience, scholarly writing or projects of any kind, leadership roles, honors, and awards.
For those not residing in Missouri or non-Missouri residents: Prospective students are responsible for reviewing the NC-SARA state authorizations page now and throughout their program to see if the UMSL PhD program is authorized in the state in which they reside. https://online.missouri.edu/about/state-authorization.
Admission Criteria
- A completed University of Missouri - St. Louis NursingCAS application.
- Completion of the College of Nursing supplemental application
- Graduation from a nationally accredited baccalaureate or master's nursing program with 3.25 minimum GPA (4.0 scale)
International applicants must meet minimum requirements on tests of written and spoken English (79 TOEFL, 6.5 IELTS, 53 PTE-A, or 105-110 Duolingo is desired). International students must also apply through the UMSLGLOBAL Services Office.
See the UMSL College of Nursing's Graduate School Profile for the application process and specific program deadlines.
Degree Requirements
There are 66 credits required to complete the degree. BSN to Ph.D. students complete a minimum of 48 credit hours of graduate-level course work, 6 credit hours of electives, and an additional 12 credit hours of dissertation. MSN to Ph.D. students complete a minimum of 45 post-MSN credit hours and an additional 12 credit hours of dissertation, plus 9 credit hours are earned from Master’s level work.
Nursing Science, Theory, and Discipline of Nursing
| NURSE 6424 | Social Determinants of Health for Underserved Populations | 3 |
| NURSE 7200 | State of the Science in Nursing Research and Practice | 3 |
| NURSE 7403 | Development of the Nurse Scientist | 3 |
| NURSE 7481 | Development of Nursing Science and Theory | 3 |
| NURSE 7491 | Advanced Nursing Theory Development and Validation | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Nursing Research Methods
| NURSE 7211 | Biostatistics I | 3 |
| NURSE 7488 | Introduction to Qualitative Research Methodologies and Methods | 3 |
| NURSE 7212 | Biostatistics II | 3 |
| NURSE 7490 | Advanced Nursing Research Designs and Methods | 3 |
| NURSE 7955 | Research Topics in Nursing and Health: Psychometrics | 3 |
| NURSE 7486 | Research Residency | 3 |
| All Ph.D. students (BSN to Ph.D. and MSN to Ph.D.) are required to take 3 credit hours of research residency with a faculty member. The advisor must approve the residency placement to ensure it meets the College of Nursing guidelines. | ||
| Total Hours | 18 | |
Advanced Research Methods Course
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Mixed Methods Research in Health Care | ||
| Design, Implementation and Evaluation of Health Interventions | ||
| Biostatistics III - Structural Equation Modeling | ||
| Seminar in Advanced Qualitative Research Methods | ||
| Research Topics in Nursing and Health: Hierarchical Linear Modeling | ||
| Total Hours | 3 | |
Cognates
All Ph.D. students (BSN to Ph.D. and MSN to Ph.D.) are required to take a minimum of 9 credit hours of cognates in the related area of research. The advisor must approve the cognate to ensure it meets the College of Nursing guidelines.
Dissertation
| NURSE 7499 | Dissertation Research | 12 |
Additional Required Course for BSN to Ph.D. Students
| NURSE 6130 | Research, Interventions and Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| Electives | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 9 | |
PhD Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to:
- Become a steward of the discipline dedicated to the integrity of its work in the generation, critique, transformation, transmission, and use of its knowledge.
- Develop expertise in core knowledge and methods of the discipline and selected areas of theory and research to establish a program of research and scholarship about patient-related outcomes.
- Develop philosophical literacy and epistemic diversity, in addition to exploring the breadth of the discipline and depth of a particular area of related science.
- Acquire competencies to expand socially meaningful science that supports the discipline and practice of nursing.
- Articulate the clinical and policy implications of their research contributions by translating nursing research into practice and policy to improve health and healthcare systems.
- Provide leadership to effect change in healthcare practice, policy, and education issues by collaboration and partnerships in a data-rich world.
- Improve the healthcare outcomes for individuals, families, communities, and systems regionally, nationally, and internationally.
- Articulate up-to-date data content regarding determinants of health, health equity concepts and theories, structural inequities in health, promotion of cultural safety, and social justice (cultural humility, structural inequities in health including gender bias, and health disparities).