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Nursing - Ph.D.         Description Degree Offered Admission Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Contact Info

Description

The doctoral program in Nursing (Ph.D.) is designed to prepare nurse scientists to assume positions as nursing faculty members, leaders in the application of innovative technologies to nursing education and clinical care, executive leaders in healthcare systems, and scientists who contribute to the body of nursing knowledge through their research.

The program has three areas of focus:

1. Vulnerable populations within Florida’s multicultural environment
2. Application of innovative technologies to nursing education and clinical care
3. Healthcare systems and policy

The objectives of the PhD program are to prepare nurse scholars who:

1. Possess a body of knowledge about the theory, processes, and methods of inquiry in the discipline of nursing.
2. Contribute to disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge in nursing and healthcare from the basis of sound conceptual, methodological, and ethical decision-making.
3. Contribute to knowledge generation and testing in the nursing care of vulnerable populations, application of innovative technologies in nursing and healthcare, and clinical and executive leadership in healthcare systems and policy.

Degrees Offered

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing

Admission

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).

Students are admitted to the program in the Fall.

Requirements for admission to the program include the following:

• A bachelors and/or a master’s degree in nursing from accredited institutions.
• Licensure as a Registered Nurse in the state of Florida.
• A GRE score of at least 1000 on the combined verbal and quantitative sections.
• A written essay of no more than 500 words addressing goals for doctoral study.
• A personal interview.
• Research interests that match faculty expertise.
• Undergraduate GPA of 3.2/4.0 and/or graduate GPA of 3.5/4.0.
• A curriculum vitae (no longer than 3 pages).
• Three letters of recommendation evaluating potential for doctoral study preferably by nursing instructors, nurse employers or nurses with advanced degrees.
• For international students only: A score of 220 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or passing score on CGFNS (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools).

Admission to the program is competitive, based on evaluations of the applicant’s abilities, past performance, recommendations and match of UCF programs with the applicant’s career goals. The School of Nursing accepts the most qualified students.

Transfer of Courses

• Courses may be transferred into the plan of study according to UCF policies. Courses must be comparable to those taught at UCF.
• A grade of at least a “B” is required to transfer credit.
• Students must obtain a petition from the School of Nursing and submit the completed petition to the Graduate Admissions, Progression, and Graduation Committee in order to transfer courses.

Admission to Candidacy and Examinations

The process for candidacy will start the appointment of the dissertation advisory committee. The first part toward admission to candidacy is successful completion of the candidacy examination. The second part is oral defense of the student’s dissertation proposal. When these are accomplished, the student becomes a doctoral candidate and is eligible to enroll in dissertation credits. When candidacy status is obtained, the student will enroll in at least three semester credits of dissertation credit until successful oral defense of the dissertation is made and all graduation requirements are completed. The University requires a minimum of 15 dissertation credits. Post-candidacy status is subject to the rules and regulations of the University of Central Florida Graduate Catalog.

Application Due Dates

All students applying for fellowships or assistantships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.

U.S. Applicants

Program(s)		Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing		Jan 15	Feb 15

International Applicants

Program(s)		Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing		Jan 15	Jan 15

International Transfer Applicants

Program(s)		Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing		Jan 15	Feb 15

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing

Degree Requirements

The minimum number of credits for award of the PhD in Nursing is 57 credits beyond the master’s degree in nursing.

Required Courses for All Students

Foundation Areas (9 credits)

• NGR 7820 Innovative Technologies in Healthcare (3 credit hours)
• NGR 7661 Healthcare for Vulnerable Populations (3 credit hours)
• NGR 7190 Healthcare Systems and Policy (3 credit hours)

Knowledge Development (9 credits)

• NGR 7115 Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Science (3 credit hours)
• NGR 7123 Concept Development in Nursing (3 credit hours)
• NGR 7939 Dissertation Seminar (3 credits)

Research (15 credits)

• NGR 7817 Quantitative Methods for Nursing Research I (3 credit hours)
• NGR 7816 Quantitative Methods for Nursing Research II (3 credit hours)
• NGR 7823 Psychometrics and Measurement for Nursing Research (3 credit hours)
• NGR 7815 Qualitative Methods in Nursing Research (3 credit hours)
• NGR 7919 Advanced Directed Research (3 credits)

Supporting courses (9 credits)

The supporting coursework is designed to permit students to gain additional expertise in the area chosen for the dissertation. At least two of the three courses must be taken outside of the School of Nursing.

Dissertation Research (15 credits)

The dissertation research addresses the design and conduct of research on a specific topic within one of the three foundational areas: vulnerable populations, innovative technologies, or healthcare systems and policy. Students will conduct the dissertation in areas of faculty interest and expertise.

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

• If you're interested in financial assistance, you're strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under "Admissions."
• You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
• If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
• UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. All admitted graduate students are automatically considered in this nomination process. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. University graduate fellowships are not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
• Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application). For university fellowship applications, see Financing Grad School.
• For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program director of your major.

Contact Info

Jean Kijek, Ph.D. , Associate Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-2744
gradnurs@mail.ucf.edu