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The Summer Residency Program for PhD students will be May 24-28, 2010.

Admission Policy

Admission Process

RWJF PhD in Nursing & Health Policy

NEXus Doctoral Elective Courses

Contact Advisement

PhD Students

Jeri Belsher

Student Advisement Office
p: (505) 272-4223 | e: jbelsher@salud.unm.edu

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Ana Vigil

College of Nursing Student Services
p: (505) 272-0854 | f: (505) 272-3970 | e: amvigil@salud.unm.edu

Program Overview

The doctoral program prepares individuals who can assume leadership roles in academia, including thescholarship of teaching, research and professional service activities. The program focuses on nursing education and knowledge development in the provision of care for multicultural, rural and underserved populations; the improvement of nursing care outcomes of individuals, families and systems, with a special emphasis on women of all ages and children. The PhD in Nursing Program at the University of New Mexico focuses on the health care needs of vulnerable women, youth, and families. Other priorities include rural health, disease prevention, and health promotion.

The PhD Program is delivered online with a required annual 1-week summer residency and attendance at the annual Western Institute of Nursing Research Conference.

Graduates of the program will demonstrate the following competencies:

• Assume the role of the doctorally prepared nurse in teaching, scholarship, leadership, and service.
• Accept the responsibility for self-directed scholarly development in an ongoing research program focused on patient care improvement especially for women, children, and families.
• Conduct independent formal inquiry pertaining to health care, reflective caring practice, critical synthesis of existing knowledge, and generation of new knowledge and theory.
• Practice nursing reflectively, guided by theory based on best evidence and integrating creative and critical thinking.
• Cultivate research expertise relative to a particular population setting or human response to health or illness.
• Evaluate and critique social policy relevant to the organization and delivery of health care.

Application Deadlines

Admissions are annually, with new classes beginning each summer term.

Application deadline is February 1, 5PM MST.

The program is planned for part-time study. The part-time program is expected to take four to five years of part-time study after obtaining a master’s degree. Students will be required to complete 6 credit hours of prescribed courses in the first summer term, and then 6 credit hours of prescribed courses each term (fall, spring, summer) until completion of the coursework. Options exist for students who wish to complete the program faster. On acceptance into the program, each student will be required to commit to a program of studies.

Refer to Calendar for term dates.

Curriculum Plan

The curriculum consists of a core of doctoral courses on philosophy of science, theory, statistics, and research design. Students additionally choose from a selection of research methods courses, substantive area courses, and electives.

Required Core Courses – 24 credits
All students are required to take the following core courses:

• N699 Doctoral Seminar
• N600 Philosophy Of Science in Nursing
• N601 Theory I: Methods/Process of Nursing Knowledge Development
• N602 Theory II: Contemporary Substantive Nursing Knowledge
• N620 Advanced Health Care Statistics I
• N621 Advanced Health Care Statistics II
• N606 Quantitative Methods In Nursing Research
• N607 Qualitative Methods In Nursing Research

Substantive Area Courses – 9 credits
All students are required to select at least three of the following four substantive area courses:

• N608 Nursing Environments of Human Health
• N609 Family Nursing: Concepts, Issues, Outcomes
• N610 Nursing Education: Pedagogy and Roles
• N611 Rural and Cultural Health

Methods Courses – 6 credits
All students are required to select at least two of the following four methods courses:

• N612 Clinical Nursing Therapeutics and Outcomes
• N613 Advanced Research Methods: Mixed Research Methods
• N614: Instrumentation
• N593 T: Advanced Methods in Qualitative Research

Electives - 12 Credits
Student will take at least four elective courses (12 credits) in the student’s area of interest approved in advance for the program of studies by the Committee on Studies. Subject to the approval of the Committee on Studies, up to six credits of electives may be taken as independent study as part of the program of studies; however, no more than three credits of independent study may be taken in Nursing.

Dissertation
Students must complete 18 credits of Dissertation. The Application for Candidacy must be approved by the Committee on Studies prior to completion of the doctoral comprehensive exam. Once the Doctoral comprehensive examination is passed the student must enroll in a minimum of 6 credit hours of dissertation (i.e., N699) each semester until the dissertation is completed.

Total Program

• 51 credit hours of course work
• 18 credit hours of dissertation

Total Credits

• 69 Credits Total

Apply