Curriculum Overview
Areas of Study
PhD students may pursue an individualized plan of study or a concentration in Health Policy. Students wishing to have a PhD in Nursing with a concentration in Health Policy must be formally accepted into the concentration at the time of admission to the PhD program or subsequent to admission to the PhD program through submission of required materials by the deadline. All students take the same 24 credits of core courses and prescribed research methods courses. The substantive area coursework will vary, depending on the student's plan of study (individualized vs. Health Policy). The student's advisor and Committee on Studies will guide the student in selecting coursework that will help meet personal, professional, and scholarship needs.
Curriculum Plan
Students admitted under the BSN entry option should consult the PhD Program Director for any requirements that are in addition to those listed in this section. The PhD curriculum consists of a core of PhD 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:
N600 Philosophy of Science in Nursing
N601 Theory 1: Nursing Knowledge Development
N602 Theory II: Substantive Nursing Knowledge
N606 Quantitative Methods in Nursing Research
N607 Qualitative Methods in Nursing Research
N620 Advanced Health Care Statistics I
N621 Advanced Health Care Statistics II
N690 PhD Seminar
Methods Courses - 6 credits
All students are required to select at least two of the following methods courses:
N612 Clinical Nursing Therapeutics and Outcomes
N613 Mixed Methods Research
N614 Instrumentation
N615 Critical Ethnography and CBPR in Health Care Research
N624 Behavioral Observation Methods
N627 Qualitative Data Analysis
Substantive Area Courses - 9 credits for individualized plan of study; 3 credits for Health Policy concentration
Students following an individualized plan of study are required to select at least three of the four substantive area courses listed below. RWJF Nursing Fellows and other students in the Health Policy concentration take one course chosen from NURS 608,
NURS 609, or NURS 611.
N608 Environments of Human Health
N609 Family Nursing: Concepts, Issues, and Outcomes
N610 Nursing Education: Pedagogy and Roles
N611 Rural and Cultural Health
Health Policy Courses - 13 credits (required for RWJF Nursing Fellows and other Health Policy students; may serve as electives for students pursuing an individualized plan of study)
N640 Evidence, Health Policy, and Politics
N641 Health Disparities and Policy
N642 Applied Health Economics
N648 Introduction to Health Policy Field Placement
N649 Health Policy Field Placement
Electives - 12 credits
Students following an individualized plan of study will take at least four elective courses
(12 credits) in the student's area of interest approved in advance by the student's Committee on Studies. RWJF Nursing Fellows and other Health Policy students take two elective courses (6 credits) related to health policy, approved in advance by the student's Committee on Studies. For all students, subject to the approval of the
Committee on Studies, up to 6 credits of electives may be taken as independent study as part of the program of studies; however, no more than 3 credits of independent study in Nursing may be applied to the degree requirements.
Dissertation - 18 credits
Students must complete 18 credits of NURS 699 Dissertation. Once enrollment in
NURS 699 begins (may be counted no earlier than the term in which the student passes the PhD comprehensive exam), the student must enroll in at least 6 credits of NURS 699 each term until completion of the PhD degree. Students may include the NURS 699 credits in their Application for Candidacy during the term in which they pass the PhD comprehensive examination, and subsequent terms. During completion of the dissertation it is possible that students will have enrolled in more than 18 credits of
NURS 699; however, no more than 18 credits of NURS 699 will be counted in the Application for Candidacy for degree requirements. Note: During the term of the comprehensive examination a student may enroll in 3 credits of NURS 699.
|
Program |
Credit Breakdown |
Total Credits |
|
Individualized Plan of Study |
51 credits of coursework + 18 credits of dissertation |
69 Credits |
|
Health Policy Concentration |
52 credits of coursework + 18 credits of dissertation |
70 Credits |