PhD Program at The College of Nursing
-
The UNM College of Nursing PhD Program prepares nurses to become researchers and scholars in academia, health policy, and health care settings. The PhD Program provides students the opportunity to explore the health care needs of underserved and vulnerable populations (especially women, youth, and families) through substantive area and elective coursework. Students may select a focus area for their dissertation within the College priorities of rural health, disease prevention, and health promotion, or an area based on student’s nursing background, interests, and goals.
PhD students may pursue an individualized plan of study or concentration in Health Policy (if accepted to the concentration). The student’s advisor and Committee of Studies will guide the student in selecting coursework that will help meet personal, professional, and scholarship needs.
Graduates of the program will demonstrate the following competencies:
- Assume the role of the PhD 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.