PhD Program Overview

Fall 2025 Application Period Open Until March 15, 2025

The Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing offers a Doctor of Philosophy with Major in Nursing (PhD) degree program and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program. The doctoral programs are grounded in the philosophy of caring and focus on the integration and application of advanced nursing research for improved nursing practice and betterment of humankind.

The graduate of the Doctor of Philosophy with Major in Nursing (PhD) degree program is expected to expand nursing knowledge and theory and directly impact the health of clients and communities. The focus of the PhD program is to prepare nurses as scholars in conducting nursing research about practice problems and creating innovative responses to practice issues.

Research Focus Areas

We have four research areas:

Healthy Aging - understanding and optimizing human health development across the lifespan

Improving quality of life and quality of care for aging Americans
Patterns of stress in memory center enrollees and their family members
Pharmacological pain management associated with polypharmacy among ethically diverse older adults
Allostatic load and ethnicity as predictors of abnormal glucose metabolism in postmenopausal women
Fall prevention program for community dwelling elders

Health Equity - clarifying and eliminating health disparities associated with human uniqueness, such as ethnicity, socioeconomics, gender, and age

Substance use prevention in Native American Indian adolescents
Measuring caregiver strain for people living with stigma
Pregnancy prevention: Promoting adolescent planning for future success
Safe choices to prevent HIV/AIDS in Afro-Caribbean American youth

Holistic Health - exploring and testing integrative approaches to health promotion and healing

Effect of garden walking and reflective journaling on persons in support groups
Promoting peace through dramatic performance based on the stories of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima survivors
Understanding healing self and other from the perspective of holistic nurses
Exploring the power of social engagement resources to sustain health

Transforming Healthcare Environments - describing and shaping workforce and organizational factors that impact quality care in healthcare settings

Evaluating emerging nurse leader development, best practices in mentoring and succession planning strategies
Evaluating the contribution of educational podcasts to preceptor perception of support
Embracing, creating and sustaining a positive work culture
Communication and collaboration between medical and nursing students
Cultural perspectives of nurses related to ethical situations
Integrating caring science into simulation

Meet our Students

Dissertation Topics of Recent Graduates

Keys to Success in the PhD program

Program Outcomes of the PhD in Nursing Program

Graduates of the Doctoral Program will be able to:

Develop self as a researcher with a foundation in caring science
Evaluate theory-guided approaches to synthesize an evidence-base that informs the development of caring knowledge and practice
Create research designs that honor the calls in nursing situations and integrate understanding gleaned from complex patterns of knowing
Demonstrate accountability as an ethical nurse researcher
Integrate cultural humility into research methods, including study design, sample selection and data collection plans
Lead systematic inquiry that enhances nursing practice, improves healthcare delivery, and contributes to nursing science
Analyze available technology and information systems for use in collaborative research
Construct the foundation for a research program intended to promote well-being for a particular population within the context of lifespan development
Engage with colleagues living values expressive of caring in all endeavors, including ones where communities or research scholars convene
Design research that reflects valuing for human dignity and understanding of complex local, national, and global policies that affect the lives of populations of interest
Establish a foundation for transforming complex healthcare systems through intra and inter disciplinary research informed by caring science
Become an example of responsible stewardship by advancing the discipline through well-designed research; honoring the profession through engagement in meaningful nursing leadership activities; preserving resources and respecting the environment through everyday actions