A Holistic View of Nursing Science
The UW School of Nursing Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science (PhD) program faculty are global leaders in nursing science. Students from all over the world create a community of scholars and learn from expert researchers. Our expert nursing scientists provide mentorship tailored to student needs using technology-driven instruction.
The UW PhD program is ideal for students with diverse backgrounds who want to become premier leaders in nursing research.
We maintain a holistic view of nursing science and our faculty’s scholarship represents a broad array of research projects and innovative methodologies. Some examples include:
- Symptom science
- Laboratory sciences
- Health promotion and disease management across the lifespan
- Policy analysis and advancement of cost-effective health care systems
- Health equity
- Innovative methodologies
Hear from #HuskyNurse Sarah McKiddy and her experience with the PhD program.
A Community of Scholars
We welcome applicants with a baccalaureate degree in any field. We encourage post-baccalaureate students, as well as most master’s and DNP students who are ready to begin intensive study of nursing science, to apply.
UW PhD students have a wide range of academic backgrounds, including:
- Nursing
- Public health
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Complementary and alternative medicine
- Healthcare systems and policy
- Music therapy
- Humanities
Our PhD program is highly individualized to create independent thinkers with demonstrated ability to articulate, investigate, and report on original research that substantially contributes to health care knowledge.
The flexible program reflects the enormous scope and impact of the latest nursing research and policymaking. Although the PhD curriculum can be completed in three years of full-time study, individual student program lengths are expected to vary.
Once offered admission as a PhD student, you are matched with a faculty adviser. Your adviser provides guidance and helps answer questions until you select a supervisory committee chair (between years one and three). Your chair then serves in an advisory capacity and as the supervisor for your dissertation.
View the PhD Sample Curriculum Grid
PhD Required and Elective Courses
The first year of the full-time PhD program and the first two years of part-time focus on required core courses emphasizing nursing philosophy, conceptual frameworks, theory, and research methodologies.
In addition, students complete their statistics sequence and may take selected electives or engage in research or teaching practicum. Students complete the preliminary exam at the end of the first year of full-time study and the end of two years of part-time study.
Students who enter the PhD program with a BSN can earn an MS in Nursing Science during the program following successful completion of the first year of the PhD program and the preliminary examination.
After the first year of full-time study and the first two years of part-time study, courses and other scholarly activities are determined by you and your supervisory committee to comprise your individual program of study. The supervisory chair is a School of Nursing graduate faculty member whose research approach, interest, or research methods align with your proposed dissertation project.
You and your chair complete the supervisory committee by selecting faculty members from the School of Nursing, the UW at large, and other appropriate experts outside the University. This committee approves your program of study and guides you through the general examinations, dissertation research, and final defense.
The Nursing Science Statistics Area of Concentration requires a minimum of 14 credits of advanced statistical methods coursework above and beyond the 10 credits of statistics required for the PhD degree. Of these, two credits are fulfilled by the CSSS Seminar, and a minimum of 12 credits are fulfilled by at least four advanced statistics courses, three of which must come from the list of CSSS courses approved for the concentration.
All courses taken as part of the statistics concentration must be graded.
However, a 500-level course that is graded credit/no credit may be considered for inclusion in your Area of Concentration proposal if:
- In the course, you submit an individual project (i.e., not a group project); and
- Major course assignments are submitted to your Supervisory Committee for review
CSSS seminar: minimum two credits
A minimum of two quarters in CS&SS is required. The most up-to-date course descriptions for statistics course options can be found on the CSSS website.
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| CS&SS 590: CSSS Seminar | 1 |
Approved CSSS advanced statistics course options
The most up-to-date course descriptions for statistics course options can be found on the CSSS website.
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| CS&SS 510: Maximum Likelihood Methods for the Social Sciences | 5 |
| CS&SS 526: Structural Equation Models for the Social Sciences | 3 |
| CS&SS 527: Survey Research Methods | 4 |
| CS&SS 529: Sample Survey Techniques | 3 |
| CS&SS 536: Analysis of Categorical and Count Data | 3 |
| CS&SS 544: Event History Analysis for the Social Sciences | 5 |
| CS&SS 560: Hierarchical Modeling for the Social Sciences | 4 |
| CS&SS 564: Bayesian Statistics for the Social Sciences | 4 |
| CS&SS 565: Inequality: Current Trends and Explanations | 3 |
| CS&SS 566: Causal Modeling | 4 |
| CS&SS 567: Statistical Analysis of Social Networks | 4 |
| CS&SS 568: Game Theory for Social Scientists | 5 |
| CS&SS 589: Multivariate Data Analysis for the Social Sciences | 3 (max. 6) |
| CS&SS/POLS 591: Panel Data Analysis | TBD |
| CS&SS/SOC WL 594: Longitudinal Data Analysis | 1-5 |
Variation in area of concentration coursework
One advanced methodological course in nursing, political science, psychology, public health, sociology, statistics, economics, educational psychology, social welfare, and other related fields may be considered as part of the Nursing Science Statistics Area of Concentration four course requirements if it contributes to the overall coherence of the student’s program of study and is consistent with the student’s research goals.
This course would be in addition to the ten credits of statistics courses required for the PhD in nursing.
For students entering the program autumn 2019 and earlier
For students entering the program autumn 2019 and earlier, the program requires a minimum of 93 quarter credits for completion, and graduates must meet six expected student outcomes:
- Generate knowledge that is inventive and rigorously tested within a selected area of nursing science;
- Have multiple perspectives of knowing and also acknowledge multidisciplinary contributions to knowledge generation;
- Be informed by social, cultural, and political issues related to their area of scholarship;
- Provide leadership in nursing as well as various professional and public groups;
- Test, generate, and extend knowledge relevant to nursing science and practice.
- Demonstrate critical interrogation of positionality, recognition of implicit biases, as well as knowledge and application of anti-racism principles to promote health equity.
For students entering the program autumn 2020 and later
For students entering the program autumn 2020 and later, the program requires a minimum of 96 quarter credits for completion, and graduates must meet five expected student outcomes:
- Have multiple perspectives of knowing and acknowledge multidisciplinary contributions to knowledge generation
- Demonstrate substantive knowledge within a particular area of nursing science with particular emphasis on issues and questions within the field that require scholarly attention
- Innovate and rigorously test, generate, and extend knowledge in an area relevant to nursing science
- Communicate, disseminate, and critique nursing science and scholarly activities in both oral and written formats
- Demonstrate critical interrogation of positionality, recognition of implicit biases, as well as knowledge and application of anti-racism principles to promote health equity.
Admissions Requirements
- An in-process or earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in any discipline
- A minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0, or a 3.0 GPA for the last 60 semester/90 quarter graded college/university credits
- Meet the Essential Behaviors for PhD Students
- If you plan to take clinical nursing courses, you must have an active, unrestricted Washington state RN license by the time you matriculate into the PhD program; if you do not intend to take clinical courses, RN licensure is not required
- International applicants who plan on taking clinical nursing courses must have an active, unrestricted U.S. RN license at the time of application
- If your native language is not English, proof of proficiency in English (reading, writing, and comprehension)