Mastering the Art of Peacemaking

Posted: Thursday, November 09 2023 | Updated: Thursday, November 30 2023

Music – B.M.

The Bachelor of Music program at Kent State is designed for students who are passionate about music and want to take their skills to the next level. With a focus on performance, composition, and music theory, this program provides students with a deep understanding of music and prepares them for a variety of careers in the industry.

Read more about Music – B.M.

Music – B.A.

Kent State's Bachelor of Arts in Music program provides students with a well-rounded education in music theory, history and performance. With a variety of performance opportunities, experienced faculty and state-of-the-art facilities, this program prepares graduates for careers in music and beyond.

Read more about Music – B.A.

Why Kent State?

Flexibility. Our new Hybrid program allows students to attend class virtually, minimizing the amount of time spent on campus. The program can be completed either full-time or part-time. In fact, the majority of our nursing Ph.D. students – including full-time students – continue to work while completing coursework and dissertation research.

Read more about Why Kent State?

Nursing - Ph.D.

The Ph.D. degree in Nursing prepares nurse scientists to develop methods to advance health, health care and the nursing profession. Graduates are expected to lead and promote interprofessional innovative scholarly endeavors and to assume leadership roles in the profession.

Contact Us

Teresa Adams | tadams27@kent.edu |
330-672-8761

Connect with an Admissions Counselor: U.S. Student | International Student

Apply Now
Request Information
Schedule a visit

Program Information for Nursing - Ph.D.

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

Generate new knowledge that contributes to the advancement of health, healthcare and nursing science.
Disseminate advances in scientific knowledge.
Use collaborative, interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to advance nursing science.
Assume leadership roles in healthcare and education as researchers, educators and advanced clinicians.
Serve as stewards of the diversity within the body of knowledge for the discipline of nursing.

Admissions for Nursing - Ph.D.

Admissions

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

Active, unrestricted U.S. registered nurse license (international students need to show proof of legal ability to practice as a registered nurse in country of origin)
Bachelor's or master's degree in nursing or related field, or a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, from an accredited program¹
Minimum overall 3.000 graduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
Official transcript(s)
Résumé or curriculum vitae
Essay (two pages, single-spaced), see guidelines below
Three letters of reference from health care professionals or academic faculty members who can speak to the applicant's professional and academic abilities (two of the three references from doctoral-prepared individuals are preferred)
Interview
English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:²
- Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
- Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
- Minimum 58 PTE score
- Minimum 110 DET score

¹: A bachelor's degree in a closely related health field may be considered if the applicant has a master's degree in nursing or a D.N.P. degree from an accredited program. A master's degree in a closely related field may be considered if the applicant has a bachelor's degree in nursing from an accredited program.
²: International applicants who do not meet the above test scores may be considered for conditional admission.

Guidelines for the Essay

Applicants should begin their essay with "why" they are pursuing the Ph.D. degree in Nursing and "how" this degree will help them achieve their research and professional goals.
- Introduce the population or phenomenon of interest that will be investigated.
In the body of the essay, applicants should explain why they are interested in this population and/or phenomenon and how their work will impact or advance science in that area.
- Consider including scientific gaps and significance in that area of research.
- Elucidate the effect the research will have on the health outcomes of the proposed population or those affected by the phenomenon of interest.
- Indicate how the work may reflect diversity, equity and inclusion in the area of research.
In the closing paragraph, applicants should provide one to two key aspects of their research and propose ways to disseminate their scientific discovery.

Application Deadlines

Fall Semester
- Application deadline: November 15 (international student) and March 1 (domestic student)

All application materials (including applicable fee, transcripts, recommendation letters, etc.) submitted by these deadlines will receive the strongest consideration for admission.

Coursework

On This Page

Program Requirements
Progression Requirements
Graduation Requirements

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Major Requirements (min B grade in all courses)
NURS 70710	HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING SCIENCE	2
NURS 70711	SCIENTIFIC WRITING	3
NURS 70712	RESEARCH DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS	3
NURS 70713	ADVANCED STATISTICS I	3
NURS 70714	LEADERSHIP FOR NURSING SCIENCE	3
NURS 70715	THEORY CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT IN NURSING	3
NURS 70740	ADVANCED STATISTICS II	3
NURS 70742	ADVANCED QUALITATIVE METHODS FOR HEALTH SCIENCES	4
NURS 70743	ADVANCED QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR HEALTH SCIENCES	4
NURS 70744	DISSERTATION FOUNDATIONS	3
NURS 70753	DATA SCIENCE AND NURSING	3
NURS 70798	RESEARCH IN NURSING ¹	3-5
Post-Baccalaureate Requirements (all are required for post-baccalaureate students)		0-9
NURS 70716	INNOVATION AND INTERVENTION RESEARCH
NURS 70718	ROLES AND EVALUATION
NURS 70739	RESEARCH IN HEALTH DISPARITIES
Nursing Science Electives, choose from the following: ²		6-12
BSCI 70195	SPECIAL TOPICS IN BIOLOGY
BSCI 80145	MEDICAL GENOMICS
BST 83013	EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS IN PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH
BST 83014	APPLIED REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC HEALTH DATA
CI 77001	FUNDAMENTALS OF CURRICULUM
COMM 75040	QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS IN COMMUNICATION
CULT 89595	SPECIAL TOPICS IN CULTURAL FOUNDATIONS
EPI 83018	OBSERVATIONAL DESIGNS FOR CLINICAL RESEARCH
EPSY 75524	LEARNING THEORIES
HED 81550	APPLIED THEORY IN HEALTH EDUCATION RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
HED 84050	HEALTH BEHAVIOR
PSYC 80391	SEMINAR IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
RMS 75522	BASICS OF QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWING
RMS 75533	INTRODUCTION TO NARRATIVE INQUIRY AND ANALYSIS
RMS 78715	SURVEY DESIGN AND APPLIED RESEARCH IN EDUCATION
RMS 78735	STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING
RMS 78745	HIERARCHICAL LINEAR MODELING
RMS 85520	MIXED METHODS RESEARCH
RMS 85540	GROUNDED THEORY AND PHENOMENOLOGICAL RESEARCH
RMS 85550	ETHNOGRAPHY AND CASE STUDY RESEARCH
SBS 73018	THEORIES OF PREVENTION SCIENCE
SBS 73019	EVALUATION RESEARCH METHODS IN PREVENTION SCIENCE
SBS 80030	CODING FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
SBS 80040	TRANSCRIBING INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP INTERVIEWS FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
SBS 80100	EMERGING ISSUES IN PREVENTION SCIENCE
SBS 83010	QUALITATIVE METHODS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH
SBS 83011	QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
SOC 72219	QUALITATIVE METHODS IN SOCIOLOGY
SOC 72221	ADVANCED QUALITATIVE METHODS IN SOCIOLOGY
Culminating Requirement
NURS 80199	DISSERTATION I ³	30
Minimum Total Credit Hours for Post-Baccalaureate Students		90
Minimum Total Credit Hours for Post-Master's Students		73

¹: Post-baccalaureate students must complete 5 credit hours of NURS 70798 for the degree. Post-master's students must complete 3 credit hours of NURS 70798 for the degree.
²: Post-baccalaureate students must complete 12 credit hours of electives, and post-master's students must complete 6 credit hours of electives for the degree. Elective courses support the student's research interest and are selected with the approval of the student's academic advisor. The courses will supplement the student's program of study in a substantive area of research or specific method of research, including advanced statistical approaches, or assist the student with career goals following graduation.
³: Each doctoral candidate, upon admission to candidacy, must register for NURS 80199 for a total of 30 credit hours. It is expected that a doctoral candidate will continuously register for Dissertation I, and thereafter NURS 80299, each semester, until all requirements for the degree have been met.

Oral Candidacy Examination

At the conclusion of coursework, students sit for the candidacy examination. The examination provides the basis for evaluation of the student’s readiness for completing the dissertation. Students must successfully pass candidacy and a proposal defense before beginning dissertation work.

Progression Requirements

Students who do not earn a minimum B grade in a course must repeat it and cannot take other courses that require that course as a prerequisite until the course is successfully retaken. Students who do not earn a minimum B grade on the second attempt may be dismissed from the Ph.D. degree.
The courses will be delivered mostly synchronously online. The face-to-face requirement for this hybrid program is met through attending Doctoral Days.
Each year, Ph.D. students are required to come to campus for Doctoral Days. The purpose of Doctoral Days is to provide scholarly socialization and scientific role development. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) pathways to excellence in doctoral education include three curricular domains. These domains are addressed throughout the curriculum and in the Doctoral Days.
- Domain 1: Scientific Development is the ability to articulate nursing science's history, philosophy, knowledge construction and the influence on the discipline and research.
- Domain 2: Health Equity is knowledge and skill development to lead research and improve practice through ethical, culturally humble and human-centered research.
- Domain 3: Stewards of the Discipline are professional ethics for conducting original research, proficiency in scientific communication and identifying implications for policy, practice, future research and the discipline.

Doctoral Days occur at the beginning of the fall semester in Years 1 and 2 (first three days of the semester). In Year 3, Doctoral Days occur at the end of the spring semester to coincide with May graduation, on the day before and the day of commencement.

Activities at Doctoral Days in Years 1 and 2 include:

Orientation to each class taken that year
Human subjects research content
Opportunities to engage with faculty and fellow students in the College of Nursing and presentations on trends in nursing science
Library resources, milestone expectations and time with student's advisor
Special topics speakers

Graduation Requirements

Graduation Requirements Summary
Minimum Major GPA	Minimum Overall GPA
-	3.000

Minimum B grade required in all courses to earn the Ph.D. degree.
Passage of the candidacy examination
Submission and successful defense of a dissertation

Students with a D.N.P. degree may receive permission to have coursework waived if supported by the appropriate and recent coursework; however, maximum 12 credit hours may transfer to the Ph.D.. The waiver of each specific course will be determined by the relevant academic department. These students may graduate with fewer than 73 credit hours but no fewer than 60 total credit hours.

Roadmaps

On This Page

Post-Baccalaureate Track
Post-Master's Track

Roadmaps

Post-Baccalaureate Track

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Fall Semester		Credits
NURS 70710	HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING SCIENCE	2
NURS 70711	SCIENTIFIC WRITING	3
NURS 70712	RESEARCH DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS	3
NURS 70713	ADVANCED STATISTICS I	3
	Credit Hours	11
Spring Semester
NURS 70715	THEORY CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT IN NURSING	3
NURS 70740	ADVANCED STATISTICS II	3
NURS 70742	ADVANCED QUALITATIVE METHODS FOR HEALTH SCIENCES	4
NURS 70798	RESEARCH IN NURSING	2
	Credit Hours	12
Summer Term
NURS 70714	LEADERSHIP FOR NURSING SCIENCE	3
NURS 70716	INNOVATION AND INTERVENTION RESEARCH	3
Nursing Science Elective		3
	Credit Hours	9
Second Year
Fall Semester
NURS 70743	ADVANCED QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR HEALTH SCIENCES	4
NURS 70753	DATA SCIENCE AND NURSING	3
NURS 70798	RESEARCH IN NURSING	3
	Credit Hours	10
Spring Semester
NURS 70718	ROLES AND EVALUATION	3
NURS 70739	RESEARCH IN HEALTH DISPARITIES	3
Nursing Science Elective		3
	Credit Hours	9
Third Year
Fall Semester
Nursing Science Electives		6
	Credit Hours	6
Spring Semester
NURS 70744	DISSERTATION FOUNDATIONS	3
	Credit Hours	3
Summer Term
Oral Candidacy
	Credit Hours	0
Fourth Year
Fall Semester
NURS 80199	DISSERTATION I	15
	Credit Hours	15
Spring Semester
NURS 80199	DISSERTATION I	15
	Credit Hours	15
	Minimum Total Credit Hours:	90

Post-Master's Track

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Fall Semester		Credits
NURS 70710	HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING SCIENCE	2
NURS 70711	SCIENTIFIC WRITING	3
NURS 70712	RESEARCH DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS	3
NURS 70713	ADVANCED STATISTICS I	3
	Credit Hours	11
Spring Semester
NURS 70715	THEORY CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT IN NURSING	3
NURS 70740	ADVANCED STATISTICS II	3
NURS 70742	ADVANCED QUALITATIVE METHODS FOR HEALTH SCIENCES	4
	Credit Hours	10
Summer Term
NURS 70714	LEADERSHIP FOR NURSING SCIENCE	3
NURS 70798	RESEARCH IN NURSING	1
Nursing Science Elective		3
	Credit Hours	7
Second Year
Fall Semester
NURS 70743	ADVANCED QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR HEALTH SCIENCES	4
NURS 70753	DATA SCIENCE AND NURSING	3
NURS 70798	RESEARCH IN NURSING	2
	Credit Hours	9
Spring Semester
NURS 70744	DISSERTATION FOUNDATIONS	3
Nursing Science Elective		3
	Credit Hours	6
Summer Term
Candidacy Examination
	Credit Hours	0
Third Year
Fall Semester
NURS 80199	DISSERTATION I	15
	Credit Hours	15
Spring Semester
NURS 80199	DISSERTATION I	15
	Credit Hours	15
	Minimum Total Credit Hours:	73

Program Delivery

Delivery:
- Mostly online
Location:
- Kent Campus

Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries for Nursing - Ph.D.

Nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary

17.6%

much faster than the average

72,900

number of jobs

$75,470

potential earnings

Notice: Career Information Source

^{* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.}

Jewish Students Say the Names of the Dead to Honor Their Lives

Golden I Jewish student group held a vigil in which they read the names of the Israeli people killed by Hamas Oct. 7.

Members of the Golden I student group at Kent State held a daylong vigil on Risman Plaza on Nov. 8 in which they read the names of the Israelis who were killed by the militant group Hamas during a surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7.  The group started reading the names at 10 a.m. and was expected to continue until 3:30 p.m. when all 1,400 names had been read.   The goal of the vigil was to acknowledge that the people who were brutally murdered were real people with real lives, said senior psychology/anthropology major Rose Martyn, vice president of Golden I.&nbsp...

RFP 1924R Q&A

Read more about RFP 1924R Q&A

Honoring Veterans for Their Service

Members of Kent State's ROTC present the color guard at Veterans Day services.

Kent State University paid formal tribute to all those who have served in the U.S. armed forces at its annual Veterans Day Commemoration on Thursday.  The event, titled “Honoring All Those Who Serve,” was held on the Student Green, in front of Risman Plaza on the Kent Campus, with a flag-raising ceremony conducted by a joint color guard with students from Kent State’s Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC programs. Tim Coyne, senior business manager for Kent State’s Division of Student Life, served as bugler.   President Todd Diacon, in his welcome remarks, noted how Kent State was ther...

Governor Appoints Larry Macon Jr. to Kent State Board of Trustees

The Rev. Larry L. Macon Jr., J.D., has been appointed to the Kent State University Board of Trustees by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has appointed the Rev. Larry L. Macon Jr., J.D., to the Kent State University Board of Trustees. Macon will serve through May 16, 2027, fulfilling the unexpired term of Johnathan Holifield. Holifield resigned his position as a trustee in late 2022 due to an out-of-state relocation. Macon is a pastor, leader, author, business executive, motivational speaker and recording artist. He currently serves as senior pastor and bishop of Mt. Zion Church in Oakwood Village, Ohio, serving a congregation with more than 6,000 members. “I am proud to be of service to the state of ...

Undergraduate Majors

Read more about Undergraduate Majors

Subscribe to