The purpose of the OSU College of Nursing PhD program is to produce scholars who will contribute to the scientific basis for nursing practice. This scientific base is interdisciplinary in nature and drawn from the biological, biomedical, social, and behavioral sciences. Requirement for interdisciplinary study has been included in the PhD curriculum since its inception. PhD students are expected to develop breadth of understanding of the scientific basis for the discipline across biological and psychosocial science areas and to develop depth in one area.
The focus of the PhD in Nursing program is an examination of the broad determinants of health and disease in individuals, families, and communities, with the intent to develop and test interventions to improve health. Consistent with the biopsychosocial focus of our discipline and growing national emphasis on interdisciplinary research and translational health science. PhD students in the College of Nursing are required to complete a cognate minor outside the College of Nursing. Cognate study allows the student to develop sound theoretical, substantive and methodological knowledge in the biological, behavioral, or social science area related to his or her research focus. The required cognate study places the students in close contact with faculty and graduate students in other departments, increasing opportunities for collaborative, transdisciplinary research training.
All post-master’s students at OSU are required to complete a minimum of 50 graduate credit hours and post baccalaureate students a minimum of 80 graduate credit hours for graduation with a PhD. Full-time students are required to complete a minimum of 8 credit hours per semester in Autumn and Spring semesters and a minimum of 4 credit hours in Summer Semester. Students on fellowships are required to take 12 credit hours in the Autumn and Spring semesters and 6 credit hours in the Summer Semester. The PhD in Nursing program requires a minimum of 60 credit hours for post-master’s students and 81 credit hours for post-baccalaureate students who are not earning a master’s degree. The coursework is designed to provide program trainees with foundational scientific knowledge to conduct rigorous research.
If a student enters the PhD program post-baccalaureate, a plan of study is developed that includes the 60 credit hours required specifically for the PhD in Nursing. Post-baccalaureate students may elect to complete requirements for a masters degree while in the PhD program, which may result in greater than the minimum 81 total credits required by the College of Nursing (80 is the Graduate School minimum). If that is the case, the student must apply and be admitted to the specific specialty track of the M.S. in Nursing program. The Nursing Science specialty track is designed for post-baccalaureate PhD students but all MS specialties are available for application. If the student chooses not to pursue a masters degree, the additional credit hours must be coherent and consistent with the student’s overall plan of study.
The faculty strive to establish a learning environment that provides the opportunity for interchange between students and faculty that fosters individual growth, collegial relationships, and the pursuit of knowledge. Both faculty and students have a commitment to the development of nursing science through empirical work. To this end, the College of Nursing offers a PhD program requiring approximately three years of full-time study for post-master’s students. Part-time study is possible, except for the two semesters of full-time study necessary to meet the residency requirement of the program. Full-time study is strongly encouraged.