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**Review** Graduate Catalog 2025-2026

Nursing Education Ph.D.

Program Overview

College of Natural and Health Sciences

General Doctoral Degree Admission Requirements

View delivery options, start terms and admission requirements.

Director: Melissa Henry, Ph.D.

Location: Gunter 3080
Telephone: 970-351-2293
Fax: 970-351-1707
Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/nursing/

The Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Education prepares nurses who provide professional leadership in nursing education, the scholarship of teaching, practice and research in the discipline. The program has one entry option: Master's to Ph.D.

Degree Requirements — 66 credits

Master's to Ph.D. Requirements

Students enter with a master’s in nursing and complete the doctoral degree with 66 hours. The general plan of study for students who enter the doctoral program is listed below.

Nursing Science Master’s to Ph.D. Core — 12 credits

NURS 702Advanced Concepts of Populations Experiencing Vulnerability and/or Marginalization

3

NURS 703Philosophical Underpinnings of Nursing Science

3

NURS 707Leadership in Health Policy

3

NURS 711Advanced Theory and Knowledge Development in Nursing

3

Nursing Education — 17 credits

NURS 710Measurement of Nursing Student Outcomes

3

NURS 730The Scholarship of Teaching and Practice in Nursing Education

2

NURS 741Evidence-Based Teaching

3

NURS 760Advanced Nursing Curriculum Design and Program Evaluation

3

NURS 780The Professorial Role in Nursing Education

3

PSY 681Learning and Instruction

3

Electives — 3 credits (with advisor approval)

Three credits of electives are required and must be approved by their faculty advisor before enrollment. Eligible electives include NURS 679, PSY 500, PSY 644, SRM 660, SRM 687, ET 641, ET 643, ELPS 601, ELPS 604, ELPS 605, ELPS 608, ELPS 665.

NURS 679Technology in Healthcare Education

3

PSY 500Educational Psychology for Teachers

3

PSY 644Motivation in Education

3

SRM 660Mixed Methods Research

3

SRM 687Narrative Inquiry

3

ET 641Designing, Playing, and Learning

3

ET 643Innovative Instructional Formats

3

ELPS 601Leadership Development Through Inquiry

3

ELPS 604Understanding People: Professional Development and Educational Leadership

3

ELPS 608Issues in Educational Leadership: Implications for Practice

3

ELPS 665Policy Analysis and Development

3

Research Core — 18 credits

NURS 723Design, Methods and Analysis in Health Care Research, Part I

3

NURS 724Design, Methods and Analysis in Health Care Research, Part II

3

NURS 777Advanced Qualitative Research Methods in Nursing

3

NURS 790Doctoral Research Colloquium

3

SRM 680Introduction to Qualitative Research

3

SRM 700Advanced Research Methods

3

Research and Dissertation — 16 credits

NURS 797Doctoral Proposal Research

1- 4

NURS 799Doctoral Dissertation

1-12

Research Tools

Students must demonstrate research skills in areas pertinent to the dissertation research topic. The Students’ competence in these skills will be assessed by the Students’ oral exam committee and/or dissertation committee members.

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