Yes, you may enroll in part-time or full-time study. We do encourage students to attend full-time when possible so they can complete the program and help meet the growing need for nurse faculty and researchers.

Full-time study in the doctoral program consists of 9 credit hours during the fall and spring semesters and 6 credit hours during the summer semester. Part-time study consists of 1-6 credit hours in the fall and spring semesters and 1-5 credit hours during the summer semester.

MSN-to-PhD students enrolled in 1 course at a time may complete course work in approximately 6 years; those enrolled in 2 courses may complete course work in approximately 4 years and those enrolled in 3 courses may complete course work in approximately 2 years. Time for completion of the dissertation is variable and ranges from 1 to two years. The student has four years following completion of the comprehensive exam to complete the dissertation.

BSN-to-PhD students attending full time may complete course work in approximately 3 - 3 1/2 years and have four years following the comprehensive exam to complete the dissertation.

The GRE is not required for MSN-to-PhD students.

The GRE is required for BSN–to-PhD students.

(Applicable only to BSN-PhD applicants)

If your scores are below the minimum required, you may apply to the program. Admission criteria are reviewed as a package and all criteria are examined. If admitted, you would be admitted on a probationary status and would need to make a grade of B or above for the first 12 hours of study. Other conditions of probationary admission identified at the time of admission must also be satisfied.

(Applicable only to BSN-PhD applicants)

Visit the web site: http://www.gre.org or call 1-800-GRE-CALL or 1-800-473-2255

Options for financial assistance include scholarships, grants, fellowships and loans. Employment as a Graduate Teaching Assistant/Graduate Research Assistant is also available and automatically adjusts fees to in-state tuition rates.

Please contact the Associate Dean or Administrative Assistant for more information.

A graduate-level statistics course with a grade of B or higher is required before beginning the PhD in Nursing Program.

Please contact the Associate Dean or Administrative Assistant for more information.

Doctoral classes are not transferable. If, however, you would like to have a class that may be equivalent to a class in the PhD in Nursing Program, you may ask the Associate Dean to consider waiving that class.

This is done on an individual basis.

We offer a blended class format. Courses are offered in an online and classroom format with students meeting a limited number of times on campus. This reduces travel time, but still provides the personal contact that is so important at the doctoral level.

Being a doctorally prepared nurse opens doors for new career opportunities in academic settings and in health care agencies. Nurse faculty who hold a PhD degree will be able to pursue a career of teaching in either undergraduate or graduate levels and will have the skills to seek external funding for programs of research. Clinical researchers who hold a PhD degree will be able to pursue a career with a health care agency/hospital system and will have the skills to develop programs of research for specific populations and to promote research among staff nurses.

The PhD in Nursing is a program which assists the student to gain knowledge and skill basic to developing new nursing knowledge, theory development and testing and the conduct of original research. Graduates will integrate knowledge from nursing and related disciplines which support the development of nursing innovations for diverse populations, design studies for testing nursing innovations for diverse populations, disseminate synthesis of knowledge for guiding nursing care of diverse populations and provide leadership in the policy process for diverse populations groups.

The DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) is a post-masters program to prepare Nurse Practitioners who demonstrate leadership, clinical expertise and innovation in problem recognition and resolution using evidence based practice. Graduates Implement evidence-based health care in selected populations, demonstrate leadership in promoting quality improvement in health care systems and Conduct clinical research to evaluate care and promote evidence-based practice.

If you have a BSN and a master’s degree in a field other than nursing, you may apply using the BSN-to-PhD entry option.

Hotels near the University can be found on our website at http://www.uta.edu/uta/hotels.html

Please let us know when you plan to visit so we can arrange for you to see an advisor and possibly talk to faculty and current students.