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While this program is designed to address the nation鈥檚 shortage of qualified nursing faculty, PhD-prepared nurses are employed in a wide variety of settings, including health care systems, research institutions, government agencies and corporations offering health-care products and services, as well as their own businesses.

Full-time students in the traditional program should be able to complete course work in just over two years. Part-time students can complete course work in three years. Completion of the dissertation requirement will take an additional two to three years depending on the student's chosen research topic.

Conway Fellows are required to complete the degree (course work and dissertation requirements) in 3 years.

The FCN PhD Program has 46 semester credits of coursework. Following completion of these 46 credits, students enroll in Dissertation Continuation, which is a 3-credit semester course based upon their dissertation research. 

Completed application packets for each annual cycle of admissions should be received by April 15. Apply now using our . 

While full-time study is preferred, students are able to study part-time.

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The program is planned so that numbers remain small and will facilitate student-faculty interaction.

Doctoral students will work closely with a faculty advisor, their select their dissertation chair and dissertation committee member. They will work closely with their dissertation chair and committee member throughout Dissertation Continuation to complete their study and the degree.

All fall and spring courses will be offered using synchronous distance learning technology. Summer courses will be offered on campus during Summer Sessions, using traditional teaching modalities. During the second summer of coursework, one course is offered for two weeks in-person and the third week is online.

In 2023 fewer than one percent of American nurses have a PhD degree.

Yes. The doctoral program is designed to provide students with the skills needed to design and implement research projects, publish and prepare grants. Graduates may enter academic systems at a variety of levels. Some new faculty may find it necessary to work in collaboration with senior investigators to get their research programs established. Upon graduation some students who intend to focus on their programs of research may undertake post-doctoral fellowships.

On-campus classes are offered for international students. Otherwise, the classes are offered via distance learning as noted below.

Fall and spring distance learning courses are synchronous online seminars. They are scheduled during two weekday late afternoon and evenings, Eastern U.S. time.

Your computer and communications hardware and software should meet or exceed the requirements as listed in the Computer Requirements for Distance Learning document.

Students need not come with preparation or experience  in nursing education.

The PhD program began with the first group of students in May 2004.

Yes, you can obtain information about financial assistance at the Financial Assistance website. Our three-year, full-time Conway PhD Fellows Program also provides comprehensive financial support.

Most PhD students are employed while in doctoral studies. Some full-time students typically work on a part-time basis. Full-time employees can study on a part-time basis, and most of our students to date have been part-time.

Joanne and William PhD Conway Fellows agree not to work. If Fellows must work, they agree to work no more than 10 hours per week.

Students who have not taken a teaching practicum course in their MSN degree or have not submitted a teaching portfolio for waiver of the teaching practicum course, are required to enroll in NUR 8954 Teaching Practicum. In this course students will have a precepted teaching experience in a designated academic setting. 

Our alumni hold or have held a variety of position including: