Nursing Science PhD

A Nursing Science PhD Program is designed to prepare students with research skills they need to contribute to the scientific basis of care provided to patients across their lifespan in any health care setting. Graduates also develop skills needed to serve as leaders in academia, health care systems and health policy.

You can find admission requirements, guidelines and information on how to apply on the program’s Admissions page.

You may choose to work full-time or part-time while completing core coursework. But most students reduce or eliminate work hours during their dissertation research.

Our faculty mentors have expertise in a variety of areas, including the following:

• Health behavior research (e.g., physical activity/exercise, medication adherence)
• Aging
• Parenting programs
• Intimate partner violence
• Metabolomics

Many of our faculty members’ research involves approaches to addressing health disparities and promoting health equity.

The program usually takes four years to complete for full-time students and five years to complete for part-time students.

: Rush offers virtual support to students that includes academic coaching to help with study skills, test-taking strategies, time management and more. You can visit the Rush Center for Academic Excellence for more information.

Yes, some visits to campus are necessary for the program. These include orientation at the start of the program and intensive learning sessions every summer over the next three years of study.

The PhD program has been developed so that students maintain continuous online progress throughout the year and focus on discourse, debate and integration of ideas. Students benefit from innovative teaching and mentoring strategies, multiple methods of curriculum delivery matched to course objectives and a faculty who is committed to preparing graduates for a career in clinical research and academia.

Students attend annual on-campus learning intensive visits that emphasize application of program content. 

Our curriculum includes coursework in theory, statistics, research methods, ethics, leadership, health policy, grant writing, research and teaching practicum experiences, and cognate courses to dig deeper into the topic and methods to prepare for dissertation research. 

Before students enter the PhD program, it is important that they identify the research area or clinical population in which they are interested. This will ensure a close match between the student and advisor, inform the development of an individually tailored program of study and foster timely completion of the program.

Tuition is $1,344 per credit hour. You can learn about assistance from our Office of Student Financial Aid.

You can find a full list of program faculty members by scrolling down on this page below the FAQ section.