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KU's Ph.D. in Nursing degree prepares nurse scientists for careers at the highest levels.
With your Ph.D. from KU School of Nursing, you'll be ready to serve in faculty positions in college and university settings; conduct independent research and scholarship in nursing; generate and expand the theoretical, empirical and philosophical bases for nursing practice; provide leadership to the profession; and interpret nursing to society.
In this program, you'll develop critical thinking, independent decision-making and evaluation capabilities, and expertise in research methods related to the biological, psychosocial and nursing sciences.
Program benefits
- New curriculum developed in 2025 aligns with AACN research pathways
- Fewer credit hours and faster time to completion with full-time study
- Clinical partnership with The University of Kansas Health System
- Nursing Education Exchange (NEXus) courses to tailor your degree
- We’re ready whenever you’re ready with rolling admissions
Program Length/Time to Complete
The Ph.D. in Nursing program is a minimum of three years of full-time coursework and dissertation.
Program Entry Options
Students may apply to the Ph.D. program after completing a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Master's degree in nursing, or a baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN).
Hybrid Format
- Three on-campus one-week summer intensives, also known as on-campus residency, at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.
- During the three summer intensives, Ph.D. students will be immersed in coursework (seminars and research immersion) with faculty advisors/mentors and fellow students; during year three, students take the synthesis workshop and qualifying exam.
- Online coursework throughout the academic year, including synchronous web-based conferencing on a regular basis.
- On-campus and e-mentoring by faculty for research and career advisement and scholar development.
Course requirements
The Ph.D. degree requires 50 coursework credit hours and at least 15 dissertation credit hours. DNP-to-Ph.D. students complete 29 credit hours of coursework plus dissertation.
Coursework is heavily focused on research skill-building through didactic coursework, seminar learning and application experiences.
The oral comprehensive exam will be conducted at the time of the dissertation proposal defense. Students are required to demonstrate competency in research skills and responsible scholarship.
Please see the course catalog for a current list of courses and degree plans.
Program Objectives
Develop expertise in the application of theoretical and conceptual frameworks to nursing.
Conduct and communicate research that advances the body of scientific nursing knowledge.
Examine the ways in which nursing knowledge and practice are influenced by historical developments, philosophical thought and cultural diversity.
Analyze, develop, and evaluate concepts and theories that contribute to the science of nursing.
Evaluate the impact of the expanded knowledge base in nursing and external force on the provision of health care to society and on the development of health care policy.Faculty Mentors
Each student in the Ph.D. in Nursing program has a primary faculty mentor that teaches in the doctoral program and are approved for dissertation chair privileges. Our nurse researchers have expertise in oncology, cardiovascular, health equity, children, elderly, chronic conditions, and the nursing workforce.
Dissertation
Each Ph.D. student must complete a study that shows the planning, conduct, and results of original research, a comprehensive oral exam, also known as the dissertation proposal defense, and a final oral examination, also known as the final dissertation defense.
2025
- Mary Hunter – A Qualitative Descriptive Study of the Experience of Parents of Children in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit; Faculty Chair: Shin Hye Park
- Denise Johnson – Assessing Faculty Beliefs, Knowledge, Skills and Existing Attitudes Regarding Nursing Education of Transgender Health; Faculty Chair: Jill Peltzer
- Keri Magnuson – Nurses with Substance Use Disorders: A Narrative Inquiry; Faculty Chair: Jill Peltzer
- Karen Towne – The Relationships Between Allostatic Load, Disaster-Related Prenatal Perceived Stress Response, and Pregnancy Outcomes; Faculty Chair Barb Polivka
2024
- Phyllis Pastwa – Nursing Pathophysiology Course Outcomes Among Minoritized Students: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study; Faculty Chair: Jill Peltzer
- Teale Ryan – The Effect of Different Education Delivery Models on Transactional Distance and Nursing Practice Readiness; Faculty Co-Chairs: Becky Christian & Kesa Herlihy
- Angela Storrer – Nurses’ Perceptions of the Impact of Electronic Health Record Use on Communication and Collaboration in the Acute Care Setting; Faculty Chair: Jill Peltzer
- Deena Woodall – Transition to Practice of New Graduate Nurses in the First Year of Employment at a Rural Healthcare System; Faculty Co-Chairs: Becky Christian & Karen Weis
2023
- Cori Heier – Understanding Academic Leadership Behaviors and Associated Theories that Positively Impact Nurse Faculty Job Satisfaction; Faculty Chair:
Heather Nelson-Brantley
2022
- Samantha Cintron – Leukocyte Transcriptome Analysis of Morbidly Obese Patients with High Output Heart Failure: Exploring the Underlying Pathophysiologic Mechanisms; Faculty Chair: Qiuhua Shen
- Amanda Schmitt – Self-Efficacy, Physical Function, and Healthy Behaviors in a Working Adult Population Living with Obesity and Dyslipidemia, Hypertension, or Diabetes Mellitus; Faculty Chair: Barb Polivka
- Mamie Williams – Factors Associated with Patient Handling Injuries among Nurses in an Acute Care Hospital; Faculty Chair: Shin Hye Park
2021
- Amenda Fisher – Weighing In: Overweight, Working Women’s Descriptions of Body Weight and Weight Management; Faculty Co-Chairs: Cindy Teel, Faculty Emeritus, & Jill Peltzer
- Laurie Jones – Faculty Perceptions of Nursing Student Retention in Community College Associate Degree Programs: A Qualitative Descriptive Study; Faculty Co-Chairs: Cindy Teel, Faculty Emeritus, & Kesa Herlihy
- Elise Craig Hector – A Convergent Mixed Methods Study to Describe Noticing and Interpreting Among Baccalaureate Nursing Students During a Virtual Simulation Case Study; Faculty Co-Chairs: Jill Peltzer & Kesa Herlihy
- Heather A. Lewis – A Study to Identify Factors of Rater Cognition from Different Rater Perspectives During Performance-Based Assessments; Faculty Chair: Kelly Bosak
- Heidi L. McNeely-- Understanding Policy Impacts and Non-Medical Substance Use Among Healthcare Professionals from The Perspective of Treatment Providers; Faculty Co-Chairs: Cindy Teel, Faculty Emeritus, & Heather Nelson-Brantley
2020
- Rebecca A. Miller – Examining the Relationship Between Nurse Manager Practice Environment and Burnout; Faculty Co-Chairs: Karen Wambach, Faculty Emeritus, & Danielle Olds
- Marian Savage – Defining the Characteristics and Instrument Development of Nurse Workarounds During Medication Administration; Faculty Chair: Shin Hye Park
Employment After Graduation
Of the Ph.D. program graduates, 75% have been employed in nursing education as faculty members, researchers and administrators. Employment categories for the remaining 25% include directors of research in hospitals, hospital systems and other health agencies, pharmaceutical research, clinical practice settings, National Institutes of Health, consultation, professional writing and nursing administration positions in hospitals and other agencies.
