Nursing

Doctor of philosophy University of Missouri-Columbia
Nurse leading a class.

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Overview

The MU doctor of philosophy in nursing (PhD) program prepares clinical scholars, educators, and researchers for leadership roles in a variety of academic, industry, and health care settings. If you want to share your research and clinical specialties with the academic community, service sector and public policy arena, this may be the degree for you.

    The nursing PhD from the Sinclair School of Nursing at MU is one of only a handful of PhD programs open to nurses and non-nurses. The interprofessional aspect of our program is made possible by the wide range of academic backgrounds our MU SSON faculty have and well as our strong, interdisciplinary research connections across the campus including but not limited to

    • Education
    • Family and community medicine
    • Health informatics
    • Human development and family science
    • Public health
    • Social work

    Quick facts

    Official name

    Doctor of philosophy in nursing

    Campus

    University of Missouri-Columbia

    Program type

    Doctorate

    Academic home

    Sinclair School of Nursing

    Delivery mode

    Blended, some campus visits required

    Accreditation

    Higher Learning Commission

    BS to PhD credit hours

    77

    BS to PhD estimated cost

    $41,148.80

    MS to PhD credit hours

    56

    MS to PhD estimated cost

    $29,926.40

    Post-clinical PhD credit hours

    48

    Post-clinical PhD estimated cost

    $25,651.20

    *This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.

    Nurse and patient.

    Career prospects

    Program outcomes

    • Assume leadership roles in nursing and health care.
    • Initiate and maintain collaborative relationships with nurses and individuals in other disciplines.
    • Advance nursing and health care knowledge by critically evaluating existing theories and knowledge and identifying new areas of inquiry for research.
    • Develop the science that guides nursing practice and/or health care by conducting original research using established ethical principles and disseminating research findings to advance new directions in theory, practice and education.
    • Educate the next generation through formal teaching and mentoring.
    • Advance development of health policy, through application of research and advocacy for ethical decision-making.
      Burning Glass Technologies. 2021. Salary numbers and employment growth numbers are based on models that consider advertised job posting salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other proprietary and public sources of information for multiple occupations.
      13.27%
      employment growth
      Burning Glass Technologies. 2021. Salary numbers and employment growth numbers are based on models that consider advertised job posting salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other proprietary and public sources of information for multiple occupations.
      $97,000
      Median salary

      Program structure

      Delivery of this program is blended: You will complete most course work online. A campus visit is required for a minimum of one week during the first summer of your enrollment. You also will spend four days on campus each April. You also must attend one professional meeting annually with your research mentor. Learn more about required on-campus dates.

      Courses are semester-based. How long it takes to complete the program depends on your academic preparation and your enrollment status. If you are a part-time student with an MS degree, for example, the course work will take you three years to complete, followed by your comprehensive examination, plus the additional time required to complete the dissertation research.

      If you are a part-time student entering with a BS degree, course work will take you four years to complete, followed by your comprehensive examination, plus the additional time required to complete the dissertation research. Full-time students can complete in a shorter time frame.

      Research focus areas

      The research focus areas are based upon Sinclair School of Nursing PhD faculty research interests and expertise. Each PhD student selects one area upon which to focus. These include:

      • Innovations to improve health and health systems;
      • Wellness in vulnerable and underserved populations;
      • Symptom and behavior science.

      Delivery

      Blended, some campus visits required

      Calendar system

      Semester-based

      Typical program length

      3 years

      Typical course load

      Part time

      Accreditation

      The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.

      Learn more about this program

      This program is administered by the Sinclair School of Nursing