CON Admission for Nursing PhD Program

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER COLLEGE OF NURSING
Graduate Student Admission Policies – PhD Program	Subsection: 5.4.1
Section 5.0 - Student Policies	Originating Date: March 1999
Responsible Reviewing Agency: PhD Affairs Council	Revised: April 1999 Reviewed: May 2011 Revised: July 2012 Reviewed: September 2012 Reviewed: January 2013 Reviewed: January 2016 Revised: May 2017 Revised: September 2020

Policy

In addition to the requirements of the Graduate College of the University of Nebraska, the College of Nursing considers students for admission to the PhD Program. Requirements for admission to the PhD Program in addition to those listed in the Graduate Studies Bulletin include:

BSN or Master’s degree in nursing from an accredited school. Students without a master’s degree in nursing may be accepted into the BSN to PhD program. Necessary master’s course work will be completed under the supervision of the advisor.
General congruence between research interests of the applicant with a faculty research advisor, the program’s goals, and the resources of the University.
Professional accomplishments as evidenced by a biographical sketch including a description of the applicant’s goals relative to his/her professional career.
A minimum grade point average of 3.2 in the BSN and/or master’s program.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required for BSN-PhD applicants and will be waived for MSN-PhD applicants with a MS GPA of 3.2 or above.
Evidence of capacity for original scholarship and research in nursing.
Evidence of the ability to communicate in a scholarly manner both orally and in writing.
Participation in an interview with a minimum of two doctoral program faculty members with one of the two faculty being a potential research interest match.
Three letters of reference (preferably from persons holding a doctorate): two academic references, preferably one reference focusing on the applicant’s research ability, and one professional performance reference.

United States citizens, prior to admission to the graduate program, must have successfully passed the NCLEX and be legally licensed to practice nursing in one of the 50 states. Foreign citizens entering the MSN-PhD program will need to successfully pass the NCLEX before being accepted to the program, and be legally licensed to practice nursing in the United States and shall provide evidence that they have the equivalent of a master’s degree in nursing. Exceptions may be made on an individual basis. Foreign citizens entering the BSN-PhD will be expected to pass the NCLEX as part of their degree program.

If applicable, students must meet Registered Nurse Licensure requirements in the particular state/states in which they will be performing data collection.

Procedures

The PhD program faculty recommends applicants for admission to the PhD program to the PhD Affairs Council. The PhD Affairs Council then recommends applicants for admission to the Dean for Graduate Studies. The applicant may appeal the recommendation of the PhD Affairs Council according to Graduate College policy as listed in the Graduate College Bulletin.
Applications for admission are reviewed by the PhD Program Faculty and the PhD Affairs Council.

Changed number from 5.3.4 to 5.4.1