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The Ph.D. degree is designed to prepare graduates for a lifetime of intellectual inquiry that manifests itself in creative scholarship and research. Students in this doctoral program acquire the knowledge and skills to conduct research that is theory generating and/or theory testing, and the ability to generate and refine nursing science as the basis for nursing practice, education, and/or administration.

Admission

The admission process attempts to identify individuals who have a high probability of successfully completing the program. All factors are considered in combination. Specific requirements include:

1. one of the following options:
   
   1. B.S.N. entry—a bachelor of science in nursing degree from a program that is nationally accredited;
   2. M.S.N. entry—a bachelor of science in nursing degree and a master’s in nursing degree from nationally accredited programs;
   3. non-M.S.N. master’s entry—a bachelor of science in nursing degree from a nationally accredited program and a master’s degree in another discipline.
2. general GRE verbal and quantitative scores (The average GRE scores of recently admitted students were greater than 494 verbal and 531 quantitative.);
3. transcripts of all previous college studies (The average GPA of recently admitted post-master’s students was greater than 3.80.);
4. registered nurse licensure in South Carolina or eligibility for S.C. licensure or possession of an unencumbered license in the state in which clinical practice will occur;
5. completed application to The Graduate School with the College of Nursing supplement;
6. potential for scholarship in nursing science as evidenced by the following:
   
   1. two or three examples of scholarly work, e.g., research reports, published articles, thesis, course papers, and written innovations;
   2. written statement of career goals;
   3. three letters of reference from doctorally prepared individuals that address research and scholarship potential;
   4. interview with two nursing graduate faculty members;
   5. resume or cv.

Degree Requirements (60 Post Masters Hours)

Requirements for earning the Ph.D. include:

1. doctoral residency of at least 18 graduate credit hours for three consecutive major semesters.  Enrollment in a summer term is not required to maintain continuity, but credits earned during summer terms (including May session) will count toward the 18 hours required for residency.  The residency requirement may be met only after admission to the PhD program;
2. completion of an approved program of study totaling not less than 60 credit hours for master’s entry options and not less than 78 credit hours for B.S.N. entry option;
3. completion of the admission-to-candidacy examination at least one full academic year prior to the date on which the degree is to be granted;
4. completion of a language requirement, met through either a reading knowledge of a foreign language or competency in statistics/research methods specific to the student’s proposed course of study;
5. completion of a mentored research experience under the supervision of College of Nursing faculty (NURS 898);
6. completion of a comprehensive examination taken after admission to candidacy and completion of all course requirements except those courses in which the student is currently enrolled;
7. completion and oral defense of a doctoral dissertation.

Length of Program

The Ph.D. in Nursing Science is designed to be completed in three years of full-time study or four years of part-time study for the master’s in nursing entry options or in four years of full-time study or five years of part-time study for the B.S.N. entry option.

Curriculum

Objectives: Students in the Ph.D. program a) conduct research theory which is theory generating and/or theory testing and b) generate and refine nursing science as the basis for nursing practice, education, and/or administration.

The curriculum in the Ph.D. program is designed to provide students with a core foundation in nursing—theory development, nursing research, and statistics. A minimum of 27 semester hours of core courses is required. Program options (minimum of 21 semester hours required) build on the core foundation and permit students to develop individual programs of study in conjunction with faculty advisors. The goal of the curriculum is to prepare beginning researchers in a defined area of nursing science inquiry. This will be accomplished through the development of individual programs of study and research experiences.

Students who do not have beginning level graduate courses in nursing theory, nursing research, or statistics equivalent to those required in the USC College of Nursing master of science in nursing degree program will need to complete these courses prior to beginning the Ph.D. core courses. Students in the B.S.N. entry option will need to complete 18 additional credit hours of master’s level courses which may be from one of the existing nursing majors or emphasis areas or in an individualized program of study. These courses must relate to the student’s research area of interest. Enrollment in these additional 18 credit hours must occur before enrollment in the Ph.D. core courses.