BS to PhD in Nursing PHD
The School of Nursing offers entry into the PhD program for students holding a bachelor’s degree in nursing or health-related field from a professionally accredited or approved program. The BS to PhD in Nursing option is designed to promote knowledge development for reflective, theory-based, and research-guided nursing practice.
Program Type
Doctoral
Program Format
On Campus
About UWM School of Nursing
As the largest School of Nursing in the state, UW-Milwaukee partners with over 160 agencies to prepare nurse scientists, researchers and educators. Go beyond the bedside and make an impact on the world around you with a PhD in nursing from UWM.
About the BS to PhD in Nursing
The PhD in Nursing Program is a research–intensive program that prepares nurse scientists for roles in research, education, practice, health policy and leadership.
The BS to PhD in Nursing Program is a campus–based program that prepares baccalaureate nurses as scientists. Under the guidance of world-renowned professors and mentors, students will work with professors to define success early. They will develop a plan of study that prepares them to devise and conduct independent and collaborative interdisciplinary research.
Scholarships & Funding
We understand that financial support is important to every student. A variety of options are available to help students finance their education at UWM, including over $500,000 in nursing scholarships & funding awarded annually, as well as loans, grants, student employment, fellowships, military education benefits and more. UWM offers generous aid options for students seeking to be nurse educators or nurse faculty.
Five year, full time BS to PhD Plan of Study
Year 1
| Course | Course Number | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care Organizations and Systems Leadership | NURS 804 | 3 |
| Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing | NURS 735 | 3 |
| Biostatistics (Pre-req) | NURS 720 | |
| Evidenced-Based Practice | NURS 725 | 3 |
| Epidemiology | NURS 727 | 3 |
| Research Practicum | NURS 899 | 1 |
Year 2
| Course | Course Number | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations of Inquiry for Health | NURS 801 | 3 |
| Science of Nursing | NURS 802 | 3 |
| Issues in Scholarship | NURS 890 | 3 |
| Multivariate Statistics | NURS 808 | 3 |
| Qualitative Methods in Health Research | NURS 882 | 3 |
| Quantitative Methods in Health Research | NURS 883 | 3 |
| Research Practicum | NURS 899 | 2 |
| Measurement in Health Research | NURS 881 | 3 |
| Qualifying Exam is taken in Summer |
Year 3
| Course | Course Number | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Choose one advanced methods course: Advanced Quantitative Advanced Qualitative | NURS 885 NURS 886 | 3 |
| Research Practicum | NURS 899 | 1 |
| Specialty Elective | 3 | |
| Health Policy | NURS 803 | 3 |
| Analysis of Nursing Phenomena | NURS 820 | 3 |
| Specialty Elective | 3 | |
| Specialty Course | 3 | |
| Integrative Studies | NURS 809 | 3 |
Year 4
| Course | Course Number | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Doctoral Independent Study (Comprehensive Exam) | NURS 897 | 3 |
| Dissertator | NURS 997 | 3 |
Year 5
| Course | Course Number | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Dissertator | NURS 997 | 3 |
| Dissertator | NURS 997 | 3 |
All applicants must apply through the Graduate School’s application system and upload the following:
- a nonrefundable application fee;
- unofficial transcripts from each academic institution attended where at least nine or more credits were attempted or completed. Applicants are required to submit official transcripts after an admission offer is accepted;
- current curriculum vitae;
- references from three different people who know about your academic experience and your potential for graduate study in nursing.
- a written statement from the applicant that includes previous professional experience, professional career goals, research interests, motivation for PhD study and educational objectives for the program.
- Two examples of original work that demonstrate the applicant’s academic potential.
- A conversation with a faculty member is required as part of the application process. A telephone conversation or video meeting (e.g. Zoom, Skype) may be used when travel is prohibitive.
Prerequisites
Applicants must have the following prerequisites for the UWM BS to PhD in Nursing program:
- a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in nursing or health-related field from a professionally accredited program with a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 (4.0 scale) for all previous graduate coursework;
- completion of a graduate-level statistics course (within the last five years) with a grade of B or higher;
UWM College of Nursing Approved Graduate Statistics Courses:
| University/College | Course | Course Number |
|---|---|---|
| UW-Milwaukee | Biostatistics (Online/On-Campus) | NURS 720 |
| UW-Stevens Point | Basic Statistical Methods for Social Science (On-Campus) | SOC 590 |
| UW-Stevens Point | Basic Statistical Methods in Education (Online) | EDUC 705 |
| Penn State World campus | Applied Statistics | STATS 500 |
| UMass Online | Introduction to Probability and Applied Statistics | EEOS 601 |
| University of Phoenix | Applied Business Research and Statistics | QNT 561 |
| University of Phoenix | Statistics For The Behavior Sciences | PSYC 625 |
| UCLA Extension | Advanced Statistics and Quantitative Methods | STATS 402.1 |
Program Advising
February 1
(Fall start)
October 1
(Spring start)
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