Kent State University’s College of Nursing will welcome its first nursing cohort into the Ph.D. in Nursing revised program in the fall semester 2020. The newly developed, state-of-the-science curriculum was thoughtfully constructed to prepare students to address emerging areas of nursing science by gaining essential knowledge in areas such as history and philosophy of nursing, theory, scientific writing, research methods, statistics and quantitative and qualitative design.
“The restructured program will meet the needs of our students and the broader nursing community,” said Wendy Umberger, Ph. D., associate dean for graduate programs. “It can be completed full-time or part-time, allowing more flexibility for students, many of whom continue to work while completing their coursework and dissertation research.”
In order to best educate students to become scientific leaders for the future of nursing research, each student will work closely with a faculty member who shares a similar research interest. Throughout the duration of the Ph.D. program, students will have the opportunity to publish and present research alongside their faculty advisors, thus learning through a hands-on-approach while being socialized to the role of a nurse scientist.
“It’s important for doctoral students to receive professional socialization early on in their program in order to learn what it means to be a researcher and scientist,” Umberger said. “When choosing a doctoral program, students will seek out a faculty advisor and mentor who is an expert in the research area they find thought-provoking.”
Kent State’s nursing research faculty have a wide variety of research interests, including:
• Self-management of acute and chronic disease across the lifespan
• Wellness in health, caregiver, occupational, and vulnerable populations within and across family systems
• Health-related care systems and outcomes
• Global and cultural health and wellness
• Emerging education, translational and research methodologies
• End-of-life/palliative care
Additionally, Kent State has many innovative research institutes and initiatives that provide opportunities for cross-discipline research in areas such as brain health, environmental design, global understanding and healthy communities. These collaborative opportunities are invaluable, as they help doctoral students gain insights from leading experts outside the discipline of nursing.
The priority deadline for applications for the Ph.D. in Nursing program is March 1 of the year the student wishes to begin classes. This program only admits students for the fall semester and can be completed in as few as three years for students who attend full-time.
About Kent State University’s College of Nursing
In existence for more than 50 years, the College of Nursing at Kent State University is one of the largest and most comprehensive nursing programs in the nation with more than 13,000 alumni worldwide. As part of Kent State’s eight-campus system, the college provides courses of study at the baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral levels to more than 2,000 nursing students. To learn more about nursing programs at Kent State, please visit www.kent.edu/nursing.