Endicott is the first college on Boston’s North Shore to be authorized to award a doctoral degree in Nursing. With endorsement by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, Endicott College may award a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Nursing to qualified candidates. The purpose of the Ph.D. in Nursing program is to develop nursing scholars, faculty, leaders and researchers to prepare students to conduct research and advance nursing knowledge development through scientific inquiry. The course of study will emphasize the role of the scholar/researcher, approaches to theory development, multiple methods of research, and the approaches to knowledge development for nursing. This program is pending approval of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (Ph.D.) Program Mission
Endicott College’s School of Nursing is dedicated to educating the nurse of the future equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to conduct research, provide patient-centered care, and meet the requirements of the national and international standards.The goal of the School is to equip its students with evidence-based theoretical knowledge allowing them to remain self-learners responsible for the depth and breadth of their knowledge throughout their professional lives.
Situated within the School of Nursing, the mission of the Ph.D. in Nursing program is to develop nursing scholars, faculty, leaders and researchers who can conduct research and provide leadership through scientific inquiry. The Ph.D. program prepares nurse scientists to emphasize the role of the scholar/researcher, approaches to theory development, multiple methods of research, and the approaches to the development of new knowledge to enhance relationships among the client, the nurse and client, and within nursing practice.
The Ph.D. program will address the critical nursing shortage to prepare nurse scholars and researchers with the analytical skills to both enhance and develop new nursing knowledge. Graduates of the program will acquire the knowledge and skill to function as nurse leaders, scholars and researchers. Doctoral studies build upon the knowledge and skills acquired in Baccalaureate and Master degree programs in nursing with the goal to incorporate past knowledge and experience into the new knowledge and skills. The program will emphasize and explore the interrelationships among theory, research, and nursing practice. The Ph.D. program is built upon the belief that the field of nursing can be expanded utilizing knowledge from within and outside the discipline of nursing through the careful selection, integration, and expansion of interdisciplinary knowledge and its application to the practice of nursing with the ultimate goal to advance nursing practice.
Similar to the Baccalaureate and Masters programs at Endicott College, the Ph.D. program uses the National League for Nursing (2010) Competency Model with the following defined outcomes for the Research Doctorate level:
• Human Flourishing
• Nursing Judgment
• Professional Identity, and
• Spirit of Inquiry
The four dimensions constitute the framework for the program. Program and course learning objectives are congruent with the NLN Competency Model outcomes for a Research Doctorate. In addition, Kim’s (1983; 2011) Conceptual Model for Nursing Practice helps to frame the domains of practice. Kim’s Domains of Client, Client and Nurse, and Practice provide structure for Ph.D. nursing courses that can be related to the NLN (2010) Competency Model outcomes of Nursing Judgment and Human Flourishing. The NLN Competency Model outcomes of Professional Identity and Spirit of Inquiry provide definitions and support for Ph.D. nursing courses in Philosophy, Theory Development and Research. The program graduates will be rigorously prepared to pursue careers in research environments and as leaders of the profession.
References
Kim, H.S. (2011) The Nature of Theoretical Thinking in Nursing, (3rd Edition), New York, Springer Publishing
AACN, (2010) The Research-Focused Doctoral Program in Nursing: Pathways to Excellence.
Program Overview
The Ph.D. program integrates technology across the curriculum. The courses will be delivered as face-to-face learning in a classroom on the Beverly campus or through a blended hybrid model with online and face-to-face activities using the Gullnet or Canvas platforms. This model appeals to busy professionals who are seeking a rigorous doctoral educational experience in a convenient and modern format.
Students are expected to complete a minimum of 45 credits beyond the master’s degree. Reflecting the interdisciplinary intent of the program at least 9 credits must be taken beyond the core nursing courses in research methods. The curriculum is organized within four components of the National League for Nursing (NLN) Competency Model (2010): Spirit of Inquiry, Professional Identity, Human Flourishing, and Nursing Judgment and is designed to meet the competency for each category. Underpinning the curriculum is the synthesis of knowledge related to nursing theory, research, practice, teaching and collaboration across disciplines.
Program Components
Phase I.
Students accepted to the Ph.D. program will be admitted in cohort groups. Students will complete 45 required credits of coursework in Spirit of Inquiry that is addressed in the core required nursing courses and research methods. The nursing courses lay the theoretical groundwork for knowledge development and include courses in philosophy of science, theory basis for nursing science, and analytical approaches to reasoning including an exploration of inductive and deductive approaches to theory development. Research supporting analytical approaches will also be explored. The core research method courses, including qualitative and quantitative research, provide in depth review of research inquiry and various methodological approaches to study phenomena.
Phase II.
In Phase II of the Ph.D. program, all students are required to pass a comprehensive exam that is based on the core courses. Students will take the exam when all the required courses are completed. Students must pass the exam before beginning Phase III. The Director of the Doctoral Program will appoint 2 or 3 faculty members to write and evaluate the comprehensive exam. The members of the exam writing committee will be familiar with the key topics of the core courses. A student will advance to Phase III-Doctoral Candidate after successfully completing the comprehensive exam.
Phase III-Doctoral Candidate.
This is the final phase of the program and includes the completion of a dissertation. By enrolling in - NUR 760 Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Advisement and Doctoral Seminar (15 credits) for 1-12 credits a semester. The dissertation is research-based and must include original research. Students will develop dissertation proposals in consultation with their dissertation committee.
Program Learning Outcomes
Ph.D. graduates in nursing include the ability to:
1. Incorporate mastery of knowledge from nursing and other disciplines to engage in activities that extend disciplinary knowledge as a scholar and researcher.
2. Combine logical, critical and scientific thinking with ethical integrity in the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of nursing research.
3. Integrate the philosophical foundations of knowledge into theory and research development that contributes to improving nursing care and practice.
4. Select theories and research relevant to the care of diverse, ethnic and cultural populations.
5. Collaborate and Communicate as a scholar within nursing and interdisciplinary community in the conduct and application of research.
6. Pursue lifelong learning and ongoing personal development through excellence in scholarly activities within and beyond the discipline.
7. Embraces the diversity of opportunities for career development, professional roles and disciplinary leadership as a nurse scientist, scholar, educator or mentor.
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