Become a leader in the field as a nurse scientist that is prepared to advance the profession through scholarship, education, and research.
In our nursing science doctoral degree program, you’ll join a tradition of academic excellence that will prepare you to be a nurse scientist. For more than three decades, our powerhouse program has guided nurses to become scholars and leaders in nursing education and to go on to inform the nursing profession.
Here, you’ll be engaged in nursing science and develop the skills to conduct research that advances theory and generates the evidence for nursing education and practice.
Led by our expert, full-time faculty, our program offers you the flexibility to meet the course requirements on a timeframe that complements your demanding career and family responsibilities.
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The PhD program offers full- and part-time options. Classes are offered in an evening format to meet the scheduling demands of working educators and practitioners.
Part-time students can progress at their own pace within the established seven-year time limit for degree completion for doctoral students.
An accelerated MSN-to-PhD option is available. Visit the Loading... to view program requirements and admissions information.
Graduates of accredited BSN, MSN, or DNP programs are invited to apply for admission by submitting evidence of:
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Nursing PhD students who aim to become full-time nurse educators are eligible to apply for the nurse faculty loan program, made possible by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). This program is an exceptional way to make affording a graduate education within reach for nursing professionals who wish to become educators.
If accepted into the loan program, 85% of the monies borrowed over the course of the loan will be forgiven after 4 years of full-time academic nursing employment (or 2 half-time positions). Students are eligible to borrow up to $35,000 per academic year for up to 5 years. A small stipend may also be awarded to assist with the cost of books.
Students who participate in the program agree that they will secure a full-time (or two half-time) positions in academic nursing. Students may be eligible to take up to two years to find employment in your designated field.
How and When to Apply
If you have been accepted and choose to attend Widener University, you will receive information about the application program directly from the School of Nursing. Students apply to the program once a year.
Step into nursing leadership with a doctor of philosophy.
Our program emphasizes personal leadership development. Your student experience will be enriched with a specialized leadership course focused on the behaviors required as a leader and the necessary skills to overcome the challenges facing higher education and health care settings.
Thrive in a learning community that provides close mentorship and one-on-one support. Our full-time faculty members bring active clinical and academic research experience to the classroom. Widener provides the opportunity for you to build a professional network that supports you long after graduation.
You will have opportunities to collaborate with Widener's Leadership Center for Nursing Education Research whose mission is to advance the science of nursing education through rigorous educational and educational-clinical research. Expert research consulting services for constituents within the nursing and nursing education community and professional development are available.
Partner with expert faculty who aren’t just teaching the courses but are creating the science of nursing education.
I ascribe to a pragmatic philosophy of teaching and learning. I believe that nursing education must be practical and logically aligned to the diverse needs of the population we serve.
"I'm devoted to mentoring the next wave of nurse leaders, educators, and scholars. I empower students by continually examining and enhancing their learning methods, guided by the best available evidence. As a mother of a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, I understand the skills and experiences returning service members can bring to nursing education and found ways to incorporate this untapped leadership resource into my own teaching methods. I have published and presented widely on this topic, as well as research focused on gender diversity in nursing education, evidence-based teaching, and leadership in the field."
I believe that an education with a foundation in science is essential for entry into nursing or advanced practice nursing. Nursing clinical reasoning skills grow as students apply an understanding of disease as the loss of normal function.
Students have great variation in their manner in which they acquire, process, manipulate, store, and retrieve learned information. It is a faculty priority to assist students with the development of metacognitive strategies to assist learning success and retention.
The School of Nursing secured $214,000 to address the shortage of nurse educators through the Nurse Faculty Loan Program.
Graduate students showcased the experience and knowledge gained from hands-on research projects during this year's virtual Graduate Student Research Symposium.
A mentoring relationship between a nursing faculty member and her doctoral student – now an alumna – developed into a professional collaboration that is producing applicable research to returning service members.
Join a network of graduates who have gone on to leadership roles in local and international health care and research institutions.
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