Requirements for the PhD in Nursing Program

A. Curriculum Requirements

The part-time cohort-based program, to be offered on-site (one day/week) with web-enhanced technologies, contains three phases:  Coursework, Proposal Development and Dissertation. Coursework and proposal development will take two and one-half years to complete with an additional one year for dissertation completion.  All students will follow an approved program of courses, called the Academic Program Plan, determined to meet his or her needs and to satisfy program requirements.  The Academic Program Plan, developed by the student in consultation with the faculty advisor, should provide sufficient depth and breadth for the chosen area of research, including specific content areas, methodological and analytic approaches.  Any changes to the plan must be approved by the faculty advisor and submitted to the Director of the PhD in Nursing Program for final review.  The following includes minimum curriculum requirements:

By Advisement

B. Cognates
Students will select a minimum of three cognate courses (9 credits) to support the dissertation.  They individually and collectively enhance the depth of understanding of the student’s chosen area of research.  Cognate courses are taken after the first year of coursework when a student’s chosen research area has become more clearly defined.  Cognates are typically in specific content areas (i.e., self-management, biomarkers, biomedical informatics) or in specific methodological or analytical approaches (i.e., research design methodologies or data analytical methods).  These courses must be at the graduate level and taught by doctorally-prepared faculty either from with the School of Nursing or the University community at large.  Students should consult with their faculty advisor regarding possible content and methodological areas that will support the chosen area of research.

C. Teaching Practicum Requirement
All doctoral students in the PhD in Nursing Program at Stony Brook University must complete at least one semester of practicum in teaching under supervision.  Students in the PhD in Nursing Program will register for NUR 698 Seminar Series:  Academic Role and Teaching Practicum to enhance their expertise in the role of an academician.  The practicum will be individualized according to the student’s prior experiences in the academic role.  The practicum will provide students with expertise in course development, teaching pedagogies and strategies for curriculum delivery, test construction and evaluation methodologies for didactic and clinical learning, approaches to teaching diverse learners and difficult student situations, and professional role development among others.

The practicum may include making seminar or class presentations, assisting in laboratories, or leading discussion sessions. Grading experience by itself will not be considered sufficient for satisfaction of this requirement. Faculty are responsible for providing informal feedback and formal evaluation. Following (or in some cases, concurrent with) proper training through a teaching practicum and after having fulfilled other requirements for teaching (e.g., demonstration of spoken English proficiency for non-native speakers of English), a graduate student may serve as a teaching assistant (TA) in courses at Stony Brook University, where the instructor of record is a faculty member. An advanced graduate student may act as the instructor of record for an undergraduate course offered at Stony Brook University only if he or she is appointed to an adjunct faculty position as a lecturer. No student shall be appointed to such a position until he or she has been advanced to candidacy (G5 only). It is not required that such students be enrolled in full time status, although this is recommended. Appointment procedures follow the same process as regular faculty appointments. Graduate students at G4 level or below cannot be designated as the Instructor of Record for any course offered at Stony Brook University. They may be appointed as Teaching Assistants. In addition, there must be a designated faculty supervisor who serves as the Instructor of Record for the course.

Each student, with the help of their faculty advisor, will identify the semester during which they will complete the teaching practicum, develop individualized student learning outcomes based on prior experiences in the academic role and identify a faculty preceptor.  The faculty advisor, faculty preceptor and student will develop the structure of the practicum and plan activities to accomplish the student learning outcomes.

D. Research Practicum Requirement
All doctoral students in the PhD in Nursing Program at Stony Brook University must complete at least one semester of practicum in research under supervision.  Students in the PhD in Nursing Program will register for NUR 697 Seminar Series:  Investigator Role and Research Practicum to enhance their expertise in the role of an investigator.  The practicum will be individualized according to the student’s prior experiences in the investigator role.  The practicum will provide students with expertise in selected aspects of the research process, including development of the conceptual/theoretical foundation of the study, study implementation (e.g. start-up activities, consent, intervention, fidelity management), data collection, data management, data analysis, participate in preparation of grant proposal and dissemination of findings.

Each student, with the help of their faculty advisor, will identify the semester during which they will complete the research practicum, develop individualized student learning outcomes based on prior experiences in the investigator role and identify a faculty preceptor.  The faculty advisor, faculty preceptor and student will develop the structure of the practicum and plan activities to accomplish the student learning outcomes.

E. Qualifying Examination
The purpose of the Qualifying Examination is to ascertain the breadth and depth of the student’s preparation and to appraise readiness to undertake significant original investigation. Successful completion of the examination signifies the student’s advancement to candidacy and potential to complete continuing coursework and the dissertation.  It also represents the faculty’s commitment to provide scholarly resources to assist the student in meeting these benchmarks.  The advancement to candidacy is achieved by satisfactory completion of the Qualifying Examination, which is taken prior to the dissertation phase.  At the discretion of the program, the Qualifying Examination may be oral, written, or both.  The Examination Committee is appointed by the Program Director.  The Committee must include at least two faculty members from the program and may include one or more members from outside the University or program. Results of the examination will be communicated to the student as soon as possible and to the Graduate School within one week of the completion of the examination. A repetition of the preliminary examination, upon failure, may be scheduled at the discretion of the Program Director. The dean of the Graduate School must approve a request for repeat examination.

F. Dissertation Proposal
The dissertation proposal is prepared under the guidance of a faculty advisor.  The proposal will be defended orally at a seminar, announced two (2) weeks in advance, and is open to PhD in Nursing faculty and students and to the larger academic community.  The dissertation proposal defense committee must include at least two faculty members from the program and may include one or more members from outside the University or program.  The dissertation proposal defense will be scheduled after successful completion of required coursework.

G. Dissertation
The three requirements for the Ph.D. are assessed in the final defense of a dissertation.

1. The dissertation should demonstrate significant original work.
2. The final dissertation should be presented with clarity of thought and excellence of exposition that make it suitable for publication as a book or a series of papers in learned journals.
3. The dissertation should demonstrate a breadth and depth of the candidate’s knowledge beyond the confines of his or her own research and is also critically assessed in the defense and at various examinations during the student’s studies.

Successful oral defense of the dissertation to the candidate’s dissertation committee and the University community at large is required.  The dissertation committee will include the candidate’s dissertation advisor, at least two faculty members from the program and may include one or more members from outside the University or program.

H. Residence Requirement
At least two consecutive semesters of full-time study at Stony Brook University in the program granting the degree (or three consecutive semesters of a minimum of six credits for part-time students) are required.

 I. Program Time Limit
The time limit for a doctoral degree, including coursework, examinations, practicums, and dissertation is seven (7) years from date of matriculation in the PhD in Nursing Program.  In exceptional cases where the program cannot be completed within these periods, students may petition for an extension of the time limit. The Request for Waiver of Graduate Time Limit form can be found by selecting the forms link from the Graduate School Web site. These petitions require the approval of the student’s faculty advisor and Director of the PhD in Nursing Program. Requests for a time limit extension must be filed before the limit is exceeded and must contain a significant justification. The final decision rests with the Dean of the Graduate School, who may impose additional requirements.