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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing

Canada

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11

What will I learn?

Program Mission

Within a research-intensive context, the Faculty of Nursing’s PhD Program exists to prepare for the 21st century nursing scholars who are able to generate new knowledge and facilitate change to advance healthcare outcomes and nursing within a global context.

Program Vision

Students in the PhD Program are engaged in and educated for excellence in the development, organization and evaluation of new knowledge. The Program is characterized by rigour, flexibility and relevance: rigour in the quality of scholarship and flexibility within and relevance to the discipline of nursing and the student’s career goals and research interests. See the Faculty of Nursing website for full description of Program and Principles underlying it.

The graduate will exhibit competencies in each of the following core qualities:

  • Advancing nursing
  • Enhancing scholarship
  • Mobilizing knowledge
  • Extending inquiry
  • Leading change

Program Requirements

For each student, advancement of the core qualities described in the program vision, will occur through a combination of activities, learning experiences and skills derived from supervision, course participation, scholarly experiences, various other activities and outputs, engagement with faculty and colleagues and reflection. These activities will occur in and outside of the Faculty of Nursing.

All students take the following four courses in the first two years:

NURS 600
NURS 601
NURS 609
INT D 690

In consultation with the supervisor and based on program plans, students are additionally expected to take design/method/analysis courses and one three-credit dissertation seminar (NURS 699).

Typically students take a total of 7-10 doctoral level courses which could include nursing history, research methods, statistics and philosophy of science as well as courses in students’ substantive areas. The number and type of courses will vary according to students’ academic backgrounds, experiences and career goals. The majority of courses are offered face to face and a few are offered via e-learning.

The minimum period of residence on campus is one Fall or Winter Term, or two Spring or Summer Terms. However, the Faculty of Nursing may require that a student spend more than the stated minimum time on campus.

Examinations:

There are three examinations during the PhD program: The Comprehensive Examination at the completion of the coursework, typically at the end of second year; The Doctoral Candidacy Exam which must be completed by the end of the third year; and the Doctoral Final Oral Exam. English is the language of study. All requirements for the degree must normally be completed within six years from the time a student first registers as a graduate student.

Financial Assistance and Scholarships:

The Faculty of Nursing and Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research offer many opportunities for scholarships and assistance to qualified graduate students.

Which department am I in?

Faculty of Nursing

Study options

Full Time (6 years)

Tuition fees
CAD$8,874.00 (US$ 6,519) per year
Given fees may be subject to change in future

*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution

Application deadline

Expected January 2025

Start date

September 2024

Venue

University of Alberta

North Campus,

116 Street and 85 Avenue,

EDMONTON,

Alberta (AB),

T6G 2R3, Canada

Entry requirements

For international students

A Master's degree in Nursing with an admission GPA of at least 3.5 on the 4-point scale from the University of Alberta, or an equivalent qualification and standing from a recognized institution. The admission GPA will be calculated on the last 60 of graded coursework completed, or on the equivalent of the last two years of full-time graded coursework. Students who do not hold the equivalent to this degree may be admitted and required to undertake additional course work in nursing theory, practice and/or research.

A GPA of 3.5 in the last two years of study

Graduate qualitative and quantitative (with some statistics) research courses, or one graduate course in statistics and one in research methods (or equivalent), with a final grade of B or higher.

English Language Proficiency

  • A TOEFL score of at least 97 (internet-based) with the following minimum scores on each of the individual skill areas: Listening-27, Reading-21, Writing-27, Speaking-23, or equivalent;
  • an IELTS overall score of 7.0 with the following minimum scores: Listening-7.5, Reading-6.5, Writing-7.0, Speaking-7.0, Overall-7.0.

Online applications and supporting documentation are due by January 15 for admission in the following September.

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About University of Alberta

One of Canada’s top teaching and research universities, the University of Alberta has an international reputation for academic excellence.

  • Ranked among top 100 universities in the world (CWUR, 2021)
  • 18 faculties, offering more than 200 undergraduate programs
  • Students from over 150 countries
  • 81st in the world for research impact (NTU Ranking 2019)

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