Nursing PhD

We develop nurse leaders for research and academic careers who are adept at advancing the discipline of nursing through research related to improving health outcomes for patients, families, and communities. The University of Missouri, Kansas City is one of only 30 universities in the United States that has schools of nursing, medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy located on the same campus alongside other healthcare facilities. This proximity of faculty and researchers from other health care disciplines provides the opportunity for interdisciplinary activities and research.

PhD students in the School of Nursing and Health Studies (SoNHS) at UMKC have access to nationally recognized and funded nurse scientists who are available to guide students’ educational pursuit using a mentor-match model. Doctoral faculty members are conducting innovative research on topics such as muscle biology, community-based prevention interventions, interventions to promote recovery from illness, adherence to treatment and behavioral change, secondary analyses and analyses of large data sets, and teaching, learning, and assessment strategies in nursing education.

Each individualized program of study is developed in collaboration with faculty-mentors, and other members of the supervisory/dissertation committee. Faculty-mentors meet with their students regularly and provide guidance with developing research skills. Graduation requirements include presentation at a professional conference, a first-authored publication published in a peer-reviewed journal, successful completion of the comprehensive examination, and proposing and completing dissertation research.