PhD Student Handbook

Decker School of Nursing PhD Student Handbook

  • The Decker School of Nursing (DSON) in °®¶ą´«Ă˝'s Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences reserves the right to amend or alter the content of this handbook at any time. All policies were reviewed and approved by the PhD Committee in fall 2020. 

Table of Contents 

Overview and General Information

Academic Policies and Procedures for Students

Appendices 

Overview and General Information

Introduction

This Decker School of Nursing PhD Program Handbook defines program-specific policies and procedures for enrolled PhD nursing students. It complements °®¶ą´«Ă˝'s  Graduate School Manual and (formerly, the Bulletin).

Students are expected to familiarize themselves with University rules and expectations for graduate students found in this handbook, the Graduate School Manual and the Academic Guide. Students should pay particular attention to the Academic Policies and Procedures for All Students and Academic Policies and Procedures for Graduate Students sections of the Academic Guide.

Program Description 

The Decker PhD program in nursing prepares graduates for research and active scholarship in nursing that will extend the knowledge base of nursing and improve healthcare delivery for rural and other vulnerable populations. Graduates will be prepared to research and develop theories related to these populations. They will also be able to design future practice models, direct the development of policy initiatives and effect meaningful change within healthcare delivery systems.

Program Objectives

The graduate of the PhD program in nursing will be prepared to: 

  1. Constructively critique and synthesize nursing and interdisciplinary knowledge within a substantive area of inquiry relevant to nursing practice
  2. Design, conduct, and disseminate research and develop theory to improve the delivery of healthcare for rural and vulnerable populations
  3. Use scholarly inquiry to generate and disseminate knowledge that advances the discipline, informs practice, and directs the development of policy initiatives

Curriculum

The PhD program in nursing is designed to prepare nurse scholars with the skills and knowledge necessary to conduct research on rural health and vulnerable populations. Graduates of the program are expected to assume leadership roles in nursing related to rural health and vulnerable populations in academic and practice settings. 

List of courses

  • NURS 608: Advanced Methods and Quantitative Analysis
  • NURS 609: Theoretical and Conceptual Foundations of Nursing
  • NURS 602: Conceptual Analysis of Nursing Phenomena
  • NURS 603: Advanced Statistics: Multivariate
  • NURS 604: Qualitative Methods in Nursing Research
  • NURS 605: Measurement of Nursing Phenomena
  • NURS 607: PhD Dissertation Seminar 
  • NURS 621: Rural Theoretical Frameworks 
  • NURS 622: Vulnerable Populations: Theoretical Frameworks
  • NURS 623: Theoretical Frameworks: Health Promotion   
  • NURS 624: Theoretical Frameworks: Chronic Illness 
  • NURS 633: Advanced Health Systems and Policy 
  • NURS 634: Health Policy Formulation
  • NURS 640: Health Disparities Across Populations
  • NURS 660: Leadership in Nursing Education 
  • NURS 661: Teaching Practicum 
  • NURS 690: Research Seminar I
  • NURS 691: Research Seminar II 
  • NURS 698: Pre-dissertation 
  • NURS 699: Dissertation (comprehensive exam and proposal defense complete)

Academic Policies and Procedures for Students

Academic Load/Progression Level (FT vs. PT enrollment)

The University’s Graduate School Manual has information about academic load, progression and FT/PT status. Students may enroll in the nursing PhD program as part-time students but must enroll in a minimum of 2 courses per semester while in coursework. Exceptions must be approved by the PhD program director.

Experiential Training in Research and Teaching

NURS 661: Teaching Practicum 

Since it is likely the majority of PhD in nursing students graduating from the program will be employed in academic settings, students must demonstrate expertise in teaching before graduation. Specific guidelines for meeting this requirement will be individually determined and a teaching practicum course (NURS 661) will be required. Depending on students’ prior teaching experience (undergraduate vs. graduate courses; clinical vs. theory courses), a teaching practicum will be designed to complement and build upon students’ previous experiences. The goal will be to provide students with new skill sets. 

NURS 690/691 Research Seminar

Research seminars allow students to work with faculty and build research skills. Students in NURS 690 and NURS 691 (Research Seminar I and Research Seminar II) will be assigned a faculty member to work with for the semester.

Program of Study

All students are required to have a program of study. The program of study must be reviewed by the student and the student’s advisor. The program of study must include plans to complete all required courses in the curriculum and other curricular requirements (comprehensive examination and dissertation).  

Advisement

New students will be assigned to the PhD program director for advisement and program planning. The PhD program director will serve as a student’s advisor until the student declares a chair or forms a committee. Students should seek advisement from the PhD program director early and as often as necessary. Students receive a program plan before beginning their program of study that identifies part-time or full-time study status. All students should follow this program plan to degree completion. Permission to deviate from this program plan is required from the PhD program director and the director of graduate nursing programs. If students fail to follow the program plan as prescribed, their graduation may be delayed until all degree requirements are completed.

Dissertation Committee

Appointment to a dissertation committee must fit the guidelines of the °®¶ą´«Ă˝ University Graduate School as stipulated in its bylaws. According to the Graduate School bylaws, only faculty with formal rank of assistant, associate or full professor in an academic department offering advanced degrees may be members of a graduate student dissertation committee. The vice provost and dean of the Graduate School may approve exceptions to these restrictions in specific cases. Upon such approval, individuals who are not members of the graduate faculty may serve as members, but not as faculty advisors or chairs of the graduate student dissertation committee. See the Dissertation Committee section of the Graduate School Manual for additional details about Dissertation Committee composition. A list of Decker College faculty who can serve as committee chairs and/or members can be found on our . 

Students must submit the  to the Decker Graduate Programs Office. The committee must be approved by the PhD program director. 

See the Dissertation Planning section of the Graduate School Manual for information on a dissertation advisor who is no longer a °®¶ą´«Ă˝ employee. In these situations, the student/advisor/mentor should complete the and submit it to the Decker Graduate Programs Office.

Comprehensive Examination

See the Graduate School Manual for a description of the Comprehensive Examination. The student may repeat all or part of the comprehensive examination only once without approval from the dean of the Graduate School or designee. The student has five years to complete the doctorate after passing the comprehensive examination. 

Before the student takes the comprehensive examination, and in consultation with the student, a dissertation committee of at least three members is appointed from among the graduate faculty (students should complete and submit the . Each student's chair and committee develop questions based on the student's research area of interest. The comprehensive exam will be written and may be followed by an oral examination at the committee's discretion. The oral examination will involve the student meeting with the committee and discussing the student’s written answers. Students should have two weeks to complete their comprehensive examination. Broadly, the areas of theory, methodology and policy will be addressed in the exam questions developed by the committee. The earliest students can arrange to take a comprehensive exam is during the final semester of their PhD coursework. 

After successfully completing the comprehensive examination, students must submit a to the Decker Graduate Programs Office.

Outside Examiner

In addition to the committee of at least three members, the dean of the Graduate School, upon recommendation from the department, adds an outside examiner to the examination committee as the representative of the faculty of the Graduate School. Review additional information about the Outside Examiner in the Graduate School Manual.

Expectations for Students Regarding Feedback

It is the expectation that students will provide their chair and committee members at least two weeks for review and comments of individual chapters.

Prospectus (Dissertation Proposal)

The Graduate School Manual describes the prospectus, which is also referred to as the Dissertation Proposal. The prospectus/proposal identifies the topic to be undertaken in the dissertation and formalizes the approval of the project by a faculty committee. At Decker College, this faculty committee is the dissertation committee. Only after the successful completion of the comprehensive exam can a student defend the proposal. The expectation for the proposal defense is that the student will present the first three chapters of the dissertation project (see dissertation format summary table below). It is the decision of the dissertation chair whether the proposal defense is open or closed to the public. 

Before student can defend the dissertation proposal/prospectus, a must be completed by the student, signed by the student’s dissertation advisor/chair and submitted to the Decker Graduate Programs Office at least two weeks before the defense. The Graduate Programs Office will schedule a room for the proposal event.

Admission to Candidacy

After a student has successfully defended the proposal defense, the Decker Graduate Programs Office will submit the Graduate School Recommendation for Admission to Candidacy for Doctoral Degree (ABD Status) form to the Graduate School.

The Graduate School has a Five-Year Limit for Admission to Candidacy Policy (i.e., a student in a doctoral program must be admitted to candidacy within five years of admission to the Graduate School if entering directly into a doctoral program or within five years after award of a master's degree at °®¶ą´«Ă˝).

Dissertation Format Options

Dissertation can be done in either of two formats: 

  1. a traditional monograph format 
  2. a three-manuscript option

These formats differ only in organization; the extent of the dissertation research is the same for both formats. The student will select the format in consultation with the dissertation committee before the proposal defense. 

The organization of the two formats (monograph or manuscript) is summarized in the Dissertation Format Summary Table (below). With either format (monograph or manuscript), the text must conform to the Graduate School guidelines. 

With the manuscript option, at least three manuscripts are required for the dissertation (at least one must present original data-based findings) in a five-chapter dissertation. Chapter 1 of the dissertation is the proposal and will include the background and significance, study aims, proposed methods, description of each of the three manuscript topics, and identification of two peer-reviewed proposed journals for submission. In the final dissertation, Chapters 2 through 4 are publishable manuscripts agreed upon with the committee, and Chapter 5 is a synthesis and discussion of the findings with implications for nursing research, practice and policy. 

For PhD dissertations submitted in the form of publishable manuscripts (i.e., ready for submission), the three publishable/published manuscripts addressing the dissertation aims are typically related, either by their substantive content or methodology and constitute a cohesive whole. All committee members must approve each manuscript before submission to any journal if that occurs before the final defense. While “publishability” is not necessary for acceptance of the dissertation, the fact that a paper has been published in a peer-reviewed publication, does not, in itself, make it acceptable for the purpose of the dissertation. The committee may require expanded context to be included in the appendix (e.g., expanded literature review, methodology, results, any tools or techniques, data collection forms, codebooks, etc.) if not fully described in the manuscript. If a manuscript has been published before completing the dissertation, the student must obtain a signed waiver from the copyright owner (usually the publisher) and submit this to the Graduate School with the final dissertation.

Authorship

The dissertation must be the intellectual work and primary responsibility of the student. The student will be responsible for writing the manuscript(s) and be the sole author or first author, if co-authors are included, for manuscripts resulting from the dissertation. If the publication option will include co-authors, the student should discuss publication order and credit before submission with co-authors and their dissertation chair. Publications derived from the dissertation work may include the committee chair (and/or committee members) as a co-author(s), provided that these individuals make a substantial contribution to the manuscript(s). 

Except under exceptional circumstances, a student is listed as the principal author on any multiple-authored article substantially based on the student’s doctoral dissertation. Faculty advisors discuss publication credit with students as early as feasible and throughout the research and publication process as appropriate.

Dissertation Format Summary

Parts of the dissertation Three-Manuscript Option Monograph Option
Abstract Yes Yes
Table of contents, with page references Yes Yes
Introduction/Background Chapter 1: Proposal* Chapters 1-3: Introduction, literature review, theoretical framework/approach, purpose statement, and research questions or hypothesis
Aims/Research Questions Chapter 1: Proposal*
Methods

Chapters 2-4: Published reprint or publishable manuscripts using Graduate School formatting requirements

 Chapter 3: Design and Methods
Results Chapter 4: Results
Discussion Chapter 5: Synthesis of Dissertation Chapter 5: A discussion and conclusions chapter
Appendices (if applicable) At the request of the committee, expanded content or appendices may be required for manuscript chapters Additional materials, including tools such as surveys, decision trees, consents, etc.
Bibliography/References At the end of each chapter and included in the dissertation’s table of contents At the end of each chapter or at the end of the dissertation
*the proposal for the manuscript option includes the background and significance, study aims/research question(s), proposed methods, and description of each of the three manuscript topics and proposed journals for submission. 

References

  • Baggs, J. (2011); Broome (2018); Gross, Alhusen, Jennings (2012)
  • Robinson and Dracup (2008)

Research Integrity and Responsible Conduct of Science

All research involving human subjects and/or materials of human origins must be reviewed and approved before initiating any research. Refer to the Research Compliance website for forms and guidance. 

Pre-award and Compliance System (PACS) is an integrated, electronic system used by the University for research protocol preparation, submission, review and approval (Human Subjects Review and Approval). Students must use the PACS system to submit for Human Subjects Review and Approval of their dissertation study. Data cannot be collected without approval from the student's committee and °®¶ą´«Ă˝'s Institutional Review Board.

Students may not submit for Institutional Review Board Committee approval for their final dissertation project until after the successful defense of their dissertation proposal.

Dissertation Defense

The dissertation committee has direct charge of all matters about the dissertation. Students must submit a to the Decker Graduate Programs Office two weeks before they wish to defend. The student's dissertation must have the unanimous approval of the student’s dissertation committee and of the Decker director of graduate programs to proceed with a defense before arrangements are made for the final examination for the degree. 

Per the °®¶ą´«Ă˝ Graduate School Manual, no member of an examination committee can be expected to participate in a dissertation defense if that member has not had at least two weeks to read and consider the dissertation.

Final Oral Exam (Dissertation Defense)

The final oral examination is open to any person wishing to attend. Members of the examination committee must be given sufficient time to question the candidate about the dissertation. The final defense is a public examination, however, and the committee chair is responsible for the conduct of an open and impartial examination, including reasonable participation by observers. At the end of the examination, it is customary for the chair to request that everyone except the examining committee leave the room, so that the members may reach a decision. This procedure should not be invoked at any other time during the examination and should not preclude any questions from either committee members or outside observers. To pass, the student must receive the unanimous approval of the dissertation examining committee approved by the Graduate School. 

Following the oral exam and approval of the dissertation, the Decker director of graduate programs/PhD director submits to the Graduate School the signed Graduate School Recommendation for Admission to Candidacy form, indicating that the student has now fulfilled all academic requirements for the doctoral degree and has successfully defended the dissertation. Members of the dissertation examining committee sign the Recommendation for Award of Doctoral Degree form. 

If, at the final examination, the examiners generally approve of the dissertation but require significant changes and are not yet prepared to sign the Recommendation for Award of Doctoral Degree form, the chair of the examination committee will coordinate with other committee members to compile the required changes and will inform the student of the scope and substance of those changes. The committee will establish how the changes will be reviewed and approved.

Information about remote participation in dissertation defenses via videoconferencing and other devices is available in the Graduate School Manual.

Graduate Application for Degree

At the beginning of the semester in which a student intends to graduate, the student must complete the Graduate School Graduate Application for Degree form (GAFD). Students must complete this form by the University deadline to ensure their names will be in the Commencement brochure and that they receive important Commencement information promptly. The GAFD is valid for one semester only. Information and dates for submitting a GAFD are available on the Student Records and Registrar Services Graduation Requirements and Deadlines webpage.

Preparation and Submission of the Dissertation

Following successful dissertation defense, students must prepare and submit their dissertations to the Graduate School. The final dissertation formatting and style must be approved by the Graduate School before the doctoral degree will be conferred. See the Guidelines for Preparing or Submitting a Thesis or Dissertation outlined in the Graduate School Manual.

Deadlines

The Student Records and Registrar Services Graduation Requirements and Deadlines webpage presents deadlines for students to submit dissertations and forms. Students who have not completed all degree requirements by the established deadlines will not graduate and must register the following semester.

Preparation of Written Assignments for Courses

Students in nursing courses must type all written assignments unless specifically advised otherwise. Decker has adopted the , latest edition. All papers must be submitted using APA format.

Course Waivers

In general, course waivers will not be approved for courses in the PhD program. Any exceptions will be reviewed by the Decker PhD director and the PhD Committee. Students may submit a to request a course waiver.

Course Withdrawals

Students are permitted to withdraw from a maximum of 2 courses. A third withdrawal will result in dismissal from the program.

Data Collection during Summer Session

Students collecting data during summer months or official University breaks are advised to register for independent study credits under the guidance of a faculty member.

University Correspondence/Email

Email has been designated by the University as the official and primary means of communication with all campus constituencies. Students will be contacted via their official University B-Mail address assigned to them during admission to °®¶ą´«Ă˝. Official University correspondence will not be sent to a student's personal, non-°®¶ą´«Ă˝ University email account. Students are expected to use their B-Mail account to conduct their University business and to refrain from using a non-°®¶ą´«Ă˝ email account when conducting University/academic business with University personnel and/or offices.

Funding and Financial Support Opportunities

For potential sources of funding and support, refer to the Graduate School Financial Aid and Funding webpage. The Decker PhD director will communicate any specific funding opportunities for doctoral students.

Research Space for Data Collection

Students may request space/rooms for research-related data collection through the Decker College Dean’s Office.

Research Funding

Community groups and agencies offer funds to support thesis and independent study. Students should speak with staff in the Decker Graduate Programs Office, Kresge Center for Nursing Research or the chairperson of their thesis/dissertation committee or independent study project for assistance locating possible funding sources. The local chapter of Sigma Theta Tau offers support for research through research grants. Contact the president of the local chapter, , for information and deadlines.

Bound Copy of Dissertation

Students are asked to provide a bound copy of their thesis or dissertation to the University. The Graduate School refers students to ProQuest. See the Submission section of the Graduate School Manual Guidelines for Preparing or Submitting a Thesis or Dissertation for more information.

Students may also find helpful information at these links:

Additional Policies

Students should refer to the Graduate School Manual and (formerly, the Bulletin) for other policies that may pertain to their program, including:

  • Grading System of the Graduate School
  • Grading System of Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences
  • Grade of Incomplete
  • Registration/Course Add, Drop, Withdraw
  • Continuous Registration and Leave of Absence
  • Academic Integrity

Appendices

Appendix A: Summary of PhD Program Sequence

  1. Acceptance into the PhD Program
  2. Advisement and registration for semester courses: PhD program director
    • The PhD program director advises students until the student selects a chair or forms a comprehensive committee
  3. Coursework completed
  4. Comprehensive/dissertation committee formed
    • Student submits a Decker PhD Doctoral Committee form (see Appendix B) to the Decker Graduate Programs Office
  5. PhD Comprehensive examination
    • The comprehensive exam is scheduled and completed; student must be in the final semester of coursework or have completed coursework to take this exam
    • Student submits a Decker Comprehensive Examination Completion form (see Appendix B) to the Decker Graduate Programs Office
  6. Dissertation proposal/prospectus is developed and defended
    • Student submits a Decker Dissertation Proposal Scheduling form (see Appendix B) two weeks before the proposal defense date
    • After successful completion of the proposal defense, the Decker Graduate Programs Office submits a Graduate School Recommendation for Admission to Candidacy for Doctoral Degree (ABD Status) form to the Graduate School on behalf of the student
  7. Submit the proposal study to IRB for review and approval 
  8. Dissertation research is conducted
  9. Dissertation is written and deemed defendable by the dissertation committee
    • Student submits the Decker Intent to Defend Doctoral Dissertation form (see Appendix B) to the Decker Graduate Programs Office
  10. Oral defense of the dissertation is scheduled and conducted
    • If successful, student submits the Graduate School Recommendation for Award of Doctoral Degree form (see Appendix B) to the Decker Graduate Programs Office
  11. Successful defense may be followed by final edits
  12. Final dissertation is approved and submitted to the Graduate School

Appendix B: Forms for PhD Student Progression

Decker forms

The following Decker-specific forms are available in this :

  • PhD Doctoral Committee form: Students must complete this Decker-specific form and submit it to the Decker Graduate Programs Office before comprehensive exams. The committee must be approved by the PhD program director.
  • Comprehensive Examination Completion form: This Decker-specific form is completed after the student has passed the comprehensive exams.
  • Dissertation Proposal Scheduling form: Students must complete this Decker-specific form and submit it to the Decker Graduate Programs Office at least two weeks before their proposal defense. 
  • Intent to Defend Doctoral Dissertation form: Students must complete this Decker-specific form and submit it to the Decker Graduate Programs Office at minimum two weeks before they wish to defend.
  • Request Former Faculty Serve as an Advisor/Chair form: This is a Decker-specific form and should be completed by the student/advisor/mentor and submitted to the Decker graduate program director.

Graduate School forms

Unless otherwise noted, the following Graduate School forms can be found on this webpage:

  • Recommendation for Admission to Candidacy for Doctoral Degree (ABD Status) form: The Decker Graduate Programs Office completes and submits this Graduate School form to the Graduate School after the student has successfully defended the proposal/prospectus. 
  • Recommendation for Award of Doctoral Degree form: The Decker Graduate Programs Office/PhD director approves and submits this Graduate School form to the Graduate School following the student’s oral exam and approval of the student’s dissertation. The form is signed by members of the student’s dissertation examining committee.
  • Graduate Application for Degree (GAFD): At the beginning of the semester in which a student intends to graduate, the student must complete the Graduate Application for Degree form on this webpage.

Appendix C: List of Decker Faculty Who Can Serve as Committee Chairs or Members

An updated list can be found in the .