PhD Program

The Duke University PhD in Nursing Program prepares nurse scientists to conduct research in the broad area of Trajectories of Chronic Illness and Care Systems, focusing on the interface between chronically ill individuals and their care environments. The program theme embodies Nursing's concern with the care system environment, formal or informal, institution or home, and how such care environments affect individual health outcomes. Our doctoral students and faculty are expected to lead development of knowledge in this important new area of science.

Study with expert faculty focused on:

• Acute and Long-Term Care Systems
• Adaptive Leadership
• Decision Making
• Disease Prevention
• Family Caregiving
• Informatics
• Palliative and End-of-Life Care
• Perioperative Care
• Symptom Management
• Specialty Populations

• Premature and High Risk Infants
• Children with Acute and Chronic Illnesses
• Adults with HIV, Hepatitis C, Diabetes, Sickle Cell Disease, Cancer, or Cardiovascular Disease
• Older Adults

Course work emphasis:

• Exploring the interface between chronically ill individuals and their care environments, a continuum that extends from illness prevention to care at the end of life.
• Developing expertise in state-of-the art longitudinal methodologies and quantitative and qualitative techniques of analysis.

Applicants must have a BSN and/or MSN and submit:

• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (taken within the past 5 years).
• Transcripts for all college-level course work.
• Three letters of recommendation.

Applicants will be expected to identify a research focus match with a PhD faculty mentor in the school.

Students are admitted once a year in the Fall Semester. The program requires a minimum of 46 credit hours of course work prior to the dissertation. Full-time study is required. The program can be completed in three to five years. PhD students receive full tuition support and an annual stipend.

Applications for the PhD program in Nursing should be submitted online through the Duke University Graduate School website. For more information, please send an email to Huppert@duke.edu or call 919-668-4797.