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Ph.D. in Nursing Program - Admission Information

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

 

Download the Doctoral Quick-Start Guide (.pdf).

 

Applications are available beginning July 1 of the academic year prior to admission. The application deadline for fall admission is June 1; spring admission is October 1.

 

For more information about admissions and Ph.D. requirements from the School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences, please click here.

 

Admission Criteria

 

Individuals seeking admission to the doctoral program must meet the following requirements: The Ph.D. in Nursing program admission criteria are as follows:

 

  1. A completed online application;
  2. A minimum graduate GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale;
  3. Acceptable score on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE ®), taken within the last five years;
  4. A BSN and a master's degree in nursing or related field. Prospective students who do not have a BSN but have basic nursing preparation at the ADN or diploma level, should schedule an appointment with the program director for consultation;
  5. Evidence of an unrestricted/unencumbered nursing license as a registered nurse in the United States or one of its territories and eligibility for licensure in the state of Mississippi;
  6. Completion of at least one research course and one statistics course at the undergraduate or graduate level;
  7. Curriculum vitae or professional résumé;
  8. Personal interview;
  9. Letters of reference from three individuals;
  10. Official transcripts from all colleges attended.

 

GRE ® Test Scores

 

Applicants are required to have taken the Graduate Record Examination (GRE ®) within five (5) years of the Ph.D. admission application deadline. For more information about the GRE ®, visit http://www.ets.org/gre or call 609-771-7670.

 

More information about the GRE ® can be found on the following websites:

 

International Applicants

 

Applicants, whose native language is not English and/or who have completed their tertiary education primarily outside of the USA, must submit official scores of the TOEFL ®, International English Language Testing System (IELTS ®) or Pearson Test of English-Academic (PTE-A ®) as evidence of English language proficiency.

 

TOEFL ® — Internet-Based Test (IBT):

79 or higher

TOEFL ® — Paper-Based Test (PBT):

550 or higher

IELTS ®:

6.5 overall band score of higher

PTE-A ®:

53 or higher

 

However, this requirement may be waived for students who are currently enrolled at a college or university in the United States and/or who demonstrate a proficiency in written and spoken English following a personal interview. Admission of a student to a graduate program must be approved by the program director and by the dean of the School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences. No individual may enroll in graduate level courses without proper approval and notification from the School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences.

 

International applicants must have transcripts evaluated in a course-by-course report from World Education Services (WES) at http://www.wes.org/index.asp. Prerequisites are required by certain programs, and these may be determined by contacting the specific program to which the applicant desires admission.

 

Additional Program Information and Requirements

 

Admission timeline

Ph.D. in Nursing students may be admitted two times during the academic year. The application deadline for fall admission is June 1; spring admission is October 1. If the application deadline is on a weekend, then the application deadline is on the first business day of the month.

 

Background check

All candidates are subject to a criminal-history background check as mandated by the state of Mississippi and the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Students will be fingerprinted upon admission to the program.

 

Applicant's responsibility

To be considered for admission, all application materials, information and interviews must be received and completed by the application deadline.

 

Computer literacy requirement

To be successful in the doctoral programs, students must be fluent in computer use. Applicants should be familiar with the use of basic computing, including, but not limited to, the Internet, search engines, browsers and instructional computer systems (Blackboard or Web CT), as well as publicly available research databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Psych, etc.).