Stony Brook University Graduate School Bulletin - Spring 2025

Program PDF

Requirements for the PhD in Nursing Program

A. Curriculum Requirements

The part-time cohort-based program, to be offered on-site (one day/week) with web-enhanced technologies, contains three phases: Coursework, Proposal Development and Dissertation. Coursework and proposal development will take two and one-half years to complete with an additional one year for dissertation completion. All students will follow an approved program of courses, called the Academic Program Plan, determined to meet his or her needs and to satisfy program requirements. The Academic Program Plan, developed by the student in consultation with the faculty advisor, should provide sufficient depth and breadth for the chosen area of research, including specific content areas, methodological and analytic approaches. Any changes to the plan must be approved by the faculty advisor and submitted to the Director of the PhD in Nursing Program for final review. The following includes minimum curriculum requirements:

COURSE	CREDIT	PRE-REQUISITE
Statistics/Research Design
NUR 635 Biostatistics	3
NUR 636 Advanced Statistical Methods	3	NUR 635
NUR 647 Doctoral Research Seminar	3
NUR 660 Quantitative Methods in Nursing Research	3
NUR 661 Qualitative Methods in Nursing Research	3

Philosophy/Theory/Foundations
NUR 630 Philosophical Foundations of Nursing Science	3
NUR 631 Concepts, Theories and Knowledge Development in Nursing Science	3	NUR 630
NUR 680 Integrating Big Data to Evaluate Population Health (2 credits) AND VIP 695 Multidisciplinary Project Leadership (1 credit)	3
COM 565 Foundations of Science Communication	3
NUR 662 Data Management and Informatics for Clinical Scientists	3	NUR 635 NUR 636

Research Practicum
Cognates (2)	6
NUR 690 Dissertation Seminar I	3	Successful completion of Qualifying Examination
NUR 691 Dissertation Seminar II	3	Successful completion of Comprehensive Qualifying Examination

Doctoral Role Formation
NUR 697 Seminar Series: Investigator Role and Research Practicum	3
NUR 698 Seminar Series: Academic Role and Teaching Practicum	3

By Advisement

Qualifying Examination

N/C

To be taken prior to dissertation phase.

NUR 699 PhD Dissertation Research – On campus; or,

NUR 700 PhD Dissertation Research – Off campus (Domestic); or,

NUR 701 PhD Dissertation Research – Off campus (International)

(until Dissertation Defense)

(6)

Following completion of all core courses and Qualifying Exam students will register for a minimum of 2 semesters (spring and fall semesters) of 3 credits each. Additional enrollment of (1-6) credits per semester is required until dissertation is completed and successfully defended

TOTAL CREDITS

B. Cognates
Students will select a minimum of two cognate courses (6 credits) to support the dissertation. They individually and collectively enhance the depth of understanding of the student’s chosen area of research. Cognate courses are taken after the first year of coursework when a student’s chosen research area has become more clearly defined. Cognates are typically in specific content areas (i.e., self-management, biomarkers, biomedical informatics) or in specific methodological or analytical approaches (i.e., research design methodologies or data analytical methods). These courses must be at the graduate level and taught by doctorally prepared faculty either from with the School of Nursing or the University community at large. Students should consult with their faculty advisor regarding possible content and methodological areas that will support the chosen area of research.

C. Teaching Practicum Requirement
All doctoral students in the PhD in Nursing Program at Stony Brook University must complete at least one semester of practicum in teaching under supervision. Students in the PhD in Nursing Program will register for NUR 698 Seminar Series: Academic Role and Teaching Practicum to enhance their expertise in the role of an academician. The practicum will be individualized according to the student’s prior experiences in the academic role. The practicum will provide students with expertise in course development, teaching pedagogies and strategies for curriculum delivery, test construction and evaluation methodologies for didactic and clinical learning, approaches to teaching diverse learners and difficult student situations, and professional role development among others.

The practicum may include making seminar or class presentations, assisting in laboratories, or leading discussion sessions. Grading experience by itself will not be considered sufficient for satisfaction of this requirement. Faculty are responsible for providing informal feedback and formal evaluation. Following (or in some cases, concurrent with) proper training through a teaching practicum and after having fulfilled other requirements for teaching (e.g., demonstration of spoken English proficiency for non-native speakers of English), a graduate student may serve as a teaching assistant (TA) in courses at Stony Brook University, where the instructor of record is a faculty member. An advanced graduate student may act as the instructor of record for an undergraduate course offered at Stony Brook University only if he or she is appointed to an adjunct faculty position as a lecturer. No student shall be appointed to such a position until he or she has been advanced to candidacy (G5 only). It is not required that such students be enrolled in full-time status, although this is recommended. Appointment procedures follow the same process as regular faculty appointments. Graduate students at G4 level or below cannot be designated as the Instructor of Record for any course offered at Stony Brook University. They may be appointed as Teaching Assistants. In addition, there must be a designated faculty supervisor who serves as the Instructor of Record for the course.

Each student, with the help of their faculty advisor, will identify the semester during which they will complete the teaching practicum, develop individualized student learning outcomes based on prior experiences in the academic role and identify a faculty preceptor. The faculty advisor, faculty preceptor and student will develop the structure of the practicum and plan activities to accomplish the student learning outcomes.

D. Research Practicum Requirement
All doctoral students in the PhD in Nursing Program at Stony Brook University must complete at least one semester of practicum in research under supervision. Students in the PhD in Nursing Program will register for NUR 697 Seminar Series: Investigator Role and Research Practicum to enhance their expertise in the role of an investigator. The practicum will be individualized according to the student’s prior experiences in the investigator role. The practicum will provide students with expertise in selected aspects of the research process, including development of the conceptual/theoretical foundation of the study, study implementation (e.g. start-up activities, consent, intervention, fidelity management), data collection, data management, data analysis, participate in preparation of grant proposal and dissemination of findings.

Each student, with the help of their faculty advisor, will identify the semester during which they will complete the research practicum, develop individualized student learning outcomes based on prior experiences in the investigator role and identify a faculty preceptor. The faculty advisor, faculty preceptor and student will develop the structure of the practicum and plan activities to accomplish the student learning outcomes.

E. Qualifying Examination

Qualifying Examination

The overarching goal of the SON PhD program is to prepare nurse scientists to conduct independent original research to advance nursing science.

Successful completion of the Qualifying Examination demonstrates the necessary competencies needed to progress toward independent work in dissertation development and achieve the program outcomes.

Students will be eligible to take the Qualifying Examination after completing the first year of the PhD program.

The scholarly product of the Qualifying Examination is the PhD student’s independent preparation of a manuscript of publishable quality for submission to a peer-reviewed journal and a separate oral defense of the manuscript. Acceptable scholarly products include an integrative review or concept analysis.

The PhD student’s faculty advisor must approve the topic for the qualifying examination. As in any academic evaluative examination, the Qualifying Examination must be an individual scholarly product reflecting the student’s efforts.

F. Dissertation Proposal Defense

The proposal defense contains a written and oral component, both requiring a passing grade to advance to dissertation phase. Preparation of the proposal defense occurs under the guidance of the Dissertation Committee, facilitated by the Dissertation Committee Chair.

The proposal defense contains a written and oral component, both of which require a passing grade to proceed with the dissertation research study. Preparation of the proposal defense occurs under the guidance of the Dissertation Proposal Examining Committee, facilitated by the Dissertation Advisor.

G. Dissertation
The three requirements for the Ph.D. are assessed in the final defense of a dissertation.

The dissertation should demonstrate significant original work.
The final dissertation should be presented with clarity of thought and excellence of exposition that make it suitable for publication as a book or a series of papers in learned journals.
The dissertation should demonstrate a breadth and depth of the candidate’s knowledge beyond the confines of his or her own research and is also critically assessed in the defense and at various examinations during the student’s studies.

The dissertation must be approved by a Dissertation Defense Examining Committee, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School upon recommendation of the Graduate Program Director in consultation with the PhD Program Chair. The Dissertation Defense Examining Committee should be constituted such that it can provide both independent evaluation and expert advice on the dissertation. The overriding purpose for service on a Dissertation Examining Committee is the development of the student and their dissertation project. Other professional interests that committee members may have in the dissertation work of students (including intellectual property or publication interests) must be secondary to the interests of the student.

The Dissertation Defense Examining Committee must include, but is not limited to, the following: Two faculty members internal to the program (e.g. the dissertation advisor and defense chairperson); One member external to the program; One member who may be either internal or external to the program.

Examination of the dissertation involves a formal oral defense. This event will be conducted by the Dissertation Examining Committee and will not be chaired by the advisor of the dissertation.

H. Residence Requirement
At least two consecutive semesters of full-time study at Stony Brook University in the program granting the degree (or three consecutive semesters of a minimum of six credits for part-time students) are required.

I. Program Time Limit
The time limit for a doctoral degree, including coursework, examinations, practicums, and dissertation is seven (7) years from date of matriculation in the PhD in Nursing Program. In exceptional cases where the program cannot be completed within these periods, students may petition for an extension of the time limit. The Request for Waiver of Graduate Time Limit form can be found by selecting the forms link from the Graduate School Web site. These petitions require the approval of the student’s faculty advisor and Director of the PhD in Nursing Program. Requests for a time limit extension must be filed before the limit is exceeded and must contain a significant justification. The final decision rests with the Dean of the Graduate School, who may impose additional requirements.