Ph.D. in Nursing - Yale University

School of Nursing at Yale University (YSN) is offering a 4 years Ph.D. program. The YSN Ph.D. program prepares intellectual leaders who can contribute to the development of nursing science through their theoretical, substantive, and methodological knowledge and skills.

The YSN Ph.D. program is a full-time program that includes formal coursework, seminars, research assistantships, teaching fellowships, advisement, informal faculty, and student interactions, and original dissertation research. 

Students bring to doctoral study unique combinations of experiences, knowledge, and abilities that serve as the basis for developing programs of study congruent with the curriculum, but individualized to allow gaining in-depth knowledge of a particular content area. Each incoming Ph.D. student is paired with a faculty advisor whose area of expertise and active research most closely matches with the student’s scholarly interest (content and method).

The faculty strives to establish a learning environment that provides the opportunity for interchange between students and faculty that fosters individual growth, collegial relationships, and the pursuit of knowledge. Both faculty and students have a commitment to the development of nursing science through empirical work.

Admission Requirements

Minimum requirements for admission to the YSN Ph.D. program include:

• ​Master’s degree in nursing or equivalent.
• Grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale for graduate-level work preferred.
• Competitive Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken no more than 5 years prior to application.
• Applicants whose native language is not English must present evidence of proficiency in English by satisfactorily completing the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), which is administered by ETS, or the International Language Testing System (IELTS). Applicants who received or will receive an undergraduate degree from a college or university where English is the primary language of instruction are exempt from the English Language Test requirement and are not required to submit the TOEFL or IELTS. 
• Previous coursework in statistics within the last 5 years with a minimum grade of High Pass, B, 3.0, or equivalent.
• Completion of a graduate-level research methods course within the last 5 years with a grade of at least High Pass, B, 3.0, or equivalent.
• Admission essay.
• References from three individuals, one of whom must hold an earned doctorate, that addresses the student’s aptitude for research and Ph.D. study.
• Sample of written work (e.g., published article, thesis, literature review with the applicant as sole author or first author).

Course Structure

All required coursework is completed in the first 2 years of the program. Particular emphasis is placed on knowledge development that is consistent with the mission of YSN “better health for all” and contributes to increasing healthy life spans, reducing health inequities, improving the quality of health care, and shaping health policy.  

Coursework includes required core courses and 4 cognates. The plan of study is listed below:

YEAR 1

Fall Semester          

• NURS 901 Quantitative Methods for Health Research
• NURS 908 Synthesis of Knowledge and Skills for Nursing Science  
• NURS 912 Knowledge Development for Nursing Science    
• EPH 505a Statistics I
• NURS 929 Responsible Conduct of Research

Spring Semester      

• NURS 902 Qualitative Methods for Health Research
• NURS 909 Nurse Scientists and Grant Writing
• NURS 913 Chronic Conditions: Risk Factors, Prevention and Management of Adverse Outcomes
• EPH 505b Statistics II
• Cognate

YEAR 2

Fall Semester          

• NURS 903 Multi-Method Measurement of Biobehavioral Phenomena
• NURS 905 Intervention Development and Introduction to Implementation Science
• NURS 906 Dissertation Seminar 
• BIS 633a  Population and Public Health Informatics
• Cognate

Spring Semester          

• NURS 904 Mixed Methods Research
• NURS 907 Dissertation Seminar
• CDE 534  Applied Analytic Methods in Epidemiology or STAT 660 Multivariate Statistics
• 2 Cognates

Summer Intensive (June)

• NURS 985 Achieving Population Health Equity

YEAR 3

•  NURS 906/907 Dissertation Seminar Fall and Spring semesters
• Conduct of dissertation research

YEAR 4

• NURS 906/907 Dissertation Seminar Fall and Spring semesters
• Completion and Defense of dissertation research

Completion of all core courses and four cognates in the student’s area of specialization (including one advanced analysis course) is required. Successful completion of dissertation seminar (N906/907) years 2-4 or until the dissertation is complete and successfully defended, is also required.

Tuition Fees and Financial Support

All students are fully funded, including tuition, healthcare, and a monthly stipend for 4 years.

Students are mentored to seek additional funding for their dissertation, including NIH (F31), Sigma Theta Tau, American Nurses Foundation, among others.

Students must bear the travel costs and any additional costs that may be incurred during their studies.