Doctoral Program (PhD) in Nursing
Course Descriptions

N9680 - Doctoral Seminar

This seminar will provide an opportunity for students to discuss issues related to the development of Nursing Science and to their thesis research. Students are expected to participate in this course until they successfully complete the public presentation of their thesis proposal. The seminar will include presentations of ongoing and proposed research by faculty and students. As students are developing their thesis proposal, they may use the doctoral seminar to test their early ideas and obtain feedback from peers and faculty. Students will present their proposal in this forum.

N9681 - Philosophy of Nursing Science

In this course, the theory and philosophies of the evolution of science are examined in historical context with respect to changing paradigmatic perspectives. Past and current philosophical, theoretical and methodological debates are examined with particular emphasis on the relevance of these issues to the discipline of Nursing. Diverse theoretical perspectives within Nursing will be critiqued and analyzed and the relationships between philosophy, theory and research explored.

N9683 - Advanced Quantitative Research Methods

This course focuses on quantitative research methods, with an emphasis on measurement, design and analysis. Nursing research studies are evaluated relative to measurement theory. The development, reliability and validity of instruments to measure concepts germane to Nursing are examined. Research designs and related statistical analyses are explored with respect to their appropriateness for addressing disciplinary problems.

Prerequisites:

  • Master’s-level quantitative methods course (N9662 or equivalent)
  • Graduate level statistics course (HS9600 or equivalent) including:
  • Descriptive and inferential statistics
  • Parametric and nonparametric statistics
  • Analysis of variance and covariance
  • Correlation, multiple regression and basic computer applications of these techniques

N9684 - Advanced Qualitative Research Methodology

This course focuses on intensive study of selected qualitative research methodologies relevant to the discipline of Nursing (e.g. phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, participatory action research). Nursing research studies are evaluated relative to the scientific standards for qualitative research. Specific issues addressed include theoretical bases for qualitative work, sampling, interviewing techniques, qualitative analysis and interpretation of data, the nature of qualitative description and the contribution of qualitative research to theory development in Nursing.

Prerequisite:

  • Master’s level qualitative research course (N9663 or equivalent)

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