Doctor of Philosophy
The Ph.D. program was designed as a collaborative program with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to educate nurse scientists who will use research-based knowledge theories, and interventions in their roles as researchers, educators, and administrators. While students can take their courses on either campus, the dissertation must be completed in its entirety with a faculty member in Memphis or Knoxville. Applicants admitted to the Ph.D. program in Memphis are admitted to the College of Graduate Health Sciences (CGHS), as are all students admitted to Ph.D. programs at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). Although nursing faculty teach most courses included within the program schema, students have the opportunity to learn and network with CGHS students from other disciplines while enrolled in biostatistics, scientific and technical writing, and the medical ethics courses.
Students work closely throughout their program of study with a faculty advisor or mentor with whom they share a common research interest. The three areas of faculty research concentration are acute care, chronic care and health promotion. Efforts in the area of Acute Care Research at the UTHSC College of Nursing focus on developing nursing interventions to improve patient recovery and well-being at a time when their physical illness may require them to be in a hospital. This research blends the concern for restoration of optimal physiological function with a concern for the patients' response to the interventions being administered. Efforts in the area of Chronic Care Research at the UTHSC College of Nursing involve studying patients as they progress from the hospital to formal and informal long-term care settings. These investigations focus on optimizing the quality of life and quality of care for patients with chronic conditions. Efforts in the area of Health Promotion Research at the UTHSC College of Nursing are concerned with investigating interventions which may successfully enhance the well-being of individuals in the home and community.
The purpose of the Ph.D. in Nursing program is to produce nursing research scientists and scholars. That purpose will be achieved through an educational program that emphasizes (1) developing and testing theories and models of nursing care; (2) clinical nursing research; and (3) social, political, legal, and economic implications of health care policies and practices. This is a cooperative program with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
PhD Program Outcomes
- analyze, test, refine, extend and expand the theoretical basis of nursing practice;
- conduct research that generates and advances nursing as a discipline;
- provide leadership as nurse researchers, educators, and/or administrators in current and emerging health care settings;
- collaborate with members of other disciplines in health related research of mutual concern
- analyze, develop, and recommend health care policy at various levels.
Our students also have obtained extramural funding from professional organizations (e.g., National Institute of Nursing Research; H. W. Durham Foundation; Beta Theta Chapter at-large, Sigma Theta Tau International; International Transplant Nurses Society; and the American Nephrology Nurses Association) to support their dissertation research. We also offer several financial incentives to support students enrolled in our Ph.D. program. Tuition waivers are available that pay full tuition for students who are enrolled full-time and who agree to work 6 hours/week as a Research or Teaching Assistant. We also provide a limited number of stipends ($19,000.00/year) for full-time students, in addition to the tuition waiver.
College of Nursing faculty who teach in the Ph.D. program have established local, regional, national, and international reputations for their contributions to nursing scholarship and leadership. Faculty consistently contribute paper and poster presentations at conferences such as those sponsored by the Southern Nursing Research Society, the ANA Council of Nurse Researchers, International Transplant Nurses Society, Society of Critical Care Medicine, Autonomic Society of America, and the Gerontological Society of America. Two faculty members have achieved distinction as one of the National Institutes of Nursing Research top 25 nurse researchers. In addition, the College of Nursing has been consistently ranked among the top federally funded nursing programs in the nation, as a result of extramural grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health. Faculty have also received extramural funding from professional organizations and foundations including the H. W. Durham Foundation, West Tennessee National Kidney Foundation, International Transplant Nurses Society, and North American Transplant Coordinator's Organization.
Although most students enroll full-time, students have the option of enrolling in a part-time plan of study. This structured part-time schema will permit students to complete their doctoral education 5.5 years after the receipt of the master's degree. We have instituted this structured part-time curriculum to meet the challenge of increasing access to doctoral education for those qualified individuals whose lifestyles prohibit full-time study.
Initial contact about the PhD program should be directed to:
PhD Program Director, J. Carolyn Graff, PhD, RN, FAAID
email: jgraff@utmem.edu
telephone: 1.901.448.6544 or 1.800.733.2498
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Contact Information
UTHSC College of Nursing
877 Madison Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee 38163
901-448-6128
Fax: 901-448-4121
Toll Free: 800-733-2498
Nursing Webmaster
Tuition
Click here for information about tuition for Nursing
Ph.D. Contact
Dr. Carolyn Graff
Ph.D. Program Director
cgraff@utmem.edu
Mr. Ron Patterson
Student Affairs - Assistant Dean
rpatte10@utmem.edu
