Ph.D. General Requirements
of Doctoral Degree

Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate School requirements stated in the Graduate Bulletin. https://bulletins.psu.edu/graduate/programs/majors/nursing/.

ENGLISH COMPETENCE 

Candidates for all doctoral degrees are required to demonstrate high-level competence in the use of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking, as part of the language and communication requirements for the doctorate. In addition, all students are required to be computer literate in word processing and in the use of statistical packages as determined by their dissertation committee. Students will be assessed for communication skills during core nursing courses. 

Assessments should include pieces of original writing. Programs and advisers should identify any deficiencies prior to their qualifying examination and direct students into appropriate remedial activities. The program must formally attest competence before the doctoral comprehensive examination is scheduled. (International students should note that passage of the minimal TOEFL/IELTS requirement do not demonstrate the level of competence expected of a Ph.D. from Penn State.) 

MINIMUM CREDITS REQUIRED 

The Ph.D. degree in Nursing requires a minimum of 47 semester credits beyond the M.S./M.S.N. degree or minimum 71 credits beyond the B.S.N. Graduate credits earned at other institutions may be offered in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the doctoral degree in nursing. The Director of the Ph.D. Program evaluates courses offered for transfer credit individually relative to the program requirements and the student’s plan of study.  

TIME LIMITATIONS 

The Graduate Faculty of the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing adopted a policy to ensure that doctoral studies are based on current science and are completed in a timely fashion. Under this policy, a doctoral student is required to complete the program, including acceptance of the doctoral dissertation, within five years from the date of successful completion of the qualifying examination. All coursework must be completed within eight years of admission to the doctoral program. Students must carefully monitor progression in order to meet this limitation. 

Annual reviews provide ongoing assessment of the student’s progress. In order to assure compliance with policy, the Dissertation Committee will review the candidate’s transcripts, noting the dates of course completion, at the time of proposal defense. The Dissertation Chair will summarize the course audit/recommendations for updating course work prior to graduation and will forward the summary to the Director of the Ph.D. Program. Since this review is based on a projected timeline for completion of degree requirements, a final audit of the transcript will be conducted by the Dissertation Chair prior to scheduling the Final Oral Examination. Should any coursework exceed the maximum time for completion (8 years), the Chair will consult with the Director of the Ph.D. Program and Dissertation Committee to clarify requirements for graduation prior to scheduling the final defense. 

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS 

Each doctoral candidate must spend at least two semesters registered as a full-time student engaged in academic work either at the University Park or Hershey campus over a twelve-month period, excluding summer sessions, during the interval between admission to the Ph.D. program and completion of the Ph.D. program. 

Full-time University employees enrolled in a Ph.D. program must be registered for 6 credits or more in each semester in which residency is declared and must be certified as full-time employees by their unit.