Nursing Doctoral Programs and Degrees

Doctor of Nursing (ND) programs usually require 3 to 5 years of full-time study, including summers. While the focus areas of the program will vary by school, the ND degree generally builds on the role of the advanced practice nurse and is more focused on developing advanced practice nurse specialist skills. The goal is to prepare leaders who can affect change through system redesign and evidenced-based decision making in a variety of clinical, organizational and educational settings.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree has recently emerged as the preferred degree for nursing executives and is the highest degree one can obtain in nursing without getting a PhD. Doctor of Nursing Practice programs usually require 3 years of full-time study and emphasize clinical practice-oriented leadership development. The goal is to prepare graduates for leadership positions in research, clinical care delivery, patient outcomes and system management. Graduates will be experts managing the complex balance between quality of care, access and fiscal responsibilities.

Graduates of a Doctor of Nursing Science DNSc program are prepared as nurse scientists with the investigative skills of a researcher and the clinical and leadership skills necessary to influence the health care system. Health outcomes measurement, health care economics, statistical analysis and informatics are common focus areas. A clinical defense and dissertation are common requirements.

Doctor of Nursing Philosophy (PhD) programs prepare nurse scholars and researchers who will contribute to the growth of nursing science through scholarly research that advances the theoretical foundation of nursing practice and health care delivery. Graduates will be qualified to engage in all dimensions of professional and scholarly life, including the conduct of scholarly inquiry, leadership in health care delivery systems and public policy formation. This doctor of nursing program has become more popular with the current nursing shortage.

This doctor of nursing program is for highly qualified nurses with a bachelor's degree in nursing who are interested in an intensive, accelerated program simultaneously offering master's preparation and advanced research training at the doctoral level. A typical program takes 5 years to complete. Some schools offer doctor of nursing programs in the MSN/PhD Dual Degree specialty for students entering with a non-nursing bachelor's degree.

These relatively rare doctor of nursing programs are focused on students who have definite plans for being a researcher or teacher of nursing in your future. These doctoral programs in nursing efficiently take you through a BSN, to an MSN, to a PhD in nursing.