PhD in Nursing

The program begins in May with the start of the summer semester. We offer three-year and four-year curriculum options, as well as a DNP to PhD program, which permits nurses with a DNP degree to gain valuable skills that will enable them to function as independent researchers.

All options are offered online with residency requirements at our Pittsburgh, PA, campus as well as at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland as part of one study abroad experience.

3-Year and 4-Year Curriculum Options

The School of Nursing offers both a three-year and a four-year option for pursuing a PhD in Nursing program, allowing you to apply to the program that best fits with your goals and lifestyle. The three- and four-year options are identical but differ in intensity and duration.

The three-year option typically requires six to 10 credits to be completed per semester, whereas the four-year option typically requires six credits per semester. If you are interested in applying to the three-year program, you must have a commitment to prioritizing your time in order to complete the program, unencumbered by expectations of an over-demanding life/work/job.

DNP to PhD Program

Apply the knowledge and skills you learned in your DNP program to this DNP to PhD option which allows you to conduct research related to your DNP Project. The DNP to PhD program requires completion of 38 credits, which typically takes two-and-a-half years, including dissertation.

The program can be completed in either three or four years. Both options total of 56 credits, and the coursework remains the same. View the two curriculum schedules for both three- and four-year options.

Residency 1: Doctoral Week (Summer of Year 1)

Every student admitted to the PhD program is required to come to the Pittsburgh, PA, campus for the first residency, usually held during the second or third week of May. This week includes an orientation to the PhD program and provides an opportunity for students to meet faculty and participate in live classes for the courses in which they are enrolled that summer.

Residency 2: Study Abroad (Summer of Year 2)

Students enrolled in GPNG 924 Methods of Scientific Inquiry II will take part of the course as a study abroad experience (approximately 10-14 days) in locations such as Dublin, Ireland, where students will have housing at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Please note that any tuition discounts that graduate students receive are not applicable to study abroad courses.

Residency 3: Topic and Committee Approval (Year 2 for 3-year Program and Year 3 for 4-year Program)

This residency provides an opportunity for the student to meet with their faculty mentor either at Duquesne University or another location, such as a conference setting, for intensive discussion and writing around dissertation topic development in preparation for approval.

Each student must write and defend a dissertation on a topic of their choosing, and you can view a list of recently defended dissertation topics for ideas. As part of the PhD curriculum, you will be required to make a proposal defense and a final defense.

Proposal Defense

The Proposal Defense is an oral defense of a written dissertation research proposal.

Final Defense

The Final Defense is an oral defense of the completed dissertation. Students make one public oral defense. The University sets a deadline date for the final defense. Prior to this deadline, students must have already:

Successfully defended their dissertation.
Made any corrections requested by their dissertation committee.
Submitted an approved electronic (ETD) version of their dissertation.
Students need to work with their committee chairs to schedule their final defense dates at least four to six weeks prior to the University deadline.

You may reference the for the latest date to submit an approved thesis.