The Department of Graduate Nursing offers a PhD in Nursing. This program was established in 2005 and is offered under the auspices of the Graduate School of South Dakota State University.

Purpose of the PhD Program
The purpose of the PhD in Nursing is to prepare nurse scientists to assume roles as healthcare researchers, faculty, and healthcare administrators with an emphasis in health promotion and disease prevention in underserved and rural populations. The PhD program is based on the belief that nursing science can make significant and original contributions to nursing knowledge and practice.

The PhD program will educate nurse scientists in academic, research, practice, and policy issues in urban, rural, frontier, and reservation areas. At the completion of the program the graduate will demonstrate the following competencies:

1. Discover and disseminate knowledge relevant to the discipline of nursing with a focus on health promotion and disease prevention in underserved and rural populations.
2. Provide leadership for increasingly complex roles in nursing research, practice, and education and/or healthcare organizations.
3. Develop theoretical frameworks of phenomena related to nursing science.
4. Provide leadership for the analysis and resolution of ethical healthcare issues in an interdisciplinary context.

Curriculum Plan
Nurse scientists are prepared with a foundation in research methods and statistics to develop proposals, study, analyze, and solve healthcare problems among those who carry an excess burden of illness. The doctoral program requires a minimum of 60 credits post master's for graduation. Full time is nine credit hours per semester and three years are required to complete the program. Four and five year plans are also available.

3-Year Curriculum Plan [External Hyperlink]
4-Year Curriculum Plan [External Hyperlink]
5-Year Curriculum Plan

Admission Requirements
Licensure as a registered nurse in the United State or Territories, master's degree in nursing from an accredited program, minimum grade point average of 3.3 in master's coursework, TOEFL of 560 or 220 computer-based for applicants with English as a second language, completed application to both SDSU Graduate School and the College of Nursing, example of scholarly written work, and interview with graduate faculty.

For additional information regarding the PhD in Nursing program, contact:
Dr. Sandra Bunkers [External Hyperlink], Graduate Nursing Department Head
Dr. Sandra Bunkers, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Roberta Olson, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Sara Becker, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Paula Carson, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Gloria Craig, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Carla Dieter, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Nancy Farenwald, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Kay Foland, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Margaret Hegge, Faculty Webpage 
Dr. Lori Hendrickx, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Barbara Hobbs, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Cristina Lammers, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Janet Lord, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Marylou Mylant, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Patricia Shaver, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Thomas Stenvig, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Lois Tschetter, Faculty Webpage
Dr. Jo Voss, Faculty Webpage

Mailing address: South Dakota State University, SNF 217, Box 2275, Brookings, SD 57007
Phone: 605/688-4114
Fax: 605/688-5827
E-Mail the Department Secretary:

Last Updated: April 2007 by Mark Braun