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College of Nursing

  • PhD Program

    USC Nursing Research

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science (PhD)

The PhD program at USC prepares you for a nursing research career in academic, clinical or health system settings. Generous tuition support and executive-style weekend course delivery create flexibility for you to earn your doctoral degree.

Our PhD graduates are productive nurse scientists, scholars and educators who are involved with transforming the health of patients, families and communities across the globe.

 

PhD Core Curriculum

Curriculum includes courses in nursing research roles, theories and methods. Beyond the core curriculum, you will develop an individual course of study, including mentored research experiences and elective courses that lead to the preparation and defense of your dissertation.

Entry Tracks

Available for BSN, MSN, DNP or master’s-prepared students from another field. All students receive financial support for tuition during the first 36 credit hours of pre-dissertation coursework in the program.

An executive-style program integrating face-to-face monthly campus sessions with interactive on-line learning activities offers you a flexible, yet rigorous, Ph.D. education.

USC Nursing's PhD program is designed to be financially and logistically accessible. As a PhD student, you will receive full funding of tuition for the first 36 credit hours of pre-dissertation coursework. The executive-style program format offers you flexibility to work while you advance your studies.

Our small class sizes create opportunities to form deep relationships with faculty mentors and program peers, accelerating your growth as a nursing researcher. Working closely with advisors and faculty who are actively engaged in funded research, you’ll develop an individualized program of study that allows you to pursue your passion, generate your own grant-funded projects and make an impact in health care.

By pursuing your PhD at USC, a comprehensive R1 institution, you’ll have access to collaborate with the College of Nursing’s clinical and research faculty, as well experts across campus, including faculty at the College of Engineering, Arnold School of Public Health and other Health Sciences.

In addition, you may also earn a Certificate of Graduate Study (post-master's certificate) during your PhD studies, further advancing your career and marketability.

The PhD curriculum is designed for busy nursing professionals. Choose a full-time or part-time program that best fits your career and lifestyle. Executive-style, two-day monthly course delivery and online learning activities add flexibility to pursue a doctoral degree.

  • Successful completion of a BSN degree.
  • Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 from all previous institutions attended.
  • A personal goal statement that indicates how the program will advance your professional goals. Include the area of nursing science that you are interested in pursuing and faculty at the USC College of Nursing who may be appropriate mentors for your area of interest.
  • Sample of scholarly work
  • Three letters of reference from doctorally prepared registered nurse or physician.
  • Curriculum Vitae or Resume.
  • Current unencumbered RN or APRN licensure in the state of residence.
  • Interview with nursing graduate faculty.
  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE) not required.
All application materials (except official transcripts) will be submitted via the College of Nursing's graduate application portal. 

Official transcripts must be sent to The Graduate School. Review the degree requirements before you apply.

The PhD  program accepts students for fall entry. 

Fall entry admission cycle
  • Application opens October 1
  • Early decision deadline January 1
  • Final decision deadline March 1

You will receive full funding of tuition for the first 36 credit hours of pre-dissertation coursework. The College of Nursing also offers scholarships, assistantships and other financial aid options for PhD students.

PhD program costs depend on several factors. For estimated costs, click here.

The Office of Financial Aid provides the full breakdown of the estimated cost to attend. For additional tuition and fee information, visit the Bursar's Office Tuition and Fees website.

  • Complete required coursework within 10 years.
  • Complete a minimum of one research internship with a faculty member.
  • Earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in all required courses and earn a B or higher in each course.
  • Successfully defend written and oral defense of doctoral dissertation.
  • Successfully complete doctoral degree requirements of The Graduate School.

Attend our Ask The Expert video sessions with Graduate Program faculty and staff.

  • Research Centers
  • Intersecting Areas of Expertise
  • Methodologic Expertise

 PhD Student Success

vera bratnichenko

#1 in Research

Vera Bratnichenko is in the dissertation phase of her PhD program, studying the Eastern European immigrant population and their colorectal cancer screening adherence beliefs. She is interested in finding out what influences them to complete their cancer screening so that health care professionals can tailor their interventions to help improve screening adherence in this population. "I chose the University of South Carolina for my nursing PhD because it’s the perfect fit for what I need. They offer a flexible executive-style model so I can balance school with everything else in my life, and they even provide a tuition scholarship to help cover costs for the core courses."

ubong headshot

Interprofessional Collaboration 

Ubong James collaborates with his faculty mentor, Dr. Michael Wirth, as well as Dr. James Hebert and Dr. Christine Blake, both from the USC Arnold School of Public Health. His research intends to provide an understanding of potential associations between food-related consumer behaviors and dietary inflammation. James enjoys the numerous interdisciplinary research opportunities in and around USC and the college’s PhD mentorship program.

kayla headshot

PhD Mentorship

Kayla Everhart worked with her PhD mentor, Dr. Robin Dail on Dail’s five-year $2.7M National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded study as a research coordinator. The study included five NICU sites, enrolling 440 infants to examine body temperature and heart rate over the first 30 days of life as a predictor of infection.

 

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