Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Ethics

Nurses are on the front lines of ethical issues in health care. They typically spend the most time with patients and are most familiar with cases involving ethical challenges. Yet, nurses are often constrained by institutional policy and have limited decision-making authority when ethically charged situations arise.

Our online PhD in Nursing Ethics program provides nurses with expertise in evaluating and responding to ethically challenging situations in clinical practice and healthcare policy. In this program, students learn how to think and debate about ethics in a rigorous and rational manner. With intellectual skills and practical ethics knowledge, graduates will be prepared and empowered to stand up for what they know is right.

Program Focus

The PhD in Nursing Ethics program is an interdisciplinary program offered in collaboration with the Center for Global Health Ethics in the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts.

Our PhD in Nursing program prepares scientists to engage in empirical research, while our PhD in Nursing Ethics program trains ethicists to engage in normative scholarship. Normative research or scholarship aims at figuring out what is right, good and what should or ought to be the case, whereas empirical inquiry aims at figuring out what is the case. Normative research is the hallmark of the field of ethics. In this program, students learn normative methods, and apply those methods to challenging ethical problems in nursing practice and healthcare policy.

Our program also offers students the opportunity to conduct empirical research with our highly accomplished nurse scientists. However, the focus of the program, including the dissertation, is normative in nature: students learn to make reasoned arguments for their positions on a range of challenging and controversial moral problems in nursing and healthcare, and to respond rationally and convincingly to those who hold different positions. In this way, students will be prepared to contribute to the ethical improvement of nursing practice and the delivery of healthcare.

For a more detailed description of normative scholarship and its distinction from empirical research, as well as a discussion of the importance of normative scholarship in nursing, please see Vogelstein & Colbert (2019).

 

Program Information

The PhD in Nursing Ethics online program prepares you to become a nurse ethicist. The program focuses on normative research and scholarship and applies those methods to challenging ethical problems in nursing practice and health care policy. This is a 47-credit interdisciplinary program offered in collaboration with the Center for Global Health Ethics in the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts.

Program Type

Major

Degree

Doctorate

School

McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal ArtsSchool of Nursing

Academic Department

Advanced Role and PhD Program (Nursing)

Duration

4-6 years

Required Credit Hours

47

Modality

Online

Student and alumni perspectives

phd student liz

The fact that it's online and there is an asynchronous component, provides flexibility within the program. With being in Cohort 30 and celebrating the 30th anniversary of the program, I knew Duquesne was well versed in offering the PhD program in an online format.

Liz PhD in Nursing Ethics Student
Learn More

More in this Program

PhD in Nursing Ethics Roundtable Videos

Duquesne University School of Nursing Round Table Discussion Online PhD in Nursing Ethics Program

Online PhD in Nursing Ethics Program

Dr. Rick Zoucha, chair of the Advanced Role and PhD Program, discusses the PhD in Nursing Ethics program with Dr. Eric Vogelstein, associate professor, and Dr. Michael Deem, assistant professor.

The role of the nurse ethicist

The Role of the Nurse Ethicist

Learn about the role of a nurse ethicist and the job opportunities this degree unlocks.

PhD in Nursing Ethics Curriculum courses, residencies, dissertation

PhD in Nursing Ethics Curriculum

Listen to a discussion about the curriculum for the PhD in Nursing Ethics program.

The Candidate for a PhD in Nursing Ethics

The Candidate for a PhD in Nursing Ethics

Discover the candidates we are looking to enroll, and how you can apply.

Program Details

Residency One: Doctoral Week (May 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 Two: 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 Dublin, Ireland, where students will have housing at Trinity College.

*Please note that any tuition discounts that graduate students receive are not applicable to study abroad courses.

Residency Three: Topic Approval (May of Year 3)

This residency provides an opportunity for students to meet with their faculty mentor on campus for discussion and writing around dissertation topic development in preparation for approval.

Curriculum

View Course Descriptions
Our online interdisciplinary PhD in Nursing Ethics is a total of 45 credits. The program can be completed in four years and does require three in-person residencies. It is offered with the Center for Global Health Ethics in the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts.
Summer
  • GPNG 901 State of Science and Discovery (3 credits)
  • Doctoral Week*

*Required on-campus visit
Fall
  • GPNG 927 Structure of Nursing Knowledge (3 credits)
  • HCE 659 Methods in Healthcare Ethics (3 credits)

Spring
  • GPNG 943 Methods of Scientific Inquiry in Nursing I (3 credits)
  • HCE 643 Ethics of Care (3 credits)

Summer
  • GPNG 944 Methods of Scientific Inquiry in Nursing II** (3 credits)
  • GPNG 903 Measurement Issues** (3 credits)

**Required Study Abroad
Fall
  • GPNG 931 Applied Qualitative Practicum (3 credits)
  • HCE 642 Healthcare Ethics in a Diverse Society (3 credits)

Spring
  • GPNG 940 Statistics II (3 credits)
  • HCE 648 Clinical Ethics (3 credits)

Summer
  • Cognate or Elective (3 credits)
  • GPNG 921 Foundations of Social and Distributive Justice in Ethics and Health Policy (3 credits)
  • Topic Defense*

*Required on-campus visit
Fall
  • PhD Nursing Ethics Comp Exams (1 credit)

Spring
  • PhD Nursing Ethics Dissertation (2 credits)
Fall
  • PhD Nursing Ethics Dissertation (1 credit)

Spring
  • PhD Nursing Ethics Dissertation (2 credits)

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions for the PhD in Nursing Ethics Program.

February 1.
The program begins in the summer semester with an on-campus residency in May. Students begin by taking a three-credit course, GPNG 901 State of the Science and Discovery.
PhD students have three residency requirements during the three- or four-year program. These include Doctoral Week, Study Abroad and Topic and Committee Approval.
The statistics prerequisite is designed to provide you with the basis for advancement in the PhD program. The content of the courses should include inferential statistics, linear and nonlinear regression, logistic regression, analysis of variance, repeated measures and generalized linear models.

No later than the fall semester prior to beginning the program.

*Please note the course must have been completed within the last 5 years.

Duquesne University School of Education offers an online statistics course each fall, GREV 510 - Statistics I. For PhD in Nursing and PhD in Nursing Ethics students, this must be completed the fall term prior to beginning your summer coursework. To enroll in this course, please follow the special status application process.

If our GREV 510 does not meet your timeline, courses will be accepted from any accredited university with prior approval from the PhD chair. To assist applicants, our PhD faculty have identified online courses through Portage Learning and the University of Phoenix that meet the prerequisite requirements.

If you identify another course that you would like to attend in person or online, please submit the course information for approval prior to enrollment.

If you have any questions, please contact Director of Admissions Brian Bost at (412) 396-6539 or via email.

Yes, candidates with a master's degree in another area will be considered on an individual basis.
We consider all parts of the application and make admission decisions based on the qualifications of the individual to complete doctoral study, ability to complete an online program and the match between the applicant's proposed dissertation research area and our PhD faculty's research interests.
Yes. A maximum of nine PhD level credits from an accredited university and approved program may be transferred toward completion of the requirements for the PhD in Nursing degree. Please complete the form below for credit consideration.

Request for Credit Consideration
Students may enroll in either the three-year PhD program or the four-year PhD program. Completion within these timeframes requires the student take six credits of coursework each semester. Completion of the dissertation stage is planned for the final year of the program.
Yes. Students in the three-year program are expected to complete all coursework (core, electives, cognates) within two calendar years. The dissertation is then completed in the third year. Students in the four-year program are expected to complete all coursework (core, electives, cognates) within three calendar years. The dissertation is then completed in the fourth year. The degree must be completed within eight calendar years from the semester in which the student completes the first course for the degree.
Using a computer and an Internet Service Provider (ISP), a student can work on coursework whenever and wherever it is most convenient. Even though the online class may be more accessible to a student’s schedule, the content and workload are comparable to a face-to-face course.
All graduate nursing courses are available online.
Yes. See our Important Resources Section for financial aid links.
See our Tuition Section for tuition information.
Yes. There are a variety of ways in which you may be eligible for our Tuition Discount Program.
Applicants must meet the admissions criteria of the Duquesne University School of Nursing. The admissions process for nursing graduate students is handled exclusively by the School of Nursing.
Please contact Director of Admissions Brian Bost at (412) 396-6539 or via email.

Ask a Question

Do you have questions about the PhD in Nursing Ethics program?

Brian Bost

Director of Admissions

School of Nursing

Learning Outcomes

  1. Function as a nurse scientist by conducting original research that builds upon existing evidence and expands the body of knowledge in nursing and health.
  2. Utilize theoretical frameworks and research findings to guide inquiry that enhances health and health care delivery for all.
  3. Produce and disseminate scholarly work that contributes to the science and profession of nursing by communicating creative solutions to problems in nursing and health care.
  4. Lead collaborative research teams to reduce health care disparities on local, national,and global levels.
  5. Demonstrate high ethical standards in all research activities.
  6. Advocate for health care policies that are based on evidence and the principles of social justice.

Accreditation

The PhD in Nursing Ethics program at Duquesne University School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

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