By TED Staff
If you are a licensed nurse considering a post-master’s nursing education program, you likely have one of two goals in mind. You may wish to be the professor in an academic setting, or you may wish to work for a healthcare organization. No matter your motivation, a PhD in nursing education will afford you the skills and knowledge to practice either profession. At the same time that a doctoral-level program will expand your knowledge of nursing, it will also develop your abilities to exert effective leadership and to conduct meaningful research.
Perhaps you are delaying your decision to return to school because of your day-to-day responsibilities. It may not seem possible to do all that you must do in addition to traveling to and from a classroom. Working nurses cannot commit great chunks of their time to sitting in front of a blackboard–or even a smartboard! This dilemma is exactly why online education was created. With online instruction, you will engage in classes in your own surroundings and often on your own schedule. Upon graduation, your diploma will be indistinguishable from the ones awarded to students in a traditional, brick-and-mortar institution.
The value of a nursing education PhD is not simply in the diploma, of course. The degree greatly increases your earning power. Nurses with a master’s degree earned an average yearly wage of $87,000. Nurses with a doctoral degree earned an average salary of $96,000 (Medscape report 2015). In addition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the need for nursing professionals will grow 15% by 2026, faster than the average for all other occupations.
The nursing education Ph.D. programs reviewed below have been selected for their excellence. Both fully online and hybrid programs are listed, along with the scales used for ranking them.
US News Online Graduate Nursing Ranking:
- Top 10 – 5 points
- Top 25 – 4 points
- Top 50 – 3 points
- Top 75 – 2 points
- Top 100 – 1 point
Retention Rate:
- 81-100% – 5 points
- 61-80% – 4 points
- 41-60% – 3 points
- 21-40% – 2 points
- 1-20% – 1 point
Regional Accreditation:5 points
CCNE Accreditation: 5 points
Hourly Tuition:
- Under $350 – 5 points
- Under $700 – 4 points
- Under $1050 – 3 points
- Under $1400 – 2 points
- Under $1750 – 1 point
#10 – West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia
Online PhD in Nursing
US News Online Graduate Nursing Ranking: Not in Top 100
Retention Rate: 79.0%
Regional Accreditation: Yes
CCNE Accreditation: Yes
Points: 15
Comprised of 55 credits of post master’s coursework, the doctor of philosophy in nursing at West Virginia University is a part-time program with a blend of online coursework and in-person learning components. Two one-day, on-campus residencies are required every year, with two two-day residencies required the first year. Online, out of state students of the PhD in nursing at West Virginia University pay $1,555 per credit hour. Additionally, prior to taking the qualifying examination, students must submit “one first-authored manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal” and they must publish a manuscript like this in a similar journal before the dissertation defense can occur.
#9 – University of Mississippi Medical Center
Jackson, Mississippi
PhD in Nursing Online
US News Online Graduate Nursing Ranking: Not In Top 100
Retention Rate: 85%
Regional Accreditation: Yes
CCNE Accreditation: Yes
Points: 15
There are multiple points of entry to the online doctor of philosophy in nursing at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. 50 credit hours are required for post master’s students to achieve the degree, but there are also paths for highly motivated and qualified BSN holders as well as the standard MSN holders. $1,422.06 per credit is the out of state rate for the University of Mississippi’s online PhD with no online discount. The application information asks for evidence of “strong performance in science courses” as well as a 3.2 overall GPA.
#8 – University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
PhD in Nursing Online
US News Online Graduate Nursing Ranking: Not in Top 100
Retention Rate: 80.0%
Regional Accreditation: Yes
CCNE Accreditation: Yes
Points: 17
The coursework of 90 quarter credit hours for the online doctor of philosophy in nursing at the University of North Dakota can be completed in three years, and then the work on the dissertation can begin. $765 is the per credit rate for online students, with no out of state fees. One admit date is permitted per year for a fall start. Applications for the PhD in nursing online at the University of North Dakota should contain a recent GRE or MAT score, a personal statement of research and professional goals, an up to date resume and three letters of recommendation on a professional level.
#7 – Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
PhD In Nursing With Focus On Nursing Education Online
US News Online Graduate Nursing Ranking: 93
Retention Rate: 75.0%
Regional Accreditation: Yes
CCNE Accreditation: Yes
Points: 18
The 60 credit online doctor of philosophy with a focus on nursing education at Nova Southeastern University holds a mandatory on-campus Summer Institute in May or June that allows for critical peer networking and faculty mentoring. Here are a few of the required courses in this program: research ethics; theories of education; doctoral inquiry; and the state of science. Applications to the PhD with a focus on Nursing Education online at Nova Southeastern University should be sure to include a GPA of 3.5 or better on the MSN or post master’s degree nursing work, two reference letters that are not written by relatives, and a writing sample of academic work (published or unpublished). Tuition for this program runs $927 per credit hour.
#6 – University of Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Online PhD in Nursing
US News Online Graduate Nursing Ranking: Not in Top 100
Retention Rate: 86.0%
Regional Accreditation: Yes
CCNE Accreditation: Yes
Points: 18
The Sinclair School of Nursing at the University of Missouri has designed a doctor of philosophy in nursing that calls for limited campus visits, such as one week during the first summer of enrollment and four days each April. A yearly professional meeting with a mentor is also called for. The school’s rate for online study with no out of state fees is $453.93 per credit hour. The online PhD in nursing program at the University of Missouri is 56 credit hours.
#5 – New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Online PhD in Nursing
US News Online Graduate Nursing Ranking: Not in Top 100
Retention Rate: 72.0%
Regional Accreditation: Yes
CCNE Accreditation: Yes
Points: 18
New Mexico State University’s online doctor of philosophy in nursing requires a one-week campus residency, annually in May, and participation in a faculty-selected research conference, also annually for participation in the program. The 72 post-master’s credit hours that make up the degree give students five years from the date of taking the comprehensive exams to complete the degree. At $399.50 for the graduate online rate per credit, the PhD online at New Mexico State University asks for evidence of a recent (5 years) passing grade in an inferential statistics course, a faculty interview, and proof of licensure or eligibility for licensure as an RN in the US or US territories.
#4 – University of Texas-Tyler
Tyler, Texas
PhD in Nursing Online
US News Online Graduate Nursing Ranking: 19
Retention Rate: 58.0%
Regional Accreditation: Yes
CCNE Accreditation: Yes
Points: 19
Offering a summer start to the program, each summer session of the University of Texas-Tyler’s online doctor of philosophy in nursing begins with a five day on-campus intensive. The degree comes in at $1,218 per credit, for online, out of state students. The school features both a BSN to PhD tracks and an MSN to PhD track for qualified students. Twelve semester hours of dissertation research are required for the PhD in nursing online at the University of Texas-Tyler.
#3 – University of Nevada Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
PhD in Nursing Education Online
US News Online Graduate Nursing Ranking: 27
Retention Rate: 77.0%
Regional Accreditation: Yes
CCNE Accreditation: Yes
Points: 20
The online doctor of philosophy in nursing education at the University of Nevada Las Vegas can be completed in part with four campus visits (orientation, comps, proposal defense, and dissertation defense). The 62 credit hour program charges $839.50 per instructional credit, for out of state students, with no online rate price break. There are two tracks available: the post-DNP to PhD track and the nursing education track. There is one admit date per year, in the fall. The program is open to applicants with a BSN and an MSN, and those with a BSN and a master’s in another health-related discipline.
#2 – University of West Georgia
Carrollton, Georgia
Online EdD in Nursing Education
US News Online Graduate Nursing Ranking: 53
Retention Rate: 72.0%
Regional Accreditation: Yes
CCNE Accreditation: Yes
Points: 21
The Tanner Health System School of Nursing at the University of West Georgia has a doctor of education in nursing education that can be completed in 60 semester hours. At just $312 per credit hour, the 100% online degree may include full-time and part-time plans of study. Coursework in the program includes scholarly writing, methodology development, and quantitative research in nursing. Applicants to the EdD in Nursing Education Online at the University of West Georgia must provide evidence of a GPA of 3.0 or better on an earned MSN degree, three letters of recommendation on a professional and/or academic level, and a professional CV with the application packet.
#1 – University of Central Florida
Orlando, Florida
Online PhD in Nursing
US News Online Graduate Nursing Ranking: 50
Retention Rate: 89.0%
Regional Accreditation: Yes
CCNE Accreditation: Yes
Points: 22
Two on-site intensives every year are required for students of the online doctor of philosophy in nursing at the University of Central Florida. 60 credits in length, the program can be completed in 11 semesters with full-time study and 14 semesters with part-time study. For $694.82 per graduate credit, for out of state, online students, the degree focuses on the “theory, processes and methods of inquiry” vital to the study of nursing. Applications for the PhD in nursing online at the University of Central Florida should be received by March 1 for a summer start.
