We are committed to creating an academically challenging and supportive educational community of students with diverse talents, experiences, viewpoints and cultural backgrounds. Applications are particularly encouraged from students who intend to focus their research in one of the research focal areas.
Learn About Our Areas of Research Excellence
Selection is based on an evaluation of academic background, research interests and availability of suitable faculty expertise for mentorship.
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
- BSN - PhD Pathway: Applicants must hold a Bachelor’s Degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. Find out if your institution is regionally accredited here.
- Master of Science (MS) in Nursing degree, cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above (MS-PhD program option)
- MS - PhD Pathway: Applicants must hold a Master’s Degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above. Find out if your institution is regionally accredited here.
Admissions Requirements
- Three recommendations attesting to the applicant’s potential to succeed in doctoral study. References will be submitted electronically through the NursingCAS application. References will then receive an email with an online form to complete that serves as their recommendation. Letters are not required.
- Completion of the NuringCAS online application and University of Arizona Graduate College Application.
- Transcripts
- Resume/CV: Please use this CV template to help identify key areas our faculty look for during the admissions process.
- Applicant-Faculty mentoring match (see FAQs below for additional clarification)
- Additional documentation will be required if offered admission into the program.
A brief telephone interview is required of top applicants.
The PhD program in the College of Nursing does not admit international students at this time.
After applying via NursingCAS, you are required to send all official transcripts directly to NursingCAS by the issuing institution’s registrar’s office. Once received, NursingCAS will validate all received transcripts. Transcripts should be mailed to the address below:
NursingCAS
P.O. Box 9201
Watertown, MA 02471
Please note: NursingCAS also accepts official transcripts sent electronically from Credentials Solutions, Parchment, and National Student Clearinghouse.
When completing the second step and filling out the Graduate College application you will be asked to upload unofficial transcripts.
International Transcripts – Nursing/Medical Related
All international nursing or medical-related transcripts must be evaluated through World Education Services or CFGNS International. The evaluation service report must then be submitted to NursingCAS by following the same instructions above.
*If you studied abroad through a program from a previous U.S. Institution you attended and the courses are listed on your U.S. transcript as receiving US Institutional credit, you do not need to submit an evaluation report. Otherwise, an evaluation report will be required. For example, an international course listed on one of your U.S. Institution transcripts as a transfer credit will require a separate evaluation report. Please contact us at con-osaa@arizona.edu with questions.
International Transcripts – Non-Nursing/Medical Related
Non-nursing/medical international transcripts must be translated and evaluated if they: are not in English, do not use a grading scale we recognize, or do not account for course units like US institutions. Translation and evaluation must be completed by a service such as World Education Services. The evaluation report must be officially sealed and submitted to NursingCAS by following the same instructions above.
FAQs
The program is an average of four years, full-time. For example, the BSN-PhD program is set up so that the student completes three years of coursework before comprehensive exams, followed the by the dissertation. The MS-PhD program has two years of full-time coursework prior to comprehensive exams. The length of time spent in dissertation will ultimately determine the total time to degree. You should refer to the specific course grids available on our website for each specialty.
We do now offer a part-time option in our PhD program. We require part-time students to be enrolled in at least 6 units per semester as opposed to at least 9 units for full-time study.
The PhD program is considered an online program although there are times students must travel to Tucson. One requirement is for RISE (the Resident Intensive Summer Experience). RISE generally occurs for a week in August and students are required to attend for at least the first year of the program. In addition to RISE, students may be required to come to campus to participate in research or meet with a faculty advisor.
We receive more than 20 applicants per admissions cycle for the PhD program. There is no set amount for number of students admitted. That decision will be made by the administrative team later in the spring based on faculty workload, total candidates recommended admission by the faculty, etc.
No. The College of Nursing does not require any standardized entrance test for any of programs.
The applicant should identify potential mentor matches prior to applying. A formal arrangement is not necessary for application purposes. However, please be mindful that a good mentor match is an integral part of doctoral-level education, and the applicant should seek admission to a program where his or her interests are best suited. An applicant who does not have a strong research connection to the College may not be admitted.
For more information regarding tuition and fees, please visit the Bursar's Office.
Students living in WRGP (WICHE) states may be eligible for the tuition exchange program. If the applicant lists a WRGP-eligible state on their application, the application will be flagged and processed accordingly upon admission.
The College of Nursing does have a scholarship fund, and students in the PhD program can apply to those scholarships as well as university funds. Private funding sources, such as grants, the Nurse Faculty Loan Program and other sources can be researched online.
We encourage all students to complete the FAFSA form so that they may be considered for various funding sources. Students have received funding in the past from the Nurse Faculty Loan Program, University Fellow Program, UArizona Graduate College Scholarships, Doctoral Awards, and other CON funds.
State Authorizations
If a student is pursuing the dual degree, refer to the state authorizations relevant to the nurse practitioner programs. Otherwise, there are no state-based restrictions to PhD study.