Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Program

Admission Requirements

To be considered for the PhD program, applicants must have:
  • Earned a BS and/or MS from an AACN, CCNE or NLN accredited institution.  Note: Successful completion of the BS in nursing must occur prior to the desired term of admission.  The PhD program is open to post-baccalaureate and post-masters applicants.
  • Minimum B average in all undergraduate and graduate (if applicable) coursework (this includes all courses taken to satisfy the degree requirements for a BS in nursing).  This is equivalent to a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale (U.S. grading scale).
  • Proof of current RN licensor in at least one political jurisdiction or proof of pending licensor; if offered admission, the RN license must be obtained prior to the first term of enrollment in the PhD program.
    Please note: An active State of Michigan RN license is required to complete a clinical Master's within the PhD program, to work as a graduate student instructor, or to work part-time as a registered nurse in the U.S.
  • Satisfactory (within the 50th percentile or above) verbal, quantitative and analytical scores on the GRE.

Application Details

Deadline to Apply

 

NOTE: The PhD program admits students to the Fall term only

When To Apply
Application Opens
Application Closes
Fall 2013 (term starting in September 2013)
September 16
December 1

Application

The application is on-line: Rackham Graduate School application.  This is the only application to be considered for the PhD in Nursing program.

Application Required Supporting Material

Academic Statement
Provide a comprehensive statement, not to exceed 1000 words, that delineates your rationale for pursuing the doctoral program. These statement is most effective when it specifies your:
  • Professional goals for the future as a doctoral prepared nurse.
  • Appraisal of research interests as they pertain to one of the four areas of concentration with the University of Michigan PhD program.
  • The Academic Statement should not be a reiteration of your work experience, educational background, resume/CV or your Personal Statement (see below).
Personal Statement
Provide a comprehensive answer, not to exceed 1000 words, to the following question within the Rackham application under the section 'Personal Statement':
What resources do you plan to use to help support your doctoral studies financially and academically?
 
Guidelines for the Personal Statement:
  • The personal statement should provide evidence that you have researched the PhD program through the University of Michigan School of Nursing.
  • The personal statement should identify the knowledge you have of the doctoral curriculum and the high standards of the program.
  • The personal statement should include your plan to cover the tuition and costs for the PhD program using possible external funding options (Note: tuition support through the University of Michigan is not guaranteed).
  • The Personal Statement should not be a reiteration of your work experience, educational background, resume/CV or your Academic Statement (see above).
Recommendations
The University of Michigan requires three recommendations. At least two of the three required recommendations must be from individuals who have a doctorate in nursing (PhD or DNP).
 
The recommendation form is part of the Rackham Graduate School application. The School of Nursing prefers all applicants to the PhD program to utilize the on-line recommendation form through the Rackham Application process. Please do not request recommenders to send the completed recommendation form via fax or mail, we are unable to guarantee receipt of recommendation forms not sent through the on-line application.
 
Recommendation form instructions:
  • On the recommender page of the Rackham application, provide the current required information for three qualified recommenders (based on the criteria above).
  • Once you have submitted the completed on-line application, the recommenders you listed will receive an email from the University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School.  The email will provide the recommender with detailed instructions on how to access the on-line recommendation form (a link is provided directly to the form within the email).
  • Once the recommender has completed the form and included a supporting letter (the supporting letter is not required, however it is highly recommended), the form will be uploaded to your on-line application file.
  • Recommendations must be completed and submitted no later than December 1.
Official Post-Secondary Transcripts*
The University of Michigan School of Nursing requires official transcripts from the institution where you earned or will earn your Bachelors of Science in Nursing (and master's, if applicable).
  • Official transcripts from the institution where you received or will receive your Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (and Master’s, if applicable) must be sent to Rackham Graduate School. It is important you review the Rackham website page for detailed instructions on submitting transcripts prior to beginning the submission process. Do not send official transcripts for your BSN or MS (if applicable) to the School of Nursing.
  • If you took supplemental courses at an institution from which you did not receive your BSN or MSN, you must send unofficial transcripts for all supplemental courses to the School of Nursing:
University of Michigan School of Nursing
ATTN: PhD Admissions; Supplemental Transcripts
400 North Ingalls, Suite 1160
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
 
*International students please follow the instructions provided in the International Applicant Additional Requirements Section below for foreign transcript evaluation submission.
 
Resume or Curricula Vitae
Your current resume or C.V. should be uploaded as a MS Word document within the on-line Rackham Graduate application.  The recommended length for a CV is 3 pages maximum.
 
Two Solely Authored Scholarly Papers
Examples: Master’s thesis, published article, research paper, process improvement plan or poster presentation review.  If you are a post-baccalaureate applicant you may submit two recent research papers from your undergraduate program. The Admissions committee will review the papers for writing style; the scholarly paper submissions do not need to reflect your chosen area of focus within the PhD program.
Mail both scholarly papers to:
University of Michigan School of Nursing
ATTN: PhD Admissions; Scholarly Paper Submission
400 North Ingalls, Suite 1160
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Standardized

Test

Requirement

Graduate Record Exam
The GRE is required for all PhD applicants, regardless of whether you are a post-baccalaureate or post-masters applicant.
 
The Admissions Committee accepts the following as an official GRE score:
  • Official score report sent directly to University of Michigan from ETS (GRE code: R1839)
  • Original score reports sent to the applicant and submitted as part of their application
  • Scores listed on official transcripts by a college or university
  • Memo, secured by the applicant, presented on another school's letterhead stating that a GRE score report was submitted directly to that college or university by ETS on a specified date, that the original score report is being maintained by that college or university, and that a photocopy of the original score report is attached; this correspondence must be signed by an official at the school (e.g. program director, registrar, Dean)
  • If scores are not within acceptable ranges (50th percentile or above), applicants may need to repeat the GRE.  To determine what scores would be considered acceptable (50th percentile or above), please review the GRE scoring document.

International Applicant Additional Requirements

Transcripts and Evaluations
All prospective international applicants need to review the requirements for academic credentials from non-U.S. institutions and submit the required documents listed to Rackham Graduate School as instructed.
 
English Proficiency
The University of Michigan School of Nursing requires that International students who did not attend a U.S. or Canadian undergraduate institution in which the language of instruction was English to submit official English proficiency exam scores to the University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School (school code: 1839) from the TOEFL, IELTS, or MELAB no later than the December 1 deadline to be considered for admission. For details, see the Entrance Exams webpage.

Application Fee

  • $65 for U.S. applicants
  • $75 for international applicants
The application fee is required for submission of the completed application.

Admission Interview

All application materials listed on this page must be received at the appropriate location (Rackham or the School of Nursing, read this page for specific details) no later than December 1 to be considered for admission to the Fall 2013 PhD cohort.
 
All qualified completed applications received by December 1 will be reviewed by the PhD admissions committee in December and early January. Applicants will be notified by February 1 if selected for an admission interview. Admission interviews will occur in February with admission decisions made by April 1.