The overall purpose of this program is to prepare individuals for the faculty role in nursing education. At the end of the program, degree candidates will be able to:

• Synthesize concepts and theories from nursing, higher education, and related disciplines as a foundation for enacting the nurse educator role.
• Demonstrate expertise in designing, implementing, evaluating, and improving nursing education to reflect trends in higher education, healthcare, and nursing practice.
• Use knowledge of ethical, social, global, cultural, political, and economic issues affecting nursing education to provide effective leadership.
• Contribute to the advancement of the science of nursing education through intellectual inquiry and creative scholarship.
• Provide professional leadership to affect change in nursing education through service to the profession.
• Function collaboratively in the faculty role within a community of scholars.

Ed.D. Nursing Admission Requirements

Prospective students will apply to either SCSU or WCSU and receive their degree from the institution where they are matriculated.  Admission policies to the program will be consistent with existing criteria for admitting doctoral students at SCSU and WCSU. A new cohort will begin every fall semester.  Applications are now open for Fall 2025 and are on a rolling admission cycle. Applicants will be responsible for ensuring that all required documents are received. 

The next application cycle is for the Fall 2025 entrance. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
    
Specific requirements are as follows:

• Complete the Graduate Application for the Ed.D. in Nursing Education program
• Master's degree in nursing, with an overall GPA of at least 3.0, from a regionally-accredited institution
• Official transcripts of all prior undergraduate and graduate level coursework
• Three (3) current references from individuals who can speak to the applicant's academic ability, professional achievements, and potential for success in doctoral studies
• Current RN license
• Current resume/CV highlighting professional experience, scholarship, and service activities
• Personal statement describing the following:
  1. Reasons for seeking admission to the Ed.D. program
  2. Professional goals
  3. Research interests
  4. Potential contributions to field of nursing education
• For international students, a score of at least 550 (paper), 213 (computer), or 80 (internet) on the TOEFL exam

All application materials, with the exception of transcripts and letters of recommendation, may be uploaded after submitting your application. Letters of recommendation are uploaded directly by your recommenders. Official transcripts can be sent to GradDocs@southernct.edu. Official paper transcripts must be sent to Southern's Processing Center. Information can be found on the Graduate Application website.

The overall goal of the admissions committee is to admit individuals who, in the professional opinion of the faculty, demonstrate the greatest potential for making significant contributions to the field of nursing education through their teaching, scholarly, and service activities.
   

This program has been licensed by the Connecticut Board of Regents and approved by NECHE. 

Program Components

The prposed 51-credit program consists of five major components, listed below in the required sequence: 

Foundations of Teaching in Higher Education (each course is 3 credits; 9 credits total)

• NUR 800 Ethical/Legal, Political and Social Issues Affecting Higher Education
• NUR 801 Theories of Teaching and Learning in Adult and Higher Education
• NUR 802 Methods of Teaching and Evaluation
    

Specialization in Nursing Education (each course is 3 credits; 9 credits total)

• NUR 803 Curriculum Development, Implementation, and Evaluation in Nursing
• NUR 804 Nursing Faculty Role in Higher Education
• NUR 805 Classroom, Clinical Teaching and Evaluation in Nursing Education
     

Leadership in Nursing Education (each course is 3 credits; 9 credits total)

• NUR 806 Leadership Theories and Concepts
• NUR 807 Leadership in Nursing Education
• NUR 808 Doctoral Synthesis
    

 Science of Nursing Education Research (each course is 3 credits; 12 credits total)

• NUR 809 State of Science of Nursing Education Research
• NUR 810 Quantitative Methods in Nursing Education Research
• NUR 811 Qualitative Method in Nursing Education Research
• NUR 812 Statistical Analysis in Educational Research
     

Dissertation Phase (each course is 3 credits; 9-12 credits total)

• NUR 813 Dissertation Seminar
• NUR 814 Dissertation Advisement I
• NUR 815 Dissertation Advisement II
• NUR 816 Dissertation Advisement III
• NUR 817 Ongoing Dissertation Advisement

Plan of Study

The purpose of the NFLP is to increase the number of qualified nursing faculty. The program offers partial loan forgiveness for borrowers that graduate and serve as full-time nursing faculty for the prescribed period of time. The Ed.D. In Nursing Education program has been fortunate to receive funding through the NFLP for six years through HRSA, although there is no guarantee that funding will be available in any given year. The NFLP loan can help with the cost of tuition, fees, books and laboratory expenses. The NFLP loan cannot be used for room, board, personal, transportation and living expenses. There is a limited amount of NFLP available. The NFLP is a non-need based loan program. The loan cannot exceed $35,500 per academic year, and not to exceed 5 years of support. Please visit the Graduate loan page to learn more about the NFLP.