School of Nursing Observes 20-year Anniversary of Ph.D. Program

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the School of Nursing’s Ph.D. program, which became the nation’s first completely online nursing doctorate program just three years after its inception.

An early adopter and innovator of online graduate nursing education, the nursing school has graduated 106 Ph.D.-prepared nurses, providing a credential enabling these nurses to excel as educators and assume other leadership roles in health care. Because classes for the Ph.D. in Nursing program have been offered completely online since 1997, these nursing alumni have earned doctorates despite their geographical location, the constraints of shift work or family obligations.

Today, the nursing school also offers an RN-BSN program for registered nurses who wish to obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing; a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program for those seeking a terminal degree with a clinical focus, an alternative to the research-focused Ph.D.; and all of its master’s degree and certificate programs completely online.

US News & World Report has twice ranked Duquesne’s graduate nursing programs among the top online graduate nursing programs, listing it as the sixth best in the nation in 2014.

The nursing school has planned events to mark the anniversary during Doctoral Week, from Monday, May 19, through Thursday, May 22, when doctoral students—about 40 in all—will visit campus. Though their classes are completely online, graduate nursing students visit campus one week each year to attend academic workshops and faculty meetings, allowing them to form personal connections with colleagues in their cohorts.

Dr. Angela Baron McBride, dean emerita of the Indiana University School of Nursing, will present 21st Century Nursing: The Demand for Nursing Leadership on May 19 to faculty, students and invited guests to mark the Ph.D. program anniversary. McBride is a widely cited expert on women’s health, psychiatric nursing and the psychology of parenthood.