Select a Faculty Advisor
A student accepted into the PhD program selects a faculty advisor or co-advisors by mutual consent from PhD faculty members who have doctoral faculty status (which means they have been approved by the MU Graduate School to be a dissertation supervisor) and have a match in terms of population of interest, research focus area, and/or research methodology.
Attend June On-Campus Orientation
All new students accepted into the PhD program are expected to attend the June On-Campus Orientation in person at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo. June Orientation On-Campus Dates can be found on the SSON website.
Develop an Initial Plan of Study
During the June On Campus Orientation, students will consult with their faculty advisor and the PhD Program Director to develop an initial plan of study using the Plan of Study Worksheet for the PhD in nursing which can be found on the PhD Forms webpage. The Plan of Study Worksheet for the PhD in nursing must be approved by the student’s faculty advisor or the PhD Program Director (in the event the advisor is unavailable in the summer), signed, dated and submitted as an assignment in the June Orientation Canvas site before the end of the summer semester.
Complete the Qualifying Examination
Students admitted with a bachelor’s degree are admitted to the PhD program on a provisional basis. To be officially admitted to the PhD program, students entering with a bachelor’s degree must pass a Qualifying Examination. Following successful completion of a Qualifying Examination, bachelor’s prepared students will be granted admission to the PhD program. The specifics of the Qualifying Examination can be found in the PhD Handbook.
Students admitted with a master’s degree have completed the Qualifying Examination process.
Attend Annual April On Campus Days
All PhD students are required to attend the April On-Campus Days in person at the University of Missouri campus until after they have successfully completed their Comprehensive Examination. PhD candidates (students that have passed their Comprehensive Examination) are welcome and encouraged to attend after passing their Comprehensive Examination but are not required to attend. April On-Campus Dates can be found on the SSON website. During April On Campus Days, all attending students are expected to present a scholarly poster.
Participate in the Annual Review Process for PhD Students
All PhD students and PhD candidates are required to complete an annual review process (self-evaluation) in the Spring, followed by their faculty advisor responding with written feedback regarding their progression in the PhD program. The MU Graduate School coordinates the annual review process for all PhD students through myVITA. myVITA is an online reporting system that captures activities related to research, teaching, service, scholarship, and creative works in one place. It is the same system used by faculty for annual reviews.
Form a Doctoral Program Committee
Each PhD student must have a doctoral program committee to oversee their plan of study and dissertation process. The doctoral program committee is recommended by the student’s faculty advisor and approved by the PhD Program Director and MU Graduate School. The Qualifying Examination Results and Doctoral Committee Approval (D-1) form are due to MU Graduate School by the end of the student’s second semester (excluding summers).
Submit a Final Plan of Study
A plan of study is a list of courses and the credits to be earned in each of them that will, when completed:
- Prepare the student for research or scholarly investigation in their chosen research focus area
- Satisfy the credit-hour and residency requirement of the PhD program
- Satisfy any special requirements required by the PhD Program
- Satisfy the Graduate Faculty Senate requirement for a minimum of 15 hours of MU coursework at the 8000/9000 level (exclusive of research, problems, and independent study experiences)
As part of the study plan, the doctoral program committee also recommends to the Dean of the Graduate School any request for transfer of graduate credit. The plan of study is documented on the Plan of Study for the Doctoral Degree Form (D-2) which is a two-part form required by MU Graduate School. Both parts of the Plan of Study for the Doctoral Degree Form (D-2) should be filed no later than the end of the student’s second semester of coursework (excluding summers) for full-time students and end of the third semester of coursework (excluding summers) for part-time students.
Complete the PhD Student Competencies
PhD Student Competencies are specific, measurable scholarly activities and achievements that demonstrate progress toward and attainment of the Sinclair School of Nursing (SSON) PhD Program Outcomes. Examples include peer-reviewed publications, scholarly presentations, and other academic accomplishments that reflect doctoral-level development. All PhD students must develop a plan for the completion of the PhD Student Competencies in collaboration with their faculty advisor and doctoral program committee. Students are expected to document completion of the PhD Student Competencies using the PhD Student Competencies form (PDF) which is available on the PhD Forms webpage. Status of the completion of their PhD Student Competencies is reviewed annually by the faculty advisor and any time there is a meeting of the student’s doctoral program committee. It is expected that the student will have substantially completed the PhD Student Competencies at a satisfactory level prior to taking the Comprehensive Examination. The PhD Competencies for MU SSON PhD Students can be found in the MU SSON PhD Handbook.
Complete Required Coursework and Practica Experiences
To maintain successful academic standing in the PhD program, you must successfully complete the required coursework and practica experiences outlined on your final plan of study and successfully complete the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination within a period of five (5) years beginning within the first semester of enrollment as a PhD student.
Complete the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination
Each student must successfully pass the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination by demonstrating his/her ability to address the theoretical, ethical, methodological, and research focus area issues of his/her field of study. The Doctoral Comprehensive Examination consists of a written section followed by an oral section. The two sections of the examination must be completed within one month. The student and faculty advisor are required to be in person at the University of Missouri-Columbia campus for the oral portion of the Comprehensive Examination. The student is expected to complete the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination within five (5) years of enrollment in the PhD program, and it must be completed at least seven (7) months before the final defense of the dissertation. The student is not allowed to sit for the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination until all incompletes are satisfied.
For the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination to be completed successfully, the doctoral program committee must vote to pass the student on the entire examination, both written and oral sections, with no more than one dissenting or abstaining vote. A report of this decision, the Doctoral Comprehensive Examinations Results form (D-3), with the signatures of all committee members, must be sent to MU Graduate School and the student no later than two weeks after the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination is completed. Specifics of the MU SSON Doctoral Comprehensive Examination policies and procedures can be found in the MU SSON PhD Handbook.
Maintain Doctoral Candidacy and Continuous Enrollment
Successful completion of the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination establishes Doctoral Candidacy. Candidacy is retained by maintaining continuous enrollment in N9090 Research for two credit hours each fall and spring semester and for one credit hour each summer session up to and including the term in which the dissertation is defended. Failure to enroll continuously in N9090 Research until the PhD degree is awarded terminates candidacy. To maintain continuous enrollment, students must register for the required coursework each semester using myZou.
Complete the Dissertation Proposal Defense
All students must complete a dissertation proposal. The dissertation proposal must be written on a subject approved by the candidate’s doctoral dissertation committee. The proposal might be in the format as agreed to by the committee and the student. A formal meeting of the doctoral dissertation committee is scheduled at a mutually convenient time for the candidate and the committee members. The dissertation proposal will be evaluated on the extent to which the proposed study meets acceptable standards for research. Criteria for dissertation proposal evaluation can be found in the MU SSON PhD Handbook. When the doctoral dissertation committee decides that the proposal is acceptable, this is documented on the internal SSON Approval of Dissertation Proposal, Dissertation Style, Plan for Publishing, and Human Subjects Determination form which can be found on the PhD forms webpage. This form is submitted to the PhD Administrative Assistant for processing.
Apply for Dissertation Research Funding
With approval and guidance from their faculty advisor and doctoral dissertation committee, a student may apply for intramural or extramural funding to support their dissertation research project. Students applying for extramural funding should contact the MU SSON Office of Research for assistance to determine if the grant application needs to be submitted via the MU Sponsored Programs Administration. The Office of Research staff can assist students with preparation of and submission of grant materials.
Complete the Doctoral Dissertation Process
The culmination of the PhD degree is the completion of a written doctoral dissertation. Within the MU SSON, the Doctoral Dissertation process consists of:
- Development of a dissertation proposal
- Approval of the proposal by the doctoral dissertation committee
- Approval of the research project by the MU Institutional Review Board
- Ethical conduct of the research project
- Writing the doctoral dissertation
- Public defense of the doctoral dissertation in person at the University of Missouri-Columbia campus
- Approval of the dissertation by the candidate’s doctoral dissertation committee
- Submission of the written doctoral dissertation in an approved format.
For the dissertation to be successfully defended, the candidate’s doctoral dissertation committee must vote to pass the student on the defense with no more than one dissenting or abstaining vote. A report of the Dissertation Defense form (D-4), signed by all members of the doctoral dissertation committee, must be sent to MU Graduate School before the deadline preceding the anticipated date of graduation. Specifics of the SSON Doctoral Dissertation options and process can be found in the MU SSON PhD Handbook. The dissertation must be defended within five (5) years of completing the Comprehensive Examination.
Submit the Final Written Doctoral Dissertation
The final approved copy of the doctoral dissertation is submitted to the MU Graduate School. MU Graduate School has created an organization through Canvas to assist with the dissertation submission process. Through this site, you will be able to access all the requirements for the electronic submission process. MU Graduate School requirements for submitting the dissertation can be found on the MU Graduate School website.
Apply for Graduation (Required)
Graduation is the completion of all degree requirements, as recorded on the official transcript, and the conferring of a diploma. All students wishing to graduate must complete the graduation requirements, apply for graduation, and submit the appropriate paperwork. See the Graduation and Commencement Deadlines for details.
Attend Commencement Ceremonies (Optional)
Commencement is a ceremony that recognizes students for the completion of their degrees. You have the option of attending the Sinclair School of Nursing Commencement (along with the undergraduate, master’s, and Doctor of Nursing practice students), the Graduate School Commencement (for graduate students only), or both. The Graduate School Commencement ceremonies held at the end of each fall and spring semester recognize and celebrate the achievements of graduating students and include formal hooding by your faculty advisor. Students who graduate during the summer can participate in the following fall commencement ceremony. You must apply for graduation to participate in commencement. See the Graduation and Commencement Deadlines for details.
