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Doctoral Programs
Ph.D. in Nursing and Masters in Bioethics
Guidelines for Current and
Prospective Doctoral Students Considering the PhD in Nursing/Masters in
Bioethics Dual Degree Program
Overview
The PhD in Nursing/Master of Bioethics program (PhD/MBE) is designed to provide
its graduates with the interdisciplinary training they will need in order to
provide clinical, research, and policy leadership regarding ethical issues in
health care today and in the future. The School of Medicine and the Center for
Bioethics offers the Master’s in Bioethics in conjunction with the School of
Nursing.
These guidelines offer prospective and current students specific information
regarding components of the PhD/MBE dual degree program. Please note that the
deadlines are different for current Penn students and external applicants. When
students are accepted into both programs, they must take responsibility for
following all regulations and policies of the School of Nursing Graduate Group
and of the School of Medicine.
Addresses and contact information for key offices and individuals are listed at
the end of this document.
Admissions Information for Current Doctoral Students
Admission to the dual-degree program is competitive, and the strongest
applicants will have outstanding academic records. Students are encouraged to
contact their school advisor, Christina Clark, at the Office of Academic Affairs
of the School of Nursing, and Nora L. Jones, the Assistant Director of Graduate
Studies in the Master of Bioethics
Graduate Program, to discuss their
interests and goals prior to formally applying to the joint program.
The Master of Bioethics application and brochure describing MBE program can be
obtained directly from Nora Jones, and it is also available at
http://www.med.upenn.edu/mbe/. The
PhD/MBE program has rolling admission, but applicants are encouraged to
apply by May 1.
Admissions Information for Students Applying to the Nursing PhD Program
Students who wish to apply to both the nursing PhD program and the MBE program
concurrently must file separate applications for both degree programs.
1. Applying to the PHD Program by December 17, 2007 for Fall 2008 Admission
2. Applying to the Masters in Bioethics by May 1, 2008 for Fall 2008 Admission
1) The
application to PhD Program should be obtained from and submitted to the School
of Nursing by December 15. Applicants should state in their written materials
that they are applying to the Bioethics program. Candidates designated by the
PhD Admissions Committee will be invited to interview.
2) The Master of Bioethics application and the brochure describing the Bioethics
program can be obtained from Nora Jones, or at the website:
http://www.med.upenn.edu/mbe/.
The deadline for application is May 1. Applicants should indicate that they are
applying for the PhD in Nursing/MBE dual program, and they should state in the
application if they wish to be considered for admission to the MBE program even
if they are not admitted to the PhD in Nursing Program at Penn. It should be
noted that acceptance to one degree program does not influence admission to the
other school.
After admission, students will be assigned an advisor at the School of Nursing
and at the Center for Bioethics to develop a curriculum plan to be jointly
approved by both programs.
Program Structure and Course Requirements
A total of 21 courses are required for the PhD in nursing, and a total of 9
courses are required for the MBE degree. When a student enrolls in a
dual-degree program, each program “double counts” courses from the other degree
program’s curriculum, thereby reducing the overall number of courses each
student is required to take in order to get both degrees (that is, 30 courses
would be required to get both degrees if they were done consecutively, without
being combined; a dual-degree programs significantly reduces the number of
courses needed to complete the two degrees). Students in the combined PhD/MBE
program who have not previously enrolled in Master of Bioethics courses (during
the completion of their MSN) are required to take a total of 23 courses to
obtain both degrees. Students who have completed MBE courses prior to admission
to the nursing PhD program (in their MSN program) must complete a total of 21
courses. Two different templates are provided below: one for students without
prior MBE courses; and, one for students who have previously taken MBE courses.
Template
1: Students in the PhD/MBE Program who have NOT previously taken MBE courses:
PhD
students who have not taken any MBE courses as part of their MSN degree
requirements need a total of 23 courses to complete both degrees: 8 of the 23
course are transferred into the record from work done on the MSN degree; 7 of
the 23 courses are the Required Courses for all doctoral nursing students; and 8
of the 23 courses are required in the category of Related Field Courses. To
obtain the dual PhD/MBE courses, students will be required to take two courses
in a summer term. These courses are not covered by the financial aide or
fellowship support students receive from the School of Nursing (See Financial
Information, below). The following is a list of requirements in the categories:
Required Courses and the Related Field Courses.
7
Required Courses (required of all doctoral nursing students)
NURS750
Contemporary Nursing Knowledge
NURS753 Proseminar in Nursing Research
NURS754 Applications of Statistics to Nursing Research
NURS813 Qualitative Research
NURS800 Dissertation Seminar I
2 Statistics courses (either SOCI536, WH501, or EPID521)
8
Related Field Courses (sample template for students in the dual PhD/MBE
degree)
NURS 814
(or equivalent nursing ethics course)
BIOE 801-XXX Proseminar
BIOE 802-XXX Conceptual Foundation of Bioethics
BIOE XXX Elective 1
BIOE XXX Elective 2
BIOE XXX Elective 3
NURS XXX Elective 1
NURS XXX Elective 2
Template
2: Students in the PhD/MBE Program who have taken MBE courses for their MSN
degree:
PhD
students who have taken MBE courses as part of their MSN degree requirements
need a total of 21 courses to complete both degrees: 8 of the 21 course are
transferred into the record from work done on the MSN degree, two of which must
be MBE courses; 7 of the 21 courses are the Required Courses for all doctoral
nursing students; and 6 of the 21 courses are required in the category of
Related Field Courses. The following is a list of requirements in the
categories: Required Courses and the Related Field Courses.
7
Required Courses (required of all doctoral nursing students)
NURS750
Contemporary Nursing Knowledge
NURS753 Proseminar in Nursing Research
NURS754 Applications of Statistics to Nursing Research
NURS813 Qualitative Research
NURS800 Dissertation Seminar I
2 Statistics courses (either SOCI536, WH501, or EPID521)
6
Related Field Courses (sample template for students in the dual PhD/MBE
degree)
NURS 814
(or equivalent nursing ethics course)
BIOE 801-XXX Proseminar
BIOE 802-XXX Conceptual Foundation of Bioethics
BIOE XXX Elective
NURS XXX Elective 1
NURS XXX Elective 2
Financial Information
Students who are able to complete both degrees within the 21 courses will not
incur additional costs for the dual PhD/MBE degree. Students who require 23
courses to complete both degrees will incur an additional tuition charge for the
two MBE courses taken in the summer term.
For further information about the PhD in Nursing/M. Bioethics Program,
contact:
Christina M.C. Clark, MSEd
Assistant Dean for Academic & Student Affairs
School of Nursing
Claire M. Fagin Hall
418 Curie Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
costanzo@nursing.upenn.edu
215-898-6687
Nora L. Jones, PhD
Assistant Director of Graduate
Studies,
Department of Medical Ethics &
Senior Fellow, Center for
Bioethics
University of Pennsylvania
3401 Market Street, Suite 320
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-573-4042
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