Academics
PhD Program
The UW–Madison School of Nursing (SoN) is a special place to pursue a doctoral degree—small enough for each PhD student to get to know and be known by everyone in the program, yet large enough to offer easy access to the faculty and the vast resources of a world-class research institution. The School is located just off the shores of Lake Mendota in beautiful, top-ranked Madison, Wisconsin, as part of the state’s most prestigious academic health center.
The SoN’s PhD students arrive here from all over the world, bringing with them a wide variety of clinical experiences and cultural interests. Research areas for current students include examining the impact of cancer on women’s lives, using technology to promote health and improve patient safety, improving the quality of life and systems/policies in long-term care, and strengthening parenting of children with chronic illnesses. The SoN PhD students work closely with our nationally renowned faculty in designing individualized research-driven programs. The School of Nursing’s apprenticeship model ensures a close, collaborative relationship between students and their faculty mentor.
The SoN PhD program maximizes its affiliations with many world renowned research programs and centers at UW-Madison, providing exponential impact across the academic spectrum. These programs include the Center for Excellence in Long-Term Care, Project Health Design, Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR), Linking Education and Practice for Excellence in Public Health Nursing (LEAP). These centers provide amazing opportunities for PhD students to work on real world teams, receive support, and actively pursue funding for their own research.
The SoN is committed to interdisciplinary, community and patient-focused, technology-enhanced research that will prepare its graduates for knowledge needed in the complex, constantly changing field. The SoN faculty and students are also involved in future-focused research initiatives through partnerships with the School of Medicine and Public Health, the School of Pharmacy, the College of Engineering, and the School of Business in areas such as Prevention Science, Women’s Health, Industrial Engineering, Operations, Human Development and Family Studies, and Population Health.
SoN graduates are national scholars and leaders who are moving the nursing profession forward. Our graduates have positions on university faculties, as research scientists and as research directors in a variety of educational, clinical and governmental settings. Alumni are at major universities which include the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, University of Washington, University of Pittsburgh, Virginia Commonwealth University, The Ohio State University, and international universities around the world. Many have continued in faculty positions here at the UW-Madison. For SoN PhD graduates, the degree they earn here is just the beginning of a nursing research career that takes them far and beyond where they may ever have imagined. The research training graduates receive enables them to make substantial contributions to nursing science and improve the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities.
For more information, view a video of our: Doctoral Nursing Programs Information Session