Doctor of Nursing Practice - Doctor of Philosophy Bridge (effective Fall 2025)
Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (32 semester credit hours)
Mission Statement
The mission of the DNP-PhD Bridge program is to prepare scholars and researchers to generate nursing knowledge and advance science.
Program Description
The DNP to PhD bridge Program is for the nurse who has already completed the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree and seeks the skills and competencies required to integrate nursing knowledge with that of other health care disciplines in order to create, conduct, and evaluate research. The DNP-to-PhD Bridge Program will be hybrid and is designed to integrate the practice doctorate curriculum with that of the research doctorate. Graduates of this program will engage in activities focused on advancing nursing knowledge through the conduct of research, the integration of the practice and research paradigms, and leadership in academic, practice, research, and policy. Additionally, graduates of the DNP to PhD Bridge Program will be eligible to seek academic positions as tenure-track faculty in schools of nursing.
Admission Requirements
All applicants must meet general requirements for admission to the Graduate School. In addition to these general requirements, TCU Nursing requires the following for admission to the DNP-PhD bridge program:
1. Evidence of conferred DNP degree
2. Three letters of recommendation: At least one of the three should be an academic reference.
3. A letter discussing research interest area(s) and professional goals.
4. A current unencumbered registered nurse license in the U.S.
5. A curriculum vita or resume.
TCU Nursing recommends the following for admission to the Ph.D. program:
1. A minimum 3.5 grade point average (GPA) on all prior graduate level course work.
2. A completed course in statistics.
3. A completed graduate level research course.
4. A completed project from DNP degree
Factors that will be considered in the admission decision include GPA on graduate level course work, research interest, scholarly activities, professional leadership, and work history. The GRE is not required, but students may choose to submit current scores.
In order to be considered for admission, please use the following application deadline. This is the deadline for all materials to be submitted including the application, all transcripts, reference letters, CV, and letter discussing research interest area and professional goals.
Semester for Admission:
Fall
Submit application no later than:
Feb. 1
DNP-PhD Bridge Program Requirements
1. Minimum of 20 credit hours of graduate course work at TCU passed with a B or higher
2. Successful completion of written and oral qualifying exams
3. 12 hours minimum in dissertation credit hours
4. PhD dissertation
Year 1
Fall
NPHD 80112 | Philosophy of Nursing Science & Theory | 2 |
|
HCHS 80213 | Quantitative/Qualitative Methods | 3 |
|
HCHS 60020 | Research Seminar: Skills & Techniques | 1 |
Spring
NPHD 80122 | Implementation Science and Practice | 2 |
|
HCHS 80223 | Intermediate Statistics | 3 |
|
HCHS 60260 | Research Seminar: Skills & Techniques | 1 |
Summer
HCHS 70913 | Qualitative Methods & Design | 3 |
|
HCHS 60260 | Research Seminar: Skills & Techniques | 1 |
|
Year 2
Fall
NPHD 80132 | Nursing Research Proposal Development | 2 |
|
HCHS 80243 | Measurement | 3 |
|
NPHD | Comprehensive Exams |
Spring
NPHD 90980 | Dissertation | 4 |
Summer
NPHD 90980 | Dissertation | 4 |
Year 3
Fall
NPHD 90980 | Dissertation | 4 |
|
Grade Requirements
1. A student must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in order to remain in good standing in the DNP-PhD bridge program. A student whose cumulative GPA falls below a 3.0 goes on academic warning and will have the next long semester, or subsequent summer enrollment, to raise their GPA to a 3.0.
2. A student who has earned a grade of “B-“ or lower in two Ph.D. courses at the graduate level or who has earned a grade of “B-“ or lower twice in the same graduate level course will be removed from the program. For the purpose of removal, a grade of “B-“ or lower is counted in the student’s academic record, even if the course has been successfully repeated with a grade of “B” or better.
3. A student who receives an “F” in any course, he/she will be dismissed from the program.
4. A student who is admitted to the doctoral program provisionally, based on a low GPA, he/she must complete the first eight semester credit hours of coursework with a grade of “B” or better in each course. A provisionally admitted student will be dismissed from the program if a grade of “B-“ or lower is made in any course during the probationary period.
5. Valid grades are "C" or higher. A grade of “C-“ and “D” are not valid grades in this program. Plus/minus grading is at the discretion of the instructor of record for “C” or higher grading.
Residency Requirements
Students are expected to complete a minimum of four consecutive semesters of full-time graduate study at Texas Christian University prior to comprehensive exams. In order to graduate, students must be registered in at least one hour of dissertation during the semester in which they complete degree requirements, and demonstrated enrollment in the semester prior to degree completion as well.
Candidacy Requirements
Upon successful completion of the written and oral comprehensive examinations, a student is accepted to candidacy. The maximum period allowable between matriculation and acceptance to candidacy will be three years. Once in candidacy, a student will have three years to complete the dissertation requirements successfully; this period can be extended only if approved by the Oversight Committee, Major Advisor and the Associate Dean for Nursing & Nurse Anesthesia.
Written and Oral Comprehensive Examinations
After the 21 hours are completed as stipulated in the curriculum sequence chart of non-dissertation courses, each student must pass a written and oral comprehensive examination with a Comprehensive Examination Committee (CEC) comprised of faculty involved in the student's coursework to be evaluated. The Associate Dean for Nursing & Nurse Anesthesia appoints the CEC in consultation with the Major Advisor, Oversight Committee, and student. These examinations will be written with an oral examination follow up and will be scheduled for the summer after completion of the coursework. Ordinarily, the written and oral comprehensive exams should be completed within one academic semester of completing course work. The student can only advance to candidacy once both exams have been passed. If the written exam is failed a second time or the oral exam is failed, the student will be dismissed from the program. The DNP-PhD Handbook includes more specific details about the written and oral comprehensive exam procedures.
Dissertation Requirements
The dissertation is based on the successful completion of an original research project. Each student defends his/her dissertation in an oral examination before his/her dissertation chair and committee. Faculty and students are permitted to attend the dissertation defense. Twelve hours of credit is required minimally before the oral exam may be scheduled and defended.
*The DNP-PhD Oversight Committee will be comprised of the Director of Nursing Research & Scholarship, Director Graduate Nursing and the Associate Dean for Nursing & Nurse Anesthesia.