Advising/Registration Information
Advising/Registration Information
Advising/Registration Information
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Transferring to Illinois State
Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
Nursing Systems Administration
Post Master's Family Nurse Practitioner
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Illinois State University Graduate School
Mennonite Nurses Alumni Organization (MNAO)
Illinois State University Alumni Association
University & External Resources
Mennonite College of Nursing in the news
“The new doctoral program furthers Mennonite’s commitment to quality healthcare and furthers the University’s commitment to education and service, as outlined in our Educating Illinois strategic plan.”
- Illinois State President Al Bowman
View the Press Release
Program Overview
Program Goals/Objectives
The doctor of philosophy degree prepares nurse researchers with expertise in vulnerable populations. The curriculum is structured to provide the student with extensive research experience, including a research practicum and completion of a dissertation. Core course content enables the student to achieve the American Association of Colleges of Nursing quality indicators for research focused doctoral programs.
The nursing doctoral program is designed to prepare nurses with a high level of expertise to:
- conduct research in care and care outcomes for vulnerable populations with a beginning focal area in aging
- teach in baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs
- demonstrate leadership in health policy development
- develop and evaluate models of care for vulnerable populations.
Focal Area in Aging at Mennonite College of Nursing
Students in the doctor of philosophy program at MCN focus a program of study and research on aging.
Degree Requirements
The doctor of philosophy is a 66 semester hour program beyond the Masters Degree distributed among core, focus, statistics, and cognate courses. Students will attend a research colloquium course each semester as part of their plan of study. All students are required to complete a comprehensive examination, consisting of a written and an oral section, for admission to candidate status. The comprehensive examination is designed to determine the student's competence to begin research for the dissertation, and to demonstrate the student's ability to synthesize the doctoral curriculum and readiness to conduct dissertation research. All students must successfully complete a dissertation comprised of independent research. Students entering the program post-masters degree may expect to complete the degree within three to four years of full-time study, with required coursework completed in two years, followed by 1-2 years of dissertation work.
Computer Requirements
Upon entry to the doctoral program, it is expected that students will have prerequisite computer skills in word processing, email, attachments, PowerPoint, Excel, uploading and downloading documents, and internet use. Many doctoral courses are Web-based or Web-enhanced and students will be required to purchase or have access to specialized software for coursework.
On-Campus Instruction
Students in the Ph.D. Program at Mennonite College of Nursing are required to attend courses on campus. Faculty may use video conferencing and Web-enhanced course delivery as an alternative method of instruction, at the faculty's discretion.
New Ph.D. students will be required to attend a one day orientation on campus in the fall at the beginning of the program.
