Curriculum
Faculty

See the IU School of Nursing Graduate Program Bulletin for a complete list of offerings.

 Core Courses

• NURS-N 502 Nursing Theory for Advanced Nursing Practice (3 cr.) This course focuses on analyzing the relationships between theory and research for effective translation to practice. Emphasis is placed on selection and evaluation of theories, interprofessional perspectives, and using theory to guide practice and research.
• NURS-R 500 Nursing Research Methods (3 cr.) This course emphasizes using research for decision-making in the delivery of quality evidence-based health care. Emphasis is placed on identifying problems and searching, appraising and synthesizing evidence for application or generating new knowledge using research methods. Strategies for disseminating findings across inter-professional contexts are examined.
• NURS-R 505 Measurement and Data Analysis (3 cr.) Principles and applications of scientific measurement, data summarization, inferential statistics, and practical derivations of the general linear model. Considers the research purpose and the phenomenon under study as determinants of measurement techniques and data analysis.
• NURS-D 602 Responsible Conduct of Research (1 cr.) Students will develop knowledge regarding the responsible conduct of research, including conflict of interest, responsible authorship, policies for handling misconduct, data management, data sharing, policies regarding the use of animals and/or human subjects, and institutional vs. individual responsibilities for scientific integrity. This meets the NIH requirements for instruction of pre- and postdoctoral fellows.
• NURS-D 607 Theoretical Perspectives of Nursing Science (3 cr.) This course focuses on comparison of philosophical approaches to knowledge development. Emphasis will be on concepts as building blocks of theory and approaches to concept development and analysis for theory development.
• NURS-D 608 Middle Range Theory (3 cr.) This course focuses on evaluation of theory, the utility of theories in research, and the influence of various theoretical perspectives on research strategies. Emphasis is on midrange, multidisciplinary theories relevant to nursing research.
• NURS-D 609 State of the Science Seminar (2 cr.) P: NURS-D 607. This course focuses on increasing the students' understanding of how knowledge has developed relevant to their phenomena of interest. Each student will develop skills needed to critically analyze and synthesize relevant literature in the area of a specific phenomenon. Special emphasis is placed on the application on critical analysis and synthesizing skills.
• NURS-D 701 Nursing Inquiry and Scholarship: Introduction to Doctoral Study (3 cr.) C: NURS-D 607. Examination and development of knowledge, skills, and strategies to support critical and creative thinking, identification of research and evaluation interests, socialization, and development of scholarship in nursing.
• NURS-D 721 Advanced Leadership in Complex Systems (3 cr.) This course focuses on synthesis of leadership research, theory, and organizational models within the context of health systems. Environmental influences, team relationships, partnership models, organizational culture, and achieving performance outcomes are explored and applied. Self-knowledge, strategic vision, risk-taking, and effective communication are discussed relative to complex systems.
• NURS-D 743 Trans-disciplinary Approaches to Influencing Public Health Policy (3 cr.) Designed for nurses and other professionals, this course focuses on policy and advocacy at institutional, local, state, national, and international levels. Participants communicate with policy makers, analyze factors and apply evidence to influence health policy decisions.
• NURS-D 752 Directed Research Practicum (3 cr.) Students will develop research skills through directed study and supervised research experience. Learning is related to the student's interest area. Multidisciplinary research experience may include, but is not limited to, pilot-testing and evaluating research methods, data collection, data analysis, and secondary analysis of existing datasets relevant to the student's research interests. This course may be taken more than once.
• NURS-G 901 Advanced Research (Independent Study) (6 cr.) Individual assignments arranged for doctoral students.
• NURS-J 692 Independent Study in Nursing (1-6 cr.) Individual assignments arranged.
• NURS-R 601 Instrumentation and Measurement (3 cr.) P: NURS-R 603, NURS-R 604, or consent of faculty. This course provides an opportunity for the student to develop expertise in developing and testing the psychometric properties of an instrument to measure health-related phenomena. Content focuses on theoretical foundations of measurement, item construction, questionnaire design, and content analysis, item analysis, assessment of reliability and validity, accuracy and precision, and manuscript preparation to report psychometric properties.
• NURS-R 603 Quantitative Research Design and Methods (3 cr.) P: Doctoral students with a graduate course in research design or methods. This course is intended for students enrolled in a doctoral program who have had a graduate course in research design and methods. The focus of this course is an in-depth critique of quantitative research designs and methods including those used to test interventions. In depth critique of strengths of limitations of quantitative research will lead to development of a research study to evaluate a phenomenon of interest.
• NURS-R 605 Design and Applications of Advanced Research Designs/Interventions (3 cr.) P: NURS-R 603, NURS-R 604. Evaluates and applies issues relevant to intervention research and health services research. Content will include intervention dosage, sensitivity, mediators and moderators, and quality assurance and feasibility of intervention delivery. Translational research, multisite research, intent-to-treat, nested designs, and outcome designs will be discussed for application.
• NURS-R 607 Advanced Nursing Statistics (3 cr.) This course will cover data handling/management and statistical analyses using the program SPSS. With regards to data handling, students will learn how to input, import, manage, and clean their datasets to prepare for analyses. For analytic techniques, students will learn to visualize data in SPSS using different types of graphs; choose appropriate analyses for the types of variables present in the research project; report summary and descriptive statistics; and conduct Pearson’s bivariate correlations, paired and independent samples t-tests, multiple linear regression, ANOVA and ANCOVA within the regression framework, chi-square analyses, and logistic regression analyses.
• NURS-R 610 Foundations of Qualitative Research (3 cr.) The focus of this course is on in-depth critique of the quality indicators for qualitative research designs. Designs, sampling methods, data collection methods, and analysis methods are evaluated for credibility, neutrality, consistency and usefulness of findings. In addition, the consistency among research questions, purpose, design, data analysis and conclusions are examined.
• NURS-R 613 Grounded Theory Research (3 cr.) P: NURS-R 610 or introductory course in qualitative methods. This course focuses on the methods of grounded theory research within the context of its origins, history and philosophical foundations.
• NURS-R 615 Comparative Effectiveness Research and Patient‐Centered Outcomes Research (CER/PCOR) (3 cr.) This course provides an overview of comparative effectiveness and patient‐centered outcomes research (CER/PCOR). Topics include history, definitions, and key terms; engaging patients and stakeholders; evidence‐based medicine; health technology assessment; policy issues; government and private sector roles and programs; CER/PCOR funding; role of cost and quality; and methods and standards.
• NURS-R 702 Biological and Behavioral Foundations of Self-Management Interventions (3 cr.) P: NURS-D 607, NURS-R 603, or Permission of Instructor. This course provides in-depth analysis of the theoretical and research literature that provides evidence for biological and behavioral factors that influence self- and family management. Students will critically evaluate theories/models applicable to self- and family-management and complete an in-depth analysis of self-management interventions relevant to their area of interest.
• NURS-R 703 Symptom Science: Models, Methods, and Measures (3 cr.) P: NURS-D 607, NURS-R 603, or Permission of Instructor. This course focuses on models, methods, and measures used in symptom science. The NIH Symptom Science Model and core symptoms of cognition, depression, fatigue, pain, and sleep will be examined. Students will critically evaluate scientific literature and conduct an in-depth evaluation of one symptom related to their area of research interest.
• NURS-R 704 Developing Grant Applications for Health Sciences (3 cr.) In this course, students develop beginning grantsmanship skills by understanding the process of successful grant writing and common components of grant applications. Students will collaborate with research mentors/teams to develop substantive content of a grant application that has potential for funding. Students will participate in peer review and critique.
• NURS-R 899 Dissertation in Nursing (1-9 cr.) P: All doctoral coursework and the qualifying exam must be completed. Dissertation research is facilitated through individualized research mentoring. Each semester, goals/objectives and a timeline for work to be accomplished are mutually determined by the student and chair. The student and dissertation chair meet regularly and dissertation committee members are involved as needed to ensure consistent progress.
• NURS-R 900 Continuation in Study or Thesis (1 cr.) Following enrollment in NURS-R 899, the student must enroll every semester and first summer session in NURS-R 900 until the dissertation has been completed.
• NURS-T 800 Preparing Future Faculty (2 cr.) P: Students should have completed one year of doctoral level coursework. This course helps students develop competencies as doctorally prepared educators in academic and other complex organizations. Course concepts include functioning within the educational environment, understanding the relationship between teaching, research/scholarship and service and preparing to be a doctorally prepared member of the faculty.
• NURS-W 540 Writing for Publication in Health Sciences (3 cr.) This course is for graduate students in health sciences focusing on preparing a research or scholarly works manuscript for publication. Content takes students through the process of journal selection, manuscript preparation, and submission. Emphasis is placed on peer review, contemporary issues in publishing, and publication ethics.