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PhD Admission

Successful applicants will meet the following admission criteria and submit the application materials prior to the application deadline.  The application deadline is November 15th of each year, and admitted students will enter the PhD Program the following Summer semester (May). Please note that the PhD Program start may move to August in 2021.

PhD Admission Criteria

  • Earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or a Master of Science degree in Nursing from an ACEN or CCNE accredited program
  • Cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the BSN and MSN or MS in Nursing
  • Applicants to the MSN-PhD track only will have successfully completed a 3 credit hour, graduate level Statistics course with a grade of B- (3.0) or higher before the program start date. 

PhD Application Packet Materials

All applicants will submit the online PhD application and provide the following supporting materials:
  • Official transcripts for all prior earned degrees and all prior post-secondary coursework
  • Confirmation of support from an IU School of Nursing faculty member that indicates congruency between faculty and applicant's research interest and willingness of the faculty member to serve as applicant’s research mentor
  • Three references indicating ability to succeed in the PhD program, including at least one from a nurse faculty member who has knowledge of the applicant's academic ability
  • Personal statement indicating immediate and long-range professional goals and a proposed area of research; 2-3 pages in length
  • Evidence of the capacity for original scholarship and research in nursing, as demonstrated by reports, published and unpublished papers, or a thesis.
  • Current resume or CV
  • If applicant’s native language is not English, submission of proof of English proficiency by taking the "Test of English as a Foreign Language" (TOEFL)

All qualified applicants will be invited to participate in a formal admission interview with PhD faculty.

Application materials should be uploaded to the online application or submitted electronically to the Graduate Advisor for Doctoral Programs by the application deadline.  Official transcripts should be submitted to the Graduate Advisor electronically, or by mail to the address below; copies of transcripts uploaded into the online application will not be accepted.

Graduate Advisor for Doctoral Programs
Indiana University School of Nursing
Center for Academic Affairs

600 Barnhill Drive, Room NU147
Indianapolis, IN 46202-5107


For more information about the PhD program or the admission criteria, please contact:
Graduate Advisor for Doctoral Programs
Phone: (317) 274-2806

Last updated March 2020