Calendar 2005/2006

Location

Professional Faculties Building, Room 2273

Faculty number

(403) 220-6241

Fax

(403) 284-4803

E-mail address

nursgrad@ucalgary.ca

Web page URL

http://www.ucalgary.ca/nu

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Master of Nursing (MN), course-based or thesis-based

The Doctor of Philosophy program is designed to educate professionals for excellence in nursing scholarship through original research related to specialized practice with identified client populations.

Master of Nursing programs prepare advanced nurse practitioners in specialized areas of practice. The course-based program prepares nurses with advanced skills; the thesis program offers supervised research experience.

A Nurse Practitioner Diploma (NPD) program is also offered. The NPD has an acute care and a primary care focus. An NPD can be achieved as a Post-Master's program or through an integrated MN/NP program. Further information on the integrated MN/NP program can be found at www.ucalgary.ca/nu/programs/grad.

In addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements, the Faculty of Nursing requires that an applicant must:

Master of Nursing

(a)Be a Registered Nurse holding a baccalaureate degree, normally in nursing

(b)Be eligible for active nursing registration in Alberta (registrants in the program must provide proof of active AARN registration or equivalent each year)

(c)Hold CPR Certification at the Basic Rescuer or Basic Cardiac Life Support or "C" level

(d)Have successfully completed one undergraduate half-course in research methodology equivalent to University of Calgary Nursing 309 or 539

(e)Have successfully completed one undergraduate half-course in statistics

(f)Normally have a minimum of two years' (full-time or equivalent) clinical experience in the proposed area of study

(g)Submit three references: specific instructions are included in the MN Program application package

(h)Submit a minimum TOEFL score of 600 (written test) or 250 (computer-based test) if required to provide proof of proficiency in English

(i)Have an interview(s) with a faculty member, if requested by the Faculty

Any graduate student requesting transfer to the integrated MN/NP program must meet with one of the Nurse Practitioner Committee members prior to application.

Doctor of Philosophy

(a)Normally be a Registered Nurse

(b)Normally hold CPR Certification at the Basic Rescuer or Basic Cardiac Life Support or "C" level

(c)Submit a study plan outlining the areas of proposed concentration, goals in undertaking doctoral work, initial intentions regarding course work, and a statement of the preliminary plans for thesis research

(d)Provide examples of the applicant's written work such as publications, research reports, course assignments, etc.

(e)Provide a curriculum vitae

(f)Provide a letter of commitment from the identified supervisor indicating willingness to provide supervision throughout the program of studies and supporting the applicant's study plan

(g)Submit a minimum TOEFL score of 600 (written test) or 250 (computer-based test) for applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English

(h)Have successfully completed one graduate level half-course in quantitative methods, one graduate level half-course in qualitative methods, plus one graduate level half-course in statistics. Exceptions may be considered, but the onus will be on the applicant to provide sufficient evidence to warrant exception. Deficiencies must be successfully completed in the first year of the Doctoral Program.

Academic Accommodating Policy for Students with Disabilities

It is important for students with documented disabilities, who have met the admission criteria, to note that the Academic Accommodating Policy does not require the University to lower or substantially modify standards in order to accommodate students with disabilities. Adaptive technology and/or academic accommodations are available to facilitate learning, but they do not relieve students of their responsibilities to develop the essential skills and abilities expected of all other students.

The deadline for the submission of complete applications is 1 February for September admission. There are two admission deadlines for the NPD program, September 15 for the following January, or February 1 for the following May or September. Applicants are highly encouraged to begin their application process early.

Applicants must include requests for advanced credit, accompanied by a rationale, when they apply for admission. For courses taken outside the University of Calgary, applicants must provide a copy of the course outline detailing the course description, objectives, assignments, readings, etc.

In addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies' requirements, the Faculty of Nursing requires the following:

Master of Nursing (Course-based)

(a)Successful completion of the following core courses: Nursing 605, Nursing 611, Nursing 691, Nursing 693, Nursing 695

(b)Two graduate level half-courses, one in quantitative research design (Nursing 621), and one in qualitative research design (Nursing 683)

(c)One graduate level half-course in statistics

(d)Two graduate level half-course electives related to the student's focus of study

(e)A final comprehensive examination with both a written and an oral component

For the Nurse Practitioner component of the integrated MN/NP, there are additional requirements:

(f)Mandatory participation of NP students in all activities related to clinical courses. NP students' clinical experiences may be scheduled at various hours, including evenings, nights and weekends. Clinical experiences may also extend outside of the normal academic term. Normally, a student will not be permitted to withdraw from a NP clinical course in order to avoid a failing grade in that course.

Master of Nursing (Thesis-based)

(a)At minimum successful completion of the following core courses: Nursing 605, Nursing 611, Nursing 675

(b)One graduate level half-course in quantitative research design (Nursing 621), and one in qualitative research design (Nursing 683)

(c)One graduate level half-course in statistics

Doctor of Philosophy

(a)For students prepared at the Master's level in nursing a minimum of six half-courses is required: Nursing 705, Nursing 769, two courses in advanced research methods, and two doctoral thesis seminars (Nursing 733 and Nursing 735)

(b)Students in the doctoral program are required to take one of the 700-level advanced research methods courses offered in the Faculty of Nursing.

(c)After completion of the student's course work and approval of the thesis research proposal, a candidacy examination with a written and an oral component is required.

Baccalaureate and non-nursing Master's prepared students must complete additional coursework beyond the six core half-courses listed in (a). Applicants are individually assessed. The number and types of courses required beyond those courses identified as core will vary according to the student's academic background, research and practice experience as well as research goals.

None

Under special circumstances, with the consent of the Faculty, students may take undergraduate courses, normally at the senior or 500-level, for the course-based Master of Nursing degree.

Expected completion time for full-time students in the Master of Nursing program is two years. Maximum completion time is four years for the thesis-based program and six years for the course-based program. Expected completion time for doctoral students is four years; maximum completion time is six years.

(a)The supervisor for an MN thesis student must be determined by the end of the student's first term in program.

(b)In addition to normal regulations for assignment of supervisors in the MN program, a supervisory committee must be struck for all MN thesis students by the end of the student's second term in program (usually April).

(c)Doctoral students require a faculty member to commit to their supervision as a condition of admission.

Master of Nursing (Course-based)

A final comprehensive examination consists of a take-home written exam, designed according to the student's specialization, and an oral component. The written component must be completed within one week and constitutes the basis for a final oral examination two weeks later.

For the Nurse Practitioner component of the integrated MN/NP, all courses, with the exception of Nursing 650, must be completed prior to the MN comprehensive examination.

Master of Nursing (Thesis-based)

Final oral thesis examinations are closed.

Doctor of Philosophy

The doctoral candidacy examination has a written and an oral component. The written component focuses on three areas: (a) the theory that defines existing knowledge in the student's chosen area of nursing research; (b) the literature that defines existing knowledge in the student's chosen area of nursing research; and, (c) the research method and data analysis/management strategy chosen for the thesis. The student has three weeks in which to prepare answers. The candidacy committee has approximately two weeks to review the answers before the oral examination. The student is expected to defend and extend his/her knowledge in these three areas.

Final oral thesis examination is closed.

Students must receive formal approval of their research proposals from the supervisory committee before proceeding to ethical review and implementation of the project. The approved proposal will be housed in the Research Office, Faculty of Nursing.

Students whose research involves human subjects must receive ethics approval from the University of Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board.

None

Financial assistance may be available to qualified students. For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this calendar or the Web at http://www.grad.ucalgary.ca. Scholarship application packages will be available on the Web prior to each competition deadline. The application deadline for internal scholarships is 1 February. Students admitted to the doctoral program are highly encouraged to seek external funding to support their studies and research. Please note that the deadlines for external funding applications may precede the 1 February deadline.

None

Current faculty and their research interests can be found at http://www.ucalgary.ca/nu/facultymembers.htm.