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Graduate Studies Calendar 2023-2024 Program Descriptions Nursing NURS Doctor of Nursing (DN)
Doctor of Nursing (DN)
1. Degree Offered
  • Doctor of Nursing (DN), thesis-based
The Doctor of Nursing program is aimed at developing and preparing nurse leaders and innovators with significant leadership experience for senior roles in healthcare and related organizations.

The Doctor of Nursing program is delivered online allowing students to pursue this degree while continuing to work.
2. Admission Requirements

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

a) Applicants to have at least three years of healthcare or related organization experience in a mid-level to senior leadership role.

b) A Master’s Degree in Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing or related fields, or an equivalent from a recognized institution.  A grade point average equivalent to 3.00 or better (on the University of Calgary 4.0 system) is required.  See A.1 Qualifications for additional information.

c) For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English, submit a minimum TOEFL score of 97 (Internet-based test); IELTS score of 7.0; PTE score of 68; or a CAEL overall score of 70 (no less than 70 on reading and writing sections). This requirement can also be met by completing the Academic Communication Certificate with a minimum grade of "A-" in writing courses.

d) A current resume/curriculum vitae with examples of the applicant’s written scholarly work such as publications, research reports, course assignments, etc.

e) Two reference letters, one academic and one professional.

f) A two-page personal statement outlining objectives, intent and commitment to the DN program.

g) An interview with the Graduate Admissions and Review Committee.

h) A letter of commitment from the identified supervisor indicating willingness to provide supervision throughout the program of study.

i) Applicants should have successfully completed graduate-level courses in quantitative and qualitative research methods and statistics.

See website for additional information.

3. Application Deadline

Deadlines for submission of complete applications are available on the Future Students website:

https://grad.ucalgary.ca/future-students/explore-programs/doctor-nursing

4. Advanced Credit

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 official transcripts and a copy of the course outline detailing the course description, objectives, assignments, readings, etc. See Advanced Credit.
5. Program/Course Requirements

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

21 units of courses:
Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade)

The Faculty of Nursing will not permit the Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade) for any course offered by the Faculty.

Students may choose the CG grade in a course taken extra-to-load.

The use of the CG grade will not affect students' ability for internal awards.
6. Credit for Undergraduate Courses

Credit will not be given for undergraduate-level courses.
7. Time Limit

The expected completion time is three years; maximum completion time is six years.
8. Supervisory Assignments

Doctor of Nursing students will be assigned a Faculty of Nursing member to commit to their supervision following admission to the program. In addition, a workplace or related mentor will be identified by the student and/or faculty supervisor/supervisory committee once the student has entered the DN program. This individual will normally hold a senior position within an organization relevant to the student’s planned work-integrated research project. This individual, a knowledge expert, will be considered an Advisory Member of the student’s supervisory committee, as outlined by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The Advisory Member will attend committee meetings and examinations but will serve in a non-voting capacity.
9.Candidacy

The Doctoral candidacy examination has a written and an oral component.

The student will produce a manuscript that may be submitted for publication. The manuscript will be focused on exploring and critically evaluating literature related to the student’s research project. Students are expected to defend their work in an oral public presentation and a private oral examination with the supervisory committee.

10. Financial Assistance

Financial assistance may be available to qualified students in line with the University’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity initiatives. For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this Calendar.
11. Other Information

Each student is expected to complete the online seminar Academic Scholarly Writing within the first two weeks of the program.