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Inauguration
of the College of Nursing doctoral program announced
A doctoral program in Nursing has been announced by M.
Louise Fitzpatrick, Ed.D., R.N., FAAN, Connelly Endowed Dean and professor
of Nursing. The College of Nursing program leads to award a doctorate
and is designed to prepare nurses as forward-thinking teacher-scholars
for academic careers in higher education. It will address a national need
for nurse educators who are increasingly in short supply. The proposal
for Villanova’s Doctoral Program in Nursing was reviewed and approved
by the University board of trustees in April 2002 and reaffirmed in April
2003.
The inauguration of the doctoral program is an important milestone in
the history of the College of Nursing as the college completes its 50th
anniversary celebration and embarks on its future. Graduate education
in Nursing at Villanova began in 1980 with the development of the master’s
degree program, which has continued to develop in line with the changing
needs of the nursing profession and health care. The doctoral program
is an important addition to the graduate courses offered by the College
which are administered by Dr. Marguerite Schlag, assistant dean for Graduate
Education in the College and a 1968 Nursing alumna. The new program will
be directed by Dr. Nancy Sharts-Hopko, professor of Nursing.
Graduates of the doctoral program will be well-prepared to teach diverse
populations of students in a variety of educational and clinical settings
using state-of-the-art technology. They will provide leadership as the
architects of curricula and members of evaluative bodies; will be active
contributors to the advancement and development of theory and research;
and will assume the varied roles of faculty within academic institutions.
The program will combine innovative and traditional modalities and will
offer distance learning opportunities in the fall and spring semesters
and on-site experience during summer sessions. Designed as a 51 maximum
credit program, the length of the program will vary depending on previous
education, currency of graduate education, and individual needs. Students
will be admitted in the spring semester with courses beginning June 2004.
Although the nursing shortage has received considerable press, the shortage
of nursing faculty is even more acute, as documented by data collected
by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the National League
for Nursing, and other nursing education accrediting bodies. Nearly two-thirds
of the existing professoriate in nursing will be eligible to retire within
the next eight to 10 years, and just 40 percent of newly graduated nurses
with doctoral degrees seek careers in academia. In inaugurating this program,
Villanova will contribute to the needed supply of nursing faculty for
the future as the College of Nursing takes its next developmental step.
These faculty will educate succeeding generations of nurses for the United
States and abroad.
The College will seek highly qualified nurse applicants who are committed
to academic careers. The Ph.D. program will add another dimension to the
already highly regarded graduate programs offered by the College at the
master's level. Together with the College’s fine undergraduate program
options, the tradition of excellence in nursing education will continue
at Villanova. For more information about the doctoral program, contact
the College of Nursing at 94934 or visit www.nursing.villanova.edu/PhD.
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