phd students

PhD in Nursing

Join a community of scholars working to support and improve health, equity, and social justice.

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The UMass Amherst PhD in Nursing prepares nurse researchers, scholars and educators who will:

  • Advance nursing knowledge to support and improve health, equity, and social justice
  • Synthesize knowledge from nursing and other disciplines to address complex health challenges, transform structural inequities, and to imagine and co-create new futures
  • Provide visionary and inclusive leadership for nursing research and innovation and by extension, to transform nursing practice, education, technologies, communities, health systems, and policy

As a UMass Nursing PhD student, you will augment your previous nursing education and experience through rigorous courses in nursing, theory, research methods, statistics, and more. You will also complete a mentored research experience, a comprehensive examination, and a dissertation. 

Application Deadlines

The priority application deadline is December 1, 2025 for admission in fall 2026. Applications received by this deadline can expect an admission decision by early January 2026. Apply through the UMass Amherst Graduate School.

For more information, contact nursing@UMass.edu(link sends email).(link sends email)

Application information & deadlines

To apply to the PhD in Nursing program, visit the Graduate School page.

Fall Admission

Applications will be considered year-round based on placement availability.

Nursing

UMass Amherst's Nursing programs prepare culturally proficient nurses and health leaders for a global society. 

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Elaine Marieb College of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education(link is external), 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791. The baccalaureate degree program is fully approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing(link is external). The University of Massachusetts Amherst is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education(link is external) (formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education) of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)(link is external).

Read the full accreditation details.