Apply to the PhD in Nursing

Application Dates

Entry into the PhD is every second even year (i.e., 2022, 2024, 2026). Applicants interested in pursuing a PhD in Nursing in odd years may apply as a non-registered student to take electives. However, this does not guarantee entry into the Nursing PhD program. If seats are available, a second admission process may be launched in January 2024 with notification posted on this page.

Admission Criteria

Applicants must:

• Be a registered nurse, usually with a master's degree in nursing from a recognized university or an academic background in nursing through your degree.
• If you do not have sufficient course work in the philosophical and scientific grounding of nursing, you may be asked to complete additional course work at the master’s level before your application to the doctoral program will be considered.
• Have an A- average (grade point average of 7.0 on the University of Victoria scale of 9.0).
• Complete a 500-level statistics course from a recognized post-secondary educational institute with a final grade of “B” or higher within 5-years of applicant's entry point into the program. This course must be completed before beginning the program.
• Have the capacity to conduct original research and scholarship and communicate clearly in written and verbal format at a graduate level.
• Secure a PhD supervisor prior to applying to the PhD program.
• Meet all general regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Required Documents 

1. Unofficial transcripts from every post-secondary institution previously attended. Failure to disclose previous studies may result in your admission and registration being cancelled. Official transcripts will be requested upon provisional admission to the program.

2. Letter of intent: an important part of the application process that provides a formal sample of the applicant’s writing and an opportunity to reflect upon preparation and goals in pursuing the doctoral degree in Nursing.

3. Curriculum vitae (CV), including educational background, employment history, professional/academic affiliations and publications or awards.

4. Sample of scholarly writing (e.g., a chapter of thesis, published article, project paper) uploaded to your application checklist in PDF format.

5. Confirmation of Supervisor All potential PhD students must secure a supervisor prior to application and are encouraged to review faculty profiles and contact potential supervisors by email. Once a supervisor is secured, upload a PDF of email confirmation to the online application that shows their willingness to supervise the program of study and dissertation research.

Application Steps 

All applicants are required to submit the standard UVic graduate studies application package according to the guidelines from the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and must include in this package additional materials required by the School of Nursing. The application procedure is as follows:

1. Consult with the graduate advisor in the School of Nursing
2. Before proceeding to submit an online application to the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Victoria, please ensure that you have reviewed the program requirements.
3. Complete the online application to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, including information about all post-secondary institutions attended and the names and professional email addresses of two academic references. The referees must be qualified individuals (generally those who hold an academic position at a recognized post-secondary educational institution) who can provide evidence of the applicant’s ability to undertake advanced academic work in the area of interest.
4. Upload all required documents (as listed above)
5. View the checklist on your My UVic application page for a list of received and outstanding documents.

After Applying

If you meet the requirements to enter the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Victoria, your application will be forwarded electronically to the School of Nursing for further consideration. Notification of final decisions will be sent via email by both the School of Nursing and Graduate Admissions and Records, Faculty of Graduate Studies. 

Once accepted into the PhD in Nursing, confirmation of your intent to pursue studies must be sent to both the Graduate Admissions and Records office and the School of Nursing. In the event that you are unable to accept the offer into the PhD program in the year it is offered, you will be invited to reapply for the next admission date. In these instances, applicants are encouraged to highlight in the subsequent admission that an offer into the program has previously been made.

Questions

 Contact gradnurs@uvic.ca