MPhil PhD Nursing

The purpose of the MPhil/PhD Nursing programme is to meet the educational needs of nurses who are committed to becoming nurse scientists, promoting excellence in scientific and scholarly inquiry and research, engaging in professional leadership, and influencing evidence-based practice.

The MPhil/PhD in Nursing will graduate nurse scientists with the expertise to generate new knowledge through research, both independently and in collaboration with colleagues from other disciplines.

The objectives of the MPhil/PhD Nursing are to:

  • Strengthen and expand knowledge, skills, and expertise that will build the capacity for substantive health and nursing research
  • Prepare nurses scientists who will carry out cutting-edge, collaborative research shaped by the priority health needs of the region
  • Mentor junior members of the nursing profession to increase utilization of evidence-based research in their practice


The graduate outcomes of the MPhil/PhD in Nursing programme are to:

  • Synthesize and critically analyze theoretical and empirical knowledge from nursing and related disciplines to advance nursing science, nursing practice, and health care delivery.
  • Engage in scientific and scholarly inquiry that contributes to knowledge in nursing science and augments evidence-based practice.
  • Promote excellence in research that advances nursing science, nursing practice and health care delivery.
  • Engage in collaborative research and publication with scholars in nursing and related disciplines to promote quality health care for diverse populations and environments.
  • Demonstrate expertise in integrated literature review, research design and methods, data collection, and analytical techniques relevant to one’s selected research area. 
  • Provide leadership, grounded in integrity and mutual respect, to the nursing profession and to health care organizations and public groups. 
  • Influence health care policies that promote accessible, culturally competent, equitable, and ethical health care, based on evidence-based practice.
  • Promote excellence in practice through the synthesis, critique, and application of existing knowledge and research findings from multiple sources to support both independent and collaborative decisions.
  • Implement caring, competent, evidence-based nursing practice that achieves quality, cost-effective outcomes for individuals, families, and communities throughout the wellness-illness continuum.
  • Use technology and information systems to promote health, support collaboration, and foster communication.

Prospective candidates should consult with the UWI School of Nursing before submitting reseach proposal. Download Resaerch Proposal Guidelines HERE

Curriculum for Programme

Year/Specialization:
Course Code Course Credit Course Name
NURS 6203 4 Advanced Research Methodologies Applied to Nursing This course is designed to enhance the student’s critical and analytical skills in the delivery of evidence-based nursing practice. The course aims to develop student’s understanding of a broad range of research methodologies appropriate to research in nursing and to foster a critical approach to published nursing research. The course will enable students to develop a sound understanding of the research process, appreciate concepts, assumptions and techniques in the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data and develop a fundable research proposal.
NURS 6305 3 Advanced Nursing Science and Theory This course is designed to engage the student in the critical analysis of nursing science, theories, philosophies, and models. It focuses on strengthening the student’s knowledge of the metaparadigm of nursing and selected nursing theorists from both grand and midrange perspectives. The student will apply the paradigms of selected theories to their particular areas of nursing research and evidence-based practice.

Qualifications for Admission

The admission process for the MPhil/PhD in Nursing programme will be highly selective. Deficits in requisite knowledge areas identified may be satisfied either through pre-requisite courses taken prior to formal acceptance or through courses or classes taken after formal acceptance.

Admission criteria include:

  • Minimum of Upper Second Class Honors degree or equivalent
  • Statement of area of interest, tentative thesis topic, and brief research proposal (5-7 page in length) with the potential to add new knowledge to nursing and health care in the Caribbean
  • Official transcripts from all post-secondary schools sent directly from the educational institution to the UWI
  • Current resume or curriculum vitae
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Interview with a panel of UWISON PhD-prepared faculty
  • Writing competency, based the above statement of research
  • Current licensure to practice nursing in the applicant’s country of residence. Upon acceptance, students who are not from Jamaica will proceed to acquire provisional licensure from the Nursing Council of Jamaica.
  • Completion of a basic statistics course and an introductory nursing research course at the B+ level or above within the past 5 years
  • A minimum of 3 years of recent nursing practice in a clinical, research, educational and/or administrative setting
  • Download and complete Resaerch Proposal Guidelines HERE
  • Other materials as requested