Master's thesis policies in nursing education

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Higher Education Research

Background:

• Master's thesis requirements vary significantly across doctoral programs in nursing.
• Understanding these policies is crucial for program development and student preparedness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey nursing doctoral programs regarding their master's thesis policies.
• To identify commonalities and variations in thesis requirements and related academic policies.

Main Methods:

• A telephone survey was conducted with 25 schools of nursing offering doctoral programs.
• Data collected focused on master's thesis policies, committee composition, and doctoral admission criteria.

Main Results:

• Six out of 25 surveyed programs mandate a master's thesis.
• Sixteen programs offer a choice between a thesis and alternative scholarly projects.
• Policies concerning faculty research involvement and committee selection show considerable diversity.

Conclusions:

• Nursing doctoral programs exhibit a wide range of approaches to master's level research requirements.
• These variations impact the type and extent of research experience graduate students acquire.