Evaluation of a PhD program: paving the way

Quality assurance in doctoral education in nursing is a high priority as programs are developed and changed. The discipline and profession of nursing will not be well served if doctoral program quality is not monitored in a systematic way. Without the demands of a periodic, required evaluation by an external accrediting body, the motivation for quality assurance must be internally driven. One pragmatic motivating factor is that today's sophisticated doctoral applicant has resources available to assist with program choice by assessment of quality indicators. High-quality programs will attract the highly qualified students who will lead nursing in the next century. This article has presented a process leading to evaluation of quality and outcomes of one doctoral program. Some of our ideas and experiences may be helpful to those initiating an evaluation process in their own institutions.