Ways to Study
- On-Campus
At UNC Chapel Hill School of Nursing, the PhD in Nursing program empowers nurse scholars to lead transformative change in health care through rigorous research, innovative thinking, and a commitment to health equity. As a PhD student, you’ll be mentored by nationally recognized faculty, engage in groundbreaking research, and collaborate across disciplines at one of the country’s top public research universities. With access to world-class resources and a vibrant academic community, you’ll be equipped to shape the future of nursing science and improve lives—locally and globally.
As part of a cutting-edge, research-intensive university with top-ranked schools of nursing, medicine, public health, pharmacy, dentistry and social work located within steps of each other and adjacent to the renowned UNC Hospitals, the School of Nursing provides a diverse, energetic and collegial environment for participating in world-class interprofessional education, scientific inquiry and practice opportunities.
PhD Financial Support
Carolina Nursing is committed to funding full-time PhD students in support of their academic goals. Our top scholars, identified during the admissions process, receive a competitive package that includes a stipend, full tuition coverage, fees, and health insurance—guaranteed for three years, with the possibility of extending support into years four and five.
Additionally, students have access to external grants, fellowships, and programs like the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) and those offered by the UNC Graduate School. Over the past five years, 73% of students who applied for NIH F31 grants were awarded funding, reflecting our students’ strong track record in securing external support.
To maximize your funding opportunities, students can explore various financing options, including grants, scholarships, graduate research and teaching assistantships, and employment through the School of Nursing and the Graduate School. Many also benefit from our T32 Predoctoral Fellowship in Preventing and Managing Chronic Illness training program.
To be fully eligible, please ensure you submit your completed application by the posted deadlines. Once admitted, you’ll receive tailored support for financial planning to help ensure your success.
For more details, visit our Scholarships and Financial Aid page. We look forward to supporting your academic journey!
Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships at Carolina Nursing: Preventing and Managing Chronic Illness
At Carolina Nursing, our pre- and postdoctoral T32 funding will support research aimed at preventing and managing chronic illness using multilevel, theory-based interventions that target behaviors, environmental factors, and personal determinants that increase the risk of illness onset, greater burden, and poorer outcomes.
Interested in learning more? The article linked below summarizes how our T32 grant will prepare nurse scientists using community-engaged intervention mapping.
Our vision is to prepare a diverse group of graduates who are highly capable and driven to engage in a career devoted to research and scholarly scientific activities that enhance the health of individuals, families and communities; using biobehavioral, psychosocial and ecological approaches; that increase the effectiveness of health care systems; and further the translation of research into practice.
Interested in learning more about our new PhD curriculum? Please check out the new PhD curriculum map here.
The PhD program in Nursing at UNC is one of the best in the country. We:
- Prepare nursing scholars to conduct scientific studies consistent with the program vision: to enhance the health of individuals, families and communities; increase the effectiveness of health care systems; and further the translation of research into practice.
- Have consistently been identified as one of the top Schools of Nursing in the country. A variety of faculty research grants provides multiple opportunities for research training, interdisciplinary collaboration, and professional development. These opportunities provide an outstanding training context to ensure that our graduates are prepared to assume scientific leadership roles early in their research careers.
- Are part of a cutting-edge research-intensive university, with a wonderfully rich and diverse environment within which to conduct research.
- Are part of an extraordinarily strong health science division that includes public health, pharmacy, medicine, social work and dentistry – all of which are located on the main campus of the University.
- Are part of a University that is home to 121 interdisciplinary research centers, institutes, and initiatives that bring faculty together across campus to collaborative research-focused areas. SON faculty, doctoral students, and postdoctoral fellows are highly active members of many of these centers.
Among the many outstanding resources that are available to our PhD students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the following are housed within, and managed by the School of Nursing:
- The Biobehavioral Laboratory (BBL) assists with the development of biological and behavioral measuring techniques for the study of chronic illness and nursing intervention outcomes.
- The T32 research training grant on Prevention and Management of Chronic Illness provides extensive opportunities for doctoral and postdoctoral trainees to be involved in funded studies. Continued funding has been sought for the T32 research training grant in Health Care Quality and Patient Outcomes, which is also designed to support doctoral and postdoctoral trainees.
- The Office of Research and Scholarship (ORS) assists in grant development, preparation and submission.
To provide adequate mentoring, we want to assure that your planned research aligns well with the scientific expertise of one or more faculty members. This is what we refer to as a faculty-student “match”. This match may take a number of different forms. One type of match occurs when you are studying the same problem as is the faculty member – say, cardiovascular disease, or cancer, or increasing access to care for diverse populations. Another type of match occurs when you are using the same methodological approach as the faculty member – this might be qualitative or quantitative, cross-sectional or longitudinal, or observational or experimental. Another kind of match occurs when you are studying similar populations, say, children or the elderly.
We provide an opportunity for you to communicate your research interests to selected faculty before you decide to apply, so please take some time to explore our Research Areas of Excellence to learn about the current research taking place at Carolina Nursing.
If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to email the Office of Student Affairs.
