The York University PhD program in Nursing will prepare graduates to have the methodological and theoretical expertise to respond to current and projected demographic and health changes in Canadian and global society through a curriculum that demands depth of nursing knowledge in a substantive area of scholarship and high quality research. The three areas of scholarship offered within the PhD program are Health for Persons and Communities, Health Care Services and Systems, and Education in Nursing. In addition, the PhD program embraces and supports philosophical pluralism and multiple theoretical perspectives in the advancement of nursing science and health care.

Students will be required to complete course work on Research Approaches in Nursing Science, Philosophical Foundations of Contemporary Nursing Science, Doctoral Nursing Seminars and two electives. In addition, students will undergo a comprehensive examination in their substantive area of scholarship and defend their dissertation proposal. Finally the students will complete a doctoral dissertation in which they will undertake original research that contributes to nursing scholarship.
Graduates from the York University PhD in Nursing will be prepared to conduct independent research and scholarship, and pursue academic careers and leadership positions in the public/government, private, health care and industry sectors. These careers may include positions such as researcher, administrator, expert nurse clinician, program strategist, knowledge broker, and policy analyst