Dear Prospective Doctoral Students:

The College of Nursing at Villanova University enjoys a reputation as a center for excellence which has resulted from the quality of its faculty and students, its commitment to its institutional mission and the performance of its alumni for over fifty years. Following in the tradition of its bachelor's and master's programs, the doctoral program has as its central purpose, the advanced education of nurses for leadership positions. Its special emphasis is on the preparation of teacher-scholars who will facilitate learning, conduct research and engage in professional and service activities that contribute to the progress of nursing education within higher education and the nursing profession worldwide.

A scholarly faculty and the resources of one of the finest universities in the country provide the foundation for the acquisition of knowledge and skills and the critical analysis of ideas. These stimulate the generation of new knowledge to advance the field within a context of ethical decision-making and values that emanate from the tradition of Catholic social teaching and the heritage of the Order of St. Augustine. Simultaneously, the doctoral program seeks to equip individuals who will become architects of nursing education, with the ability to use cutting-edge technology to design creative curricula and educational strategies that will facilitate teaching and learning in nursing education now and in the future.

Doctoral education in nursing presumes and requires the commitment of the individual student to a career trajectory that includes active involvement in the life-long process of learning, ability to speak and write intelligently about the issues confronting the field, scholarly inquiry and an attitude of professional service and leadership. It involves the development of collegial relationships among students and faculty and between nurses and those in other disciplines represented within the academic community. It is a mechanism that socializes the student to an academic way of life and its commensurate expectations and obligations.

To choose to enroll in a doctoral program in nursing is a serious decision. At Villanova, we respect that decision and aim to assist well qualified and highly motivated nurses to become successful in attainment of the Ph.D. and well prepared for rewarding careers in higher education in nursing. As Dean of the College of Nursing, I invite you to explore your future with us.

M. Louise Fitzpatrick, Ed.D., R.N., FAAN
Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor