Doctoral programs in nursing available online typically contain three degree components: academic coursework, the completion of a doctoral dissertation in nursing and a doctoral presentation of the completed dissertation to the school's academic community. While both the academic coursework and thesis completion can be executed entirely online and in the comfort of a student's home, many programs require that students travel to the physical campus at the conclusion of the degree to present and defend the dissertation before their professors and the broader academic community.
Students must have earned at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to be considered for online doctoral programs in nursing. Many schools offering online PhD programs provide combined Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree and PhD programs. Students with an MSN can immediately enter the PhD nursing track and begin online coursework in preparation for dissertation research.
Online courses offered by online PhD nursing programs are typically set on an asynchronous (archived) lecture schedule, allowing students to log in and view course lectures whenever it is most convenient for them. This scheduling flexibility provides online doctoral students who are working professionals in the field of nursing with the ability to maintain their careers while pursuing an academic degree. Online PhD programs provide students with access to the same academic resources available to on-campus students, including library resources, research resources and student support services.
Online doctoral programs vary in length depending upon how long it takes individual students to complete their research and doctoral dissertation. The time it takes to complete a PhD is also determined by the degree level prior to beginning the PhD program. For students yet to have earned an MSN, online doctoral programs can often take five years to complete. For those who have already earned an MSN, an online PhD can be completed in as few as two years, though it is typical for such a degree to take between three and four years to complete.
Online learning has been given a bad reputation by online diploma mills and shady schools lacking accreditation and proper standards. However, according to a survey conducted for the U.S. Department of Education, students who attend accredited online learning programs perform better than their on-campus counterparts. Online PhD students who graduate from accredited universities receive degrees identical to those earned on campus; schools offering solid online programs no longer make any distinction on diplomas and academic records between on-campus and online degrees.