Nursing Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Admission Requirements

Applicants must meet admission requirements of the College of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Saskatchewan. In order to be admitted as fully qualified, the applicant has to have

• completed a recognized master's program in a field that is relevant to the PhD program of study
• completed a graduate course in each of statistics, research methods, and nursing theory
• minimum average of 80% or equivalent in previous graduate work
• able to demonstrate previous research experience through completion of a thesis or other research experience

As a condition of admission, an appropriate supervisor will be identified and will have agreed to supervise the work of the doctoral student. Applicants must be licensed to practice as a Registered Nurse or Registered Psychiatric Nurse in Saskatchewan or another province in Canada. International students must be Registered Nurses in their home country and as students they will have liability protection under the Registered Nurses Act in the same manner as undergraduate students (S. McKay, Registrar of the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association, personal communication, May 2006).

Application Information

Deadline date for PhD Nursing Applications is February 15

Those wishing to apply for the Nursing PhD program must complete and submit the online application form available from the College of Graduate Studies and Research website.

• Application fee
  • Paid online when completing application or contact the College of Graduate Studies and Research at grad.studies@usask.ca for alternative methods of payment.
• Post-secondary transcripts from all post-secondary institutions (regardless of whether or not they pertain to nursing) you have attended
  • Must be mailed directly from the institution to the College of Nursing. The applicant cannot submit the transcript.
  • If you attended the NEPS program, you must have SIAST send transcripts to the College of Nursing
  • If you attended the University of Saskatchewan, you do not need to request the transcript to be sent to the College of Nursing.
• Three academic references
  • When filling out the application form you will be asked for names and email addresses of your referees. They will be contacted by the College of Graduate Studies and Research via email and asked to fill out the reference online.
• Proof of RN licensure in good standing
  • You must submit a copy of your RN licensure from a nursing regulatory body.
• Supplemental application form
  • Please fill out the form and return it to the College of Nursing.
• Essay written by applicant.
  • The essay should be typed, double-spaced and address the following topics: a) career plans, b) research experience, c) research plans, d) student expectations of the PhD program and the supervisor, and d) your plans for financial support, including teaching and research assistantships.
• Example of scholarly writing.
  • The example of scholarly writing may be a thesis chapter, published paper, or graded assignment.
• For applicants whose first language is not English only: Proof of English proficiency is required.
  • Overall IELTS (Academic version) score of 7.5 (Speaking 7.5, Writing 7.5, Listening 8, Reading 7). Comparable TOEFL scores would be 7 = 94-101, 7.5 = 102 - 109, and 8 = 110 - 114.
  • English proficiency scores must be mailed from the institution to the College of Nursing. The applicant cannot submit the score.
  • For a list of countries that are exempt from the English requirement please see the College of Graduate Studies and Research website.

All documents must be received by the deadline or the application will not be considered for admission. There is no exceptions to this rule.

All documents that the applicant is required to submit (except transcripts and English proficiency scores) must be submitted via email to nursing.advising@usask.ca. Paper documents will not be accepted.

PhD applicants who have not completed a thesis stream MN degree will be required to successfully complete a qualifying examination. Information on this examination will be sent to applicants who are being recommended for admission.

PhD applicants will be required to participate in an interview by Skype or other means.

Graduate Studies at the College of Nursing Tips for Applicants - Adobe Connect webinar recording

Please arrange for all official transcripts and official English proficiency scores to be sent to

College of Nursing
Graduate Program
107 Wiggins Rd
Saskatoon SK S7N 5E5

For further information, please email
nursing.advising@usask.ca