Policy

Minimum Requirements

Students in doctoral programs are responsible for fulfilling the requirements outlined below, as well as those established by their department.

Minimum Credit Hours

Students must complete a minimum of 36 graduate credit hours beyond the master’s degree.

DNP Project Proposal Examination

To be admitted formally to candidacy for the doctorate degree, students must pass a DNP Proposal Exam (aka DNP Project Proposal Defense). This examination evaluates students’ work and qualifications for further work and research.

Note: Doctoral students must have a 3.00 graduate grade point average or better and must not have grades of incomplete to be eligible to take the comprehensive examination and advance to candidacy.

DNP Final Project Requirement

Because the doctoral degree is a clinical doctorate, students must demonstrate the capacity to implement a health-related practice change project within a healthcare setting by writing a scholarly paper that comprehensively describes their completed project.

DNP Final Project Examination

After completing their scholarly paper, students must pass a final examination (aka DNP Final Defense), which evaluates their work on the scholarly paper and competence in doctoral level nursing.

Guidelines for Forming DNP Examining Committees

Committee Members

For the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, a core committee consisting of at least three (3) graduate faculty members will administer the comprehensive exam.

The committee is chaired by a Graduate Level A faculty with a terminal degree from the nursing department and is the student’s advisor throughout the program.

The second member must be a Graduate Level A or B faculty from the nursing department.

The third member(s) of the committee must be a Graduate Level A or B faculty from a department outside of nursing serving as the Graduate School Representative.

The committee may include an additional external member (not employed at Miami) who has earned a doctorate, and has been approved as a Graduate Committee member by the Director of Graduate Programs and the Graduate School.

The DNP mentor, from an external agency, may serve on the committee as content expert, and a non-voting member. 

Procedures for Committee Approval

After a tentative doctoral examining committee has been chosen, the committee must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. Each department must complete the appropriate “Request for Appointment of Doctoral Committee” form (D-1 comprehensive exam, or D-3 final exam). Both forms are available on the Graduate School’s webpage under “Forms and Publications” and are described in the section of this policy titled “Required Forms for Completing the Doctoral”.

The form, “Request for Appointment of Doctoral Committee” (Comprehensive or Final Examination), must be submitted to the Graduate School for the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School at least ten (10) business days before the date of the scheduled examination.

Candidacy and DNP Requirements

After passing the DNP Proposal Examination and being admitted to candidacy, students must complete their DNP project and pass the DNP Final Project Defense. The DNP committee will conduct the DNP Proposal Final Project Examination when students complete the DNP Project.

Final Project Examination Guidelines

The Final Project examination to evaluate candidates’ work on the DNP Final Project and competence in the field will be conducted by an examining committee consisting of at least three (3) members of the graduate faculty as described in the section of this policy titled “Guidelines for Forming Doctoral Examining Committees”.

The student’s department should complete and send the Form D-3, “Request for Appointment of Doctoral Final Examination Committee” to the Graduate School for approval (see the section of this policy titled “Required Forms for Completing the Doctoral”) at least ten (10) business days prior to the final examination. The Dean of the Graduate School must give approval for a student’s final examination committee.

All committee members have responsibility for the conduct of the examination and must also certify the fairness of the examination. Students will pass the examination if no more than one (1) member casts a dissenting vote. All members of the Graduate Faculty are eligible to participate, but not vote, in the examination. If the student does not pass the final examination after the first attempt, the committee may grant the student permission to take a second examination, which will be given under the conditions stipulated by the committee. Students can take a second examination no earlier than 14 calendar days following the conclusion of the first exam. The final examination shall be passed no later than four (4) years after admission to candidacy.

The student’s department should complete and submit the Form D-4, “Results of the Final Examination and Certificate for Awarding the Doctoral Degree” to the Graduate School for approval (see the section of this policy titled “Required Forms for Completing the Doctoral”) at least ten (10) business days before the appropriate commencement date.

Time Limits for Degree Completion

Students must complete coursework, pass the comprehensive examination, complete their DNP project and pass the final examination within five (5) years of completing their first course in the doctoral program.

Conferral of Degree

Conferral of the Miami doctoral degree will be granted following the semester or term when all degree and other requirements have been met and after the student has applied for graduation.

Required Forms for Completing the Doctoral Degree

The following paragraphs describe the forms to be completed by the appropriate graduate faculty in the examining process for each doctoral student. These forms (D-1 to D-5) cover procedures from nominating faculty members for service on the Comprehensive Examination Committee to approving the dissertation. The forms are available on the Graduate School’s website at Graduate School Forms.

FORM D-3:  Request for Appointment of Doctoral Final Examination Committee

This form is used for nominating faculty, both departmental and the outside member, for service on the Final Examination Committee. The Director of Graduate Nursing Programs completes this form and submits it to the Graduate School.

FORM D-4:  Results of Final Examination and Certificate for Awarding the Doctoral Degree

This form certifies faculty approval for awarding the doctoral degree. The examining committee completes this certificate, which is then forwarded to the Graduate School. The certificate must be received by the Graduate School at least ten (10) business days before the appropriate commencement date. The form is available by contacting the Graduate School at 513-529-3734.

Related Form(s)

Not Applicable.

Additional Resources and Procedures

Websites

• Graduate School Forms

FAQ

Not Applicable.