The Nursing School Adviser
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Indicators of Quality in Doctoral Programs in Nursing

The following indicators apply to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in nursing, the Doctor of Nursing (N.D.), the Doctor of Nursing Science (D.N.S. or D.N.Sc.), and the Doctor of Education in Nursing (Ed.D.).

• A diversity of intellectual perspectives is valued and represented by the faculty.
• Faculty meets the requirements of the parent institution for graduate education, and a substantial proportion of faculty members hold earned doctorates in nursing.
• Faculty members conceptualize and implement productive programs of research and scholarship that attract and engage students.
• Faculty creates an environment in which mentoring, socialization of students, and the existence of a community of scholars is evident.
• Faculty assists students to understand the value of programs of research and scholarship that continue over time and build upon previous work.
• Faculty members identify, generate, and utilize resources within the university and broader community to support program goals.

• The emphasis of the program of study is determined by the faculty's areas of expertise and scholarship. Common elements of the program of study include:
• History and philosophy of science and their relation to the development of nursing knowledge.
• Existing and evolving substantive nursing knowledge.
• Methods and processes of theory/knowledge development.
• Analytical and leadership strategies for dealing with social, ethical, cultural, economic, and political issues related to nursing, health care, and research.
• Research methods and techniques of data analysis.
• Progressive, guided, and independent student research experiences.
• The distribution between nursing and cognate content is consistent with the mission and goals of the program and the student's area of focus.
• Core content is identifiable. It can be provided through a variety of formal and informal teaching/learning and research activities.
• Opportunities are provided for role development that complement students' previous experiences and career goals.
• Requirements and their sequence for progression in the program are clear and available to students in writing.

• Sufficient human, financial, and institutional resources are available to accomplish the goals of the unit for research, teaching, and service.
• Technical and support services are available and accessible to faculty members, students, and staff members for state-of-the-art science information acquisition, communication, and management. This includes computer technology, telecommunication technology, support personnel, and resources for maintenance.
• Library and database resources are sufficient to support the scholarly endeavors of faculty members and students.
• Space and equipment are sufficient, including appropriate computer and laboratory facilities, offices, seminar rooms, and study and social areas for doctoral students.
• Adequate university and clinical resources are available and accessible to faculty members and students to support program goals.
• The interests of the program are represented by faculty and students at the institutional level, and resources for research and student support are equitably allocated within the institution.

• Students are selected from a pool of highly qualified and motivated applicants who represent diverse populations.
• Admission criteria are based on standards consistent with those of the institution and provide an opportunity to consider exceptional students. These criteria should be sufficiently rigorous to admit students who will excel.
• Students' goals and objectives are congruent with faculty expertise and institutional resources.
• Students are successful in obtaining financial support through intramural and extramural academic and research awards.
• Students actively prepare to assume leadership roles after they graduate.
• Students commit a significant portion of their time to the program and complete the program in a timely fashion.
• Students establish a pattern of productive scholarship, collaborating with faculty members and peers in scientific endeavors that result in the presentation and publication of scholarly work that continues after graduation.

• Research is an explicit component of the mission of the parent institution and the nursing unit.
• The university and the nursing unit value, support, and reward faculty and student research and scholarship.
• Programs of research that are developed over time and build upon previous work exist and are congruent with research priorities within nursing and its constituent communities.
• A variety of mechanisms, e.g., peer review, mentoring, and consultation, exist that foster high-quality research.
• Sufficient research exists to support the goals of the program.

• Is systematic, ongoing, and comprehensive and focuses on the university's and program's specific mission and goals.
• Includes both process and outcome data related to the indicators of quality in doctoral programs.
• Adheres to established ethical and process standards for formal program evaluation, e.g., confidentiality and rigorous quantitative and qualitative analyses.
• Includes data from a variety of internal and external constituencies, e.g., students, graduates, program faculty members, employers of graduates, peer groups within nursing, and external funding bodies.
• Provides for comparison of program processes and outcomes to the standards of its parent graduate school/university and selected peer groups within nursing.
• Includes ongoing feedback to program faculty members and administrators to promote program improvement.
• Provides comprehensive data in order to determine patterns and trends and recommend future directions at regular intervals.
• Is supported with adequate human, financial, and institutional resources.