MASSACHUSETTS
ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES OF NURSING is an organization comprised
of Deans, Directors or Chairpersons of the baccalaureate and graduate
programs of nursing in Massachusetts.
We strive to provide leadership on matters pertaining to professional
nursing in Massachusetts.
Doctoral
programs emphasize preparation for research to prepare students to
pursue intellectual inquiry and conduct independent research for the
purpose of extending nursing knowledge.
The PhD, or Doctor of Philosophy degree, is the most commonly offered
research-focused degree. However, some schools award a Doctor of Nursing
Science (DNS or DNSc) as the research-focused doctoral degree. Individuals
educated in research-focused doctoral programs are prepared to pursue
careers in research and teaching and also are prepared to pursue careers
in the fields of nursing and health care administration and policy.
The purposes of the research-focused doctoral degree are to prepare
for a lifetime of intellectual inquiry, creative scholarship, and
research; to provide preparation that leads to careers in government,
business, and industry as well as academia; and result in extension
of knowledge.