Graduate Course Descriptions

In this course, students explore a higher education system in a selected country and compare it to the system in the United States. The course involves a faculty-led study trip to the country of the system being studied and visits to universities of various types within that country. The two systems will be compared through an examination of the ways in which these two systems differ in light of current issues such as the globalization of higher education, funding, access and assessment. During the trip students will learn about historical and contemporary national culture as they explore various aspects of the area they are visiting.

A one-semester independent project, which meets the approval of the program chair and is conducted under faculty supervision, frames this course. Student may merit one, two, or three credits according to the complexity of the project. Examples of study include executive leadership, global models of accreditation, advanced quantitative or qualitative research methods, community and governmental relations, student persistence and completion, etc.

Parts I and II (1.5 cr, 1.5 cr) A two part course offered each spring (early summer) on the Immaculata campus and focusing in the following scholarly and professional development areas. Grading is pass or fail.: Part I: Introduction to Doctoral Competencies and Professional Ethics Part II: Development of Doctoral Competencies and Professional Ethics (Pre-requisite HED 766 Part I)

This course gives students the opportunity to focus on the cyclical systematic process of program planning and assessment. Major topics include conducting a needs assessment and analysis, establishing program goals and student learning outcomes, planning of the program assessment, and setting up processes for evaluation and improvement that involve external and internal stakeholders at all levels in the context of all appropriate accreditation and licensing bodies in both Higher Education and Nursing. The course will culminate in the simulated experience of presenting a complete new Nursing program proposal delivered to a college board of trustees.

This course offers students an exploration of theory and practice of the systematic instructional design of nursing curriculum in the context of current institutional, professional, and regulatory environments at the local, state, national, and international levels.

In this course, students study and apply theory-based practices of teaching and learning in classroom and clinical nursing education courses utilizing face-to-face, hybrid, and online delivery models. Collaborative strategies for designing student learning outcomes, assessments, and activities are emphasized.

Within this course, students will apply advanced research design, instrumentation, data collection and analysis to questions and topics in the area of nursing and health care with an emphasis on quantitative methods and consideration of mixed methodologies. Methods of disseminating research findings will also be discussed. (Pre-requisite HED 703)

This seminar is designed to prepare students for beginning the dissertation in the subsequent semester. Students review the Dissertation Handbook, including dissertation requirements, formatting, information technology, committee selection, ethical issues in research, and the department’s timeline for completing the dissertation process. Students work in seminar format to refine dissertation topics and methodology, and to complete a dissertation proposal prospectus. Grading is “Pass” or “Fail.” (Prerequisite: all required course work prior to the Dissertation Research Seminar with a GPA of at least 3.3 and also must secure the approval of the chair/program director)

In-depth exploration of research related to the dissertation topic culminating in a comprehensive literature review suitable to serve as Chapter 2 of the dissertation; pro and con arguments from the literature are explored; student’s written work, the qualifying paper, serves as the basis for an oral defense of the need for the study. The defense fulfills the requirement of the qualifying examination for candidacy; the student is only permitted to participate in the qualifying hearing twice. In order to be eligible for HED 794, the student must have completed all required course work with a GPA of 3.3 or higher, and also must secure the approval of the Program Director. (See Dissertation Handbook for guidelines.) Grading is “pass/fail.”

In-depth preparation of dissertation prospectus; purpose, methods, significance of study explored; preparation and presentation of the proposal that includes dissertation Chapters 1, 2, 3; committee formation. Students completing HED 795 should be ready to submit their proposals to RERB. (Pre-requisite: HED 794; see Dissertation Handbook for guidelines.) Grading is “pass/fail.”