If you have started researching a doctorate in nurse education, you may have noticed that very few universities offer a degree explicitly titled a “PhD in Nursing Education.”

Instead, many universities offer a PhD in Nursing or Nursing Science, where students can develop a research focus related to nursing education, teaching, curriculum development, or learning outcomes.

This structure reflects the purpose of a PhD. Unlike a professional teaching qualification, a PhD is primarily designed to prepare researchers who can generate new knowledge. For a nurse interested in education, that could mean researching how nurses learn, how to improve clinical education, or how nursing programmes can better prepare students for practice.

This guide explains why a PhD in Nursing Education matters, outlines the top schools offering a PhD in Nursing Education, and what to look for when applying.

Table of Contents

1. Why a PhD in Nursing Education Matters Right Now
2. Types of Nursing Education Doctoral Programs
   • PhD in Nursing Education
   • Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with an Education Focus
3. The Difference Between PhD vs. EdD vs. DNP in Nursing Education
   • 6. University of Fort Hare (South Africa)
   • 7. University of Johannesburg (South Africa)
   • What to Look For Before You Apply
4. FAQs About PhD in Nursing Education Programmes
5. Conclusion

Why a PhD in Nursing Education Matters Right Now

The healthcare industry is facing a severe, growing challenge driven by a shortage of academic faculty. Data from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Faculty Shortage Report reveals that enrollment in research-focused nursing PhD programs has declined for the 11th consecutive year, dropping over 20% since 2013.

According to the report, this decline has created the following critical deficit in the workforce pipeline:

• Turned-Away Applicants: U.S. nursing schools turned away 92,672 qualified applications from baccalaureate and graduate programs in a single year, solely due to an insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, and space.
• Widespread Vacancies: There are roughly 1,588 full-time faculty vacancies nationwide, with over 80% of those open positions requiring or preferring doctoral preparation.
• The Aging Faculty Pool: A growing population of PhD holders is aging, with about one-third of active nursing faculty likely retired in 2025. This creates an urgent demand for younger, doctorally prepared educators.

For nurses driven by academic leadership, earning a PhD in Nursing Education places you at the center of resolving a major national healthcare crisis.

Related: Advanced Nursing Roles: Nurse Practitioner & Nurse Specialist Career Paths in Africa

Types of Nursing Education Doctoral Programs

There are two main types of Nursing Education Doctoral Programs, each catering to different career goals:

PhD in Nursing Education

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with an Education Focus

The Difference Between PhD vs. EdD vs. DNP in Nursing Education

Before selecting a school, it is essential to match your long-term career aspirations with the correct doctoral programme.

Degree	What it Does	Primary Focus	Methodology & Final Project	Outcome	Ideal Career
PhD in Nursing Education	A research-focused degree designed to discover and generate new scientific knowledge regarding how nurses are trained.	Generating New Knowledge	Advanced statistics, qualitative/quantitative empirical research, and a traditional research dissertation.	Graduates spend years designing empirical studies, writing dissertations, and securing research grants.	Tenured university professor, grant-funded scientist, or primary nurse researcher.
EdD (Doctor of Education) in Nursing Education	An applied, practitioner-focused degree designed to solve existing problems within educational ecosystems.	Enhancing the Learning Environment	Applied pedagogy, curriculum design, adult learning theories, and a Dissertation in Practice (DiP).	Rather than inventing new theories, students learn how to evaluate and implement established educational frameworks to improve student learning.	Nursing program director, academic dean, or instructional classroom professor.
DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) with an Education Focus	A practice-focused degree designed to bridge the gap between clinical excellence and educational delivery.	Translating Clinical Evidence	Healthcare policy, systems leadership, clinical expert development, and a Quality Improvement (QI) capstone project.	Instead of creating new academic theories like a PhD student, a DNP student in an education track focuses on taking the latest healthcare science and designing the best clinical ways to teach it.	Clinical instructor, simulation lab director, or hospital staff development specialist.

Top Schools Offering PhD in Nursing Education

Below is a list of top global and African schools that offer a clear pathway to a PhD in Nursing Education

1. Liberty University (United States)

• Program Website: PhD in Nursing – Nursing Education
• Format: 100% online framework using 8-week courses.
• Curriculum: 60 required credit hours featuring dedicated pedagogy tracks.
• Core Focus: Isolates adult learning theories, program evaluation, and academic assessment.
• Key Advantage: Skips advanced practice clinical tracks to keep the dissertation entirely on education sciences.

2. Bowie State University (United States)

• Program Website: PhD in Nursing Education
• Format: Hybrid delivery structured for working academic professionals.
• Curriculum: Rigorous doctoral coursework explicitly built from the ground up for faculty training.
• Core Focus: Trains nurse scientists to teach, write grants, and manage higher education departments.
• Key Advantage: Maryland’s first explicit PhD in this niche, heavily emphasizing minority health advocacy in academia.

3. University of Northern Colorado (United States)

• Program Website: Nursing Education Ph.D.
• Format: On-campus immersion alongside online hybrid elements.
• Curriculum: Formal standalone doctoral seminars treating pedagogy as a distinct science.
• Core Focus: Advanced educational statistics, test construction, and teaching methodologies.
• Key Advantage: Avoids general “Nursing Science” templates by embedding educational science into the core degree code.

4. East Carolina University (United States)

• Program Website: PhD in Nursing (Nursing Education Focus Area)
• Format: Highly flexible online delivery framework designed for active practitioners.
• Research: Supported by a high-production Carnegie R1 research infrastructure.
• Core Focus: Evaluates clinical learning outcomes, curriculum innovation, and higher education policy.
• Key Advantage: Allows students to balance heavy empirical dissertation milestones with full-time careers.

5. University of Ibadan (Nigeria)

• Program Website: PhD in Nursing Science (Education Specialty Track)
• Format: Blended campus and field research coursework.
• Research: Rigorous, empirical research dissertation defense within West Africa’s premier medical training environment.
• Core Focus: Evaluates systemic healthcare education delivery and clinical training models.
• Key Advantage: Directly combats regional faculty shortages by producing tenured African academicians.

6. University of Fort Hare (South Africa)

• Programme: Doctor of Nursing (PhD)
• Format: Full-time or part-time, on-campus, delivered in English
• Duration: 2 years
• Core focus: Advanced, scholarly understanding of the theoretical foundations of nursing practice, healthcare leadership, and patient care systems, including nursing theory, health policy, ethics, and the social determinants of health

7. University of Johannesburg (South Africa)

• Programme: Doctor of Nursing Science (PhD)
• Format: Full-time or part-time, on-campus, delivered in English
• Duration: 2 years
• Core focus: Developing advanced critical, analytical, problem-solving, and reflective competencies so graduates can act as nursing leaders and consultants in health services, while making an original research contribution to the discipline

Related: How to Register as a Foreign-Trained Nurse in Nigeria

Core Curricular Pillars of a Pure Education PhD

Unlike a traditional clinical PhD, a pure Nursing Education PhD focuses on three specific areas of inquiry:

• The Science of Adult Learning: Researching psychological and cognitive frameworks to optimize how student nurses absorb complex clinical judgments.
• Curriculum Design and Evaluation: Developing systematic metrics to evaluate nursing programs, build testing instruments, and secure regional programmatic accreditations.
• Educational Policy and Leadership: Preparing scholars to navigate the systemic, financial, and legal challenges of managing modern university nursing departments.

By choosing a PhD explicitly dedicated to the science of teaching, graduates position themselves at the pinnacle of academic nursing, ready to reverse the faculty shortage and secure the future of global healthcare delivery.

What to Look For Before You Apply

When reviewing university portals, use this three-point checklist to confirm whether the program aligns with your goals:

1. Research focus: Look at the faculty and their current research. If you want to study nursing education, identify potential supervisors whose work involves teaching, simulation, curriculum, assessment, or educational outcomes.
2. Educational preparation: Check whether the programme offers courses, electives, certificates, or research opportunities related to education.
3. Accreditation and recognition: Check the university’s institutional accreditation and the relevant nursing or professional requirements in the country where you intend to practise or teach.

For research-focused PhD programmes, also check the dissertation requirements, supervision model, funding opportunities, study format, and expected completion time.

Career and Financial Outlook of a PhD in Nursing Education

A PhD in Nursing Education can lead to careers in university teaching, nursing research, academic leadership, curriculum development, policy, and healthcare education.

Financial outcomes vary significantly by country, institution, academic rank, and experience, so salary figures should not be treated as universal.

For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a mean annual wage of $86,900 for nursing instructors and teachers at the postsecondary level in colleges, universities, and professional schools. Another 2026 research publication by Imed Bouchrika, PhD, shares that the average salary expectations for doctoral degrees in Nursing Education are over $110,000.

A PhD can also support progression into senior academic and research positions, but earning the degree does not automatically guarantee a particular salary or job title.

Read also: Nurses Who Are Changing Africa

FAQs About PhD in Nursing Education Programmes

Is there a school that offers a degree literally called “PhD in Nursing Education”? Very few. Most universities structure this as a PhD in Nursing or Nursing Science with a research focus on education, teaching, or curriculum. Liberty University and Bowie State University are among the few U.S. schools with explicitly titled Nursing Education PhD programmes.

Which African universities offer a PhD relevant to nursing education? The University of Ibadan (Nigeria) offers a PhD in Nursing Science with an education specialty track, while the University of Fort Hare and the University of Johannesburg (both South Africa) offer 2-year Doctor of Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Science programmes respectively, both of which build advanced research and leadership competencies relevant to nursing education.

What’s the difference between a PhD, EdD, and DNP in nursing education? A PhD is research-focused and prepares nurse scientists to generate new knowledge; an EdD is more applied and geared toward educational leadership and administration; a DNP focuses on advanced clinical practice rather than educational research.

Why does a PhD in Nursing Education matter right now? A well-documented nursing faculty shortage — driven by declining PhD enrollment, thousands of faculty vacancies, and an aging academic workforce — means doctorally prepared nurse educators are in high demand globally and across Africa.

How long does a PhD in Nursing Education take? It varies by country and institution. South African programmes like those at Fort Hare and the University of Johannesburg are typically structured around 2 years, while U.S. programmes often run longer depending on dissertation requirements and study format (full-time vs. part-time).

How much can I earn with a PhD in Nursing Education? Salaries vary widely by country and institution. In the U.S., postsecondary nursing instructors earn a mean annual wage of around $86,900, with some sources estimating doctoral-level nursing education salaries above $110,000 — though these figures are not universal and a PhD alone doesn’t guarantee a specific salary.

What should I check before applying to a PhD in Nursing Education programme? Confirm the faculty’s research focus matches your interests, check whether education-specific coursework or electives are built into the curriculum, and verify the university’s accreditation and recognition in the country where you plan to practise or teach.

READ ASLO: Best Accredited Institution Offering Nursing Education Doctoral Programs

Conclusion

A PhD in Nursing Education does not always include “Nursing Education” in the programme title. In many universities, the more common route is a PhD in Nursing or Nursing Science, followed by a research focus on nursing education. However, there are top schools that offer a clear path to a PhD in Nursing Education, as highlighted in the article.

The best programme for you will depend on what you want to do after graduation. If you want to become a nurse scientist or university researcher, prioritise a strong PhD research environment. If your goal is primarily teaching, also consider programmes or certificates specifically designed for nurse educators.

Before applying, examine the curriculum, faculty research interests, supervision options, accreditation, study format, funding, and admission requirements.

Most importantly, contact the university before making a decision. A programme that looks suitable on paper may not have a supervisor or research environment that matches your specific interest in nursing education.