Programmes

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSc)

The School runs an undergraduate programme leading to the award of Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Beginning the 2010/2011 Academic year, the School started the 4year degree programme with our students graduating in one of the specialty areas of mental health nursing, paediatric nursing, midwifery, general nursing, and community health nursing. The programmes have both theory and practical components. Every academic year has two semesters with 16 weeks in each semester.  Students undertake 6 weeks clinicals at the end of every academic year and 3weeks during each semester.

Degree Requirements
Two categories of applicants are considered to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programme:

1. West Africa Senior High School Certificate or its equivalent.
2. Diploma in Nursing Holders (enter at Level 200)

WASSCE Applicants 

• General University requirements are applied
• School requirements

In addition, to the above, applicants must have:

1. A minimum of C6/D in Core courses
2. A minimum of C6/D in each of the elective subjects preferably science electives.

Diploma Holders
Two categories of diploma holders will be considered for admission:

1. Holders of Diploma in Nursing Education/Administration from a recognized University should have a minimum of B+ average or second class upper.
2. Holders of a Diploma in nursing from a recognized institution of nursing with a minimum of CGPA of 3.25.
    

 Graduate Studies

• Master of Science (MSc)/Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) in Nursing

The School also runs a Master of Science (MSc) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Nursing prorammes for 12 and 24 months duration respectively.

The candidate for admission should have:

1. BA/BSc in Nursing with a minimum of second class lower division,
2. Must be a registered nurse and practised nursing for not less than 2 years and
3. Pass a selection interview
    

• Paediatric in Nursing programme - MPhil

The Paediatric Nursing Programme is a collaboration between the School of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana and the SickKids International of Canada. The 12-month Certificate in Peadiatric Nursing Programme ensures integration of theory with practice by incorporating didactic teaching and learning sessions, interactive workshops with case-based learning, paediatric skill development, simulation and intensive clinical placement opportunities in diverse practice settings. The programme which is being sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and supported by SickKids Foundation of Canada is being hosted by the School. Plans are far advanced to run the paediatric nursing programme at the masters level.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PH.D) PROGRAMME IN NURSING Admission Requirements

Applicants with a good first degree in nursing or Midwifery and research Master’s degree in nursing or Midwifery (MPhil, MSc, MN) or research Masters in any related discipline with a minimum of 2.5 grade point and above will be admitted into the PhD in Nursing programme.

Prospective students should be proficient in English language. Applicants with a good grade in research methods and statistics at the Masters level as well as a conference presentation and scientific publication will have an added advantage.

Persons applying to pursue a programme leading to the award of a PhD shall:

i. Write a selection examination

ii. Attend an interview organized by the School

iii. Submit and defend a proposal during admission interview.

Requirements for Graduation

A minimum of 75 credits units would be required for graduation. The total breakdown is as follows:

Year 1             Semester 1                  courses                                    9 - 12 credits

                       Semester 2                  courses                                    9 - 12 credits

Year 2             Seminar I                    3 credits

                       Seminar II                   3 credits

                       Semester 1                  Comprehensive           (-)

                       exams             

Year 3             Seminar III                  3 credits

                       Thesis                         (-)

Year 4             Seminar IV                  3 credits

                       Thesis                         45 credits

FIRST SEMESTER:

CORE COURSES

Course code	Course Title	Credits
NURS 701	Advanced Quantitative Research Methods	3
NURS 703	Philosophical Perspectives in Nursing	3

ELECTIVE COURSES

Students should select a minimum of one (1) and a maximum of two (2) electives

NURS 705	Health Policy Analysis and Development	3
NURS 707	Critical Issues in Gender Studies	3
NURS 709	Systematic Reviews in Healthcare	3
NURS 711	Global and Intercultural Perspectives in Healthcare	3

Total Credits – 9 or 12

*NURS 709 Systematic Reviews in Healthcare is a prescribed elective by the School

SECOND SEMESTER

CORE COURSES

Course code	Course Title	Credits
NURS 702	Advanced Qualitative Research Methods	3
NURS 704	Theory development in Nursing	3

 

ELECTIVE COURSES

Students should select a minimum of one (1) and a maximum of two (2) electives

NURS 706	Leadership and Governance in Healthcare	3
NURS 708	Managing Vulnerable Populations	3
NURS 712	Nursing Education for Sustainable Development	3
*NURS 714	Mixed Methods Research	3

Total Credits – 9 or 12

*NURS 714 Mixed Methods Research is a prescribed elective by the School

YEAR TWO, THREE & FOUR
NURS 710	Seminar I - Research Proposal	3
NURS 720	Seminar II- Experiential Research learning	3
NURS 730	Seminar III - Thesis progress report	3
NURS 740	Seminar IV - Provisional thesis findings report	3
NURS 700	Thesis	45

Total Credits – 57

*NURS 603 – Advanced Theoretical Foundation of Nursing is a prerequisite for NURS 704 (Theory development in Nursing)

*A minimum of 3 students will be required to mount an elective course each semester

Grand Total Credits – 57 + 18 = 75 or 57 + 24 = 81

YEAR 2

Students in the second year of the PhD programme will be engaged in two main activities:

1. Development of proposal for PhD research work
2. Comprehensive examination

Development of proposal for PhD research work

Students will work with their supervisors within the first 4 weeks of the semester to develop their thesis areas. Students shall prepare a proposal to the satisfaction of the supervisory committee. The students will then formally defend their proposal before they undertake their experiential learning.

Comprehensive Exams

Departments shall organize comprehensive examination for each doctoral student after successfully completing course work. Students must pass the comprehensive examination before proceeding to the next level.

Timing

The Comprehensive Examination shall be completed by each PhD student within eight weeks of the commencement of the first Semester of Year 2 of the student's PhD programme. The schedule of the examination for each student shall be agreed by the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee and communicated in writing to the student and the Head of Department on or before the first day of the first Semester of Year 2 of the PhD programme.

Format

The PhD comprehensive exams shall be made up of three assessment criteria, namely:

1. A written examination
2. Submission of a review paper or research proposal.
3. Oral examination

The comprehensive assessment shall involve proposal defence and writing of a publishable paper.

The Comprehensive Examination shall be conducted in three stages within a period spanning a maximum of two weeks (starting from the date of the written examination and ending with the oral examination) as defined below. The grading of all three components of the examination shall follow the grading system defined by the School of Graduate Studies for post-graduate degree examinations

1. Written Examination

The Written Examination shall:

1. theory development and philosophy;
2. research methodology;
3. substantive area;
4. consist of 3-5 questions on a range of topics (the number of questions to be answered by the student(s) shall be determined by the examiners).

 The Mode of Examination shall be any one of the following:

1. in-class open book examination (at least three hours); or
2. in-class closed book examination (at least three hours); or
3. take-home examination (maximum one week allowed).

Department shall decide to adopt any one of the three modes above for any particular cohort of students. The topics (but not the questions) may be given to the students ahead of time if the Department so decides.

2. Review Paper/Research Proposal

Each PhD student shall be required to submit:

1. A publishable review paper; or
2. A research proposal on a specific research question (this must not be the same as the student 's intended thesis proposal).

The choice of (i) or (ii) above shall be agreed between the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee, the student and his/her Principal Supervisor on completion of the Year 1 course work examinations.

The length of the review paper or research proposal shall normally be 5,000 - 8,000 words; Font size 12, Times New Roman, Double spacing.

The student shall submit three copies of the review paper/research proposal to the examiners through the Head of the Department at least one week prior to the date of the written examination.

The examiners shall grade the review paper/research proposal and bring this to the oral examination.

3. Oral Examination

The oral examination shall test the student on:

1. General knowledge of the discipline; and
2. The review paper or research proposal.
3. Specific area of intended research for PhD.

The department may choose to organize the oral examination at the departmental level, open to all academic staff of the department (but only the examiners shall grade the student's performance).

The examiners shall score the candidate's performance in the oral examination.

4. Examiners

All examiners appointed to examine the PhD Comprehensive examinations shall be PhD holders and shall not be below the rank of a Senior Lecturer.

i. Written Examination

There shall be two examiners constituted by the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee, comprising the student's Principal Supervisor and one other senior faculty (Senior Lecturer and above) in the relevant discipline/specialization, who will set the examination paper and mark independently.

ii. Oral Examination

The panel for the oral examination shall be constituted by the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee and shall comprise three (3) examiners including the student's Principal Supervisor and the Chair of the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee.

5. Grading

At the end of the oral examination, the examiners shall compile the student's scores in the written examination, the review paper/research proposal and the oral examination, and discuss these to arrive at a decision on a PASS (60% or above) or FAIL (less than 60%). The outcome of the examination shall be communicated by the Chair of the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee to the student and to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies through the Head of Department not more than one week from the day of the oral examination.

6. Repeating the Comprehensive Examination

A student who does not pass the Comprehensive Examination shall be given only one more chance to re-take the examination, and this must be taken before the end of the first Semester of the PhD Year 2. A student who fails the Comprehensive Examination after the second attempt shall be withdrawn from the PhD programme.

7. PhD Candidate

On passing the Comprehensive Examination, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies shall confirm the status of the student as a PhD candidate. Notification will be sent to the candidate through the head of academic unit.

SEMINAR COMPONENT

Every PhD candidate shall be required to attend seminars and also present four (4) seminars beginning from the second year of the period of candidature. Each seminar shall carry three credit units. There shall be two seminar presentations in year two (2), one in year three (3) and a final one in year four (4). The breakdown of the four seminars is as follows:

Year 2 – Seminar 1 Research Proposal

Year 2 – Seminar 2 Experiential Research Learning

Year 3 – Seminar 3 Thesis Progress Report

Year 4 – Seminar 4 Provisional Thesis Findings Report

1. Research Proposal Seminar:

All students must formally defend their research proposal to ensure that the proposed work is relevant, meaningful, viable, feasible and capable of being completed within timeframe and resource constraints. Students shall prepare a proposal to the satisfaction of the supervisory committee. The student will present the proposal at the first seminar (Seminar 1) to the departmental Graduate Studies Committee, academic staff in the discipline and supervisory committee. The student must pass (obtain 60% or above) the seminar presentation. A student who fails the proposal seminar after the second attempt shall be withdrawn from the PhD programme.

ii.         Experiential Research Learning Seminar:

A student will be required to undergo practical training in research work and present a report and a seminar on his/her experiential learning at the end of the second year.

3. Thesis Progress Report Seminar:

A student will be required to present progress report on his/her research.

4. Provisional Thesis Findings Report Seminar:

A student will be required to present preliminary findings from his/her research.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

The PhD Nursing student will engage in experiential learning during the second year. The focus of the experiential learning will be geared towards skills acquisition and exposure to areas with relevant life experiences for the research that the student will undertake. It will include teaching at the University with a mentor and working within a nursing and midwifery setting such as clinical and administration. The experiential experiences may be done in Ghana or internationally. The placement may be up to a maximum of 9 months during the second year. Depending on the research of the students the placement sites may include but not limited to:

• Research institutions or academic institutions (public or private)
• Non-governmental organizations
• Hospitals (public or private)
• Ministries, Departments and Agencies
• Elderly care/help age Ghana
• Youth friendly facilities
• Maternal/Child health and education programmes
• Home-based /palliative care
• Population and migration institutions
• Environmental protection agencies
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)

Experiential Research Learning Seminar:

A student will be required to undergo practical training in research work and present a report and a seminar on his/her experiential learning at the end of the second year.

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