PhD — Apply Now

The Fall 2025 Ph.D. application will become available after Labor Day and will have a December 1, 2024 deadline. To access the application, please go to www.grad.ucla.edu. 

Application Procedure

Each doctoral application file is evaluated individually by two faculty. Preference is given to applicants who demonstrate the capacity for original scholarship and nursing research as evidenced by submitted papers or publications, consistent research objectives and career goals, and research objectives congruent with those of the faculty in the School of Nursing. Scholarly verbal and written communication skills are essential for success in the doctoral program. Those selected for the second round will be called for an interview. ZOOM will be used for all Ph.D. applicants who are offered interviews.

Items that you must submit as part of your online application:

  1. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
    The goal of the Ph.D. program is to prepare researchers who will contribute to knowledge that will enhance clinical practice. Graduates will assume leadership positions in academia and clinical research roles. The purpose of this statement is for you to provide information about yourself as well as to demonstrate your ability to express ideas clearly and logically in a grammatically correct format. Please upload a typed, well-organized essay into the online Graduate Division application describing:
    • Reasons for graduate study: Describe your reasons for wanting to enter the Ph.D. program in Nursing, any information about your background, training, and experience, which you believe is relevant to your qualifications for doctoral study.
    • Please provide a balanced assessment of your personal characteristics including strengths, weaknesses and areas you are working to improve. Describe how these characteristics influence your individual and group interactions, with particular emphasis on your interpersonal style, leadership, and membership qualities and those characteristics that influence the way others view you.
    • Briefly describe a problem in nursing science on which you would like to focus your research.
    • Why did you select the Ph.D. program at UCLA? What contribution do you expect to make to the nursing profession after earning the degree?
    • How do you expect doctoral study at UCLA to facilitate your career goals? Specify outcomes you wish from a doctoral study in relation to your identified area of clinical study and research.
    • You are strongly encouraged to discuss your research interests related to doctoral study with the UCLA School of Nursing faculty before you apply. This will help identify a potential advisor for you. Please identify who you spoke with or met with and describe the nature of the contact.  For example, conversations at professional meetings, conversations over the telephone, a face-to-face meeting, or meetings to prepare a research or fellowship application for funding purposes.
  2. RESUME
    Please upload your resume to the online application.
  3. RECOMMENDATION FORMS
    3 are required. You do not need to send your recommenders the form. Once you fill out their contact information in the online application, they will automatically be sent a link to complete the form. NOTE: Please select "Nursing PhD ONLY" as the recommendation form when entering your recommender's information. 

  4. PERSONAL STATEMENT 
    Please respond to one or more of the following prompts. Your statement can be up to 500 words in length (approximately 1-page, single-spaced, using 1-inch margins and 12-point font). To be considered for a Cota-Robles or Graduate Opportunity fellowship, be sure to describe your contributions to diversity. The University of California Diversity Statement can be found online. 

  • Are there educational, personal, cultural, economic, or social experiences, not described in your Statement of Purpose, that have shaped your academic journey? If so, how? Have any of these experiences provided unique perspective(s) that you would contribute to your program, field, or profession?
  • Describe challenge(s) or barriers that you have faced in your pursuit of higher education. What motivated you to persist, and how did you overcome them? What is the evidence of your persistence, progress, or success?
  • How have your life experiences and educational background informed your understanding of the barriers facing groups that are underrepresented in higher education?
  • How have you been actively engaged (e.g., through participation, employment, service, teaching, or other activities) in programs or activities focused on increasing participation by groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education?
  • How do you intend to engage in scholarly discourse, research, teaching, creative efforts, and/or community engagement during your graduate program that has the potential to advance diversity and equal opportunity in higher education?
  • How do you see yourself contributing to diversity in your profession after you earn your advanced degree at UCLA?

 

TRANSCRIPTS
Please send 1 official transcript from the school at which you completed your Bachelor's and/or Master's degree(s). We also require 1 official transcript from other schools at which you completed prerequisite classes. 

Official transcripts and any other supporting documentation can be sent electronically to mcovin@sonnet.ucla.edu or to the following address below:

Student Affairs Office
Attn: Ph.D. PROGRAM
2-150 Factor Building
Box 951702
Los Angeles, Ca. 90095-1702

Questions?

Processing of Applications:

Mark Covin: mcovin@sonnet.ucla.edu

Jeimy Gama: jgama@sonnet.ucla.edu