Bridges to the Doctorate Program

Bridges to the Doctorate for Minority Nursing Students is funded by the National Institute of General Medical Science, (NIGMS), National Institutes of Health (NIH) (5/1/03 - 8/31/09).

Bridges is a collaborative training program between the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing (UIC CON) and two partner schools, DePaul University, Department of Nursing, Chicago, Illinois, and Purdue University Calumet, School of Nursing, Hammond, Indiana, to increase the number of doctorally prepared minority nurses in the United States.

Goals of the Program

The long-term goal of this training program is to increase the pool of doctorally prepared minority faculties. Four specific aims are collectively designed to help master's students at DePaul University and Purdue University Calumet prepare for doctoral study at UIC CON by gaining appropriate scientific knowledge, research skills and professional socialization. The primary short-term goals of this training program are to:

• Offer UIC CON programs of teaching and research training to master's students at the DePaul Univeristy and Purdue University Calumet.
• Provide academic counseling and professional socialization and mentoring for master's students at our partner institutions.
• Increase faculty collaborative research activities between the two partner schools and UIC CON.
• Offer leadership education and training in the curriculum.

How the Program Works

Four master's students (two from each university) will be recruited for the UIC CON Doctoral program each year from the two partner schools. To be eligible for the Bridges Program to PhD study, students must: take 10 semester hours of UIC courses during their master's degree program, apply for the UIC PhD program as soon as they are ready during their master's degree study, and be admitted to the UIC PhD program upon approval by the Graduate Admission committee of the CON and the Graduate College, UIC (pending successful completion of the master's program).

Campus housing will be available and study space for students will be provided. Financial support, traineeships, fellowships, or research assistantships with stipends for doctoral study will be provided for the selected master's students. UIC faculty members will be available as faculty advisors and collaborators.

Grant Support for Bridges Students

The grant will pay tuition, salary and travel related to the Bridges program during the master's degree program. UIC will provide tuition for the doctoral study up to two years by means of financial support mechanism mentioned before, but College of Nursing tuition differential and stipend are not guaranteed. UIC will make every effort to provide these supports as well. Students are responsible for the rest of expenses involved in studying at UIC such as transportation, moving, housing, and living cost during the doctoral study.

Summer Research Training at UIC for Master's Students

Two students from each partner school will come to UIC for a four-week research practicum and training, for which they will receive two credits (NUSC 517). Most likely this work will be the foundation for the PhD dissertation research.

Bridges Program Application