Nursing Studies

Why study this programme?

Reasons why you should study this programme.

The University of Edinburgh is one of the UK’s foremost research institutions and there are obvious benefits for Nursing Studies in being located in a university with such a long research tradition and a strong research infrastructure.

Track record of excellence and impact

Nursing Studies, at the University of Edinburgh, has played a prominent role throughout nursing research in Europe. Established in 1956, Nursing Studies was Europe’s first university-based centre for nursing education and research. Scotland’s government-funded Nursing Research Unit was based in the then Department from 1971 to 1994, strengthening its national and international reputation as a major centre for research in nursing.

The PhD/MPhil programme is an advanced research degree enabling students to conduct in-depth independent research on a topic of their choice, thereby contributing to the knowledge and evidence base for nursing worldwide. Our current and past PhD students have contributed to a range research areas within nursing and healthcare more broadly.

International research environment

We attract a wide range of postgraduate students from the UK and overseas. There are around 30 to 40 students registered for higher research degrees (i.e. MPhil or PhD) at any one time, some studying full-time and others on a part-time basis. Our cosmopolitan, international community of graduate students make a valued contribution to a thriving research environment in Nursing Studies, the School of Health in Social Science, and the wider university.

The postgraduate research blog from the School of Health in Social Science provides a snapshot of the activities and events our PhD students organise or are involved in. We also have dedicated PGR student representatives from Nursing Studies and across our school who run a number of events each year and there are many other opportunities for PhD students to avail of. These could include:

Many of our PhD students also publish their doctoral research and some have won awards for their contribution to nursing knowledge.