Recent Dissertation Topics

The following list of recent dissertation titles will give you a glimpse of the type of research some of our recent PhD students have been doing. It is a representative sample of the type of research that students graduating in the past few years have completed at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, but it is by no means exhaustive. For additional information about how well your own research interests might fit with the resources and expertise available at the University of Minnesota, please consult the list of faculty research interests and the individual Web sites for our Centers of Excellence. Director of Graduate Studies Linda Lindeke also welcomes your questions at linde001@umn.edu or 612-626-1133.

Sample Dissertation Topics 2002

• Physical Activity Among Elderly People with Type 2 Diabetes.

• Correlates of Tobacco Use and Non-Use Among College Students at a Large University: Application of a Transition Framework.

• Family-Nurse Co-Construction of Meaning: Caring in the Family Health Experience.

• The Transition Experience of the New Nurse Graduate: The First Year In Practice.

• Application of the Transtheoretical Model of Change to the Smoking Behavior of Men During Their Partner's Pregnancy.

Sample Dissertation Topics 2003

• Adolescent Utilization of Complementary Therapies.

• Public Health Nurses' Experiences with Home Visits in Situations Involving Maltreated and Neglected Children.

• Building a Long-Term, Trusting Relationship: The Essence of Public Health Nurses Work with Families Where Domestic Violence is Occurring.

• The Nature of Existential Advocacy from the Oncology Nurses', Cancer Patients', and Families' Perspectives.

• Development and Testing of the Creative Nursing Practice Index (CNPI.)

• The Gulf Arab Woman's Transition to Motherhood.

• Early Neuropsychological Functioning of Patients Following Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

• An Exploration of the Incidence, Patterns and Course, and Correlates of Delirium Among Patients Undergoing Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery.

• The Meaning of INSIGHT Participation Among Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence.

Sample Dissertation Topics 2004

• Medicaid-Insured Children: Use of Well Child Care.

• Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients 3 Months Following Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery with and without Cardiopulmonary Bypass Pump.