The U-M Social Work/Nursing Bridges to the Doctoral Program provides 10 master’s level students from California State University-Los Angeles and Eastern Michigan University with academic preparation and research skills that will facilitate their transition to, and successful completion of, PhD programs that support behavioral sciences and health disparities research.
While completing their master’s degree, Bridges scholars participate in a Summer Research Program at the University of Michigan, mentored research projects at their home institution, and preparation for the GRE. Bridges students submit applications for admission into a nursing or social work PhD program, and are tracked for 10 years post master’s degree. Successful implementation of this Bridges program enhances the pool of individuals from diverse and underrepresented groups earning doctorates in behavioral sciences and health-related fields.
The mission of the U-M Social Work/Nursing Bridges to the Doctoral Program is to facilitate the transition of diverse and underrepresented students in master’s degree programs in Social Work and Nursing into PhD programs for doctoral training in health disparities research.
The program is funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences grant R25-GM-089637 and also generously supported by the U-M School of Social Work, the Rackham Graduate School, and the ICPSR. It is a collaboration among the University of Michigan’s Schools of Social Work and Nursing, California State University-Los Angeles’ (CSULA) Schools of Social Work and Nursing, and Eastern Michigan University’s (EMU) Schools of Social Work and Nursing.
Two Bridges students completing master’s degrees in social work at California State University-LA will enter the PhD program in social welfare at the University of California-LA Luskin School of Public Affairs in fall 2012; one student completing her master’s degree in nursing from Eastern Michigan University will enter a PhD program at Wayne State University; one student completing her master’s degree in social work at Eastern Michigan University will enter the PhD program in social work at Michigan State University, Lansing. All four students will receive support from their PhD programs to defray the costs of their doctoral degrees and will focus their doctoral research on health disparities.