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Capella University — Nursing & Health Sciences

NHS8701: Keystone — Defining the Doctoral Project

A complete guide to Capella's NHS8701. Doctoral students synthesize organizational and research evidence to finalize their Project Plan, identify a practicum site and preceptor, and define a healthcare or public health issue for evidence-based change.

Doctoral4 CreditsS/NS GradingPrereq: NHS8051

NHS8701 is the keystone course where all prior doctoral work converges — students synthesize organizational and research evidence to finalize their Project Plan, confirm a practicum site and preceptor, identify a healthcare or public health issue suitable for evidence-based change, and produce the definitive plan that launches their doctoral project.

Defining the doctoral project

Core topics

  • Evidence synthesis: Synthesizing organizational and research evidence into a coherent project foundation
  • Project Plan finalization: Finalizing the doctoral Project Plan that guides the capstone
  • Site and preceptor confirmation: Identifying and confirming the practicum site and preceptor for the doctoral project
  • Healthcare issue definition: Defining a healthcare or public health issue amenable to evidence-based change

NHS8701 assignments include the finalized Project Plan and evidence synthesis

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Frequently asked questions

Why does NHS8701 use Satisfactory/Non-Satisfactory grading instead of letter grades?

NHS8701 is a milestone course — its purpose is to confirm that the student's Project Plan meets doctoral standards and that all logistical elements (site, preceptor, issue definition) are in place. The S/NS grading model reflects this gate-keeping function: the question isn't how well students perform on a grading curve, but whether their project definition meets the threshold for proceeding to the doctoral practicum. This binary model aligns with how professional doctorates handle capstone preparation — the plan is either ready for implementation or it needs further development, and a letter grade would add artificial granularity to what is fundamentally a readiness decision.