The level of education in nursing has evolved as a response to the need of educating human capital capable of developing personal knowledge and promoting innovative change strategies in the domains of science and technology. Objectives : describe the overview of the doctoral education in nursing in Latin America, Colombia and the world, and ponder over its contributions to the discipline and the Colombian society. Methodology : the methodology is divided into three segments: worldwide overview of the doctoral education in nursing, current situation of doctoral programs in Colombia and pertinence of nursing doctors in Colombia. Results and discussion : findings show differences among the progress made regarding the doctoral education in nursing in the World, Latin America and Colombia. It is worth highlighting the growth of programs in Europe, Asia and Latin America, which is positive to achieve further development of the discipline.