This article data on the need for doctorally prepared nurses and the resources for their preparation in 40 states in the Midwest, West, and South. A mailed questionnaire was used to collect data from the administrative heads of 58 graduate nursing education programs. Results reported in this article are on: nursing faculty responsibilities, projected faculty needs, research supports for faculty, sabbatical leaves granted nursing faculty, research and interdisciplinary activities of nurse faculty, numbers of nurse and non-nurse doctorally prepared faculty, reported criteria for and difficulties in recruiting doctoral nurse faculty, initiating change in graduate nursing education and the reasons for change, the research requirements in master's nursing programs, and the reasons cited for establishing doctoral nursing programs within the 40 states. Questions that educators face in the development of quality programs of doctoral nursing education are discussed.