Honors Program

The purpose of the Honors Program is to encourage scholarly achievement in talented and highly motivated students in nursing; promote a high level of achievement in nursing education and practice through curricular enrichment and freedom to work independently; provide mentorship to students to promote commitment to further education in nursing; stimulate creative and critical thinking; and facilitate acquisition of research and leadership skills.

BSN Pacesetter and RN-BSN students may participate in the School's Honors Program. The goals of the Honors Program are:

• To provide opportunities for talented students to engage in nursing research
• To stimulate creative and critical thinking
• To facilitate acquisition of research and leadership skills
• To provide meaningful scholarly experiences for students
• To encourage growth and lifelong learning in the discipline of nursing
• To provide opportunities for interprofessional scholarly collaborations
• To provide students with opportunities for professional development

Eligibility Requirements

Students interested in participating in the Honors Program should meet the following requirements when applying:

• Submit an application at the end of their first semester as a Pacesetter or RN to BSN student
• Be a full-time student
• Have a minimum of 3.7 GPA in nursing school coursework
• Submit an application statement. This statement should be no longer than one page and should describe the candidate’s career goals, reason for applying to the Honors Program and include a research interest. The candidate’s interest would be used only to facilitate placement with a particular mentor. However, identifying a particular interest does not guarantee placement with that type of research mentor.
• Submit two (2) recommendations from nursing faculty

The call for applications is sent by e-mail each semester by the Honors Program Coordinator. Once applications are submitted and reviewed, students will be identified as Honors Students and they will be matched with a faculty member who will be the student’s mentor while the student is in the Honors Program. During each of the semesters the students are in the Honors Program, students will enroll in and pay for a one credit-hour Honors Independent Study, complete 45 contact hours per semester on mutually agreed upon activities with a faculty mentor, and participate in dissemination activities with their mentor whenever opportunities are available. Interested students who meet the Program’s criteria for application should submit the completed application to the Honors Program Coordinator. The Honors Program Coordinator will inform students each semester of when applications are due and the process of how to submit an application. Students who submit an incomplete application will not be eligible for the program. Students who meet the selection criteria will be notified of acceptance into the Honors Program and mentor assignment by the start of the semester.

Maintenance Requirements

In order to remain in the Honors Program subsequent semesters, the students, should:

• Maintain a GPA of 3.7 in nursing school work
• Be enrolled full time in the School of Nursing

Contact Information

For more information on the Honors Program, please contact:

Sandra M Branson, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE

Associate Professor (Email)