Nursing Honors Program Information

Admission Guidelines

Qualified students with a cumulative undergraduate GPA at or above 3.5 are invited to apply for admission to the honors program when they are admitted to the nursing major.

Admission to the honors program is judged on past academic work, a short essay, and a letter of reference.

NOTE: Persons who do not fit within admission guidelines but believe they have exceptional ability as evidenced by an advanced degree in another discipline and/or unique academic or professional experiences may be considered for admission on an individual basis.

See Related Links for Honor Admission Forms.

Program Requirements

Students must complete the following courses in the honors program:

• N680 - Honors Seminar (1 cr) - provides students with the opportunity to learn about faculty research projects. Students enroll in this course during the first semester of the nursing program. As part of the seminar, faculty present their research, and faculty and students discuss research findings. In addition, students arrange meetings with faculty to explore the possibility of a mentoring experience and potential senior honors thesis projects. At the end of the seminar, students are assigned a faculty mentor.
  
  
• N302 - Introduction to Systematic Inquiry (3 cr) – honors section - provides students with an overview of the steps of the research process. This course precedes the senior honor thesis. Students enroll in the honors section of this course. During the course, students design their senior honors thesis with guidance from their faculty mentor so that, upon completion of the course, students submit their N681 senior thesis contract.
  
  
• Senior Honors Thesis (N681 and N682; 1-2 cr) - is a two-semester experience (or a semester and a summer) in which students actively participate in their faculty mentor’s research program. The senior honors thesis can involve one or more of the following steps of the research process: reviewing the literature; designing nursing interventions for testing; collecting data; analyzing and interpreting data; and preparing scholarly reports, posters, and/or manuscripts. Senior thesis monies are available to students while completing the thesis. Students apply for the funding when submitting their N681 and N682 contracts.
  
  Examples of recent honor theses topics include: Improving Quality of Life in CHF Patients, Parenting Styles and Childhood Overweight, Analysis of a Family Strengthening Program, Factors Associated with Multiple Birth Families, Risky Behaviors and Parent/Adolescent Communication, Primary Prevention of Eating Disorders, Pain Assessments and Cognitive Impairments, Hmong Thoughts About Cancer, The Effects of Communication at the End-of-Life.

Mentor Relationship

Each student in the honors program has an active role in identifying a faculty mentor. Once a student is assigned a faculty mentor, the mentor helps the student understand the research process and provides research-related resources. The mentor also assists with identification and implementation of a senior honors thesis (e.g. involvement in the mentor's research).

Progression Criteria

Students must complete the program requirements and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better on UW-Madison course work (computed at the end of every semester) in order to remain in the honors program.

Application Information

The following materials are due to Anne Jozwiak (K6/146 CSC; ajozwiak@wisc.edu) by June 1.

• Completed application and two short essays. See Related Links for Application
• Reference form. The reference form should be completed by someone (faculty, TA, mentor) who can speak to your academic ability. See Related Links for Reference Form

The application and essays require a signature so should be submitted in hard copy. Electronic copies of the reference submitted directly to Anne Jozwiak are permitted.

Further Information

Advisors in the School of Nursing are available to provide assistance and advice with program planning for students in the honors program. Their offices are located at K6/146 in the Clinical Science Center. For an appointment please call 263-5166. For further information on the honors program, contact:

Gale Barber, MA
School of Nursing Honors Program
K6/146 Clinical Sciences Center
600 Highland Avenue
Madison, WI 53792-2455
(608) 263-5172
mgbarber@wisc.edu