UAH honors nursing student smiling and holding a stethoscope

The Honors College offers a specialized Honors upper-level curriculum for College of Nursing students. This curriculum guides students through high-level research in the science of nursing.

Benefits of an Honors Nursing Diploma

  • An opportunity to work within a tightly-knit community of high-achieving nursing students
  • Excellent preparation to pursue graduate work in nursing
  • The ability to become a leader and contribute to research that changes nursing practice

The UAH Honors Nursing Program helps students to...

  • Develop an original research study on a topic about which student is passionate.   
  • Carry out research under the direction of a faculty member
  • Create oral presentations, posters, and publications to disseminate research findings
  • Write grant applications and potentially receive funding for research study

Honors Nursing Curriculum

Honors students in Nursing have the option of completing the full 24 hour Honors Diploma or a 12 hour Honors Certificate. Nursing students have a special path to completing these requirements. In their first few years of study at UAH, Honors Nursing students will enroll in Honors sections of their lower-division requirements. In the 1st semester of the upper-division program, students will begin a sequence of courses. Taken together, these courses help students to select a topic, find a project mentor for the Honors Capstone, develop their research into its final form, and present it publicly. 

The Director of Honors Nursing (Dr. Ann Bianchi) will contact students before the 1st semester of the upper-division program to start the process. If students have questions before then, please feel free to contact either Dr. Bianchi or Honors Advisor, Nicole Hughes.

(Please note: some Honors Nursing students may begin their research earlier as part of a summer research program like the RCEU or Honors Capstone Research Grant.)

 

The specialized Honors Nursing courses are:

  • NUR 303: Students complete additional background research into the social determinants of health. This independent research is meant to build basic research skills as well as develop the student into a better clinician. 
  • NUR 307: Prepares students to select a research topic, develop a research question, and secure a relationship with a nurse researcher who will serve as a research adviser. This course is taught in a seminar format. 
  • NUR 415: Develops research methodology, helps students collect data, and leads students to engage in preliminary data analysis. Students will have close access to expert researchers in the field.
  • NUR 407: Guides students through data collection, data analysis, development or results, and thesis completion. Dissemination of results in a public setting is a priority goal for students taking this course. Students enrolled in this course must submit the Honors Capstone Proposal Form within the first 10 days of the course.  

Dean's Scholar

Dean's Scholar guarantees a slot in upper-division nursing courses to highly qualified nursing students who enter UAH as freshmen and declare nursing as their major. To keep this guaranteed slot, students must take all lower-division nursing courses and meet certain requirements listed on the College of Nursing website. 

Because Dean's Scholar students are also eligible to enroll in the UAH Honors College, it is expected that students will apply for and enroll in the Honors College as well.