Honors Program

The Rutgers School of Nursing undergraduate honors program is designed to encourage and prepare future nurse scientists or practice scholars. Our honors program is a competitive, invitation-only program that immerses high-achieving undergraduate nursing students in cutting-edge scholarship. Once accepted, you will be paired with a faculty member currently engaged in research or scholarly activities, working together until you graduate. The program consists of five semesters (beginning the spring semester of the sophomore year), culminating with a senior year project, which will be presented at the Senior Honors Research Symposium. The honors project will include, but is not limited to, topics such as nursing care, nursing education, population health, patient outcomes, health policy, health promotion, or disease prevention and management.

Objectives

Through the nursing honors program, students will:

  • Be part of a scholarly learning community with a small group of peers, developing research that may transition to doctoral study in nursing.
  • Be mentored in nursing science research or scholarly activities with a School of Nursing faculty.
  • Enhance your leadership skills by learning alongside the best.
  • Gain experience in presenting their senior honors project at research conferences and/or other public venues and working toward publishing your work.

Coursework

CourseworkScheduleCredit
Sophomore SeminarSpring in Sophomore Year1.5 credits
Junior Colloquia (I and II)Fall and Spring in Junior Year1.5 credits each
Senior Honors Project (I and II)Fall and Spring in Senior Year3 credits each
Total Credits10.5 credits

Admissions

This is a competitive admission process by invitation only. After the fall semester of their sophomore year, traditional bachelor’s students with a GPA of 3.7 or higher in good academic standing will receive an invitation to apply. We expect to accept no more than 10 students across both the New Brunswick and Newark campuses. In the application, students will be asked to write a personal statement describing why they want to enroll in the honors program and what they hope to gain from the experience in one or two paragraphs. Applications will be reviewed by an ad hoc faculty review committee, and acceptance notifications will be sent by the end of January.

Program Completion Requirements

The Nursing Honors Program will consist of completing the honors class meetings and actively participating in mentorship with an assigned faculty mentor throughout the program. To continue in the honors program, students must:

  • Remain in good academic standing each semester.
  • Demonstrate exemplary student conduct each semester (e.g., absence of ethical or academic integrity issues).
  • Maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher.
  • Successfully complete the five honors seminars with a grade of B or above each semester.
  • Make normal progress toward the completion of their honors project.
  • Present their honors project at the Senior Honors Research Symposium.

If you have further questions, please contact Dr. Kyeongra Yang, at ky204@sn.rutgers.edu.

Apply by Invitation Only

Testimonials

“The Rutgers School of Nursing Honors Program has been one of the most amazing parts of my university journey! It has truly shaped me both personally and professionally. Thanks to my incredible faculty mentor, I’ve gained valuable research skills and a deeper appreciation for how evidence informs every nursing intervention. This experience has not only boosted my confidence but has also strengthened my understanding of how research drives patient care, knowledge that I will carry with me throughout my nursing career.”

Amelia Vargas