What are the admission requirements for the Honors curriculum option?
For the curriculum option, prospective students may apply to Nursing Honors through the regular initial University of Pittsburgh application process. If you choose to apply, you will be asked to answer the following essay question: (1) If you could change anything in the world, what would it be? (2) Explain why and how you would change it.
Responses should be stated in 500 words or less.
These essays will be reviewed by University Admissions Office who make admission decisions at this point. If you are already a first-year or second-year in the BSN program and you are interested in the Honors curriculum option, Pitt's David C. Frederick Honors College still admits a limited number of students into its degree program. Interested students must have a minimum GPA of 3.50, and must have completed a minimum of 2 semesters (24 credits). Students are required to complete the same essay prompts above and submit a letter of recommendation from an instructor or academic advisor. Applications for current students are reviewed once a year with an application deadline of May 31.
What are the admission requirements for the Honors thesis option?
Students interested in the thesis option can apply directly to the Frederick Honors College at any time during their BSN curriculum. Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.50 and are required to identify a research mentor and submit a brief research proposal and plan of study to the Frederick Honors College in collaboration with the mentor.
How competitive is the admission to the Nursing Honors program?
Our nursing students are top-notch, and with enough passion and dedication, any student could successfully complete an Honors thesis (the highest undergraduate distinction). However, typically 2 to 5 nursing students complete a Honors thesis every year. You will find a list of recently completed undergraduate honors theses here. The Nursing Honors curriculum option is a new pathway. The Class of 2023 was the first cohort. Based on number and quality of applications, the Frederick Honors College admitted around 14 to 18 nursing students in this option annually in the last 2 years.