Nursing and Health Innovation (All majors)

About this opportunity

Barrett Honors students enrolled in the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation have expanded opportunities to promote health and explore health-related issues.

Contact an Edson College FHA if you are a Barrett student majoring or minoring in Nursing, Health Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Community Health, Health Care Compliance and Regulation, Health Care Coordination, or Integrative Health. We can provide a list of faculty members' research and clinical interests to help you find a thesis director.

Thesis

Honors Thesis Credits
Your Edson College FHA can help you clarify topics and connect to a professor as your thesis director. Once you have negotiated a thesis director, we can help you register for thesis credits.

Students usually enroll in the 492/493 thesis credit course sequence, earning up to 6 honors credits.

Enroll in 3 credits of NUR 492 (nursing majors) or HCR492 (health majors and nonmajors): Honor’s Directed Study, a thesis preparation course that includes developing an idea/topic, confirming a Thesis Director & Committee members submitting the prospectus, and beginning the project.

Follow NUR 492 with 3 credits of NUR 493/HCR493: Honor’s Thesis, a thesis/project implementation course that includes implementing the project, writing the project and presenting the thesis.

Edson College Thesis Committee Requirements
Choose a full-time faculty member as the Thesis Director. The Second Committee Member may be a full-time, part-time, or adjunct ASU faculty member from any ASU department. Committee members must be agreed upon by the student and the Thesis Director. Exceptions to the committee structure may be approved on an individual basis by an Edson Faculty Honors Advisor (FHA).

Although only two thesis committee members are required, an additional member may be included when you need additional expertise or assistance, such as for interdisciplinary projects and/or community research. The third committee member may be a community leader.

Thesis Preparation
Identify a thesis topic early, preferably before the first semester of your junior year. Contact your FHA or Edson College faculty members with expertise or interests in the topic area to discuss your thesis ideas.

Information related to the thesis process is located here. https://students.barretthonors.asu.edu/academics/honors-thesis

Developing a Prospectus: The Plan for Conducting the Research Study or Creative Project
Students in Edson College may choose to do a research thesis or a scholarly/creative project. Before beginning a thesis project, you will develop and submit a prospectus, which outlines the basic approach and procedures for your project. Develop the prospectus in coordination with your thesis director and committee member. Submit the prospectus to the Barrett Honors College using their online form before starting the project.

Major Sections in the Research Study Document
Abstract - 250-500 word description in English that summarizes the thesis 
Title Page / Signature Page - A signature title page must bear the original signatures of all committee members to verify acceptance of the thesis.

• Introduction and problem statement
• Review of the literature
  • Research question and/or hypothesis (if a quantitative study)
  • Framework (theoretical/conceptual framework) if needed
  • Study design (quantitative or qualitative)
• Methods:
  • Sample & setting
  • Recruitment
  • Data collection
  • Feasibility issues
  • Data Analysis
• Findings / Results
• Discussion / Conclusion
  • Limitations
  • Application to nursing, healthcare, or health profession / Future recommendations
• References

Major Sections in the Creative Project Document
Abstract - 250-500 word description in English that summarizes the thesis 
Title page / Signature Page - A signature title page must bear the original signatures of all committee members to verify acceptance of the thesis.

• Introduction
• Purpose – Rationale for project
• Background (topic) – personal experience, evidence, review of the literature
• Description of project
• Application to nursing, healthcare, or health profession
• Conclusion
• References

Use APA 7th edition formatting for all submissions in Edson College.

Academic Preparation

In your first or second year, consider one or more optional semesters of NUR 499/HCR 499 or HCR 280/480 for experience working in a faculty member's lab or on a project related to the planned thesis. This work can provide practical experience in research or creative project activities to support later work on the thesis.

Recommended Timeline

Plan to enroll in the first honors thesis course, NUR 492 (for nursing majors) or HCR 492 (for health majors), three to four semesters before your expected graduation.

Other Honors Opportunities

Edson College students can earn lower division honors credits in several of the required HCR courses. Nursing majors earn upper division honors credits for completing nursing clinical practicum courses. Health majors earn upper division honors credits for completing HCR internships.

For additional lower division or upper divisions honors credits, negotiate Honors Enrichment Contracts at the beginning of a course with your course faculty.

Independent Study and Internships
You can earn honors credit through enriched learning experiences such as independent study, research, or internships. Students work with faculty in research or community health projects to gain hands-on experience in a wide array of research specialties that include aging, maternal-child nutrition, lactation, obesity, healthcare innovation, sleep, health inequities/disparities, health policy, and others. Enrollment requires approval by the supervising faculty member and identification of specific objectives that the student will meet over the course of a semester. Please contact your Barrett Faculty Honors Advisor if you are interested in independent study/research and need assistance to identify interested research faculty.