The Honors Program in Psychology is designed to afford qualified majors the opportunity to participate in activities preparatory for graduate training. The two-year program is research-oriented and involves interactions with selected faculty and peers in an enriched and accelerated academic environment.
Completion of the program will be contingent upon the submission of an independently conducted research project equivalent in quality to a master’s thesis.
Admission to the Program
Psychology majors who are in the second semester of their sophomore year may apply for admission to the Psychology Departmental Honors program. Applicants must have completed, by the end of the spring semester of their sophomore year, nine hours of course work in psychology (including PY 101, PY 211, and a 300-level course). A completed application and an interview by a member of the Departmental Honors Committee is required before acceptance.
To be accepted, a student must have a minimum of a 3.5 GPA in psychology coursework and a 3.3 average overall. Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. PY 355 must be completed prior to or during the first semester of the program. Students must plan to complete all four semesters of the program and, therefore, should not be planning on graduating early.
An email will be sent out to psychology majors that will contain specific information about the deadline for application submissions for that year, which is usually in February or March.
Apply for the Psychology Honors Program
2023-2024 Senior Honors Presentations
2022-2023 Senior Honors Presentations
2021-2022 Senior Honors Presentations
Program Components
Requirements for the awarding of the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree with honors in psychology are as follows:
- Completion of all requirements for the psychology major and Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum
- Junior Honors Seminar (fall PY 378, & spring PY 379, PY 451): 7 credit hours.
- PY 378: Students are exposed to research methodology and research programs within the Department of Psychology.
- PY 379: Students prepare a research proposal under the guidance of a research supervisor.
- PY 451: Independent research with a faculty supervisor. (optional)
- Senior Honors Research Project (fall PY 478, PY 451, & spring PY 479, PY 451): 8 credit hours.
- PY 478 and PY 479 consist of research work with a selected faculty member on an approved project. The student must write and defend the honors thesis to receive credit for PY 479.
- PY 451: Independent research with a faculty supervisor.
Note: PY 378 may count towards the major as a 300 level elective course. PY 379 may count toward the department requirement of PY 391.
Typical Course Sequence
- Freshman year: PY 101, PY 211
- Sophomore year: PY 355, one of PY 352, PY 358, PY 372
- Junior year: PY 378, PY 379, one of PY 352, PY 358, PY 372, PY 451, PY 413
- Senior year: PY 478, PY 479, PY 451, PY 491, one of PY 413, PY 461, PY 470.