Honors program

The honors research experience permits students to pursue questions and individual interests in a supportive and collaborative environment. Students develop lifelong skills in critical thinking, written communication, and intellectual independence from this experience. The end result, an honors thesis, is a substantial achievement and is highly regarded by most graduate schools and prospective employers. Consequently, honors research provides students with a distinct competitive advantage.

Moreover, the Daniel J. Elias Endowment Fund has been established within the Department of Psychology to encourage meritorious student research and support a venue where student research accomplishments are prominently featured. The fund provides support for: attendant research expenses such as small equipment, subject recruitment and compensation, testing materials and other related costs; and to support an annual Honors Convocation in which students’ findings will be presented in a public forum.

During their junior year, qualified students have the opportunity to complete an Honors Thesis in the Psychology Department. The program is open to students who are juniors in good standing in the Honors Program and have completed PSY 306. Instructor permission can be granted for a student not enrolled in the Honors program and is generally based upon seat availability, ACT score, and GPA.

Participation in the program involves completion of an honors research proposal by enrolling in the PSY 400 course during the spring of the student’s junior year. The proposal constitutes a significant portion of the honors thesis. During the fall of the student’s senior year the student enrolls in PSY 481-40 to complete the thesis by collecting data for the proposed experiment. Each student has a designated faculty mentor to supervise data collection and analysis.

Programs

Honors program