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hiv

How can we reduce HIV risk?

African American young adults are at higher risk for HIV than any other racial/ethnic group. How can we most effectively reduce their HIV risk? read more...

doctor with couple

Does racial bias affect patient-physician interactions?

Approximately 75% of Black patients see non-Black physicians even though many prefer to see Black physicians. What do Black patients do during such racially discordant medical interactions? read more...

teasing

Is teasing a slippery path to bullying?

Where do kids learn to tease, how is teasing related to bullying, and how is children's emotion regulation involved? read more...

insomnia

How can we treat insomnia?

Will cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia improve outcomes in people with co-morbid psychiatric conditions? read more...

Honors in Psychology

The requirements for graduating with Honors in Psychology are:

View the application for Honors in Psychology.

Completing an Honors Thesis in Psychology

An Honors thesis is a research project that you design, run, write up, and defend like a Masters thesis under the supervision of a faculty mentor. An Honors Thesis provides an opportunity to do your own research, learn about an area in an in-depth way, and get to work closely with a professor in the Department of Psychology. Completing an Honors Thesis is a great way to make your application to graduate or professional school stand out.

Students generally start work on their Honors Thesis during the Spring semester of their junior year, and continue throughout their senior year. During this time you would sign up for the three-course sequence: PSYC 497, PSYC 498, and PSYC 499.

The first step in preparing to do an Honors Thesis is to find a faculty member willing to be a mentor for your thesis project. The best way to do this is to get involved with research before the Spring of your junior year by doing a Research Internship (PSYC 494) or Independent Study (PSYC 492). This way, you can explore an area of research that interests you, and a professor will get to know your work.

Honors Courses in Psychology

One of the requirements to graduate with Honors in Psychology is to take three Psychology courses as Honors. There are two types of courses that qualify. One type is a Psychology course that has an HONR designation—the Department of Psychology tries to present one of these every semester. The other type of course is a regular Psychology course that you can turn in to an Honors course by completing some additional or more high-level work that you and the instructor agree on. There is a form (available from the Honors College) for you and the instructor to complete on which you describe what additional work you will do for it to count as Honors.

For more information, contact Dr. Scott Vrana.