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Honors Program
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Spring 2010 Courses
Student Experiences in the Psychology Honors Program
I had a very positive experience with the honors program in psychology. The honors program allowed me to establish a close mentorship with a faculty member through my honors thesis and with the professors who taught my honors classes. I found that the courses offered to honors students as seminars were extremely interesting and were unlike any other class I took at the University. They were much more in depth, and although they required extra work, I learned more from them and was more involved in them than my regular classes. Finally, the best experience through the honors program was being able to do my honors thesis. This was a great practice run before graduate school and I was able to have something to send to the graduate programs I applied to that I was proud of and that I knew was impressive.
Bethany Ekegren, December 2001
Specific Requirements for Honors in Psychology
The Psychology Department requires that students who plan
to graduate with Honors in Psychology fulfill the following requirements.
The courses can be applied toward the Honors College requirements and toward
the credits needed for a psychology major. All of the courses below are
Writing Emphasis courses.
New requirements, effective 2007. The
only change that will affect students who already took the Honors
ProSeminar as PSYC296H is that there are now two options for the honors
thesis (see Requirement 3). Also, note that Special
Honors Seminars taken previously under the PSYC396H course number
continue to fulfill the Special Honors Seminar Requirement.
- The Honors Proseminar: PSYC 396H (3 units). PSYC 396H is
typically taken in the third year of study, preferably after
Research Methods (PSYC 290). It is offered only in the fall
semester. PSYC 396H is an introduction to the critical and
analytical thinking required for conducting research. Across the
semester, different faculty members are invited to speak to the
class about their research. Therefore, the course serves as an
introduction to a number of the faculty and their research. Readings
include research articles published by faculty members and their
colleagues. Students are encouraged to learn to think like research
scientists and to use this course to help them focus on a topic for
their honors thesis (see below). At the end of PSYC 396H, some
students will be invited to do a research study for their honors
thesis. (Other students will do a literature review paper; see
below, PSYC 498H).
**** It is recommended that students volunteer in one or two
laboratories prior to taking this course so that they have hands on
experience working in a lab and are better equipped to take on a
research study for their thesis.
- Special Honors Seminars: PSYC 496H (6 units).
Students must
complete at least two special honors seminars. At least one of these
honors seminars is offered each semester. The topics rotate around
the different specialty areas of the department. It's a good idea to
start paying attention to the 496H offerings early, so that you can
take the ones that are closest to your interests.
PSYC 500 (graduate) courses that are seminar format may be substituted for one or both PSYC 496H courses. To substitute a graduate course for a PSYC 496H course, students must (1) verify that the graduate course is a seminar, (2) be seniors, (3) must have the written permission of the instructor, and (4) must file a form with the graduate college. The form can be downloaded at:
http://grad.arizona.edu/system/files/Undergrad_Enrollment.pdf
Students who take this option should be certain to inform both the faculty member currently serving as the Psychology honors advisor (see below) and one of the department’s academic advisors:
.
- Honors Thesis: PSYC 498H (6 units). Students enroll in PSYC 498H
for two semesters while completing their thesis. It is a requirement
of the honors college that the 6 units be distributed over two
semesters. Students are responsible for identifying a core or
joint-appointed Psychology faculty member who will serve as their
thesis advisor. Students should aim to find an advisor by the end of
the fall semester of their junior year (i.e., by the end of PSYC
396H).
The thesis in psychology can take one of two forms:
1. An American Psychological Association research report on a study
or an experiment conducted under the supervision of a core faculty
member or a joint-appointed Psychology Department faculty member.
Because of heavy demand, there are not enough spaces in laboratories
for all honors students to do a study or an experiment for their
thesis. It is recommended that students interested in this route
begin to volunteer in laboratories as early in their undergraduate
careers as possible so that by the time they are ready to do their
thesis they have found a place in a laboratory. For those students
who choose this option and who find a place in a laboratory, it is
best begin their thesis research in the second semester of their
junior year.
2. A formal literature review written at a depth equivalent to a
point between a large undergraduate research paper and a Master's
thesis. The thesis should synthesize and build upon existing
scholarship and also further the discipline's understanding of the
subject in some way.
- Thesis Research Presentation. Presentation of the thesis research
occurs at an Honors Research Forum held in April of the Spring
semester before graduation. Students should contact the honors
advisor (Dr. Mary Peterson) in January of the year they plan to
graduate.
During the Research Forum, students present posters on their honors
thesis.
The courses listed above (396H, 496H, PSYC 500 seminars) count
toward your undergraduate degree in psychology and toward the
required units for an honors degree. Only 3 units of PSYC 498H can
count toward the Psychology degree as independent study units.
Questions?
Please contact the Psychology honors advisor
Dr. Mary A. Peterson
Office: Psychology 524
Office Hours: Tues & Fri 2-3 PM (and by appointment made via email: write to mapeters@u.arizona.edu)
Phone: (520) 621-5365
Email: mapeters@u.arizona.edu
Note: Office hours are held during the semester only and change every semester.
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The Department of Psychology integrates its teaching and research missions in a variety of ways. Our undergraduate major, one of the largest at the university, focuses on providing students with a solid grounding in research methods, and broad exposure to two domains: (1) Cognition and Neural Systems and (2) Individual and Social Processes. Our graduate program includes concentrations in clinical, social, evolutionary psychology, cognition and neural systems, and in psychology, policy and law.
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