Majors with at least a 3.5 GPA in their psychology courses, AND in all upper division coursework (i.e., courses taken after you have earned 60 semester credits), can graduate with College Honors.
High Honors or Highest Honors can only be earned through completion of a satisfactory Senior thesis. The thesis is an original and substantive research project, carried out under the supervision of a member of the Psychology faculty. In most cases, Honors projects are completed under the PSY 4970 (Senior Thesis) number. It is not necessary to elect the Senior Thesis credit; any appropriate project may be submitted for consideration of Honors. However, if you are not registered for PSY 4970 in the semester you graduate, you MUST contact the psychology advising office and have your committee report the results to the advising office so that the department knows you have completed a thesis and been evaluated. Whether or not the Senior Thesis credit is elected, most of the comments made in the preceding section -- including advice with respect to the likely time commitment -- apply also to the Honors project.
Students who undertake an Senior thesis will work with a committee of three faculty members from the Department of Psychology. The student's primary research supervisor will normally serve as chair of the committee. The primary research supervisor assumes the same role for an Honors thesis as does the faculty supervisor for the Senior Thesis. He or she is the person who is most expert in the area of research which interests the student, and the one who will work most closely on the Honors project with the student. If the research supervisor is not a member of the Psychology Department, the student must find a Psychology faculty member to serve as chair. As with any of the Individual Work courses, it is the responsibility of the student to contact a prospective supervisor and obtain his or her approval.
Students who wish to carry out a Senior thesis must first obtain the approval of the research supervisor. The student and supervisor should then identify two other faculty members to serve on the student's Honors committee. This must be done prior to registration, since the goal is to have the three-member committee, and not just the primary supervisor, involved from the start in the direction of the project. Once the committee is formed, its function will be to direct and assist the student in all phases of the project, from initial conception through data collection and analysis to final write-up. The committee will also be solely responsible for the evaluation of the completed thesis as worthy of High or Highest Honors, and report their decision to the Undergraduate Coordinator.
Click here for more information on senior thesis.
IMPORTANT: The CLAS advising office requires that you provide them with a copy of the completed thesis and thesis abstract form as approved by your committee. This is the student's responsibility.
Students with overall GPAs (including transfer grades) above a 3.5 may qualify for admission to Phi Beta Kappa, the national academic honor society. A college-level committee screens all such students in the fall and spring semesters. In addition to the GPA, a minimum of 34 semester hours is required in coursework outside of your major discipline (which for psychology students is Social and Behavioral Sciences). Details on which courses are included in this spread requirement are available through the campus chapter secretary of Phi Beta Kappa.