What is the Psychology Honors Program?
The Psychology Honors Program offers students an excellent opportunity to get involved in research. The program is for students with strong academic records who wish to devote a substantial amount of time in their senior year to a senior honors thesis.
Why should I participate in the Psychology Honors Program?
One of the best ways to learn is through doing—joining the Psychology Honors Program will allow you to explore your interests in the field of psychology and learn the scientific method through hands-on experience. Joining the Honors Program helps many students discern their future career path. Some students get bitten by the “research bug,” others find out that they are more interested in counseling-based psychological careers, while still others decide that their passions lie in a completely different field. Students who have completed the Honors Program in Psychology at Boston College have gone on to careers in psychological research, medicine, teaching, counseling, and law, to name just a few. Participation in the Honors Program is an excellent distinction in general; it is a particularly noteworthy distinction for those students who wish to apply to graduate school (in psychology or otherwise). The Honors Program provides the opportunity to work closely with a faculty member outside of the traditional classroom setting. Participating in the Honors Program will teach you to think critically, to address and test questions systematically, and to communicate your thoughts and ideas to others.
How is the Psychology Honors Program distinct from the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program?
The Psychology Honors Program is different from the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program. Students are admitted into the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program when they are admitted to Boston College, while students are invited into the Psychology Honors Program based on their academic record after the first two years at Boston College. Participation in both the A&S Honors Program and the Psychology Honors Program requires the completion of an Honors Thesis. Therefore, if you are already part of the A&S Honors program, the Psychology Honors Thesis will satisfy the requirements for both the Departmental and A&S Honors designations.
How can I participate in the Psychology Honors Program?
Students who have a GPA of 3.5 (or higher) at the end of their sophomore year, in Psychology and overall, will be invited to join the Honors Program. You will receive a letter from the Honors Program Director at the beginning of your junior year inviting you to apply to the Psychology Honors Program. If you are interested in applying, you would then identify a Psychology faculty member who is willing to supervise your work. You would complete a preliminary application by November 1 of your junior year. On this application, you need only indicate the topic you plan to research, and the name of your thesis advisor. During the second semester of your junior year, you will take a 1-credit honors seminar in which you will develop a 10-page thesis proposal, due May 1 of your junior year.
How do I find an advisor?
First, you should identify the area of psychology in which you are most interested. Faculty members at Boston College specialize in a range of sub-fields. Determine which area you are most interested in by exploring lab websites and individual faculty members’ pages.
Once you have narrowed down the area in which you are most interested, you will need to pick an advisor. Generally this is a faculty member in the department; however, part-time faculty and graduate students sometimes serve as advisors on Honors Theses. If a faculty member suggests that you work with one of his/her graduate students as your thesis advisor, then you would meet mostly with the graduate student, but the faculty member would have ultimate responsibility and would be the primary reader on your thesis.
It might be clear to you from your exploration whose work is most interesting to you. If you are still unsure, you should contact one of the Graduate Student Psychology Honors Program Coordinators for advice. Kristen Lindquist and Maria Gendron would be happy to speak with you in person or communicate by email to help you figure out which faculty members’ work is most relevant to your interests.
Finally, you should contact the faculty member or graduate student with whom you would like to work. You do not need to know yet exactly what you would like to study, but you should approach a potential advisor, state the general area in which you would like to do research, and ask whether he or she would be willing to supervise you in your Honors Thesis. Kristen and Maria will have a list of faculty members and graduate students who are willing and able to take on honors students for the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 academic years. Try to contact potential faculty advisors as soon as you can since faculty may be limited in how many new honors students they are able to supervise.
What kind of research will I need to conduct?
In most cases, the proposed research will be part of an ongoing project in the advisor’s research laboratory. Alternatively, students may conceive of a project independently and approach an appropriate advisor to serve as supervisor. The literature review, data collection, and data analysis must always be completed by the student alone, along with supervision from the thesis advisor.
How can I identify a research question?
You will work with your advisor to develop a specific and testable research question. You should set up an appointment to meet with your advisor to have a brainstorming session. The next step is to read, read, read about your topic of research. The more informed you are, the better questions you will ask.
Can I participate in the Psychology Honors Program if I plan to study abroad for all or part of my junior year?
Yes, we accommodate students studying abroad by allowing for some flexibility in meeting required deadlines. If abroad in the fall semester, students may contact the graduate student coordinators to identify a potential thesis topic and advisor via email. The preliminary application may be submitted via email if students are away and unable to deliver a hard copy to the Psychology Office. Students who are abroad in the spring of their junior year will not be able to take the honors seminar (PS499). These students will work with their advisor over the summer (via email if necessary) and will develop a proposal which will be due to the Psychology Department Office on the first day of classes in the fall. We do expect that you will be ready to fully engage in your proposed research by the beginning of your senior year.
What do I need to do now that I have decided to participate in the Psychology Honors Program?
1. Visit the Psychology Department website and read about faculty research interests and the different research laboratories in the Department.
2. Contact one of the Honors Program Graduate Student Coordinators by email to discuss either through email or in person your research interests and identify a potential faculty advisor.
3. Contact your potential advisor by email and request an appointment to discuss your ideas for your Honors Thesis and to determine whether this faculty member could serve as your advisor.
4. Once you have an advisor, discuss with your advisor who might be a second reader for your thesis, and contact that person to ask him/her to serve.
5. Print out and complete the preliminary application for the Psychology Honors Program and submit it to the Psychology Office by November 1.
6. Register for PS499, the 1-credit Honors Seminar, in the Spring of your junior year, where you will develop your final proposal. Students studying abroad in the Spring of their junior year will work on their proposal via email with their advisor and over the summer once you return.
7. By May 1 of your junior year you will submit a research proposal that has been approved by your advisor, together with a letter of support from your advisor and second reader and a copy of your transcript. These materials should be submitted to the Psychology Department Office.
What does the 10-page thesis proposal look like?
Your proposal should be written in accordance with the following format:
I. Introduction
State your research question. (1 paragraph)
Review previous research carried out on this and related questions. (6 pages)
II. Methods
Participants: Describe your participants. Who will they be? How will you find them? Age? Sex? How many? (1 paragraph)
Procedure: Describe precisely what your participants will be asked to do and how long the procedure will take. (1-2 pages)
III. Hypotheses
What do you predict, and why? (1 paragraph)
IV. Data Analysis
How will you score or code your data? Will you have a second coder for inter-rater reliability? How will you analyze your data? (1/2 page)
V. Discussion
If your hypotheses are confirmed, what will you conclude? What will be the significance of these findings? What study could then be carried out next? (1 page)
How is my research proposal approved?
Your proposal is reviewed by two faculty members and a decision is then made about whether to admit you to the Honors Program. If your advisor continues to support your proposal, and if your research ideas are clearly thought out, it is highly likely that you will then be admitted into the program. You will receive a letter approving your proposed research plan from the Honors Program Director.
What are the requirements for completion of the Psychology Honors Program?
Students take 12 psychology courses (two more than the 10 courses required for the major).
Spring, Junior Year:
PS 499 (1 credit Honors Seminar)
Senior Year:
PS 495-6 Senior Honors Thesis I and II (one semester may count as an elective to fulfill your psychology major requirement)
One upper level seminar (500 level)
A hard copy of your thesis is submitted to your primary advisor and to the second reader (to be determined by the student and the primary advisor) by April 15th of your senior year. A copy of the thesis is also delivered via e-mail to the Psychology Office by this date. The primary advisor then submits a letter to the Honors Program Director by May 1st summarizing his/her view, as well as the view of the second reader, as to whether the thesis is passed and the student considered as completing the requirements of the Psychology Honors Program. Finally, a copy of the Undergraduate Thesis Approval Form is completed by the student, signed by the primary advisor and second reader, and submitted to the Honors Program Director by May 1st.
You will present your thesis as a poster at the Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference in May of your senior year.
How will I know that I have completed all the requirements of the Psychology Honors Program?
At the end of your senior year, you will receive a letter signed by the Director of the Honors Program and the Chairperson of the Psychology Department indicating that you have distinguished yourself by satisfying the requirements of the Psychology Honors Program. You should keep this letter in a safe place and use it to provide documentation of your exemplary work to future graduate programs and/or employers.
How can I get involved in research in the Psychology Department if I decide not to apply to the Honors Program?
There are other opportunities for students to be involved in research in the Psychology Department outside of the Psychology Honors Program, including the opportunity to write a senior thesis. Click here for a description of these opportunities.
For further information, contact the Director of the Honors Program in the Psychology Department.