Honors Program
The Psychology Department is proud to offer Honors in Psychology to students with excellent academic records who seek additional intellectual stimulation, advanced study, and challenge in the discipline of psychology. Our honors program enables students to participate in novel seminars that are not available in the general curriculum and to pursue rigorous research opportunities that are similar to those offered in graduate or professional schools. Student gain a greater skill set and depth of understanding of the discipline while working in close contact with committed faculty.
The enhanced experiences available through Honors in Psychology increase the likelihood of acceptance in competitive graduate programs in experimental and clinical psychology, counseling, organizational psychology, neuroscience, social work, and post-graduate work in medicine and law.
For more general information about the UNCG Honors Program, please refer to the Honors Program web site. Applications for Disciplinary Honors can be submitted here. Please read the information below to determine program requirements and assess whether our Honors program is a good fit for you.
Requirements for Disciplinary Honors in Psychology
At least 12 s.h. in psychology courses with a grade of B or higher, including:
- PSY 492 and HSS 490. PSY 492 is offered only in the spring, and must be taken before HSS 490. See below for information about the importance of obtaining research experience prior to completing both of these courses.
- Six credits from the following list:
- PSY 401: Academic Writing in Psychology
- PSY 410: Intermediate Psychological Statistics
- PSY 495: Senior Honors Seminar (may be repeated for credit)
- PSY 415: History and Systems of Psychology
- PSY 419: Special Topics in Psychology (may be repeated for credit)
Qualifications
- 3.30 or greater cumulative GPA at graduation
- 3.30 or greater GPA in Psychology
- A declared Psychology Major
Note: To ensure that you are able to find a Faculty Advisor for your Senior Thesis project (see below), you should plan to obtain research experience by taking PSY 433 (Research Experience in Psychology) as early as possible and prior to taking PSY 492. Students who are already working in a laboratory under the direction of particular faculty member have considerable advantage in (a) already having identified the area of research that interests them most; (b) far more likely to secure a Faculty Advisor for their project, which is a requirement and which the department cannot guarantee to students admitted to the program; and (c) find the process easier because they have already learned about the sub-field/methodology/techniques that they will need to use to complete their projects. Click here to learn how to become involved in PSY 433, which is taken by permission of Instructor only and requires advance planning. Enrollment in PSY 433 is not a guarantee of supervision for an Honor’s thesis project. If you are interested in pursuing Honors, you should mention this upfront to your PSY 433 Faculty Advisor to determine their criteria and availability to accept Honors students.
Recognition
The designation “Completed Disciplinary Honors in Psychology” and the title of the Senior Honors Project will be printed on the student’s official transcript.
Senior Year
A Senior Thesis is the crowning achievement of your undergraduate career. It represents an independent research project developed by you in consultation with a faculty member. It differs from an independent study in being your original work, designed, developed and conducted by you, with advice and guidance from your faculty supervisor. It is very similar to a Master’s Thesis.
If you have questions about Honors in Psychology, please contact the Psychology Department Honors Advisor:
Dr. Janet Boseovski
jjboseov@uncg.edu
If you have questions about how to schedule your courses to meet the Honors requirements, please make an appointment to see one of our Advising Faculty. Click here for more information.
