Departmental Honors Program

Description

Departmental Honors is a year-long program with two components. Students who are admitted for the 2009-2010 year will conduct individual research with guidance of a psychology faculty advisor that culminates in a full thesis. Participants also meet for a once-a-week seminar (Wednesdays from 3:00 to 5:00, every quarter) with the Program Faculty Director, Professor Matt Lieberman. This seminar serves as support for the research and writing processes and introduces students to graduate school options, research presentation methods, and career paths.

Students who successfully complete the program will earn an "Honors" or "Highest Honors" notation on their diploma. Departmental Honors Students will earn 12 units of credit toward graduation for completing this program. If the entire series is completed, the final of these 4-unit courses can count as a Psychology Elective.

Eligibility

Applicants must have an overall GPA of 3.5 (or better) as of Winter 2009. Applicants with an overall GPA between 3.3 and 3.49 will be considered but they must submit a letter of support from their prospective advisor in addition to their application. Applicants must be Psychology, Psychobiology, or Cognitive Science majors and must have all of the prep courses for their majors completed by the end of Summer 2009. Accepted participants must begin their projects during Summer 2009 with the assistance of a faculty advisor (however, there is no summer class enrollment).

To Apply

• Find a Psychology Faculty Advisor who will sponsor your research project for the 2009-2010 year. They must be Psychology Faculty. Your sponsor needs to be available during Summer 2009 to provide assistance with the IRB process.

• You do not need to have a full project organized when applying, but you should have a general topic in mind and you should select a faculty member in an area related to your topic. Check out this list if you need some leads: http://www.psych.ucla.edu/Faculty/.

• Submit your Application, including a 1-page statement-of-purpose to the Psychology Advising Office (1531 Franz Hall) by Friday, May 1st. (Applications will be available here in mid-March).

• Part of the application includes a projected time line for the completion of your project and thesis paper. Your advisor will help you estimate these dates before you submit your application.

Selection Process

Applicants are selected based on their research experience and their over GPAs. Probability for selection depends on the competitive level of the applicant pool, which varies each year. We will select between 20 and 22 students for next year’s cohort.

For More Information:

• We are holding an Information Session on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 at 1:30 in Franz 3423.

• Psychology Advising Office (1531 Franz Hall).

• E-mail Sarah at bejarano@psych.ucla.edu.