Expertise/Research

Get Involved in Research

We encourage students to get involved in research. There are several ways to gain experience in a lab, clinic or in the field. You can become a research assistant and help run studies or you can sign up to be a participant in research studies. Or you can perform your own research under the supervision of a faculty member!

• Honors Thesis

  An Honors Thesis is a research project you conduct largely on your own. Typically, students develop a research proposal, conduct a study and write a research paper outlining the results, working under the supervision or direction of an Honors Thesis committee of at least two members. The committee members are Psychology faculty who work in your area of interest or who are otherwise willing to serve on your committee.

  An application to undertake an Honor's Thesis must be approved by the department. Many students take Independent Study credits the semester before they take Honor's Thesis Credits to develop their research proposal. These Pass/Fail credits count as general upper-division electives but do not count as Psychology electives.

• Independent Research or Study

  Independent Research courses allow you to get involved in research more intensively, but are to the level of the thesis. Students work in close collaboration with a professor to review literature, devise hypotheses, and design, carry out and write up a research project.

  The Independent Study option allows you to study a topic that is not offered in the regular Psychology curriculum - via library research, reading, writing and discussion with a professor.

  Both types of independent courses require scheduled weekly meetings with the professor and a significant amount of time and effort, equivalent to a 3000- or 4000-level course. Arrangements must be made with the professor before the semester starts; a written proposal is required. These Pass/Fail course credits count as general upper-division electives, but not as Psychology electives.

• Become a Research Assistant

  If you would like to participate in psychology research on a limited basis, you can volunteer to assist with ongoing research, perhaps helping to collect data, prepare materials or assist a thesis student. This can be a great way to try different labs to find a good fit. Check out our research areas below and reach out to our faculty to get involved.

• Participate in Research

  If you would like to be a participant in psychology research, there are many opportunities available. See below for some of these:

  SONA Systems (for students who are participating in research as part of a course requirement or a course that offers extra credit for research participation).

  For additional research opportunities, please click on the "Participate in a Study" link above.

• External Research Opportunities

  In addition to the opportunities within the department, there are many other places where students may gain valuable research experience. 

  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine Summer Undergraduate Research Program
  • Association of Psychology Post Doctoral and Internship Opportunities
  • Baylor College Summer Medical and Research Training program
  • Case Western Summer Undergraduate Research Program
  • Christian Brothers University Summer Undergraduate Research Program
  • Columbia University/Barnard College Amgen Scholars' Summer Research Program
  • Colorado College's Internship Resources on the Web
  • Emory University Summer Undergraduate Research Experience
  • University of Georgia Summer Undergraduate Research Programs
  • Syracuse University Summer Internship Opportunities list
  • University of Maryland College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Summer Research Initiative
  • New York University’s Center for Neural Science Summer Research Program
  • National Institutes of Health Training Programs
  • National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates
  • Rice University's Career Services Center
  • Rockefeller University Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
  • Skidmore College - Student Advice: Jobs & Internships
  • University of California - Irvine Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program
  • The Integrated Micro/Nano Summer Undergraduate Research Experience at the University of California, Irvine