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Psychology

Department of Psychology

Honors Programs


BS Psychology – Honors


To be accepted into the BS Psychology Honors program:

  1. Complete 60 credit hours,
  2. Earn a GPA of 3.50 or higher in psychology courses, and
  3. Complete the Department of Psychology Honors Form (including signature from Departmental Chair). Note: The form includes a list of the three courses the student will “honorize”.

Once accepted, students must successfully complete at least three “honorized” courses. It is mandatory that the student contact the instructor of the course the first week of class.

The following courses can be “honorized”:

  1. PSY 3353 Lifespan Human Growth and Development
  2. PSY 3413 Psychology of Learning
  3. PSY 4363 Abnormal Psychology
  4. PSY 3313 Cognitive Psychology
  5. PSY 3383 Social Psychology

In the “honorized” course, honors students will complete a research paper relevant to the course topic. The student must meet early and often with the course instructor to ensure the topic is suitable and the student is making sufficient progress. The student will present his or her research paper to the class during the last three weeks of class. (In online courses, the student may post a video of the presentation to Blackboard.) The instructor will grade the research paper. The research paper will account for 5% of the final course grade. To receive honors credit, the student must earn an “A” grade in the course.

In addition, students in the BS Psychology Honors program will be assigned the role of Project Coordinator in the PSY 4433 Psychological Research course. It is mandatory that the student contact the instructor of Psychological Research prior to the first day of class.


BS Family and Child Studies – Honors


To be accepted into the BS Family and Child Studies Honors program:

  1. Complete 60 credit hours,
  2. Earn a GPA of 3.50 or higher in Family and Child Studies required and elective courses, and
  3. Complete the Department of Psychology Honors Form (including signature from Departmental Chair). Note: The form includes a list of the three courses the student will “honorize”.

Once accepted, students must successfully complete at least three “honorized” courses. Two of the courses should be chosen among the required courses; one should be chosen among the elective/concentration courses.

In the “honorized” course, honors students will write a needs assessment paper focused on a population related to the course (e.g., in Parenthood Education, the student may write a needs assessment paper on single parents or grandparents raising grandchildren). It is mandatory that the student contact the instructor of the course the first week of class. The student should meet early and often with the semester’s senior capstone (FAMS 4702) instructor (Dr. Shaun Calix) to ensure the topic is suitable and the student is making sufficient progress. The senior capstone instructor (Dr. Shaun Calix) will grade the paper and communicate the grade to the course instructor. The paper will account for 5% of the student’s final course grade. To receive honors credit, the student must earn a grade of “A” in the course.

In addition, honors students will have an additional assignment in the senior capstone course, FAMS 4702 Career Research and Professional Development. Specifically, students will write a grant to secure funds to help one of the populations for whom the student wrote a needs assessment. The course instructor will grade the grant, which will account for 20% of the student’s final course grade.