The Psychology Honors Program
For Psychology Majors and
Neuroscience and Behavior Majors
Students with strong academic records and an interest in psychological research are encouraged to apply for admission to the Psychology Department's Honors Program at the end of their sophomore year. The program is designed to enable students to gain advanced level experience in the design, conduct, and analysis of research through direct involvement in the laboratory of one of the department's faculty members.
Normally, students are admitted to the two-year program in the first semester of the junior year, and continue through the senior year. To qualify for honors, students must take a total of six points beyond the number required for their major, and satisfy all other requirements for the major. The additional six points will include the required honors seminar and research courses. During both years, students in the Program enroll in the Honors Seminar (Psychology W3910x & y), a two hour, one credit course that meets bi-weekly, at which participants present and discuss their own on-going research. They also attend the Psychology Department's Colloquia, which feature guests from outside the University speaking on a variety of psychological topics. The Seminar and Colloquia always take place on Wednesdays from 4:10 - 6 P.M. In both junior and senior years, all students in the Honors Program conduct research under the supervision of a Psychology Department faculty member. By registering for Honors Research (Psychology W3920x & y) students can receive between one and four credits per semester for their research experience. The actual number of credits is determined in consultation with the student's faculty research mentor, and depends on the amount of time spent working on research. (For every 1 point of credit, expect to spend at least 3 - 4 hours in the lab per week.)
In the senior year, Honors candidates complete an original research project under the supervision of their faculty adviser. Senior honors students present their research orally at the last colloquium of the Spring term, and also submit a written Honors Thesis. You are invited to attend the Senior Honors Presentations at the last Departmental Colloquia in the spring. Click here for the list of presenters, and for titles of recent Honors Presentations. Research done as part of the Honors Program has also been reported in scientific journals and presented at professional meetings.
Applications for the Honors Program can be printed from the following web page: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/psychology/dept/ugrad/honorsapp.html. Questions can be directed to the faculty members responsible for overseeing the program, Professors Putnam (x4-4550) and Ochsner (x4-5548).
Interested students should apply for admission at the end of their sophomore year. Applications for Fall 2010, including a recent transcript, are due in the dept. office (406 Schermerhorn) by May 6, 2010.
Major Requirement Checklists to use in planning your program
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