Honors Program
The Psychology Honors Program enables senior Psychology majors to complete an individual research project (i.e., Honors Thesis) under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Students work on completing their Honors Thesis throughout both the Fall and Spring semesters, then defend it in an oral examination at the end of Spring.
The Honors Seminar (PSY 497), which meets only during the Fall semester, helps students write and defend their Honors Thesis, develop professional skills, consider career options and prepare graduate school applications
Special Funding Opportunity!
The Department of Psychology will provide up to $1000 in research funds for each Honors student.
These funds may be used to cover a variety of research expenses at any time while the student is enrolled in the Honors program, including paying research participants, advertising for study participants, special materials, supplies, equipment or software.
The expectation is that the student will consult with his/her Honors adviser on how to best use the funds.
The Honors student's faculty advisor should email Andrew Fogelsonger to request the funds. The following information should be included in the request:
- Student name
- Faculty advisor's name
- Name of the project
- Brief (1-2 sentences) summary of the project
- Justification (also brief – not more than 500 words) for how the money will be used and how it is necessary to serve the aims of the project.
What to Expect
The Psychology Honors Program is challenging, but highly rewarding. Students are expected to demonstrate the development of skills, not only in conducting research, but also in scientific writing and presentation.
Freshman/Sophomore/Junior Year:
- Develop a working relationship with faculty by serving as a research assistant
- Get approval from a Psychology faculty member to serve as Honors advisor
- Complete Honors application and interview (ideally during junior Spring semester)
Summer Before Senior Year:
- Read literature in area of interest (coordinate with faculty advisor)
Senior Fall Semester:
- Take PSY 497: Honors Seminar
- Write research proposal (first part of Honors Thesis)
Senior Spring Semester:
- Take PSY 497 credits under faculty advisor
- Collect data (typically; some students collect data in Fall or work with an existing dataset)
- Write and revise full version of Honors Thesis
- Orally defend Honors Thesis to faculty committee
- Graduate with one of three levels of Honors in Psychology: Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors
- The Feldman-Cohen Award is granted to the best Honors Thesis (execution and oral defense)
Program Benefits
- Small enrollment of about 10-15 students each year, which means students get individualized mentoring and become acquainted with a small peer group
- Hands-on experience with research, which allows students to put their learning into practice
- Training in skills (e.g., technical writing, data management and analysis, professional presentation) that are sought after in a wide range of careers
- Excellent preparation for students who plan to pursue graduate study in psychology or related fields (e.g., law, business, medicine, education, social work)
- A highly valued experience to add to your CV/resume, which also allows you to build strong relationships with faculty who may serve as professional references
- Successful completion (both the written Honors Thesis and the oral defense) results in graduation with Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors in Psychology
- Most outstanding Honors Thesis and oral defense in a given year is recognized with the Feldman-Cohen Award
Eligibility
Senior Psychology majors with a GPA of at least 3.0, both overall and in Psychology, who have secured a faculty advisor to supervise their work, are eligible for Psychology Honors.
Please note: The Psychology Honors Program is completely independent of the UB Honors College.
Requirements
- Required: Prior or concurrent completion of PSY 450 Advanced Research Methods
- Strongly recommended: Prior research experience (PSY 498), completion of PSY 300 (previously PSY 295) Communicating for Psychological Sciences, and prior or concurrent completion of PSY 405 Data Analysis Techniques (if offered)
How to Apply
- Seek out and secure a Department of Psychology faculty member to serve as advisor (see the application form for tips on finding an advisor).
- Complete the application and program interview prior to the enrollment deadline. Students who do not complete BOTH the application and interview before the enrollment deadline will not be admitted to the program. The ideal time to submit an application is the Spring semester of junior year, as this allows time to prepare for the program during the summer before senior year.
Applying for the 2025-2026 Academic Year?
The enrollment deadline is August 11, 2025.
