There are several opportunities for students to pursue honors in psychology, both at the level of individual courses and to graduate with departmental honors in psychology. These opportunities are open to all students. See the links below for more information:

• Graduating with Departmental Honors in Psychology
• Honors thesis in Psychology
• Honors credit in regular psychology courses
• 5000 Series Independent Research courses in Psychology
• 5010 Series Fieldwork Courses in Psychology

As a first step toward pursuing honors opportunities, we recommend that students review research areas of the psychology department faculty, and then contact faculty whose research fits your interests. When seeking a faculty research adviser, students should expect to have a conversation about their preparation for research (e.g., strong grades in PSYC 3400, 3450W, and other relevant course work).

Requirements include:

• declaration of major,
• completion of 12 credits in psychology, including Statistics, taken at Brooklyn College,
• a GPA of 3.40 or higher overall and in psychology, and
• a successful interview.

Primarily upper juniors and seniors are accepted into Psi Chi. Graduate schools and employers see this honor as an indication of high-quality performance as a Brooklyn College psychology major. For further information, e-mail Associate Professor Jacob Shane.

Complete and submit form

Students should meet with the instructor within the first five weeks of the semester to discuss the topic of honors work, and to agree upon expectations and requirements for honors credit in the course by completing and submitting the “Honors Credit in a Regular Course Department of Psychology” form.

Bulletin statement about honors in a regular course

Honors credit is earned by doing substantial supplementary work in an introductory or advanced course in the regular undergraduate curriculum. Students interested in honors credit must arrange with the instructor at the beginning of the semester to do an honors project in that course. To apply to do an honors project, students should discuss thoroughly the nature of work to be done with their instructor. At the end of the semester, the instructor submits the honors grade through an application on the BC WebCentral portal. Honors credit will be allowed when the final grade in the course is A+, A, B+, B, or P. Honors credit is indicated on transcripts in the form of an official transcript note.

Additional Information

Instructors submit the Honors credit 1-2 business days after grades have been posted to CUNY First

Instructors can follow these steps to submit an honors grade request.

Honors in a regular course does not count to departmental honors in psychology

Receipt of a letter grade “with Honors” in a regular course does NOT count toward eligibility to graduate with departmental honors in psychology. See the graduating with departmental honors in psychology article for information about those requirements.

Students interested in being considered for graduating with departmental honors in psychology are encouraged to begin planning an appropriate course of study late in their sophomore year or early in their junior year.

Students are encouraged to become familiar with department faculty research, to contact faculty to explore research training opportunities and potential honors thesis topics and advisers, and to talk with faculty about the process. Early research experience can help a student gauge their level of interest in pursuing a potential thesis and develop a path to this goal.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• Declared major in psychology
• GPA of at least 3.70 in all advanced psychology courses (numbered 3000 and above, including transfer courses)
• Completion of at least two PSYC 500X/501X series courses, or an equivalent thesis course outside the Psychology Department (e.g., SPCM 3185), but under the supervision of a Psychology Department faculty member, resulting in a written two-semester honors thesis.
• The thesis must meet the minimum requirements described in the “Honors Thesis Guidelines” page (such as thesis format, APA style, use of Title Page template )
• A letter of recommendation from the faculty member who served as adviser in the PSYC 500X/ 501X series course(s).
• A submitted “Graduating with Departmental Honors in Psychology Application” (see below)

Note: Students can apply for an exemption from the standard requirements (e.g., # of 500X/501X semesters completed; GPA in advanced psychology coursework) with a letter from their thesis adviser, in consultation with the honors and awards committee.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications to graduate with departmental honors in psychology are accepted in the fall, spring and summer semesters. Students submit their application in the same semester that they apply to graduate.

Deadlines (last day of classes each semester)

Each semester, the due date for submitting a complete application is the last day of classes. A complete application includes a final thesis (signed by the advisor) and a letter of recommendation from the faculty advisor.

1. Email Michael.BrigandoJr@brooklyn.cuny.edu to let him know you would like to apply for Departmental honors:
   • Students are encouraged to let us know about their intention to apply before the deadline.
   • Attach your final honors thesis (signed by your advisor). It is important that your thesis meets the minimum requirements described in the “Honors Thesis Guidelines” page. Please consult with your faculty advisor.
   • Ask your faculty mentor to email their letter to Michael.BrigandoJr@brooklyn.cuny.edu
2. We will follow up with applicants for any additional information.

REVIEW PROCESS

Applications are reviewed by the psychology department’s honors and awards committee, which makes recommendations to the department chairperson regarding award of a degree with the departmental honors notation (“Departmental Honors in Psychology”).

The committee makes every attempt to provide feedback to applicants (cc’d to thesis advisers) in a timely manner, provided the application is submitted on time. For example, if a student submits their draft written report and the committee determines it does not meet standards for departmental honors, the committee typically advises the student of necessary changes that should be incorporated. As a general rule, the more lead time students give the committee to review their materials, the easier it is for the committee to give feedback to students (and their thesis advisors) about the status of their application and improving their materials as needed.

NOTIFICATION PROCESS

All students are notified of the final outcome after completing their final semester of courses at Brooklyn College and degree conferral. Per college policy, students deemed eligible, will receive the graduating with departmental honors notation (“Departmental Honors in Psychology”) in the notes section of their transcript, not on the diploma.

CONTACT US

Have questions? E-mail Michael.BrigandoJr@brooklyn.cuny.edu

Completing an honors thesis could be one of the most rewarding experiences of your undergraduate degree. An honors project will help you learn research design, data analysis, presentation, and communications skills, help you become an expert on a topic in the psychological literature, and prepare you for graduate studies in psychology.

Honors thesis guidelines

The honors thesis is a two-semester, mentored research experience that culminates in a written thesis. This page provides information about honors thesis research experiences, and guidelines for writing an honors thesis.

A two-semester honors thesis is also required for submitting an application to be considered for graduating with departmental honors in psychology. Students conducting a two-semester honors typically complete the following:

• Identify a faculty research mentor who will agree to supervise their honors thesis.
• Take two PSYC 500X (Independent honors research) or PSYC 501X (Independent honors field work) courses, typically in consecutive semesters.
  • E.g., PSYC 5001 in Fall, then PSYC 5002 in Spring.
• Submit an interim written report in the first semester and the final honors thesis in the second semester.
• At the end of the second semester, students meeting eligibility requirements may also submit an application to be considered for graduating with departmental honors in psychology.

Planning your thesis

Students are required to find a faculty member willing to supervise their honors thesis. For this reason, it is a good idea to make advance plans and reach out to potential faculty advisers three to six months prior to registering if you intend to pursue an honors thesis project.

Faculty members may require prospective thesis students to first gain research experience in their lab. For example, students can take PSYC 200X (Laboratory Experience) courses to gain research experience in a particular lab. It is also possible to take an individual PSYC 500X course that is not part of the honors thesis project to gain research experience. In this event, a student wishing to complete an honors project would typically take an additional two PSYC 500X courses (e.g., PSYC 5002 and PSYC 5003).

In some circumstances, a student may register for a single PSYC 500X course, without the intention to complete a two-semester honors project. Upon completion, they may wish to continue pursuing their research in a second PSYC 500X course. Special permission from the chair is required for the student to count his or her first PSYC 500X course as part of the two-sequence honors project.

Interim written report (First Semester)

Interim reports are written in APA format and are expected to meet the minimum standards for submitting written work in a single 5000-level course (e.g., minimum 12 pages body). The content of the interim report may depend on the nature of the research project and is set by the faculty adviser. For example, the interim report could be like a completed research report that would become one of the empirical chapters in the final thesis, or it could be more like a theoretical report, or “other” report that would eventually form a different part of the final honors thesis.

Thesis (Second Semester)

At the end of the second semester, students submit the final thesis. The thesis is a written report reflecting two semesters’ worth of work, and a substantial amount of scholarly work on the part of the student.

The suggested minimum requirement for a thesis is 20 double-spaced pages, not including title page, abstract, references, etc.

Thesis Formatting Options

Students work with their faculty adviser to determine the most useful format for their thesis. The two most common formats are the undergraduate thesis format and an APA style research paper. Each are described below:

All formats should include a title page using the following title page template:

Undergraduate Honors Thesis format

We follow the CUNY guidelines for thesis format.

• 1″ margins, double-spaced text, 12-point font
• Title Page (download above)
• Dedication Page
• Acknowledgments Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Abstract Page
• Major Sections/Chapters (20 double-spaced pages)
  • Introduction
  • Additional Chapters
  • General Discussion
• Appendices
• References (minimum of 20 references)

APA Style Research Paper Format

A thesis written in APA format should contain, at minimum, the following four sections:

• Title Page (download above),
• Abstract (one page),
• Body: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion (20 pages minimum), and
• References (minimum of 20 references).