The Psychology Department at Brooklyn College offers many opportunities for undergraduate students to gain research experiences with faculty mentors. Research experiences at the undergraduate level provide opportunities to develop hard skills (data-analysis, experiment design, coding, and writing) and soft skills (presentation, clear and compelling communication, simplifying complex material) that prepare students for a wide variety of careers, and especially for students looking to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees. And, it is possible for students to gain credit toward their degree in courses specifically designed for mentored research experiences.

Faculty in the psychology department conduct research on a wide variety of topics including neuroscience, clinical psychology, cognition, developmental processes, social psychology, and others. It is possible for students to pursue research experiences in any of these areas, and work with faculty and other researchers in their labs. Undergraduates in our programs who have pursued research experiences have gone onto master’s and doctoral programs in their areas of research, as well as onto professional degrees, and some of our undergraduates have even published their research in peer-reviewed journals. The research products (e.g., honors thesis, research report, conference poster) created across the research experience builds a student’s portfolio and provides high-quality evidence students can use to showcase their skills to employers and graduate programs.

Although there are numerous ways to get involved in research, faculty are limited in the number of students they can supervise. The rest of this page lists common research experience opportunities that involve or do not involve course credit, and provides useful tips for connecting yourself with these opportunities.

Research opportunities in Psychology

PSYC 2001-2004 Laboratory Experience 3 credits

PSYC 5001-5004 Independent Research 3 credits

Honors Thesis in Psychology

REU Program (Research Experiences for Undergraduates)

Tow Mentorship Initiative

CASE programs

Seek volunteer opportunities in a faculty research Lab

Tips for students interested in gaining research experience

All psychology majors are required to take PSYC 3450W Experimental Psychology, which includes a laboratory component where students will get some experience with major elements of a research experience, including developing a research question, creating a method to gather data about the question, collecting and analyzing the data, and writing an APA style paper that communicates the findings of the project. 

Students interested in more in-depth mentored research experiences like the ones listed above need to make connections with faculty in the psychology department, and find a faculty mentor willing to supervise the research project. To form these connections, students are encouraged to:

1. Review faculty websites to learn more about their research interests.
2. Take classes with full-time faculty, get to know them by going to their office hours, and let them know you are interested in working with them. 
3. It is helpful to take PSYC 3400 in your sophomore year, and PSYC 3450W in your junior year. These courses provide foundations in statistics and experiment design that will serve you well in a research experience, and will provide evidence to a faculty member that you are prepared for a research experience.
4. The most comprehensive research experience available is to pursue an undergraduate honors thesis, which involves two semesters of independent research courses (PSYC 5001 and 5002), learn more about honors thesis requirements on the honors thesis page, and how to plan your degree so that you have identified a potential faculty mentor before your senior year.
5. Be persistent and plan ahead. A potential faculty mentor may not be able to offer you a research experience on short notice. Instead, start making connections with full-time faculty in your sophomore and junior year.

If you complete a research project with a faculty member consider presenting it at Brooklyn College Science Research Day!

We’re hoping to recruit talented undergraduates, from groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields, who have an interest in gaining research experience in psychology/neuroscience prior to graduate school.

Applications are due December 1, 2026 (though the sooner the better!).

For more information, check out the following link on the College Website:

https://www.brooklyn.edu/psychology/undergraduate/reu

Or, you may apply directly here: 

https://forms.gle/C1vdv7gXjF9qWu6r8

For any questions, please email infobc.reu@gmail.com.

Bulletin Description 

1 hour lecture, 6 hours fieldwork; 3 credits 

Fieldwork and observation of children in a variety of group settings. 

Prerequisite: Psychology 2200 or 2210 and permission of the chairperson (see below for how to reach out)

Additional Information

For more information and to express your interest in the class, please email sstimpson@brooklyn.cuny.edu .

Eligibility criteria

• Prerequisites: Introductory Psychology (PSYC 1000), and
• A faculty member agrees to serve as advisor/instructor, and
• The Chair of the Psychology Department approves.

Course Registration form

In order to request permission to register for a laboratory experience course (PSYC 2001- 2004), this form must be completed and arrangements must be made with a faculty member to sign off as your advisor. The signed form must be returned to the Psychology Department for approval from the Chairperson prior to registration.

NOTE: The PSYC 200X series (2001-2004) does not count toward the requirement for the Psychology Major. It does count towards the 120 credits required for graduation (i.e., it will count as a free elective course). Additionally, it will count towards the 60 credit in science and mathematics requirement for the BS degree.

Clarifications

• Students will spend a minimum of 9 hours per week in the research lab.
• Faculty Mentors must have weekly meetings with their independent research students.
• Students must submit a final report or project, as agreed upon by their advisor, at the end of the semester. Reports types include:
•  An APA formatted paper:
  • Literature review or theoretical work: A paper consisting of a review and discussion of the research on a particular topic that provides new and interesting connections or insights, evaluates a controversy in the field, or makes a theoretical argument and/or presents a new theoretical model.
  • Research Study Proposal that includes a literature review, specific hypothesis(es), an explanation of the design and methodology, a plan for analyzing the data, a description of the potential hypothetical results, and a conclusion about what these results would imply or mean.
• A poster of the research project presented in May at the Brooklyn College Science Day Conference, or at a professional conference.
• A weekly lab journal that includes the work completed by the student.
• A presentation in the research lab that summarizes work accomplished during the semester.

Eligibility criteria

• Prerequisites: Introductory Psychology (PSYC 1000); Statistical Methods in Psychological Research (PSYC 3400); a minimum of nine credits in advanced Psychology Department courses including PSYC 3400, and permission of the chair.
• 61 or more credits earned.
• A faculty member agrees to serve as adviser/instructor.

Course registration

In order to request permission to register for a fieldwork series course (PSYC 5011–5014), the course registrations form must be completed and arrangements made with a faculty member to sign off as your adviser. The signed form must be returned to the Psychology Department for approval from the chair prior to registration.

Clarifications

• Students will spend a minimum of nine hours per week at the fieldwork setting.
• Faculty mentors must have weekly meetings with their independent fieldwork students.
• Students will prepare a final paper that addresses a topic within the applied field in which they are carrying out their work. Papers typically present current research on a given topic, coupled with relevant case studies based on interviews with patients/clients/individuals with whom students interacted with at their placement.
• Honors Notation: As an honors course, the presumption is that students will conduct honors-level work. Nonetheless, the instructor may choose not to assign an honors designation if the level of performance is not achieved by the student.
• Graduating With Honors: Students must complete a sequence of at least two of the PSYC 501X series (5011–5014) courses and submit a written report (in APA format) to apply for consideration of departmental honors in psychology.

Report types for single fieldwork course

These report types are for students taking a PSYC 5010 series course as a standalone course, not as a part of a two semester honors thesis.

The following are acceptable for fulfilling the requirements of the Independent Fieldwork (PSYC 5011–5014) courses:

Theoretical Report

A paper consisting of a thorough review and discussion of the research on an applied or clinically focused topic. The paper should consist of a systematic integrative synthesis of the literature with one or more of the following features:

• provides new and interesting connections or insights,
• evaluates a controversy in the field by considering the evidence for or against a particular theory or claim(s) that result in an informed conclusion, or
• makes a theoretical argument and/or presents a new theoretical model to account for a particular set of research findings.

In addition, the paper should incorporate case studies/vignettes based on interviews with patients/clients/individuals with whom students interacted at their fieldwork placement.

Other

An alternate type of paper may be acceptable. Describe it in detail (#3 on the application).

Report types for honors thesis

Students completing a two-semester honors submit two reports: an interim report after the first semester, and the final completed thesis at the end of the second semester.

Students are referred to the honors thesis guidelines in psychology page for more details.

Report formatting requirements and guidelines

The 5010-level independent fieldwork paper should be written in APA format and should contain, at a minimum, the following four sections:

• Title Page (one page),
• Abstract (one page),
• Body: introduction, review of literature, case studies, and general discussion (12 pages minimum), and
• References (minimum of 10 references).

Eligibility Criteria

• Prerequisites: Introductory Psychology (PSYC 1000); Statistical Methods in Psychological Research (PSYC 3400); six additional credits in advanced Psychology Department courses; Experimental Psychology (PSYC 3450), which may be included among the six credits or may be taken as a co-requisite; and permission of the chair.
• A faculty member agrees to serve as adviser/instructor.

Course Registration

Faculty advisors submit a completed course PSYC 5001–5004 registration form to the Department of Psychology:

The chair gives final approval for registration. Following chair approval students will receive permission to register in the course.

Submitting work at the end of the semester

Students submit a written report at the end of each semester they are enrolled in a PSYC 5001–5004 course. Department approval of the report is required before a grade is assigned for the course. The requirements for written reports depend on whether the course is:

• a single independent research course, not a part of a two-semester honors thesis, and
• one part of a two-semester honors thesis (see honors thesis page for more information).

Report types for single independent research course

These report types are for students taking a PSYC 5000 series course as a standalone course, not as a part of a two semester honors thesis.

All reports are written in APA Format

All Reports are written in APA format and should contain, at minimum, the following:

• Title Page (1 page),
• Abstract (1 page),
• Body: Introduction, Methods, Results (if applicable), Discussion (if applicable) (12 pages minimum), and
• References (minimum of 10 references).

Type 1: Completed Research Report

This type of paper is written in APA style and must include the following sections:

• Title Page;
• Abstract;
• Literature Review that provides sufficient background and justification for conducting the study, with specific hypothesis(es);
• Methods Section that thoroughly describe the design, participants, equipment, materials, tasks, and procedure of the study;
• Results Section that justifies and explains the statistical analyses that were conducted and their outcomes;
• Discussion Section that interprets the results, addresses implications of the results, identifies study limitations, relates the findings to the broader theoretical framework and issues raised in the Introduction, and poses directions for future research; and
• References.

Type 2: Theoretical Report

This type of paper is written in APA style and consists of a thorough review and discussion of the research on a particular topic. The paper should not simply present a “catalog-like” summary of one study after another. Rather, the paper should consist of a systematic integrative synthesis of the literature with one or more of the following features:

• provides new and interesting connections or insights,
• evaluates a controversy in the field by considering the evidence for or against a particular theory or claim(s) that result in an informed conclusion and proposes research to evaluate or resolve the controversy, or
• makes a theoretical argument and/or presents a new theoretical model to account for a particular set of research findings. Computer simulation/modeling or meta-analysis are included as acceptable approaches.

Other types

An alternate type of paper may be acceptable. Faculty advisers should append the description to form.

Report types for honors thesis

Students completing a two-semester honors submit two reports: an interim report after the first semester, and the final completed thesis at the end of the second semester.

Students are referred to the honors thesis guidelines in psychology page for more details.

Clarifications

• Students will spend a minimum of nine hours per week in the research lab actively conducting research (collecting and analyzing data) each semester.
• Faculty mentors must have weekly meetings with their independent research students.
• Project Requirement: Acceptable projects do not necessarily need to involve human or animal participants; rather, studies consisting of computer simulation or other computational methods, such as a meta-analysis (raw data from selected studies are combined and analyzed to improve estimates of the size of a given effect and/or to resolve uncertainty when research papers disagree about a certain topic) are also acceptable.
• Honors Notation: As an “honors” course, the presumption is that students will conduct “honors”-level work. Nonetheless, the instructor may choose not to assign an “honors” designation if the level of performance is not achieved by the student. If the faculty member chooses to assign an “honors” designation, he or she makes the request through the BC portal after grades have been submitted through CUNYfirst.
• Graduating With Honors: Students must complete a sequence of at least two of the PSYC 500X series (5001–5004) courses and submit a written thesis project (in APA format) to apply for consideration of departmental honors in psychology. Students are referred to the graduating with departmental honors in psychology page for more information.
• Course Bulletin Description: Minimum of nine hours conference and independent work; three credits. Faculty-supervised independent research that includes data collection and analysis and/or theoretical work. Weekly conference. Final report must be submitted to the department.